Who plays Klaus in ‘The Vampire Diaries?’

As Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) struggles between her dramatic choice between vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), she encounters a collection of colorful and equally maniacal villains. But without a doubt, there is no villain on The Vampire Diaries more iconic than Klaus Mikaelson.

A foreboding figure since early season 2, his presence is felt before he even reveals himself. After taking control of Alaric’s (Matthew Davis) body and trying to kill Bonnie (Kat Graham), he appears right before the season finale to drain Elena of her blood. After he accomplishes his dastardly plan of becoming the first-ever vampire-werewolf hybrid, he returns, time and again, to wreak havoc on the town of Mystic Falls. Unlike other villains who are killed without a second thought, Klaus is just too entertaining to be gone for good.

Known for his dramatic yelling and residual father issues that turned him into a killing machine, Klaus was so layered that it yielded him his own spin-off in The Originals. The series takes its time with his character development to the point where he learns to truly love after the birth of his daughter. (How can he biologically procreate? No one knows, don’t ask). But his long character trajectory would not have been possible without the actor who brought him to life. With nuanced performances bordering on Shakespearean, Klaus has had such longevity due to one person.

Who plays Klaus in Vampire Diaries and The Originals?

Early in the life of The Vampire Diaries, Klaus had always been an intended villain. He crops up in the books as the vampire who turned Damon and Stefan’s shared girlfriend, Katherine, into a vampire. But finding an actor to portray the character was no easy task. Finally after searching, Wesley suggested the name of someone he knew for the part. In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Wesley shared that he didn’t know the actor well, but after meeting him, he thought he was interesting enough to play the part.

As luck would have it, Wesley’s intuition wasn’t off. His acquaintance, Joseph Morgan, was, in fact, extremely talented and made Klaus into the character he is today. By all intents and purposes, Morgan probably should have only lasted a season or two. But ardent Vampire Diaries lovers know how long he stuck around and how even that wasn’t enough for us.

After gaining his hybrid abilities, he spends the time terrorizing Stefan in an attempt to appear menacing, but it actually stems from the fact that he is lonely. Morgan brought gravitas and humor to the role, deepening the lore surrounding the family of Original vampires. His siblings Rebekah (Claire Holt) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) became part of Klaus’ mythos, which was so complex an entire show was created to explore it.

Klaus goes from outright villain to somewhat of an anti-hero because of Morgan’s talent, creating one of the most compelling character arcs in The Vampire Diaries universe. Following the end of The CW show, Morgan continued to train the spotlight on the humanity in antagonists. He shines in both his Titans and Legacies roles, setting him apart from all villains that had come before.