Stefan

Stefan Salvatore is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists from L. J. Smith's novel series The Vampire Diaries.

He is portrayed by Paul Wesley in the television series CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.

Stefan grew up in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.

He grew up next to his brother, Damon Salvatore, his father, Giuseppe Salvatore and at the start of his life grew up with his mother, Lillian Salvatore before supposedly died of consumption, later revealing that she faked her own death and lived as a vampire in secret.

As Stefan grew up, he was known as the good child in the family, unlike his brother, Damon Salvatore, who had a knack for trouble.

As Stefan and Damon grew up, both boys grew to not like their father because of his abusive ways.

Damon Salvatore joined the army, and Stefan was left to live with his father for a couple of months.

Once Damon came back, the two were turned into vampires in 1864, in the town of Mystic Falls at the age of 17, by Katerina Petrova, who both brothers loved immensely.

In 1864, Stefan "hadn't yet learned the careful control that rules his life now" and was an avid consumer of human blood, which was considered a "dark past" by Zap2it.

On March 27, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Paul Wesley had joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as Stefan.

He was the last main cast member whose casting was announced.

Wesley has become popular with viewers.

Carina MacKenzie of the Los Angeles Times noted that he spent "10 years as a successful but under-the-radar TV actor" but shortly after the show premiered, he was "everywhere".

MacKenzie wrote: "Last summer his face was on more than 30 "Vampire Diaries" posters at the Century City/Westfield mall alone, not to mention billboards over seemingly every major boulevard in Hollywood".

In November 2011, Wesley's ex-wife Torrey DeVitto joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries in the recurring role of Dr. Meredith Fell, who is "intrigued by" Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis).

Stefan was described as a "beautiful young man" who turns out to be a Vampire 162 years old, who develops a "strong connection" with "tragic heroine" Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev).

Wesley described the young Stefan as "naive and willing to ride whatever wave life threw" him, because he was "easily manipulated" and "innocent" with a "beautiful young soul".

However, Stefan at the age of 160 years has more wisdom in him.

Stefan consumes animal blood, refusing to kill humans due to the guilt that he killed his own father.

Damon on the other hand, does feed on humans.

Paul Wesley has remained close friends with his co-stars Dobrev and Somerhalder, and is business partners with the latter.

Stefan has a love-hate relationship with his brother, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder).

Wesley "adores" Somerhalder, who he said he has "natural chemistry" with.

Wesley stated: "The dynamic of the characters is so interesting because they love each other, but they hate each other [...] There's always this thing in Stefan's head where he hopes that one day Damon can just be as normal and functioning as possible".

However, he also described their relationship as "beautiful" in their flashbacks from the past, because they "loved each other so much back then".

Stefan begins a romance with Elena on the show's first episode, without telling her he was a vampire.

She was later shocked to find out that he was a vampire, and briefly ended their relationship before getting back together.

As the show progressed, Elena began developing feelings for Damon as well.

Wesley described Damon and Stefan as having a "silent understanding of the fact that they both are in love with the same girl", and "that was Stefan's girl, and now Damon is suddenly a real factor, he's really in the picture".

Wesley's favorite episode of The Vampire Diaries is "The Turning Point" because it was "really beautiful" for Stefan and Elena as a couple.

In the episode, Stefan turns around "because he's ashamed of his face" with blood rushing through his eyes and his veins popping out.

Wesley said "he's terrified, and he hates himself for it. He runs from that part of himself, but she turns him around and tells him not to be afraid. She touches his face, and she thinks he's beautiful. It's so intimate, that moment, because she accepts the darkest part of him."

When the original vampire Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) is feared dead, it is revealed that everyone in his bloodline will die, including Stefan and Damon.

In what International Business Times called "the moment Vampire Diaries fans have been waiting for", Elena had to pick to say goodbye to Stefan or Damon.

She ended up choosing Stefan.

When Elena became a vampire, her feelings for Damon heightened, and it was later revealed that she had a sired bond to him.

Elena and Stefan broke up, and she began a romance with Damon.

Stefan became heartbroken, feeling angry and betrayed, and lashed out at Damon and Elena.

Wesley urged fans of Stefan and Elena not to lose hope, stating: "The fans should definitely maintain some hope. The thing to remember is that Stefan and Elena have this love that is so strong, and it was sort of the core of Season 1 — you can't entirely disregard that".

The show's head writer, Julie Plec, said "They love each other as deeply as two people can love each other, but that doesn't mean that their relationship is infallible".