Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev (/ˈdoʊbrɛv/ DOH-brev), is a Canadian actress. Her first acting role was as Mia Jones in the drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. She later became known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on The CW's supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries.