Paul Wesley

Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski[1] (Polish: ['pavɛw vaɕi'lɛfskʲi]; born July 23, 1982),[2] known professionally as Paul Wesley and formerly as Paul Wasilewski, is an American actor, director,[3] and producer.[4] He is known for his lead role on the drama series The Vampire Diaries as well as his multiple roles on the anthology series Tell Me a Story.

Paul Wesley
Paul Wesley at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski

(1982-07-23) July 23, 1982
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Other namesPaul Wasilewski
Occupation
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
Years active1999–present
Notable work
Spouse(s)
    ​
    (
    m. 2011; div. 2013)
      Ines de Ramon
      (
      m. 2019)

      Early life

      Wesley was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Polish parents Tomasz and Agnieszka Wasilewski, and grew up in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. He has one older sister, Monika Emara (née Wasilewski), and two younger sisters, Leah and Julia.[5]

      In addition to English, he also speaks Polish, having spent four months every year in Poland until the age of 16.[6] Wesley attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey, and Marlboro High School for a period during his high school years. He started his theater studies in New York City and transferred from Marlboro High School to Lakewood Prep School in Howell, New Jersey, because the school was able to better accommodate his acting schedule. During his junior year in high school, he was cast in the soap opera Guiding Light as character Max Nickerson.[5][7][8] He started college at Rutgers University in New Jersey but left after one semester when more roles were offered to him, and he realized he could make a career out of acting.[5][9]

      Career

      2001–2008: Early acting roles and Fallen

      In 2001, Wesley, then credited as Paul Wasilewski, was one of the main cast members of the short-lived CBS television series Wolf Lake, playing the role of Luke Cates.[10][11] He appeared in the 2008 CBS television film The Russell Girl,[12] and had the lead role in the 2007 ABC Family miniseries Fallen.[13][14][15] Wesley has had a number of roles in television shows such as 24, 8 Simple Rules, American Dreams, Army Wives, Cane, Everwood, Guiding Light, Smallville, and The O.C..

      2009–2017: The Vampire Diaries and film roles
      Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder in 2012

      Wesley starred as Stefan Salvatore in the hit television series The Vampire Diaries since its premiere in September 2009 on The CW. In the series, he played a younger brother to Damon Salvatore as well as the love interest of a 17-year-old girl named Elena Gilbert. His work garnered him two People’s Choice Award nominations.

      Throughout the years, he has appeared in a variety of films. In 2014, he co-starred in, as well as produced, Before I Disappear, which went on to win the SXSW Film Festival Audience Award and compete at the Venice Film Festival's "Venice Days" section.[16] That same year he co-starred in Amira and Sam which was acquired by Drafthouse Films.[17] In 2016, he co-starred in the comedy The Late Bloomer.[18] His other feature credits include HBO's Shot in the Heart directed by Agnieszka Holland and Liongate's Peaceful Warrior.

      In 2014, he was cast in the film Mother's Day,[19] and it was also announced he is set to star in and produce the film Convergence.[4] He also co-starred in The Baytown Outlaws.[20]

      2018–present: Focus on directing and Tell Me a Story

      Wesley began directing The Vampire Diaries in its fifth season and produced the series at the start of season 8.[21] He directed episode 16 in season 2 of Shadowhunters for Freeform. In November 2016, it was announced that under the label of his newly formed production company, Citizen Media, Wesley signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to produce four new television shows, including Confessions of a Drug-Addicted High School Teacher, written by Jason Smith; Pecos, written by Shawn Christensen; Finding Natalie, written by Hilary Bettis and Shanghai Summer, written by Oanh Ly.[22]

      His theater work includes the co-lead in the well-received off-Broadway production Cal in Camo at the Rattlestick Theater in New York City.[23] He was also the co-lead in Sensitive Skin, written by Shem Bitterman.[24] In March 2018, Wesley joined the New York Theater Workshop's production of Zurich in New York City.[25]

      In June 2018, it was reported that Wesley, had joined the main cast of the CBS All Access TV series Tell Me a Story, which was created by Kevin Williamson. [26][27][28][29] Wesley currently has a development deal at Kapital Entertainment. [30] Other network television directing credits include Shadowhunters and Roswell, New Mexico. He also appeared in the second episode of the Netflix series Medal of Honor as Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha.

      Philanthropy

      In 2014, Paul was given the Humane Generation Award for his work with the Humane Society. [31]Wesley has hosted two fundraising campaigns on Represent.com to raise funds for charity. For his first campaign, Wesley released a cat shirt design to raise funds for The Humane Society of the United States.[32][33] The campaign sold almost 3,000 units. For his second campaign, Wesley teamed up with The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder to release a limited-edition shirt designed by a fan, with the words "Blood Brothers Since 1864."[34] This campaign sold almost 10,000 shirts.[35]

      Personal life
      Wesley was married to actress Torrey DeVitto from 2011 to 2013.

      Wesley met and began dating Torrey DeVitto in 2007 when they acted together in Killer Movie. They married in a private ceremony in New York City in April 2011.[36] In July 2013, it was reported that they had filed for divorce.[37] The divorce was finalized in December 2013.[38]

      Wesley lived in Atlanta, Georgia, while filming The Vampire Diaries and the rest of the time with DeVitto in Los Angeles, California.[39] He sold his Los Angeles residence after his divorce from DeVitto at the end of 2013. As of February 2019, Wesley is married to Ines de Ramon.[40]

      In 2014, Wesley served as a jury member of the Tribeca Film Festival.[41]

      As a Polish citizen, he endorsed Rafał Trzaskowski in the 2020 Polish presidential election.[42]

      Filmography
      Main article: Paul Wesley filmography

      Awards and nominations
      Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
      2010Young Hollywood AwardsCast To Watch (with Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev)The Vampire DiariesWon
      2010Teen Choice AwardsBreakout Star MaleThe Vampire DiariesWon
      Actor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesWon
      2011Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      Choice VampireThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2012Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2013Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2013People's Choice AwardsFavorite Dramatic TV ActorThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2014Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      TV VillainThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2014Young Hollywood AwardsBest Threesome (with Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev)The Vampire DiariesWon
      2014Northeast Film FestivalBest Supporting Actor in a FeatureBefore I DisappearNominated
      2015People's Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      2015Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      Choice TV: Liplock (with Candice Accola)The Vampire DiariesNominated
      2016Teen Choice AwardsActor Fantasy/Sci-FiThe Vampire DiariesNominated
      Choice TV: Liplock (with Candice King)The Vampire DiariesNominated
      gollark: You need lots of centrifuge stuff, precision engineering, and weird materials.
      gollark: This is a good, nonbad idea.
      gollark: So if you arrange to immediately die upon nuclear war breaking out, you'll never experience nuclear war!
      gollark: You see, you'll never perceive universes in which you don't exist.
      gollark: You can prevent this using the anthropic principle, by living in a major, likely to be nuked city.

      References
      1. "Paul Wesley pronounces Full name in Polish". YouTube.
      2. "Paul Wesley's 31st Birthday — 'Vampire Diaries' Tribute To Stefan". Hollywood Life. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
      3. Wieselman, Jarrett (February 7, 2014). "Paul Wesley will make his directorial debut on "The Vampire Diaries"". Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
      4. Yamato, Jen (November 17, 2014). "'Vampire Diaries' Star Paul Wesley Set For Sci-Fier 'Convergence'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
      5. Morton, Rebecca (September 10, 2009). "'Vampire Diaries' to give area native star turn". New Brunswick Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
      6. Lee, Luaine (January 27, 2010). "The 'good' vampire was a teenage bad boy". Chicago Tribune. McClatchy/Tribune News. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
      7. Talbot, Lindsay (October 12, 2009). "New Blood". Teen Vogue. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
      8. Martin, Patti (January 28, 2010). "Perhaps one of Howell's best kept secrets". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
      9. "Getting to Know: Paul Wesley". Teen Magazine. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
      10. Schneider, Michael (July 31, 2001). "Thesp jumps into CBS' 'Wolf Lake'". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
      11. Speier, Michael (September 9, 2001). "Review: 'Wolf Lake'". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
      12. Fries, Laura (January 24, 2008). "Review: 'The Russell Girl'". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
      13. Fries, Laura (July 20, 2006). "Review: 'Fallen'". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
      14. Dempsey, John (August 9, 2007). "'Fallen' earns solid ratings". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
      15. Thomson, Cathy (December 2010). "Review: 'Fallen'". Geek Speak. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
      16. "'Before I Disappear' picked up for North American distribution". Variety. August 5, 2014.
      17. "Paul Wesley makes 'Amira and Sam'". Deadline Hollywood. August 28, 2014.
      18. "Paul Wesley, Brittany Snow, Blake Cooper Join Comedy 'The Late Bloomer'". wrap.com. August 25, 2015.
      19. "Wesley, Sarandon to star in 'Mother's Day'". Deadline Hollywood. September 25, 2014.
      20. Weinstein, Joshua L. (May 13, 2011). "Paul Wesley Joins Eva Longoria in 'The Baytown Disco'". TheWrap.com. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
      21. "Paul Wesley Will Make His Directorial Debut On "The Vampire Diaries"". Buzzfeed.com. February 7, 2014.
      22. Kroll, Justin (November 11, 2016). "Paul Wesley Inks Overall Deal With Warner Bros. TV, Sets 4 Projects As Producer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
      23. "Review: In 'Cal in Camo,' a Raw Welcome to Motherhood". The New York Times. May 21, 2016.
      24. "Sensative Skin". Backstage.
      25. Clement, Olivia (March 15, 2018). "Hamilton's Austin Smith and Vampire Diaries' Paul Wesley to Star in Zürich". Playbill. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
      26. Andreeva, Nellie (June 5, 2018). "'Tell Me A Story': Danielle Campbell To Star In Kevin Williamson's CBS All Access Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
      27. Andreeva, Nellie (June 11, 2018). "Paul Wesley To Co-Star In CBS All Access Series 'Tell Me A Story', Reuniting With 'The Vampire Diaries' EP Kevin Williamson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
      28. Andreeva, Nellie (June 12, 2018). "'Tell Me A Story': James Wolk To Star In Kevin Williamson's CBS All Access Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
      29. Andreeva, Nellie (June 12, 2018). "Dania Ramirez To Co-Star In CBS All Access Thriller Series 'Tell Me A Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
      30. Andreeva, Nellie (February 13, 2019). "Paul Wesley Inks Producing Deal With Kapital Entertainment, Sets 2 Drama Series Projects, Including Starring Vehicle". Deadline. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
      31. Burt, Kayti (April 1, 2014). "Paul Wesley Credits The Vampire Diaries at Humane Society Gala". Wet Paint. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
      32. "Paul Wesley Selling Cat Shirt for Humane Society". Bookfandoms.com.
      33. "Paul Wesley Limited Edition Cat T-shirt". Represent.com.
      34. "Vampire Diaries: Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley Launch Charity T-Shirt Campaign". People. July 17, 2015.
      35. Represent.com. "Ian Somerhalder & Paul Wesley's Official Tee".
      36. "Vampire Diaries' Paul Wesley and actress Torrey DeVitto married!". Life & Style. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
      37. "Paul Wesley and Torrey DeVitto to Divorce". People.com. July 30, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
      38. "'Vampire Diaries' star Paul Wesley finalizes divorce". Toronto Sun. December 24, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
      39. Suzuki, Chako (November 29, 2012). "Where Does Paul Wesley Live? You Ask, We Answer!". wetpaint.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
      40. Vulpo, Mike (February 8, 2019). "Surprise! The Vampire Diaries' Paul Wesley is Married". E!. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
      41. https://www.bostonherald.com/2014/04/08/sheila-nevins-anton-yelchin-whoopi-goldberg-paul-wesley-among-jurors-at-2014-tribeca-film-festival/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
      42. "Wyborcza.pl". wyborcza.pl. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
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