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<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1978</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Ian Somerhalder is Born</div><div class='timeline-text'>On December 8, 1978, Ian Somerhalder was born in Covington, Louisiana.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1998</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Begins Acting Career</div><div class='timeline-text'>Somerhalder begins his acting career with a small role on the TV series, Young Americans.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2004</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Starring Role on Lost</div><div class='timeline-text'>He landed a starring role on the hit ABC show, Lost, as Boone Carlyle.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2009</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>First Lead Role on Vampire Diaries</div><div class='timeline-text'>He scored his first lead role on The CW's Vampire Diaries as Damon Salvatore.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2010</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Scored People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive</div><div class='timeline-text'>Somerhalder was named People Magazine's 2010 Sexiest Man Alive.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2015</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Marries Nikita Dragun</div><div class='timeline-text'>Somerhalder marries longtime girlfriend, actress and model Nikki Reed.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2020</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Launches Animal Sanctuary Foundation</div><div class='timeline-text'>Somerhalder launches The Ian Somerhalder Foundation, a non-profit animal sanctuary that works to protect animals and their habitats.</div></div></div>
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