Characters
Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) 
The main human character, she is adjusting to life afer her parents died in a car accident 4 months before she meets Stefan. She used to be an active cheerleader and popular and cheerful but at the start of the season she is worried about pretending she is ok. As the Season continues she builds up her relationships with her friends. She confronts problems head on and puts her trust in Stefan. She finds out from Stefan that she was adopted and later finds her birth mother is a vampire.
Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley)
The new mystery guy at Mystic Falls high school, also a vampire. He hides the dangerous side of his personality the best he can. Damon is able to provoke him easily and Elena brings out his sensitive side. After being tortured by some tomb vampires Elena gives him some of her blood to strengthen him but the taste of human blood after so many years brings out the predator in him. With the help of Elena and Damon he is soon back to his normal self.
Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerholder)
Stefan’s brother, who hated him since Katherine was caught because Stefan’s drink was spiked, lacing his blood with vervain. He doesn’t show any value for human life, switching off the part of himself that used to care. He is more powerful than Stefan because he drinks human blood often, but unlike Stefan when he drank human blood, he is able to control himself.
Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev)
The cause of Stefan and Damon’s rivalry. In the flashbacks she appears kind on the surface, hiding her vampire identity from the town, but she easily uncovers her less friendly side. She was known as Katerina Petrova when she was human and is originally from Bulgaria. She was a Petrova Doppelganger, a human that could be sacrified to break the curse that stops vampires walking in the sun. But she escaped by turning.
Bonnie Bennett (Katerina Graham)
Elena’s best friend, descendent from a family of witches and learning she is one herself. At first she jokes about her grandma having psychic powers but is disturbed when she displays powers of her own. Her grandma teaches her powers. She has visions when she touches people, seeing ‘death’ when she touches Stefan. Her prediction of Mr Tanners death leaves her scared and she stops joking. She distances herself from Elena after her grandma dies after opening the tomb, blaming Damon and Stefan.
Emily Bennett (Bianca Lawson)
Emily was a powerful witch and Katherine’s handmaid in 1864, she was burned at the stake by the town’s people when she was found to be a witch. She came from a direct line of a descendent of one of the witches accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She haunts Bonnie when she starts wearing her talisman and in one episodes possesses her and destroys the talisman.
Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R McQueen)
He starts the season as a 15-year-old depending on drugs to cope with his parents death 4 months before. He is in love with Vicki and they were seeing each other over the summer, but when school started again she ignored him in front of her boyfriend Tyler. He skips history class but was offered extra credit by Alaric and he found an interest in the history of Mystic Falls. After Vicki is turned and later staked Elena pleads with Damon to compel him to take away his suffering, leading to a dramatic change in his behaviour. Anna gives in to him wanting to turn and gives him some of her blood but the pills he took weren’t strong enough to kill him with her blood in his system.
Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola) 
Caroline is a cheerful and at times bitchy girl, competitive, especially when it comes to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, which she won. She dates Damon who compels her to let him feed off her, she later dates Matt but is insecure with his closeness with his ex girlfriend and best friend Elena. Damon accuses her of being shallow and she takes it to heart, telling Matt she wants to be deep. She lands in hospital after a car crash at the end of season one and is given some of Damon’s blood to save her. While in the hospital Katherine Pays her a visit and leaves her a message for Damon before killing her. She had Damon’s blood in her system so turns into a vampire and with a Stefan’s help she learns to lead a relatively normal life.
Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig)
Elena’s best friend since childhood, they dated too, but found there was no passion, he later dates Caroline. he is left to looks after his sister Vicki and pick up the mess when their mother is nowhere to be found. He’s a typical nice guy who easy-going and friendly. he admits he would still do anything for Elena even after they broke up. In season 2 he admits to being in love with Caroline despite noticing a drastic change in her behaviour, after she turns, but he doesn’t know she is a vampire until later on.
Tyler Lockwood (Micheal Trevino)
The descendent from a family with a werewolf curse. He has a fiery temper that becomes unpredictable around the full moon. He notices his behaviour and starts to worry when he learns about his family background from his Uncle Mason. He triggers the werewolf curse on himself when he accidentally kills a girl while getting in a fight with Matt at a party.
Vicki Donovan (Kayla Ewell)
Matt’s drug addict sister, dated Jeremy over the summer and eventually gave in when he wanted to continue the secret relationship when school started. Damon takes her home after attacking her and friends at the cemetery. They feed on each other and he turns her out of boredom. When she becomes dangerous at a Halloween dance Stefan stakes her to protect Elena. Damon buries her body but it is later found by Caroline.
Jenna Sommers (Sara Canning)
Elena and Jeremy’s aunt, left to be their sole guardian after the death of their parents. She worries about looking after 2 teenagers and living up to the standards her older sister set as a mother. She has an adult relationship with Elena and worried about Jeremy’s behaviour. She previously dated Logan Fell and later starts dating Alaric, the new history teacher. She is often out of the loop when it comes to anything supernatural. Katherine compels her to stab herself in season 2 but she survives.
Alaric Saltzman (Mathew Davis
The new history teacher at Mystic Falls High school, friendly than the late Mr Tanner, giving Jeremy a chance to earn back the credit he lost by skipping class. He was married to Isobel who showed a large interest in the supernatural, she assumed her dead after she went missing for so long. He dates Jenna and together they learn that Isobel was Elena’s birth mother. He gets involves when it comes to the vampires, even helping out but keeping it from Jenna.
Sheriff Liz Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre)
The sheriff of Mystic Falls, organises the secret council who aimed to rid the town of vampires while keeping them a secret. She shows her authority and doesn’t appreciate anyone going behind her back and has a strained relationship with her daughter Caroline. She isn’t romantically linked with anyone and is separated from her husband who is in a relationship with another man.
John Gilbert (David Anders)
Elena and Jeremy’s uncle. Neither Elena, Jeremy or Jenna are pleased to see him when he visits them, saying he’ll take over his brothers business, claiming Elena and Jeremy are too young. It is learned that he is Elena’s birth father, but Elena does not take this as good news. He becomes a member of the secret council. In the season 1 finale he is fooled by Katherine into thinking she is Elena before chopping his fingers off and stabbing him
Isobel Flemming (Mia Kirshner)
When she was human she was married to Alaric and had an extreme interest in vampires. She disappeared and begged Damon to turn her. She returns to Mystic falls looking for the Gilbert device and she isn’t the nice person Alaric used to know. She was Elena’s birth mother and a meeting of the two left Elena crying when Isobel was cold-hearted towards her.
Mayor Richard Lockwood (Robert Pralgo)
The Mayor of Mystic Falls and a member of one of the founding families. Owns a large estate, being the wealthiest family in town. He is affected by the device in the season 1 finale, even though he is not a vampire, sparking up questions about what he really was, a werewolf. He took it on to himself to find a replacement coach when football coach when Mr Tanner died so as not to lower the team’s chances in the football season.
Carol Lockwood (Susan Walters)
A bitchy woman and the Mayor’s wife, she appears to have a drinking problem. After her husband’s death she takes over and acts as Mayor while being a member of the founders council. Had a hostile relationship with Richard but was all the same devastated when he died.
Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney)
Tyler’s uncle who came to visit after the death of his brother, Mayor Lockwood, he hadn’t seen Tyler since he was a kid. He taught Tyler about the werewolf curse, telling him how he triggered the curse himself by accidentally killing another man in a fight. During his stay in Mystic Falls he asks Tyler of the whereabouts of a moonstone. Damon interrogated him and after not getting the answers he was after, kills him.
Anna (Malese Jow)
A vampire whose mother was trapped in the tomb. Lived in Mystic Falls in 1864 when her mother was taken from her. She befriends Jeremy, taking an interest in his local history research, but uses him to help free her mother. After some time she developes feelings for him, even giving him some of her own blood when he wanted to turn. while in Mystic falls she turned Noah and Ben, to help her.
Pearl (Kelly Hu)
Anna’s mother who was trapped in the tomb since 1864 until Anna took her out when it was opened by Bonnie and Grams. She owned an apothecary shop in 1864 to cover her vampire nature. She was discovered to be a vampire by Jonathon Gilbert but trapped in the tomb instead of being burnt in the church. After she is freed from the tomb she maintains order and is cautious but not afraid to use physical control. she revealed to Damon that Katherine was never in the tomb or the church but escaped because a guard was obsessed with her. She was staked to death John Gilbert.
News Reporter in Mystic Falls who dated Jenna but they had a messy break up, resulting in her leaving Mystic Falls before returning to look after Elena and Jeremy. He wormed his way back to Jenna just to steal Jeremy’s pocket watch, which was also part of the device used by the founders council. He was killed by Vicki when she fed off her but later returned as a vampire. unfortunately for him he lived alone so couldn’t get back into his own home.
Has a close relationship with her granddaughter Bonnie. An experienced witch who teaches Bonnie her powers and a college professor. With the help of Bonnie and the use of her grimoire she opened the tomb. Unfortunately she died the same day and was found by a devastated Bonnie.
Kelly Donovan (Melinda Clarke)
Matt and Vicki’s often absent mother. She is often getting drunk and rarely at home with her kids. Matt can’t rely on her and she doesn’t rush home when Vicki is in hospital, only coming home because her boyfriend left her. Matt has enough of her and tells her to leave, saying he’s better off without her. A deleted scene shows her sucking the life out of a man when kissing him, but this is never looked into in later episodes.
William Tanner (Benjamin Ayres)
The original history teacher and football coach at Mystic Falls high. He enjoyed ridiculing his students but was outsmarted by Stefan when he got the wrong date for the Korean war. He let Stefan onto the football team, believing it would increase the teams chances. He was killed by Damon in the parking lot but his death was ruled as attacked by a mountain lion.
Zach Salvatore (Chris William Martin)
The caretaker of the boarding house where Stefan and Damon live. A descendent of them but known as ‘uncle in public. He grew a secret supply of vervain which he only showed to Stefan, he promised some to Sheriff Forbes but died before he could do so. Damon killed him after escaping from a cell in the boarding house basement.
Ben ( Sean Farris) 
A bartender at the grill turned into a vampire by Anna. His life became aimless after leaving school so Anna turned him so he could be her spy. He went on a date with Bonnie when she knew he was a vampire after she kissed him. He held Bonnie and Elena hostage in a motel room until they were rescued and later knocked out Jeremy to distract Elena so Anna could get to the tomb.
Andie Star (Dawn Olivieri
News reporter set up on a date with Damon by Jenna, despite brushing her off they met up later. Damon confides in her, telling her he was in love with someone and has killed many people, but compels her to not be afraid of him. She becomes a love interest for him. She was who stabbed Elijah at a dinner party.
Jules (Michela McManus)
Showed up at the Lockwood’s looking for Mason and was told he was back in Florida, but he knew he wasn’t. She is a werewolf herself, caught out by Alaric when he spiked her drink with Wolfsbane. She bite’s Rose as a werewolf and is stabbed by Damon before running off. She learns about the sun and moon curse and tells Tyler but leaves out information
Elijah (Daniel Gillies)
Is an original, one of the first vampires around and over 500 years old. He compels Katherine to stay in the tomb in season 2 to stop Klaus finding her. He can only be a killed by a certain dagger, so killing takes several attempts. The first attempt is Damon staking him but he resurrects. In the end it is Elena who kills him.
Rose (Lauren Cohen)
Another vampire, helping Stefan and Damon to protect Elena. She knew Klaus would be after her because she was Katherine’s Doppelganger. She was bitten by Jules and the bite quickly became infected, as werewolf bites are fatal to a vampire. As she is dying Damon stakes her himself, for her own good.
Luka (Bryton James)
The new student at Mystic Falls high first seen asking Bonnie and Jeremy for directions. He is a warlock, revealing himself to Bonnie by levitating some table salt in the grill. She attempted to channel him and nearly killed him when trying to free Jeremy who was trapped in the tomb. He tricked Bonnie into giving him the moonstone to him to take back to his father. He was later interrogated by Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy. When using an invisibility spell to get into the boarding hour he is set alight and killed by Damon.
Dr. Jonas Martin (Randy J. Goodwin)
Luka’s father and a Warlock himself. He worked for Elijah revealing to him where Elena was. After finding out she nearly killed Luka he attacked Bonnie, taking her powers. When Luka died he let his anger out on the grill, setting it alight. That same night when thinking he was attacking Elena he was bitten by Katherine who was posing as her. Before being finally killed by Damon snapping his neck he attacks Bonnie again but this time giving back her powers.
The Vampire Diaries 
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