94 Fun Facts About The Vampire Diaries

Who turned Damon and Stefan Salvatore into vampires?

Katherine Pierce turned both Salvatore brothers in 1864 by feeding them her blood, leading to their transition after they were shot by their father.

Which fictional Virginia town is home to 'The Vampire Diaries'?

Mystic Falls, Virginia, is the show's fictional hometown; its high school, the Mystic Grill and the Salvatore boarding house are the series' core settings.

On which network did The Vampire Diaries premiere in September 2009?

The CW premiered The Vampire Diaries on September 10, 2009, and carried it through its March 2017 finale; the network later added the spin-offs The Originals and Legacies.

What type of supernatural creature does Tyler Lockwood become after accidentally killing someone?

The classmate he kills had been compelled to provoke him, and his uncle Mason had already warned him that his short temper came from the family gene.

What is the family name of the Original Vampires?

The Mikaelson siblings became the first vampires when their witch mother Esther turned them to protect them from werewolves.

What ability does Jeremy Gilbert gain after Bonnie brings him back from the dead?

Seeing ghosts starts with his own exes: the first spirits Jeremy sees are his dead girlfriends Anna and Vicki, whenever he thinks about them.

What type of supernatural power does Bonnie Bennett primarily wield?

Bonnie Bennett is a powerful witch from the Bennett bloodline, capable of various forms of magic including telekinesis and pyrokinesis.

In which Georgia town was most of the series filmed?

Covington, Georgia, doubled as Mystic Falls throughout the series; its courthouse square appears in nearly every episode, and production settled there for Georgia's film tax incentives.

What was Alaric Saltzman's day job when he arrived in Mystic Falls?

History teacher: Alaric Saltzman joined Mystic Falls High as the new history teacher in season one, secretly hunting the vampire he believed had killed his wife Isobel.

Who is the main antagonist of The Vampire Diaries' first season, in town to free the woman he loves from a tomb?

Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother, is season one's villain; only later does he soften into one of the show's leads.

The Vampire Diaries was based on a book series by which author?

The original novels came out in 1991-92, and because Smith signed a work-for-hire deal, the packager Alloy owns the copyright and later replaced her with ghostwriters.

How many episodes did The Vampire Diaries air across its eight seasons?

171 episodes: the series ran from its September 10, 2009 premiere to its March 10, 2017 finale, 'I Was Feeling Epic'.

How old is the vampire Stefan Salvatore when Elena first falls for him, believing he is a normal human?

162: the season-one episode '162 Candles' has Lexi visiting for Stefan's 162nd birthday; he was turned in 1864, the year of the founders' vampire purge.

Which of these families is NOT one of the five founding families on Mystic Falls' Founders' council?

The five founding families are the Fells, the Forbes, the Lockwoods, the Gilberts and the Salvatores; Matt and Vicki Donovan are poor outsiders.

Elena becomes a vampire after the events of which finale?

Third: in the season-three finale 'The Departed', Elena drowns off Wickery Bridge with Dr. Meredith Fell's vampire-blood treatment in her system and wakes in transition.

Paul Wesley also played Silas, described as what in the show's mythology?

The world's first immortal being: Silas became immortal about 2,000 years ago by drinking the elixir the witch Qetsiyah created; Stefan is his doppelgänger.

Which character was the progenitor of the Petrova doppelgängers and Silas's true love?

Amara, the first of the Petrova doppelgänger line, was Silas's lover; Nina Dobrev played her in season five alongside Elena and Katherine.

Bonnie and Damon become best friends after being trapped together for four months in what?

A prison world: Bonnie and Damon spent four months reliving May 10, 1994 in a Gemini-coven prison dimension, where they met the sociopathic witch Kai Parker.

Which character was the first successful hybrid created by Klaus?

Tyler Lockwood became Klaus's first successful hybrid in season three, surviving transition only because Klaus fed him blood from the living doppelgänger Elena.

Alaric's fiancée Jo is murdered at their wedding by which relative?

Her brother Malachai 'Kai' Parker, Jo's twin, stabbed her at the altar in the season-six finale; the Gemini coven then moved her unborn twins into Caroline.

Where was the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries filmed, before production moved to Georgia?

Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted the pilot shoot in early 2009; the series then relocated to Covington, Georgia, for the state's film tax incentives.

Kevin Williamson at first found the show's premise too similar to which novels?

Twilight: Williamson initially passed on adapting the books because a vampire falling for a human schoolgirl felt too close to Stephenie Meyer's novels.

Nina Dobrev was born in which European capital before her family moved to Canada?

Sofia, Bulgaria: Dobrev was born Nikolina Dobreva there in 1989 and moved to Toronto at age two, later breaking through on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Before playing Damon, Ian Somerhalder was known as Boone Carlyle on which ABC series?

Lost: Somerhalder played Boone Carlyle, the first main character to be killed off, in the ABC drama's first season (2004-05).

Whom does Paul Wesley play in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?

James T. Kirk: Wesley debuted as the young Kirk in the season-one finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) and returned as a recurring character in season two.

In the original novels, what is the name of the town that the TV series renamed Mystic Falls?

Fell's Church is the books' Virginia town; the show renamed it Mystic Falls but kept the Fell family name among the town's founders.

What is the title of the first Vampire Diaries novel, published in 1991?

The Awakening opened the series in 1991, followed the same year by The Struggle and The Fury; Dark Reunion completed the original quartet in 1992.

The spin-off The Originals follows the Mikaelson siblings in the French Quarter of which city?

New Orleans: the Mikaelsons return to the French Quarter they fled in 1919 to find Klaus's protégé Marcel Gerard ruling the city's supernatural factions.

Klaus's daughter Hope, the first ever 'tribrid', is the child of which woman?

Hayley Marshall, the werewolf who had a one-night stand with Klaus in season four, is revealed pregnant in the backdoor pilot 'The Originals' that launched the spin-off.

Legacies, the second Vampire Diaries spin-off, is set at a boarding school run by Alaric Saltzman and named after which brothers?

The Salvatores' name is on the door: Hope Mikaelson attends the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted alongside Alaric's twin witch daughters Lizzie and Josie.

Elena's biological parents are revealed as Isobel Flemming and which man she grew up hating?

Her uncle John Gilbert: Isobel's teenage pregnancy was hidden when John's brother Grayson, a doctor, raised Elena as his own on a faked birth certificate.

Which Original kills Elena on Wickery Bridge, unaware she has vampire blood in her system?

Dr Meredith Fell had fed Elena Damon's blood to save her, so she came back in transition.

In which century was Klaus born, in a settlement that would one day become Mystic Falls?

10th century: Klaus was born in the late 900s in the Viking settlement on the future site of Mystic Falls, roughly a thousand years before the series begins.

British actor Joseph Morgan played which character, introduced as season two's main antagonist, across the whole Vampire Diaries universe?

Klaus first appeared in the 1992 novel Dark Reunion before arriving on TV as season two's big bad, played by Joseph Morgan throughout the universe.

Damon and Stefan's mother Lily is trapped with the Heretics in a pocket dimension from which year?

She survived by drinking her companions' rations of blood; the gang retrieved her to reach Stefan.

In season four Elena is 'sired' to Damon; what does a sire bond actually affect?

How a person acts, not how they feel: Tyler, once sired to Klaus, explains that the bond compels obedience without altering emotions, so Elena's love for Damon was her own.

Danielle Rose Russell led Legacies as which character, first played on The Originals?

Hope Mikaelson: Russell took over the role as a teenage Hope in The Originals' final season (2018) and led Legacies, set two years later, with Hope aged 17.

Before The Vampire Diaries, Julie Plec was assistant to which horror director on Scream 2 and 3?

Wes Craven: Plec began as Craven's assistant on Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000), where she met screenwriter Kevin Williamson, her future co-creator on The Vampire Diaries.

The Vampire Diaries was the CW's most-watched series until it was overtaken by which show?

Arrow: The Vampire Diaries was the CW's most-watched series from its 2009 debut until Arrow, launched in October 2012, passed it during the 2012-13 season.

How many episodes made up the eighth and final season of The Vampire Diaries?

16 episodes: the CW renewed the show in March 2016 and announced at San Diego Comic-Con that July that the shortened eighth season would be its last.

How many viewers watched the series premiere live in September 2009?

4.91 million viewers made the September 10, 2009 pilot the CW's most-watched series premiere since the network launched in 2006.

A 2012 fire broke out in the Covington building used as which Vampire Diaries location?

The Mystic Grill: fire damaged the downtown Covington building whose exterior stood in for the Grill in 2012, between seasons three and four; a real Mystic Grill restaurant later opened on the same square.

Which season of The Vampire Diaries ran 23 episodes instead of the usual 22?

Fourth: season four ran 23 episodes, premiering on October 11, 2012 rather than in September as the first three seasons had.

Why did the CW not extend The Vampire Diaries' third season to 24 episodes?

Kevin Williamson asked them not to: he and Julie Plec requested a 22-episode order, and CW president Mark Pedowitz said he would rather have a great 22 than a good 24.

Who directed the series finale, 'I Was Feeling Epic'?

Julie Plec made her directorial debut with the finale, which she co-wrote with Kevin Williamson; the CW ran a one-hour retrospective before it aired on March 10, 2017.

Who directed the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries?

Marcos Siega directed the pilot, written by Williamson and Plec, which opens with a young couple hitting a figure on a fog-covered road; Siega went on to direct many early episodes.

Which song by The Fray plays in both the pilot and the series finale?

'Never Say Never' by The Fray closed the pilot as Stefan arrives at Elena's door and returned in the finale, which also echoed the pilot's crow and Damon's 'Hello, brother'.

Which season's episode titles were mostly named after songs from 1994 and 1903?

Those were the two years of the prison worlds that season: Kai's 1994 loop and the one holding Lily Salvatore and the Heretics.

The backdoor pilot for The Originals aired as which numbered episode of season four?

Episode 20, titled 'The Originals', aired on April 25, 2013, and the CW ordered the spin-off to series the very next day.

The show's 100th episode, '500 Years of Solitude', falls in which season?

In it Rebekah frees the imprisoned Tyler as a parting gift to Matt, and Alaric's ghost looks in on a toast to him.

On what date was Katherine Pierce born as Katerina Petrova?

June 5, 1473: Katerina was born in Bulgaria, was disowned for bearing a daughter out of wedlock in 1490, and became a vampire in England in 1492.

How did Katerina die in 1492 to begin her transition into a vampire?

She hanged herself: healed by Rose's blood after stabbing herself, Katerina hanged herself in Rose's cottage so that, as a vampire, she would be useless for Klaus's sacrifice.

In season eight, Katherine is revealed to have become what after her death?

The Queen of Hell: Kai Parker reveals in season eight that Katherine has been running Hell, and she returns as the series' final villain before Mystic Falls is saved from hellfire.

Stylists told Elena and Katherine apart mainly by what?

Elena generally wore her hair straight while Katherine favoured waves, a cheat sheet many viewers learned to read.

On what date was Stefan Salvatore born?

November 1, 1846: Stefan was born in Mystic Falls and turned 17 years later, in 1864, after his father Giuseppe shot him with Katherine's blood in his system.

In L. J. Smith's novels, what hair colour does Elena Gilbert have?

Blonde: the novels' Elena is a blonde, blue-eyed queen bee of Robert E. Lee High School, while the show cast the brunette Nina Dobrev and softened the character.

Where does Jeremy move in season six, supposedly to attend art school?

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Jeremy's art-school story was a cover; only Alaric knew he was really leaving to hunt vampires, with Alaric feeding him leads.

How does Elena cover up Jeremy's death in season four?

She burns the Gilbert house: with her humanity switched off, Elena torches the family home with Jeremy's body inside so the town has a story for his death.

To gain enough power to kill Klaus, Bonnie channels the spirits of how many dead witches?

One hundred: Bonnie draws on the spirits of 100 witches burned at a massacre site outside Mystic Falls, then lets Damon fake her death so Klaus believes the threat is gone.

Why did Caroline's father Bill leave her mother before the series began?

He came out as gay: Bill Forbes left Sheriff Liz Forbes for a man and later tried to 'fix' his vampire daughter by torturing her in a cellar in season three.

Whom does Caroline Forbes marry in the final season?

Stefan Salvatore: Caroline and Stefan marry in season eight's 'We're Planning a June Wedding', a ceremony staged partly as bait to lure Katherine into the open.

Matt becomes the first human to kill an Original vampire when he stakes whom?

The death wiped out Finn's entire bloodline, revealing the danger of killing the Original who sired the Salvatores' line.

Matt's long-lost father Peter reveals their ancestors were the town's original what?

Blacksmiths: the Maxwells forged the Maxwell bell for the town's clock tower, and a descendant ringing it twelve times unleashes hellfire on Mystic Falls.

Tyler triggers his werewolf curse by accidentally killing a classmate named what?

Sarah: Katherine compelled the classmate to goad Tyler at the masquerade party, knowing a Lockwood needs a kill to activate the werewolf gene; Sarah fell and died in the scuffle.

Which Original turns Alaric into an Enhanced Original vampire in season three?

Esther, the Original Witch, used Alaric's ring-split dark side to create an Original-strength vampire hunter armed with an indestructible white oak stake, his life tied to Elena's.

Who sired Enzo St. John?

Lily Salvatore turned Enzo in 1903 aboard a ship bound for New York, a twist revealed in season six; Enzo and Damon later shared an Augustine cell in the 1950s.

Sheriff Liz Forbes dies in season six from what?

Cancer: Liz was diagnosed in season six and died in 'Let Her Go'; vampire blood could not cure the disease, and Damon, her unlikely friend, delivered the eulogy.

Which Walking Dead star played Rose, the 500-year-old vampire Damon mercy-killed?

Lauren Cohan, The Walking Dead's Maggie Greene, played Rose in season two; bitten by the werewolf Jules, Rose died as Damon gave her a peaceful dream before staking her.

Rose reveals she was turned not by an Original but by which ancient vampire?

Kol staked Mary before she could say which Original began the line, keeping the Salvatores' sire line a mystery.

Posing as Elena, Katherine maims John Gilbert in the season one finale by doing what?

Cutting off his fingers: Katherine sliced off John's fingers, Gilbert ring included, before stabbing him, so the ring could not bring him back if he died.

The Gemini Coven forces its eldest twins to merge at what age?

22: Gemini twins merge on their 22nd birthday, the stronger absorbing the weaker to lead the coven; Kai wanted Jo, but their younger brother Luke merged with him instead.

The Gemini Coven is based in which American city?

Portland, Oregon: the Parker family led the Gemini Coven there; Kai, born in 1972 as a siphoner who can only steal magic, slaughtered his siblings in the family home in 1994.

Stefan and Damon's mother was fed vampire blood in 1858 while dying of what disease?

She faked her death, fled to Europe and became a Ripper before the Gemini Coven imprisoned her in Manhattan.

Sybil and Seline, the sirens of season eight, serve which master?

Arcadius, better known as Cade, was a psychic burned at the stake who created Hell; the sirens Sybil and Seline feed him wicked souls in exchange for their immortality.

Klaus kills the witch Aja at the ceremony by decapitating her with what?

A thrown graduation cap: Klaus flings a mortarboard across the football field to behead Aja in the season-four finale 'Graduation', saving Caroline from the returned witches.

Nina Dobrev starred in the 2017 remake of which 1990 medical thriller?

Flatliners: Dobrev played Marlo in the 2017 remake of Joel Schumacher's 1990 film, alongside Elliot Page and Diego Luna, with Kiefer Sutherland returning in a new role.

Nina Dobrev crossed over to The Originals playing which doppelgänger?

Tatia was the Original-era doppelgänger whose blood figured in the spell that created the first vampires.

Ian Somerhalder was born in Covington, in which U.S. state?

Louisiana: Somerhalder was born in 1978 in Covington, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, a namesake of the Georgia town where the show was filmed.

Which product did Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley launch together in 2020?

Brother's Bond Bourbon trades on the on-screen sibling bond the two played for eight seasons.

Paul Wesley was born under what name in New Brunswick, New Jersey?

Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski: born to Polish parents in 1982, he spent four months of every year in Poland until age 16 and adopted Wesley as a stage name.

Who composed the musical score for The Vampire Diaries?

Michael Suby scored all eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries and went on to compose for its spin-offs The Originals and Legacies as well.

Torrey DeVitto (Dr Meredith Fell) was married 2011-2013 to the actor playing whom?

The younger Salvatore brother: DeVitto married Paul Wesley, who plays Stefan, in April 2011 after they met on the 2008 film Killer Movie; they divorced in 2013.

Kat Graham, who plays Bonnie, was born in which European city?

Geneva, Switzerland: Graham was born there in 1989 to a Liberian father and a Jewish mother, then raised in Los Angeles, where she started out as a backup dancer.

Candice Accola changed her surname to King after marrying a member of which band?

The Fray: Accola married the band's guitarist Joe King in October 2014 and was credited as Candice King from season seven onward.

Which Hollywood legend was the grandfather of the actor who played Jeremy Gilbert?

Steve McQueen: Steven R. McQueen is the son of Chad McQueen, the racing-driver son of the Bullitt star, and the stepson of Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille.

Before acting, Zach Roerig worked for his family's business making what?

Gravestones: Roerig worked at his family's monument company, Fackler Monuments, in Montpelier, Ohio, where he had played football and wrestled in high school, before moving to New York to act.

Matt Davis, who plays Alaric, is known for playing Warner in which 2001 film?

Legally Blonde: Davis played Warner Huntington III, the boyfriend who dumps Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods, in the 2001 comedy before joining the show as Alaric.

Joseph Morgan met his wife on the show's set; which character did she play?

Abby Bennett Wilson: Persia White played Bonnie's estranged mother Abby from season three; she and Morgan married in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in July 2014.

Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin first co-starred in which Australian series about mermaids?

H2O: Just Add Water, the 2006 Australian series about teenage mermaids, paired Holt and Tonkin first; they reunited on The Vampire Diaries and then The Originals.

Which original novel is told from Bonnie McCullough's point of view?

Dark Reunion (1992) shifts to Bonnie McCullough's point of view after Elena's death at the end of The Fury; the first three books follow Stefan's and Elena's diaries.

Which 2009 novel opened L. J. Smith's The Return trilogy?

Nightfall (2009) opened The Return trilogy, Smith's revival of the series ahead of the TV adaptation; Shadow Souls (2010) and Midnight (2011) completed it.

In the novels, what was the surname of the Salvatores' former lover Katherine?

von Swartzschild: the novels' Katherine is a German baron's daughter who turned both brothers in Renaissance Florence; the show remade her as the Bulgarian Katerina Petrova.

The novels were adapted into what kind of game in 1996?

HeR Interactive made it; in that version Stefan is a hospital doctor's assistant and Damon a student biology teacher.

How many seasons did the spin-off The Originals run before ending in August 2018?

Julie Plec announced in July 2017 that the fifth season would be the last.