The following is a list of characters for True Blood (2008–2014), the American television fantasy horror drama HBO series, created and produced by Alan Ball. The series is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris.
Cast
Main cast The following actors appear in four or more seasons as main cast members. Actor Character 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Anna PaquinSookie Stackhouse colspan="7" Stephen MoyerBill Compton colspan="7" Sam TrammellSam Merlotte colspan="7" Ryan KwantenJason Stackhouse colspan="7" Rutina WesleyTara Thornton colspan="7" Nelsan EllisLafayette Reynolds colspan="7" Jim ParrackHoyt Fortenberry colspan="5" Chris BauerAndy Bellefleur colspan="7" Carrie PrestonArlene Fowler Bellefleur colspan="7" Alexander SkarsgårdEric Northman colspan="7" Todd LoweTerry Bellefleur colspan="5" Deborah Ann Woll Jessica Hamby colspan="6" Kristin Bauer van Straten Pam Swynford de Beaufort colspan="2" colspan="5" Lauren Bowles Holly Cleary colspan="2" colspan="4" Joe Manganiello Alcide Herveaux colspan="2" colspan="4"
Notes
Regular and recurring cast
Actor Character 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Michael Raymond-JamesRene Lenier / Drew Marshall colspan="2" colspan="3" William SandersonSheriff Bud Dearborne colspan="3" colspan="2" Lynn CollinsDawn Green colspan="6" Lois SmithAdele "Gran" Stackhouse colspan="2" colspan="2" Adina PorterLettie Mae Daniels colspan="2" colspan="3" Lizzy CaplanAmy Burley colspan="6" Stephen RootEddie Fournier colspan="5" Mehcad Brooks "Eggs" Benedict Talley colspan="5" Anna CampSarah Newlin colspan="3" colspan="2" Michelle ForbesMaryann Forrester colspan="5" Michael McMillianReverend Steve Newlin colspan="2" colspan="2" Jessica Tuck Nan Flanagan colspan="2" Mariana Klaveno Lorena Krasiki colspan="2" colspan="2" Evan Rachel Wood Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq colspan="3" Marshall Allman Tommy Mickens colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="3" Kevin Alejandro Jesús Velásquez colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="2" Denis O'Hare Russell Edgington colspan="2" colspan="2" Lindsay Pulsipher Crystal Norris colspan="2" colspan="3" Janina Gavankar Luna Garza colspan="3" colspan="2" Fiona Shaw Marnie Stonebrook colspan="3" colspan="3" Scott Foley Patrick Devins colspan="3" colspan="2" Lucy Griffiths Nora Gainesborough colspan="4" colspan="2" Christopher Meloni Roman Zimojic colspan="4" colspan="2" Valentina Cervi Salome Agrippa colspan="4" colspan="2" Rutger Hauer Niall Brigant colspan="5" Arliss Howard Governor Truman Burrell colspan="5" Kelly Overton Rikki Naylor colspan="4" Robert Patrick Jackson Herveaux colspan="4" Rob Kazinsky Macklyn Warlow colspan="5" Jurnee Smollett-Bell Nicole Wright colspan="5" colspan="2" Amelia Rose Blaire Willa Burrell colspan="5" Gregg Daniel Reverend Daniels colspan="2" colspan="2" Aaron Christian Howles Rocky Cleary colspan="4" Noah Matthews Wade Cleary colspan="4" Bailey Noble Adilyn Bellefleur colspan="5" Luke Grimes James Kent colspan="5" Nathan Parsons colspan="6" Karolina Wydra Violet Mazurski colspan="5" Tara Buck Ginger colspan="3"
Main characters
Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie (portrayed by Anna Paquin) is a telepathic waitress in a small-town restaurant. Because of her ability, she has difficulty forming lasting human relationships. She becomes involved in a romantic relationship with a vampire, Bill, upon discovering that she can't read his mind. This relationship with a supernatural being causes controversy amongst the residents of her small town. In Season 3, it is revealed she is part faerie, a supernatural race thought to have been driven to extinction by vampires for their blood’s granting the ability to walk in the sun.
Bill Compton
Bill (portrayed by Stephen Moyer) is a vampire romantically involved with Sookie. Turned into a vampire against his will during the American Civil War, Bill shows more compassion for human life than many other vampires. He is outwardly expressive of his emotions and holds onto memories of his past human life—behaviors that are unique amongst his vampire peers.
Sam Merlotte
Sam (portrayed by Sam Trammell) is the owner of the establishment where Sookie works. During the first season, Sam is characterized by his adoration and loyalty towards Sookie. When Bill Compton becomes romantically involved with her, he openly disapproves of their relationship. Despite his initial support of vampire rights, Sam feels as though vampires and humans should be kept separate regardless of their equality. Sam is a shapeshifter and is often seen watching over Sookie in the form of a dog. He is the first supernatural introduced to the series who isn't a vampire.
Jason Stackhouse
Jason (played by Ryan Kwanten) is Sookie's not-too-bright, self-involved brother, who is vigilant in defending and protecting Sookie. He supervises a road crew during the day and is known for bedding the women of Bon Temps at night. During the first season, he is the prime suspect in the murders of four women, all of whom have a connection to him. After the death of his vampire blood-addicted girlfriend Amy, Jason believes that he must be responsible for the murders. He is then recruited by the Fellowship of the Sun, an anti-vampire church, who approve of what they believe to be his crime of killing "fangbangers" (i.e. people in sexual relationships with vampires).
Tara Thornton
Tara (portrayed by Rutina Wesley) is Sookie Stackhouse's best friend. She grew up with an alcoholic, abusive mother, resulting in trust issues and social difficulty. As a child, Tara bonded with Sookie's older brother, Jason, after he protected Tara from her mother. From then on, Tara developed an unreciprocated love for Jason.
As an adult, Tara is candid, distant, and struggles to keep a job until she starts bartending at Merlotte's. She has a brief friends with benefits relationship with Sam Merlotte in the first season.
Tara provides care for her mother, Lettie Mae, even paying for her mother to receive an exorcism from "Miss Jeanette" to cure her alcohol addiction. After this appears successful, Tara for a second exorcism. Miss Jeanette turns out to be a pharmacist in a nearby town running a scam; Lettie Mae relapses. In the second season, Tara falls under the maenad Maryann’s influence, leading to a relationship with Eggs (Benedict), who is later shot dead by Jason while confessing to murders Maryann forced. Heartbroken, Tara attempts suicide in Season 3 but is thwarted by her cousin Lafayette.
Tara is then abducted by a delusional vampire who plans to turn her. She escapes by drinking his blood for strength, smashing his skull, but not killing him. Jason eventually kills the vampire at Merlotte's. Traumatized upon discovering that Jason killed Eggs, Tara cuts her hair and leaves Bon Temps.
In the fourth season, Tara moves to New Orleans. She works as a cage fighter and is in a relationship with another fighter, Naomi. In the season finale, Tara is shot in the head by Debbie Pelt. To save her life, Pam turns her into a vampire at Sookie and Lafayette's insistence, causing a severe personality change due to the brain damage. Tara and Pam became close in the fifth season, with Tara deeply caring for her maker. She rescued Pam from the Vampire Authority, sharing a kiss. Tara is killed early in the seventh season by a Hep V vampire while protecting her mother.
Lafayette (portrayed by Nelsan Ellis) is a short-order cook, drug dealer, and Tara Thornton's cousin in Bon Temps. Unlike the novels, where Lafayette is killed in the second book, fan demand led to his expanded role in the show.
Openly gay, Lafayette is largely accepted in Bon Temps. In the first season, when homophobic patrons sends back his burger (claiming that "it might have AIDS"), Lafayette confronts them directly: "Faggots been breeding your cows, raising your chickens, even brewing your beer long before I walked my sexy ass up in this motherfucker. Everything on your goddamn table got AIDS." He beats them up, to the delight of other guests in the restaurant.
Showrunner Alan Ball worried about casting a "phony" portrayal of Lafayette's sexuality. Actor Nelsan Ellis based the character's mannerisms on his mother and sister. Ellis found the elaborate costuming key to the role, noting: "I have more makeup on than any of the females in the cast. Once they get me with the fake eyelashes and the eye makeup, I listen to some Rihanna and I'm there."
Lafayette initially dealt vampire blood (also known as "vampire juice" or "V"). This leads to his torture by Eric in Season 2, before he is ordered to sell it again by the Queen in Season 3. His romantic interest, Jesús Velásquez, is a brujo and nurse for Lafayette's mentally ill mother, Ruby Jean (played by Alfre Woodard). In Season 4, Lafayette explores Wicca with Jesús at Marnie Stonebrook's palm reading shop. Marnie (played by Fiona Shaw) is the leader of a Wiccan coven who becomes possessed by a witch seeking revenge against all vampires. Lafayette later discovers that he is a medium. In a tragic turn, Marnie's spirit possesses Lafayette and murders Jesús, consuming his blood and transferring Jesús' inner demon into Lafayette.
Ellis received critical acclaim for his sensitive and complex portrayal of the character. In 2008, he received a Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds. In 2009, he was nominated for a Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2011, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in True Blood.
Hoyt Fortenberry Hoyt (portrayed by Jim Parrack) is Jason Stackhouse's best friend and fellow road crew worker. Hoyt is initially shy but uniquely unprejudiced against vampires. He enters a serious relationship with the newly turned vampire Jessica. They break up after Jessica attacks his mother, reconcile, but later split when Hoyt, unaware of her feelings for Jason, struggles with their abnormal relationship. Heartbroken after Jessica sleeps with Jason, Hoyt joins a hate group but can't commit to violence, freeing Jessica and calling the police. Fed up, he leaves Bon Temps for Alaska, asking Jessica to glamour him to forget their memories, which she tearfully does. As he leaves town, Jason pulls him over and begs him not to go. Jess's glamour works — Hoyt treats Jason as a stranger. As Hoyt drives off to Alaska, oblivious, Jason breaks down over the loss of his friend. Hoyt later returns for his mother's funeral with a new girlfriend and unknowingly avenges his mother by killing Violet. He and Jessica reunite, rekindle their romance, and marry in the series finale. His Alaskan girlfriend marries Jason.
Andy (portrayed by Chris Bauer) is a Bon Temps police detective who is a recovering alcoholic. He investigates the first season's murders, immediately and wrongly suspecting Jason Stackhouse. Suspended in season two, he returns after falsely claiming to have shot Eggs (who the town believes committed Maryann's murders). In season three, he replaces Sheriff Dearborne and reluctantly trains Jason. Mostly resistant to Maryann's influence until her death, he is one of the few who remembers what she did, though his memory is vague due to heavy drinking. Season four reveals his addiction to V and that he and his sister Portia are direct descendants of Bill Compton.
Eric Northman
Eric (portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård) is the Sheriff of Area 5, a vampire district in Louisiana. He is over 1,100 years old and is a powerful and wealthy member of the vampire community. Eric runs the vampire bar, Fangtasia, in Shreveport, and develops an interest in Sookie Stackhouse after discovering her unique ability to read minds during the first season.