Ian Somerhalder has become one of the most popular TV actors of the 21st century thanks to playing Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries and Boone Carlyle on Lost, and now Dr. Luther Swann on V-Wars. But there’s a lot more to know about the actor, whose career actually started back in the 1980s. Here are some of the most important facts and trivia that Ian Somerhalder fans should know. How Old Is Ian Somerhalder? The perpetually youthful-looking 5’9″-tall Ian Somerhalder was born on December 8, 1978 — which finally puts him past the point of playing teenage roles. Lostpremiered in September 2004 when he was 25. The Vampire Diaries started in September 2009, when Somerhalder was 30, and ended in March 2017 when he was 38. Now Somerhalder is finally old enough to play a father on screen. He said he was drawn to his Netflix’s V-Wars character Dr. Luther Swann because Swann is a normal, good man — a dad and a husband — as opposed to a not-so-good vampire like Damon Salvatore. Where Is Ian Somerhalder From? Ian Somerhalder is a Southern boy from Covington, Louisiana, which is about 40 miles from New Orleans. It’s a perfect area to grow up in, if your future includes the mysterious and supernatural. Interestingly enough, The Vampire Diaries taped most of its episodes in Covington, Georgia, which doubles for the show’s Mystic Falls, Virginia. Somerhalder’s parents — a massage therapist and an independent building contractor– raised Ian, his older brother Robert and younger sister Robyn in nearby Mandeville. Ian Somerhalder has stayed close to his roots. He grew up …