25 of the most memorable TV teachers

Alaric Saltzman – The Vampire Diaries

In terms of dreamy teachers, Alaric Saltzman ranks right up there at the top. Played by Matthew Davis as unassuming but tough, Alaric is a constant source of knowledge about how to fight one supernatural monster or the next. He’s a triple threat: handsome, smart and emotionally unstable.

Alaric arrives in Mystic Falls as a broody loner with a tragic past, and he is there to find the vampire who killed his wife. Posing as a history teacher, he low-key investigates all the vampires in town, originally viewing them as enemies. He eventually learns that his wife voluntarily left him, and his feelings about vampires soften after a while.

This turns out to be a super turn of events, and it leads to one of the greatest bro-mances in TV history. His friendship with Damon Salvatore is among the best things about this show. Of course, Alaric’s path takes a wobbly turn. Through the course of the series he’s a vampire, an enhanced original, an evil twin, a ghost and an expert in the occult.

He is a busy, busy guy, and it seems like he wouldn’t have much time for teaching high school history, but apparently he does. In fact, he goes on to become an Occult Studies professor at Caroline and Elena’s school, Whitmore College. This seems a better fit for the jack of all supernatural trades, and it offers something to fall back on later, when Caroline dumps him for Stefan.

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