Michael Karim Malarkey (born 21 June 1983) is a British-American actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Enzo St. John in the series The Vampire Diaries.[1][2]
Early life
Malarkey was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Jim Malarkey an Irish American and Nadia Bushrui who has British, - Palestinian and Italian origins. His grandfather was the famous Palestinian poet, Suheil Bushrui, who was the first Arab national to be appointed to the Chair of English at the American University of Beirut, a position he held from 1968 to 1986.[3][4] He is the oldest of three brothers and was raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio. In 2006, Malarkey travelled to England to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[5]
Malarkey also appeared in several film and television projects including recurring roles in series' Raw for Rte, Mr. Sloane with Nick Frost and in the leading role for The CW pilot The Selection before landing the role of Lorenzo "Enzo" St. John in season 5 of the television series The Vampire Diaries as a recurring character.[7][8][1] After gaining popularity with the viewing public, Malarkey's role was upgraded to a series regular starting in Season 6 and through the end of Season 8.[9][2]
In February 2024, it was announced that Malarkey had joined the main cast for the second season of Netflix's conspiracy thriller series The Night Agent.[15]
Music
After finishing high school, Malarkey joined a local hardcore band called Shadyside. He became the frontman when the lead singer left the band. Malarkey spent five years with the group touring and recording in Nashville while simultaneously learning guitar.[16]
As a solo artist, after two EPs in 2014 and 2015, he released his debut full-length record, Mongrels on 8 September 2017 accompanied by music videos for singles Uncomfortably Numb and Mongrels.[17] The next year, he released another EP, Captain Solitaire.[18] In January 2020, Malarkey released his second album, Graveracer.
Personal life
Malarkey has been married to English actress Nadine Lewington since 2009; they have two sons, born in 2014 and 2019. They appeared together in one episode of Project Blue Book.[19][3]
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