You know that feeling when you're watching a show and a guy pops up on screen who looks so familiar, but you can't quite place the name? That’s basically the Sterling Sulieman experience. For over fifteen years, he’s been the ultimate chameleon of network television. He shows up, crushes a scene as a vampire or a suspicious cousin, and then vanishes into his next gig. Honestly, it's a bit wild how many "appointment television" hits he has on his resume without being a household name yet.
If you’re a fan of the "Shondaland" universe or spent any time in the 2010s obsessed with teen dramas, you’ve definitely seen him. He’s played everything from a Civil War-era bloodsucker to a high-stakes sous chef. Let's get into the real highlights of Sterling Sulieman movies and tv shows, because his career path is a lot more varied than most people realize.
The Pretty Little Liars Villain That Still Haunts Us
If you mention Sterling Sulieman to a Pretty Little Liars fan, they probably won't use his real name. They’ll call him "Nate." Or "Lyndon James."
His stint in Rosewood during Season 3 was a masterclass in the "nice guy" trope gone horribly wrong. When he first appeared as Nathan St. Germain, the supposed cousin of the late Maya St. Germain, he was charming. He was the "catnip" guy at Hollis College. But then the writers flipped the script. Sulieman took the character from a grieving relative to a full-blown, terrifying stalker. The reveal that he was actually Lyndon James—and the one who murdered Maya—is still one of the biggest "holy crap" moments in the series.
Sulieman has talked in interviews about how much he enjoyed playing that duality. It wasn't just about being "the bad guy." It was about the manipulation. That final showdown at the lighthouse with Emily and Paige? Pure tension. It’s the kind of performance that makes it hard to see him as anything but a villain, which is funny because his next major roles were the exact opposite.
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Shondaland and the Evolution of Grant on Station 19
Switching gears entirely, Sulieman moved into the world of Seattle first responders. In Station 19, the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, he played Grant.
This role was a massive departure from his darker work. As a savvy sous chef and the love interest for Travis Montgomery (played by Jay Hayden), he brought a grounded, romantic energy to the show. What was cool about this arc wasn't just the chemistry—though that was definitely there—it was the representation. It was a high-profile, mixed-race, same-sex relationship handled with actual nuance.
Grant wasn't a firefighter. He was the "civilian" perspective, showing what it's like to love someone who risks their life every single day. Sulieman once noted that the most interesting part of playing Grant was navigating those boundaries. He had to be the emotional anchor for a guy who saw trauma for a living. It’s a subtle role, but it’s arguably his most "human" performance to date.
The Vampire Diaries and Early Genre Work
Before he was a chef or a killer, he was a vampire. Specifically, Harper in The Vampire Diaries.
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If you remember Season 1, there was that whole plotline about the vampires trapped in the tomb under Fell’s Church. Harper was a Union soldier who had been turned and then locked away for over a century. When he finally got out, he was this fish-out-of-water character trying to understand 2010 while still maintaining his old-school soldier honor.
It was a small role, but it paved the way for the "guest star king" title he’d eventually earn. He’s popped up in:
- 24: Playing a CTU field agent during the high-octane Season 8.
- The New Normal: Showing off his comedic timing as Clint.
- Still Star-Crossed: Taking on the Shakespearean weight of Prince Escalus in Shonda Rhimes’ period drama.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer: The 2021 Amazon reboot where he played Wade.
Beyond the Small Screen: Movies and Voice Acting
While TV is his bread and butter, Sulieman has sneaked into some big films too. He had a role in the sci-fi thriller In Time (2011) alongside Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. More recently, he’s been doing the indie film circuit with projects like My Fiona and the Lionsgate comedy Scrambled.
The thing that really surprises people, though? His voice.
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If you’re a gamer, you’ve heard him. He’s a veteran in the voice-acting world. He voiced Louis in The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Telltale Games) and appeared in Horizon Forbidden West. He’s even voiced Hades in Hades II. It turns out that the same intensity he brings to his live-action villains works perfectly for high-stakes video game narratives.
Why He’s the One to Watch
Sulieman isn't just an actor; he's a writer and producer now, too. He’s been developing his own scripts, including a sci-fi audio drama called The Trinity Squad.
What makes his career interesting is the lack of a "type." Usually, an actor gets stuck in one lane—the romantic lead, the action hero, or the villain. Sulieman just does it all. He grew up in Hawaii, studied at UCLA, and basically worked his way up from soap operas like All My Children to being a recurring face on the biggest networks in the world.
He’s the guy who can play a prince on Monday and a guy getting stabbed in a lighthouse on Tuesday. That kind of longevity in Hollywood isn't an accident. It's the result of being a professional who knows how to blend into a cast while still making an impact.
How to Catch Up on His Best Work
If you want to see the full range of Sterling Sulieman movies and tv shows, start with these three phases of his career:
- The Dark Side: Watch the middle of Pretty Little Liars Season 3. It’s his most iconic "villain" turn.
- The Romantic Side: Check out his recurring arc in Station 19. It shows a much softer, more relatable side of his acting.
- The Genre Side: Revisit the first season of The Vampire Diaries. It’s a great example of how he can handle "period" characters, even when they’re undead.
Keep an eye on his upcoming projects, like the Tubi original Tempted and his continued voice work. Whether he's on screen or behind a microphone, he's one of those actors who consistently makes the project better just by being in the room. Focus on his character-driven episodes in Station 19 if you want to see how he handles modern drama, or dive into his Telltale voice work for some of his best emotional storytelling.