Nina Dobrev is a Bulgarian-Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Elena Gilbert on The CW’s supernatural drama series “The Vampire Diaries.” Born Nina Constantinova Dobreva on January 9, 1989, in Sofia, Bulgaria, she immigrated to Canada at the age of two and was raised in Toronto.
She attended J.B. Tyrell Sr. Public School and Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Ontario. Dobrev majored in Sociology at Ryerson University in Toronto before dropping out to pursue an acting career in 2008. She studied with the Armstrong Acting Studio.
Her enthusiasm and talent for dance, gymnastics, theatre, music, visual arts, and acting, started at a very young age. Dobrev’s modeling jobs led her to work in commercials and then to film auditions. She landed roles in feature films such as “Fugitive Pieces”, “Away From Her” with Julie Christie, and “The Poet”.
After being discovered at a mall by an agent, Dobrev began her acting career at the age of 15 in a number of Canadian television shows such as Degrassi: The Next Generation and Immigrants.
After performing some minor roles on Canadian television shows, Nina decided to make the move to Los Angeles and went on to appear in several American TV shows before being cast as Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries. This part catapulted her career, earning her several awards including five Teen Choice Awards and an MTV Movie Award nomination. Throughout her time on the show, Dobrev has had leading roles in films like “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” and “Let’s Be Cops.” She also reprised her role as Mia Jones on “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” In 2016, she left The Vampire Diaries to focus on other projects such as producing and philanthropy.
More recently, Dobrev has appeared in films like “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Flatliners.” In 2018, she was cast in the new CBS sitcom “Fam” alongside Tone Bell and Odessa Adlon. As well as acting, Dobrev serves as a global ambassador for charity WE Day and frequently participates in various charitable events. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and photography.
