| Elena Gilbert | |
|---|---|
| The Vampire Diaries character | |
 Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) September 10, 2009 |
| Last appearance | "I Was Feeling Epic" (8.16) March 10, 2017 |
| Created by | L. J. Smith (book series) Julie Plec Kevin Williamson (television series) |
| Portrayed by | Nina Dobrev Kayla Madison (Young Elena) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human/Traveler (seasons 1–3, 6–8) Doppelgänger (seasons 1–8) Vampire (seasons 4–6) |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | High school student (formerly) College student (formerly) Doctor (present) |
| Family |
|
| Spouse | Damon Salvatore |
| Significant other | Damon Salvatore
|
| Children | Stefanie Salvatore |
Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from the novel series The Vampire Diaries. In the television series adaptation, set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, she is portrayed by Nina Dobrev. In the books, Elena was popular, selfish and a "mean girl". However, the show's producers, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, felt that it wasn't the direction they wanted to go with their heroine in The Vampire Diaries television series. Instead, she became a nicer, relatable, and more of "the girl next door" type, until her life gets flipped upside down when she meets the Salvatore Brothers. In April 2015, Nina Dobrev announced that she would be departing the series after the sixth-season finale.
Much of Elena's story revolves around her relationships with vampires Stefan Salvatore and his older brother, Damon. It is revealed that Elena is a Petrova Doppelgänger (like Katherine, Amara and Tatia), which is thus responsible for her being identical to her ancestor, Katherine Pierce (née Katerina Petrova). This also has the implication of making her a supernatural creature. Dobrev portrayed the "conniving" Katherine as well, who is opposite of Elena. The actress stated that it has been a challenge distinguishing the two, and enjoys playing them both. In the television series's fourth season, Elena dies and became a vampire, then deals with the struggles that come with her change. Later, she took the cure and became human again towards the end of the sixth season. In the finale of the sixth season, Kai linked Elena to Bonnie's life by magic, which made Elena to sleep until Bonnie dies. She was inside the Salvatore tomb, then relocated to a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York in the seventh season, then back to Mystic Falls. In late 2016, when it was declared that the eighth season would be the final season, Dobrev was in talks about returning to the television series to reprise her role in the final episode. After much speculation, Dobrev's return was confirmed on January 26, 2017, via an Instagram post. Dobrev appeared in the final episode of the show as both Elena and her evil doppelgänger Katherine Pierce.
The reason for Dobrev's departure from the show was fuelled by her desire to establish herself as a movie actress, as well as personal reasons. Dobrev and her co-star Ian Somerhalder, who portrayed Damon Salvatore on the show, were in a relationship until personal differences led them to breaking up.