Zach Roerig

Initially typecast as a daytime bad boy, Zach Roerig shot to television stardom with plum roles on the primetime hits "Friday Night Lights" (NBC, 2006-2011) and "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW, 2009-17). He launched his acting career playing troublemakers on the long-running soaps "As the World Turns" (CBS, 1956-2010) and "One Life to Live" (ABC, 1968-2012), where viewers first caught a glimpse of Roerig's talent and charisma. He further made his mark in the acting world when he joined the cast of the award-winning drama "Friday Night Lights" as a rodeo star who steals the heart of one of the show's stars.

Following his successful stint on the critically acclaimed show, Roerig was cast in the supernatural drama series "The Vampire Diaries." As one of the human characters on a show populated by immortals and shape-shifters, Roerig's breakthrough performance won audiences over and elevated his potential to carry bigger projects in the future.

Zachary George Roerig was born on Feb. 22, 1985 in Montpelier, OH to Daniel and Andrea Roerig. The future star was a natural-born athlete, playing football and wrestling for Montpelier High School. He landed his first job working with his father and grandfather, making gravestones for the family business, Fackler Monuments.

Roerig even recalled playing in cemeteries as if they were normal playgrounds. He grew up as an avid outdoorsman until the acting bug bit him during his teen years, causing him to travel to Cleveland often in order to receive the proper training. At 17, he left home and moved to New York City to pursue an entertainment career. Within months, Roerig booked his first regular television role in 2005, playing problematic only-child Casey Hughes on the daytime series "As the World Turns."

Roerig spent two years on the soap before joining the cast of another long-running sudser, "One Life to Live." Cast in the recurring role of Hunter Atwood, a greedy, violent man who ends up stabbed to death, the actor tackled the intense part with gusto.

With his acting career blossoming, Roerig made the move to primetime television in 2008 during the third season of "Friday Night Lights" where Roerig played Cash, a rodeo cowboy and love interest of resident popular girl Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) on the Emmy Award-winning show.

The actor's athletic background again helped him land a plum role the following year on "The Vampire Diaries" as high school quarterback Matt Donovan. Surrounded by characters that either possessed supernatural powers or were dead, Roerig's portrayal of a normal teenager trying to make sense of his surrounding made him an audience favorite and one of the cast's most promising stars.

By Candy Cuenco