Nina Constantinova Dobreva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She moved to Canada at the age of two and has lived in Toronto, Ontario ever since. From a very young age, she showed great enthusiasm and talent for the arts: Dance, Gymnastics, Theatre, Music, Visual arts, and Acting! Modeling jobs led to commercials, which then turned into film auditions. Shortly after, she booked roles in the feature films Fugitive Pieces (2007), Away from Her (2006) and the popular television series, Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001), on CTV.
Nina loves to travel and has often visited Europe both for pleasure, as well as competing internationally, representing Canada in Aesthetic gymnastics. She enjoys playing volleyball, soccer, swimming, rock climbing, wake boarding, snowboarding, and horse back riding, to name a few.
But, above all, acting is her passion, and she sees it as an adventure that has just begun; she believes that the journey and the characters we create along the way will help us understand ourselves.
Trivia :
Studied with Armstrong Acting Studio.
Is best friends with Matt Lanter and Sara Paxton.
She has competed internationally representing Canada in Aesthetic
Group Gymnastics. In 2005, she joined both the Senior World
Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Junior World Championships
in Plzen, Czech Republic.
She enjoys playing Rock Band and engages in water sports including
swimming, windsurfing, wake boarding, and scuba diving. Nina also loves
to travel and often visits Europe. Among her other activities are
playing volleyball, soccer, horseback riding, snowboarding and rock
climbing.
She traveled to Kenya where she built a school with fellow Degrassi: The Next Generation
(2001) co-stars through the non-profit organization, Free The Children.
She also wore a top promoting the cause towards the end of her movie, The American Mall (2008).
She went into a general audition for Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) and read the part of Manny. Later, she was called back, read for the part of Mia, and got the role.
She has been sharing an apartment in Atlanta with Kayla Ewell.
One of her hobbies is making jewelry. She plans on starting her own jewelry line in the future.
She is frequently compared, and is aware of bearing a resemblance, to Victoria Justice.
Some of her favorite films include Knocked Up (2007), Juno (2007), The Notebook (2004), and Schindler's List (1993).
Her favorite television shows are House M.D. (2004), Gossip Girl (2007), and Grey's Anatomy (2005).
She is a big fan of the "Twilight" book series and had hoped to
play the role of Bella Swan in the film franchise before landing the
role of Elena in The Vampire Diaries (2009).
She is a fan of the HBO television series True Blood (2008).
Her favorite actresses are Meryl Streep and Rachel McAdams.
Was in a relationship with The Vampire Diaries (2009) co-star, Ian Somerhalder (2010- May 2013).
She lists child rights advocate, Craig Kielburger and Meryl Streep among the people she admires.
Being a huge fan of the musical film Chicago (2002), Nina derived inspiration from the song, "Cell Block Tango", for her performance of "Survivor" in The American Mall (2008).
Played a teenage mother in Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) and played both a teenage mother and daughter of teenagers in & The Vampire Diaries (2009).
Was ranked #44 in the 2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Wears glasses.
2nd child and only daughter of computer specialist Nikolai Dorev & artist Michaela Dobreva (nee Constantine).
Has an older brother named Alexander Dobrev.
Speaks fluent English, French & Bulgarian.
Close friends with her _The Vampire Diaries (2009)_ co-stars Candice Accola, Kat Graham, Michael Trevino and Paul Wesley.
Is a very skilled ballet and jazz dancer and gymnast.
Is 6 years younger than Olga Fonda who played her daughter in The Vampire Diaries (2009).
Named after her maternal grandmother Nikolina Constantine.
Nina has competed internationally representing Canada in Aesthetic
Group Gymnastics. In 2005, she joined both the Senior World
Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Junior World Championships
in Plzen, Czech Republic.
Nina Dobrev, the actress who plays Katherine Pierce, was born in
Bulgaria and speaks Bulgarian. For this reason, Katherine, who was
German in the books, became Bulgarian in the series.
She is fluent in Bulgarian, French, and English.
Nina attended Wexford Collegiate, an arts school in Toronto. In
2007, she began her post secondary studies at Ryerson University in
Toronto, where she was majoring in Sociology. Nina also trained at the
Dean Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto, Ontario.
She's a fan of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
Her father Konstantin is a computer specialist and her mother Michaela is an artist.
Nina is named after her grandmother.
Good friends with Lily Collins, Julianne Hough and her older
brother Derek Hough. She spent thanksgiving and Christmas of 2013 with
the Hough family.Fun Facts
- Nina speaks her native Bulgarian, as well as French and English.
Awards
- Teen Choice Award, Choice TV: Female Breakout Star, 2010 (for The Vampire Diaries)
- Teen Choice Award, Choice TV: Actress (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), 2010 (for The Vampire Diaries)
- Teen Choice Award, Choice TV: Actress (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), 2010 (for The Vampire Diaries)
 Biography){kind=link}