Sam Trammell

Sam Trammell spoke with MetroNews Talkline today about his career and Charleston – you can hear the audio here.

A West Virginia native says he is no overnight star.

“I’ve been kicking around,” Actor Sam Trammell said on Monday’s MetroNews Talkline.  “I’ve been paying my dues for many years.”

Those dues have paid off for Trammell who grew up in Charleston.

Trammell now plays Sam Merlotte on HBO’s True Blood, a popular show about vampires based on Charlaine Harris’ novels. “A lot of people look at these vampires in our show as metaphors for any sort of downtrodden group that wants to assimilate and have equal opportunities,” he says.

True Blood is just the latest television series for Trammell who got his start in theater in New York City.  He has performed on and off Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1998.  Since then, he has made appearances on shows like Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Medium, House, Bones and Judging Amy.

He has also worked on several independent films.

Trammell’s family moved to Charleston from New Orleans, Louisiana when he was in the fourth grade.  His father had a friend from medical school who was from West Virginia and came to the state to go into practice with him.

“Even though I was born in Louisiana, I consider Charleston home,” Trammell says.  His father still practices in the Capitol City and his mother works for the state Department of Agriculture.

He attended Overbrook Elementary, John Adams Middle School and George Washington High School.

Trammell will be back in West Virginia later this week for “HallowEast,” a four day fundraiser for Charleston’s East End.  He’ll headline an interview session Friday at 8 p.m. at the Kanawha Players location on Beauregard Street in Charleston.