Daniel Gilles plays Elijah on The CW’s The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Learn more about the actor in his Kidzworld bio.
Foreign Roots
Daniel was born on March 14th, 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was young. He got his start in acting in both New Zealand and Canada before making it big in the United States. His first major television role was in the show Street Legal, a Canadian TV show. His name started to get recognized in the industry when he landed a role in Spider-Man 2 with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco.
The Vampire Diaries
In 2010, Daniel was cast as Elijah in The Vampire Diaries. Elijah is one of the “original” vampires, along with relatives Klaus, Rebekah and Kol. Elijah wants to get his hands on Elena so he can use her as bait for Klaus, who needs Elena as a sacrifice for a ritual to release his werewolf abilities. Elijah and Elena make a deal and start to work together.
Elijah and KlausCourtesy of The CW
The Originals
In 2013 it was confirmed that The CW would create The Originals, a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries that will focus on the “original” vampire family. Elijah will star alongside Joseph Morgan (who plays Klaus) in the new show. The Originals focuses on Klaus’ attempt to take back control of New Orleans, a city his family originally founded.
Did You Know?
- Daniel is married to Rachael Leigh Cook
- He worked as a waiter before making it big in acting
- Daniel guest starred in True Blood
Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel GillesCourtesy of She Knows
Have Your Say
Do you like Daniel’s character in The Vampire Diaries? Let us know!
