Daniel Gillies (born 14 March 1976) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actor. He is best known for his role of Elijah Mikaelson on the television series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals , as well as his role as Dr. Joel Goran on the Canadian series Saving Hope.

 

Gillies was born 14 March 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When Gillies was five, his parents decided to return to their native New Zealand, and moved to Invercargill and then to Hamilton. Though born into a family of strong medical background (his father is a pediatrician, his mother a nurse, and his great great great grandfather is the renowned ENT/plastic surgery pioneer Sir Harold Gillies), he became interested in acting and studied at the Unitec School of Performing Arts.

 

Frustrated with the lack of opportunities in New Zealand, he moved to Sydney, Australia for six weeks in 2001, before returning to his native Canada for two months, where he worked as a waiter and dishwasher until deciding to move to Los Angeles, USA.

 

Gillies began his career starring in several Auckland Theatre Company productions, before landing a lead role in the television drama Street Legal for two seasons. After realising his options in New Zealand were limited, he tried Sydney and Canada, before moving to Los Angeles and being cast in Bride & Prejudice and Spider-Man 2.

 

Since 2002, Gillies has worked in Canadian and American film and television; he's guested on television shows such as Masters of Horror, NCIS and True Blood. Since 2010, he's starred on The CW drama The Vampire Diaries as Elijah Mikaelson, and in 2012 was cast as Dr. Joel Goran in the supernatural series, Saving Hope.

 

He wrote and directed his first film, Broken Kingdom, in 2012; a process which took five years.

 

In 2013 he was cast in The Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals, due to air in the fall of the 2013/14 television season.

 

Gillies married American actress Rachael Leigh Cook in August 2004,after less than a year of dating. They have one daughter, Charlotte Easton Gillies, born in September 2013.

 

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The Originals

 

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People's Choice Awards  (Jan. 9, 2013)

January 26, 2013 - Entertainment Weekly Screen Actors Guild Awards Pre-Party

 

July 20, 2013- SDCC

May 16, 2013 - CW Upfronts in NYC

July 20, 2013 - SDCC 2013 - Vampire Diaries & Originals at EW Party

July 20, 2013 - SDCC 2013 Vampire Diaries & Originals

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April 14, 2012 - Vamipre Diaries Creation Entertainment Convention - TVD Chicago

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August 18 & 19, 2012 - Creation Entertainment Presents Official Vampire Diaries Convention in New Jersey

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September 5, 2012 - Joseph Abboud Spring 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

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September 21, 2012 - The 2012 Entertainment Weekly Pre-Emmy Party

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CTV Upfront Presentation for 'Saving Hope', Sony Centre For Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada

OCT 16th,  2005 - M.A.C. Cosmetics After Party for the Louis Verdad 2006 Spring Collection.  Sunset Marquis, West Hollywood, California, United States.

SEPT 9th, 2005 - "A Night At The Copa" At The Hollywood Bowl.  Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California United States.

MAY 10th, 2005 - Joseph Abboud Suit Suite.  L'Ermitage.  Los Angeles, California, United States.

APRIL 12th, 2005 - 2005/2006 TBS and TNT UpFront.  Remi.  New York City, New York United States.

CW Photoshoot for 'The Originals' in Los Angeles, CA

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FEBRUARY 2nd, 2013 Daniel and Rachael attend the 2013 Leather & Laces Super Bowl Party in New Orleans

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