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Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse (Seasons 1-7)
Quirky small-town barmaid Sookie feels like an outcast in her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and with good reason: she can read minds. Her telepathic ability has left her feeling alone, a sensation amplified by the fact that her parents died when she was young. She feels detached from the town's small-mindedness, particularly when a new vampire in town, Bill, is greeted with suspicious eyes. She finds comfort in the fact that she can't read Bill's mind, making their interaction much more natural. Their torrid romance raises eyes around town and causes more than its share of headaches as each tries to fit into the other's world.){kind=link}
Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton (Seasons 1-7)
Bill is a 173-year-old vampire who at one point fought for the Confederate army in the Civil War. He's now returning to his family home in Bon Temps in hopes of reconnecting with his humanity, but falling into a relationship with Sookie tests his vampiric impulses. Even when he can keep his bloodlust at bay, he must deal with vampires, humans and "others" seeking to get close to Sookie -- for purposes of both good and evil.){kind=link}
Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton (Seasons 1-7)
Sassy Tara has a quick temper and tough demeanor built up over years of caring for her alcoholic mother. She's been Sookie's best friend since childhood, though, and will be spending a lot more time with her now that she's tending bar where Sookie works. With Sookie in a relationship with Bill, though, she's not always there for Tara, who's life is in turmoil between her mother, her rocky love life and her own bad attitude.){kind=link}
Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse (Seasons 1-7)
Jason is Sookie's older brother, but he's the more irresponsible of the two, a dimwitted womanizer and substance abuser who tends to find himself on the wrong side of the law. Even when he tries to remain faithful to one woman, he ends up picking the wrong gal time and time again. He means well, however, and he has a sense of right and wrong, but it tends to get skewed -- especially when it comes to his sister dating a vampire.){kind=link}
Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte (Seasons 1-7)
Sam is Sookie's boss at Merlotte's Bar. He's a good man who stays out of the drama that spills over in his bar, although his affection for Sookie sometimes gets him involved more than he'd like. He naturally sees Bill as a rival and even becomes romantic with Tara to take his mind off of Sookie. But Bill isn't the only supernatural being in Sookie's life; it turns out that Sam has secrets of his own.
Lois Smith as Adele "Gran" Stackhouse (Season 1)
Gran is Sookie's protective grandmother, who took her in after the death of Sookie's parents. She has guarded Sookie since childhood against those who would do her harm. She's also a proud member of the Civil War society Decendants of the Glorious Dead.){kind=link}
Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette Reynolds (Seasons 1-7)
Lafayette is Tara's cousin. He's a brash, gay club kid who sticks out like a sore thumb in Bon Temps, but he can handle himself just fine. In fact, he seems to relish being the odd man out, wearing androgynous clothing and caked-on makeup in public. He works as a cook at Merlotte's, but he really makes his living selling illegal substances -- and occasionally his body -- out of his home. His sometimes bites off more than he can chew, however, when dealing vampire blood ("V").
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Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman (Seasons 1-7)
Eric is a Nordic vampire who controls the area in which Bon Temps lies. He's the oldest vampire in the region, having been a Viking at one point in his life, and he runs a vampire bar called Fangtasia. He's Bill's superior but can be manipulative when it comes to vampire politics. His thinly veiled attraction to Sookie makes Bill apprehensive to bring the two together.){kind=link}
Michelle Forbes as Maryann (Seasons 1-2)
On the surface, Maryann is an independently wealthy neo-hippy social worker who takes in lost souls like Tara and Eggs, helping them to get their lives together while staying in her rural mansion. However, she has mystical powers (plus a tendency to jog nude at night with a hog) and a mysterious history with Sam that make her motives questionable.){kind=link}
Chris Bauer as Andy Bellefleur (Seasons 1-7)
Andy is a Bon Temps policeman of dubious ability who commands little respect around town and is constantly seeking to establish his authority, much to the chagrin of frequent trouble-stirrer Jason. When things don't go his way, Andy tends to find solace at the bottom of a bottle.