3 Things You Did Not Know About Ian Somerhalder (unless you read his Wikipedia page)

1. Somerhalder was born in Covington, Louisiana, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, a building contractor. He has a brother, Bob, a former professional cyclist, and a sister, Robin, a broadcast journalist. His father is of French and English descent and his mother, who grew up on a pig farm in Mississippi, is of Irish and Choctaw ancestry. The surname "Somerhalder" originates from his adoptive great-grandfather. Somerhalder's biological great-grandfather was a wealthy English landowner whose surname was Hull and he paid an immigrant worker to marry his pregnant mistress and give their baby a name, which was Somerhalder.

2. His first major acting role was in The Rules of Attraction, Roger Avary's adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name.

3. With his mother's encouragement, Somerhalder began his career as a fashion model at the age of 10. He modeled in New York, Paris, Milan, and London. His modeling credits include Calvin Klein, American Eagle Outfitters, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Versace, and Guess?. He was the face of Guess? for two fall seasons. He continues to model with his agency DNA Model Management in New York City, and Priscilla's Model Management in Sydney, Australia.