Paul Wesley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Wesley
Wesley in 2024
Born	Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski (1982-07-23) July 23, 1982 (age 42) New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Paul Wasilewski
Occupation	Actor director
Years active	1999–present
Works	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Torrey DeVitto ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2013)​ Ines de Ramon ​ ​ (m. 2019; div. 2024)​

Paul Wesley, born Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski on July 23, 1982, is an American actor, director, and producer. He is best known for playing Stefan Salvatore in the popular TV show The Vampire Diaries (from 2009 to 2017). He also plays James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (starting in 2022).

Paul Wesley's Early Life and School

Paul Wesley was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His parents, Tomasz and Agnieszka Wasilewski, are from Poland. He grew up in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. Paul has an older sister named Monika, and two younger sisters, Leah and Julia.

Paul can speak Polish very well. He spent four months in Poland every year until he was 16. He went to Christian Brothers Academy and Marlboro High School. Later, he moved to Lakewood Prep School. This school helped him manage his acting schedule better.

How Paul Started Acting

When Paul was in high school, he got a role in the TV show Guiding Light. He played a character named Max Nickerson. After high school, he started college at Rutgers University. But he left after just one semester. He realized he was getting many acting jobs and could make acting his full-time career.

Paul Wesley's Acting Career

Early Roles: 2001 to 2008

In 2001, Paul Wesley was known as Paul Wasilewski. He was a main actor in the TV series Wolf Lake, playing Luke Cates. He also appeared in the TV movie The Russell Girl in 2008. In 2007, he had a big role in the miniseries Fallen.

Paul also acted in many other TV shows. These include 24, 8 Simple Rules, American Dreams, Army Wives, Cane, Everwood, Guiding Light, Smallville, and The O.C..

Becoming Famous: The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder in 2012.

Paul Wesley became very famous for his role as Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. This show started in September 2009 on The CW network. In the series, he played a younger brother to Damon Salvatore. He was also the love interest of a girl named Elena Gilbert. His acting in this show earned him two nominations for the People's Choice Awards.

Paul's Film Roles

During these years, Paul also acted in several movies. In 2014, he starred in and helped produce Before I Disappear. This movie won an award at the SXSW Film Festival. It also competed at the Venice Film Festival. That same year, he starred in Amira and Sam. In 2016, he was in the comedy The Late Bloomer. He also appeared in HBO's Shot in the Heart and Liongate's Peaceful Warrior.

In 2014, he was cast in the movie Mother's Day. It was also announced that he would star in and produce a science fiction movie called Convergence. He also acted in The Baytown Outlaws.

Directing and New Shows: 2018 to Present

Paul Wesley started directing episodes of The Vampire Diaries in its fifth season. He also became a producer for the show starting in season 8. He directed an episode of Shadowhunters for Freeform.

In 2016, Paul started his own production company called Citizen Media. He signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to create four new TV shows.

Paul's Theater Work

Paul has also acted on stage. He had a main role in the play Cal in Camo in New York City. He also starred in Sensitive Skin. In 2018, he joined the play Zurich in New York City.

In 2018, Paul joined the main cast of the TV series Tell Me a Story on CBS All Access. In 2019, his company, Citizen Media, made a deal with Kapital Entertainment to develop more projects. He has also directed episodes of Roswell, New Mexico. He starred in an episode of the Netflix series Medal of Honor as Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha.

Joining Star Trek

On March 15, 2022, it was announced that Paul Wesley would play James T. Kirk in the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+. He first appeared in the show's season one finale. In 2024, Paul won a Saturn Award for Best Guest Star in a Television Series for his role as Kirk.

Paul Wesley's Other Activities

In 2014, Paul Wesley received the Humane Generation Award. This was for his work with the Humane Society, especially for helping farm animal welfare.

Paul has also run two online campaigns to raise money for charity. For his first campaign, he sold a cat shirt to raise money for the The Humane Society of the United States. He sold almost 3,000 shirts. For his second campaign, he worked with his The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder. They sold a special shirt with the words "Blood Brothers Since 1864." This campaign sold almost 10,000 shirts.

In 2020, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder launched their own bourbon whiskey brand called Brother's Bond Bourbon.

Paul Wesley's Personal Life

Wesley and Torrey DeVitto at Wizard World Toronto in 2012.

Paul Wesley met actress Torrey DeVitto in 2007 while working on the movie Killer Movie. They started dating and got married in April 2011 in New York City. In July 2013, they announced they were getting divorced, and it was finalized in December 2013.

While filming The Vampire Diaries, Paul lived in Atlanta, Georgia. The rest of the time, he lived with Torrey DeVitto in Los Angeles, California. After their divorce, he sold his Los Angeles home.

In February 2019, Paul Wesley married Ines de Ramon. They separated in 2022, and their divorce was finalized in February 2024.

Paul Wesley is still good friends with his former The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder. They even launched their bourbon whiskey together.

Paul is also a vegan and supports animal rights.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Paul Wesley para niños