Utah native Matthew Davis initially gained notoriety with supporting roles as the all-American male alongside stars like Colin Farrell and Reese Witherspoon, before settling into more varied character roles in both film and on television. As so many had before him, Davis' first break came with a role in a horror film, in his case the sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" (2000), although his performance opposite Farrell in the Vietnam-era drama "Tigerland" (2000) provided a better demonstration of his talent. He was perfectly cast as the rich, shallow boyfriend of Witherspoon in the comedy "Legally Blonde" (2001) then performed well as a stalwart naval officer in the WWII thriller "Below" (2002). Following a period of credits in smaller film projects and an unsuccessful television series, Davis found a home on the small screen when he was cast as the teacher-slash-vampire hunter, Alaric Saltzman on the supernatural teen drama series "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW, 2009-17). Having proven himself capable of tackling leading man roles, or contributing as a quirky supporting player, Davis ensured himself a lengthy career as one of young Hollywood's more dependable actors.