Summary

• The age differences between actors and characters in The Vampire Diaries were significant but not a distraction from the show's success.
• Characters like Elena, Stefan, Damon, and others were portrayed by actors who were older than their character's ages in the series.
• Supporting characters like Rebekah, Klaus, and Enzo were turned into vampires at young ages, leading to interesting age dynamics in the show.

The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017, and it's interesting to see how old Nina Dobrev was in The Vampire Diaries. The CW has had its fair share of successful supernatural shows over the years. However, The Vampire Diaries set the stage in 2009, introducing some great characters played by actors early in their careers. From Nina Dobrev coming into the series at 20 years old and playing a 17-year-old to Ian Somerhalder at the age of 30 but playing a 25-year-old, the series' actors and characters they portrayed were far off in age, especially the vampires.

Watch on Max

This isn't rare. Going back to Beverly Hills 90210, the actors playing the high schoolers ranged from Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green at 17 when they started, to Gabrielle Carteris, who was a 29-year-old playing a high school student. This was without the explanation of supernatural aging. In The Vampire Diaries, some of the age differences were easy to see thanks to the vampires in the series. Also, these age gaps, although high for some, weren't very noticeable and did not have a negative impact on the series.

Jenna Sommers

Played By Sara Canning

The protective and motherly aunt of Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, 25-year-old Jenna Sommers only sought to provide her niece and nephew with a safe and normal home environment. However, when the supernatural became a part of their lives, nothing was ever normal for them again.

Actress Sara Canning was only 22 when she took on the role of guardian aunt in the series, three years younger than her Vampire Diaries character's age. Canning was also only slightly older than Nina Dobrev and still played her aunt. By the series' end, she was 29 years old, although she left the show at the end of season 2 and only made recurring appearances throughout The Vampire Diaries.

Matt Donovan

Played By Zach Roerig

Sweet yet complicated, Matt Donovan was a 17-year-old high school student at the start of The Vampire Diaries in 2009, with the character looking for validation from others. He sought to win the love of Elena Gilbert, a feat that only became more complicated with the arrival of Stefan and Damon Salvatore.

Actor Zach Roerig gained the role of Matt Donovan at the age of 24. Although seven years older than his character, Roerig looked the part of a teenage jock at the beginning of the series. By the end of the show, Roerig and his character had both matured, with Roerig ending the series at the age of 31 with Matt as the sheriff of Mystic Falls.

Tyler Lockwood

Played By Michael Trevino

Tyler Lockwood was a 17-year-old bad boy and popular jock at Mystic Falls High in The Vampire Diaries. He was rich, confident, and arrogant. However, over time he began to grow and understand who he was as a person. Coming into the role at the age of 24, Michael Trevino had the same age difference as Zach Roerig from his role.

Trevino mastered the role of Tyler Lockwood. His character was present from seasons 1-6 and recurring throughout seasons 7-8, and by his end in the series in 2017, Trevino was 31 years old. However, Tyler didn't age after that because Damon killed him while under Sybil's mind control.

Alaric Saltzman

Played By Matthew Davis

A character that looks to help and assist wherever he can, Alaric Saltzman has provided some of the wisest quotes over his appearance in the show. Although many feel the friendship between Alaric and Damon isn't real, he’s proved to be the voice of reason on many occasions when talking Damon out of doing something stupid. He is an integral part of the supernatural world in Mystic Falls, and he does his best to protect those he loves as best he can.

Matthew Davis took on this role in 2009 at the age of 31, while his Vampire Diaries character's age was 33. Alaric made it through the series and moved on to The Originals and Legacies.

Jeremy Gilbert

Played By Steven McQueen

The younger brother of Elena Gilbert, Jeremy Gilbert was a character also dealing with the loss of his parents while also trying to understand who he is. He would do anything for his sister and aunt. However, at times, he could be impulsive.

Steven R. McQueen has starred in series like Everwood and CSI: Miami, playing only minor roles. However, after taking on the role of 15-year-old Jeremy at the age of 21, he saw his career grow as he did. Jeremy ended the series by leaving to hunt vampires, but he did make a return at the very end and became a teacher at the Salvatore Boarding School.

Bonnie Bennett

Played By Kat Graham

A character that would do anything for those she loves, Bonnie Bennett sacrificed and lost so much for the sake of others. She took everything in stride, always coming back better and stronger. Kat Graham was not new to television screens, getting her start as far back as 1998 in the film The Parent Trap.

She took on the role of 17-year-old Bonnie Bennet at the young age of 19, only a two-year difference, in 2009. Her age aided in the authenticity of the character, making her much more relatable. As the series grew, so did Graham, and by the end, she was 26 years old and set out to see the world.

Caroline Forbes

Played By Candice King

Caroline Forbes became a complex character that at times would be seen as a hero and at others as the villain. She made her fair share of mistakes. The one constant that remained was her loyalty and love for her friends and family.

Taking on the role of Caroline Forbes in 2009, Candice King was 22 years old compared to her character's age of 17. With previous television roles in shows like Greek and Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries proved to be King’s breakout role in television. From 2009-2017, King was a constant in the series. By the series' end, she was 29 years old. Her character was an immortal vampire.

Damon Salvatore

Played By Ian Somerhalder

The dark and impulsive brother to Stefan, Damon Salvatore does what he wants and says what he wants with no regard for the consequences. He's a character who cares for nothing or anyone until he returns to Mystic Falls and meets Elena Gilbert.

Played by Ian Somerhalder, the actor took up the role at the age of 30, with his character’s age solidified as 25 years old in human years but around 170 in vampire years. By the end of the series, Ian Somerhalder was 37 years old. This was an even bigger change from his age to his Vampire Diaries character age, as Damon became human, rejoined Elena, and started aging normally from 25 after that.

Stefan Salvatore

Played By Paul Wesley

A character that changed in multiple ways from season 1 to his last episode, Stefan Salvatore was a character with a complex past. His return to Mystic Falls saw the beginning of his dynamic relationship with Elena Gilbert and the re-emergence of his brother and past.

Starting off the series at the age of 27, Paul Wesley and his character were far off in age, with Stefan's projected age being 17 in human years and over 100 years in vampire years. When the show finally ended in 2017, Paul Wesley was 34, but Stefan died in The Vampire Diaries finale so that Damon and Elena could have a happy ending.

Elena Gilbert

Played By Nina Dobrev

How old was Nina Dobrev in Vampire Diaries? Nina Dobrev took on the role of Elena Gilbert, a high school teen dealing with the recent death of her parents and new love. Elena dealt with all the woes that came with being 17. Unlike her character's age at the start of the series, Nina Dobrev was 20 years old when she began filming for her role in The Vampire Diaries, only three years older than her Vampire Diaries character's age.

The series would prove to be her breakout role, but Dobrev left The Vampire Diaries in the sixth season, ending up in a coma. By the series' end in 2017, Nina was 27 years old and Elena woke up and continued to live her life with Damon.

The Vampire Diaries spinoff series The Originals is available to watch on Freevee while the spinoff series Legacies is available to watch on Netflix.

Ages Of Supporting Vampire Diaries Characters

Many Recurring Characters Joined The Vampire Diaries Later

Not all of the characters important to the story of The Vampire Diaries are introduced at the start of the show. There are quite a few introduced later, and their ages, especially in the case of the vampires from the past of the Salvatore brothers, might surprise some of the audience members.

The Original vampires, for example, are mostly turned when in their late teens and early twenties. Rebekah is able to pass for a high school student because she became a vampire at 17, but she did so in the late 900s, making her well over 1,000 years old by the time she makes her debut. Of course, she spends hundreds of years at a time daggered, so she doesn’t necessarily have 1,000 years of life experience. Claire Holt was 22 when she first began playing Rebekah.

Klaus, just a little older than Rebekah, was 19 when he became a vampire, so their ages are comparable. Josephe Morgan, however, was 29 when he began playing Klaus. Elijah was 23 when he was turned, slightly older than the siblings he was closest to, but still over 1,000 years old as a vampire. Daniel Gillies was more than a decade older than his character would have been when he was turned, 35 when he started playing Elijah. Though more Original siblings would follow, it was this trio that The Originals spinoff first centered on.

Enzo, another character from the Salvatore brothers’ past, was introduced in season 5. He was born in the late 1800s and turned into a vampire by Lily Salvatore in 1903. 27 at the time he was turned, by the time Enzo reenters the lives of Stefan and Damon in season 5, he’s over 130 years old. Michael Malarkey, the actor who played Enzo, was 30, only a few years older than the character, when he began playing Enzo.

Of course, the most memorable antagonist of The Vampire Diaries is Katherine. Though she, Elena, and other doppelgangers were all portrayed by Nina Dobrev, they were very different ages. Katherine was born, had a daughter, and was turned into a vampire all in the late 1400s. She was turned at 19, making her human age slightly older than Elena when introduced (and closer to Dobrev’s). Katherine lives for over 500 years before her survival skills finally met their match. The roles of the doppelgangers allowed Nina Dobrev to play several different characters at several different ages in The Vampire Diaries.