Nina Dobrev plays Elena Gilbert and her doppelgänger Katherine Pierce. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder play the Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon. Kat Graham is Bonnie Bennett, Candice King is Caroline Forbes and Zach Roerig is Matt Donovan — the four of them, with Wesley and Somerhalder, appear in all eight seasons.
Steven R. McQueen plays Jeremy Gilbert, Michael Trevino plays Tyler Lockwood, Sara Canning plays Aunt Jenna and Kayla Ewell plays Vicki Donovan. Matt Davis is Alaric Saltzman, Joseph Morgan is the Original hybrid Klaus, and Michael Malarkey joins the main cast as Enzo in season 6.
Dobrev left after season 6 and returned for the series finale.