Sterling Sulieman

Versatile actor Sterling Sulieman essayed heroic soldiers, murderous vampires and deranged stalkers on series like "24" (Fox, 2001-2010) and "Pretty Little Liars" (ABC Family/Freeform, 2010-16), which paved the way for his first starring turn as an Italian prince on "Still Star-Crossed" (ABC, 2017-) for producer Shonda Rhimes. Born in Oakland, California, Sulieman relocated with his family to the Hawaiian island of Oahu at the age of six. There, he and his sister, Yasmeen, took a variety of performing classes, including acting and dance, which sparked his interest in becoming a professional actor. After graduating from Punahou High School in Hololulu, Sulieman headed to the mainland to earn his bachelor's degree from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. While attending school, he began landing guest roles on television, and earned his first big break playing aspiring musician Dre Woods on "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011) from 2007 to 2008. The exposure afforded by the daytime series lend to recurring guest turns as a counter-terrorism agent on "24," and as a Civil War veteran turned vampire on "The Vampire Diaries" (Fox, 2009-2017). In 2012, he enjoyed a lengthy run as Lyndon James, a mentally unbalanced man who caused the death of supporting character Maya St. Germain (Bianca Lawson) on "Pretty Little Liars," and as the conservative brother of Nene Leakes' feisty Girl Friday on "The New Normal" (NBC, 2012-13). Guest roles on high-profile series like "Modern Family" (ABC, 2009-) and "Veep" (HBO, 2012-) preceded his first turn as a series regular on a network program with "Still Star-Crossed." The Shondaland production, which picked up after the concluding events in William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," cast Sulieman as Prince Escalus, a prince of Verona who returns to his home to face the turmoil that has erupted in the wake of the lovers' death. He also began work as actor and producer on "Couch People," a shortform comedy series about a trio of wayward thirty-somethings, that same year.