Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Paul Wesley earns my respect for refusing to be embalmed by his own success. Eight seasons as Stefan Salvatore made him a global heartthrob, the kind of role that traps actors forever, yet he pivoted to directing, producing, and then the audacious gamble of playing James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Stepping into Shatner's shadow takes nerve; making the part feel boyish and new takes skill. There is a Polish-American work ethic underneath the matinee-idol face, a Rutgers kid who keeps studying his craft. I find his second act far more interesting than his first, and that is rare in television stardom.
Overview
Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski (Polish: ['pavɛw vaɕi'lɛfskʲi]; July 23, 1982), better known by his stage name Paul Wesley, is an American actor and film director. He is known for starring as Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017) and James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present). In 2003, Wesley also starred as Lucas Luthor, Lex Luthor's younger brother, in the superhero series Smallville.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Paul Wesley
- Name (Japanese)
- ポール・ウェズリー
- Reading
- ぽーる・うぇずりー
- Born
- July 23, 1982 (age 43)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog
- Origin
- New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 180 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / actor / film director / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Marlboro High School
- University
- Rutgers University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Vampire Diaries | — | |
| Notable work | Tell Me a Story | — | |
| Notable work | Fallen | — | |
| Notable work | Smallville | — | |
| Notable work | Killer Movie | — | |
| Notable work | Wolf Lake | — |
6. Links
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.