Christopher Charles Wood (born April 14, 1988) is an American actor. He is known for his role as

Kai Parker ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's n ...

in the sixth season of

the CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

's television series ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

'' in 2014, after previously appearing on The CW's ''

The Carrie Diaries ''The Carrie Diaries'' is a young adult novel, the first in a series of the same name by American author Candace Bushnell. The series is a prequel to Bushnell's 1997 collection ''Sex and the City'', and follows the character of Carrie Bradshaw du ...

'' in the role of writer Adam Weaver in 2013. He also starred in the 2016 CW television series ''

Containment Containment was a geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism after the end of World War II. The name was loosely related to the term ''cordon sanitaire'', which was ...

'' in the leading role of Atlanta police officer Jake Riley. From 2016 to 2018, he played Mon-El on the CW superhero series ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

''. In 2021, Wood voiced He-Man in '' Masters of the Universe: Revelation''.

Early life

Wood was born in

Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 49,328 in the 2020 census with a census estimate of 49,037 in 2019. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly ...

. He attended

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctora ...

Elon, North Carolina Elon () is a town in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington metropolitan statistical area. The population as of the 2020 census was 11,324. The town of Elon is home to Elon University. Elon began in 1881 as ...

, where he graduated in 2010, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Theater. He has been friends with actor

Grant Gustin Thomas Grant Gustin (born January 14, 1990) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Barry Allen (Arrowverse), Barry Allen / The Flash on The CW series ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'' as part of the Arrowver ...

since college.

Career

After graduation, he played Melchior in the 2010–2011 national tour of '' Spring Awakening'' and

Prince Eric This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...

in ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...

'' in August 2011 at the

Music Theatre of Wichita Music Theatre Wichita is a summer musical theatre, which has produced over 200 Broadway-scale productions since its founding in 1972. Founded as Music Theatre of Wichita in 1972 to provide summertime entertainment inside the 2100-seat Concert Hall o ...

. He also played Joe Hardy in

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

's production of ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'' in 2012, which later played at the 5th Avenue Theatre. He made his film debut in a made-for-TV movie entitled ''Browsers'' in early 2013. In September 2013, producers of ''The Carrie Diaries'' announced that Wood would join the show in its second season. Wood appeared as the recurring role of Malachai Parker on season six of ''

''; he returned to the role in a guest appearance in the eighth and final season of ''The Vampire Diaries''. He appeared also in a guest role as Paul, in the episode "Beach House" of ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

''. He was cast in a starring role in the 2016 CW drama series ''Containment'', portraying officer Jake Riley. Wood gained 30 pounds for the role. In April 2016, Wood was cast in a role on the second season of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

period drama ''

Mercy Street "Mercy Street" is a song written by English musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album '' So''. Background and recording The song was inspired by the personal and confessional works of the American poet Anne Sexton, who wrote a play titled '' ...

''. In July 2016, he was cast as a series regular in the role of Mon-El for the second season of ''

'', playing the first live-action adaptation of the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero. He left the series at the end of the third season. He would reprise the role for the 100th episode, "It's a Super Life", and the series finale, "Kara". In 2020, Wood was cast in an ABC pilot ''Thirtysomething(else)'', a potential sequel to critically acclaimed drama ''

Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust any ...

'', in which he would have played Leo Steadman, Hope's (

Mel Harris Mary Ellen "Mel" Harris is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990. Early life and education Ha ...

) and Michael's (

Ken Olin Kenneth Edward Olin (born July 30, 1954) is an American actor, television director, and producer. He is known for his role as Michael Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which he received a Golden Globe Award ...

) son. On February 24, 2020, Wood was revealed to be playing Prince Adam and He-Man in '' Masters of the Universe: Revelation'', with its first half released July 23, 2021, and its second on November 23 that same year. On June 2, 2022, it was announced that Wood would be playing Russell Hammond in ''

Almost Famous ''Almost Famous'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for ''Rolling Stone ...

'', a musical based on the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, opening on Broadway in October 2022.

Personal life

When Wood was in his early twenties, his father died due to an untreated mental health condition that resulted in psychotic symptoms. His death was the culmination of a manic episode that eventually led to heart failure. Wood believes he was not able to get his father the help he needed soon enough because of the stigma and lack of awareness around mental health. Since his father's death, Wood has become an active ambassador for mental health awareness and member of the Board of Directors for

Mental Health America Clifford Whittingham Beers (March 30, 1876 – July 9, 1943) was the founder of the American mental hygiene movement. Biography Beers was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Ida and Robert Beers on March 30, 1876. He was one of five children, all ...

. In October 2017, he launched a mental health awareness campaign and website “IDONTMIND” that works to decrease stigma around mental health and provide resources and education. In 2016, Wood met

Melissa Benoist Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...

on the set of Supergirl, after joining the cast for season 2 and their romantic relationship was confirmed in 2017. They announced their engagement on Instagram on February 10, 2019. In early September 2019, the two married. On March 4, 2020, the couple announced on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

that they were expecting their first child. They announced the birth of their son in September 2020.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Chris 1988 births 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Elon University alumni Living people People from Dublin, Ohio Male actors from Ohio