Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski (Polish: ['pavɛw vaɕi'lɛfskʲi]; July 23, 1982),[1] known professionally as Paul Wesley, is an American actor, director and producer.

During his junior year in high school, he was cast in the soap opera Guiding Light as character Max Nickerson.

[4][6] He started college at Rutgers University in New Jersey but left after one semester when more roles were offered to him, and he realized he could make a career out of acting.

[4][7] In 2001, Wesley, then credited as Paul Wasilewski, was one of the main cast members of the short-lived CBS television series Wolf Lake, playing the role of Luke Cates.

In the series, he played a younger brother to Damon Salvatore as well as the love interest of a 17-year-old girl named Elena Gilbert.

[17] His other feature credits include HBO's Shot in the Heart directed by Agnieszka Holland and Lionsgate's Peaceful Warrior.

[22] In June 2018, it was reported that Wesley had joined the main cast of the CBS All Access TV series Tell Me a Story, which was created by Kevin Williamson.

For his first campaign, Wesley released a cat shirt design to raise funds for The Humane Society of the United States.

For his second campaign, Wesley teamed up with The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder to release a limited-edition shirt designed by a fan, with the words "Blood Brothers Since 1864.

[37] Wesley lived in Atlanta, Georgia, while filming The Vampire Diaries and the rest of the time with DeVitto in Los Angeles, California.