Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) is one of the most formidable characters on HBO’s hit vampire series, True Blood. Over the course of seven seasons and 81 episodes, from 2008 to 2014, Compton underwent one of the biggest character arcs of any central figure on the show. Compton often went back and forth as a suave hero and ferocious villain before becoming the undisputed primary foe during the series’ fifth season.
However, unless you intently watched every single episode of True Blood, you probably missed a few key facts about Bill Compton and his baleful bloodsucking lifestyle.
Age Discrepancy
![True Blood: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Bill Compton](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-2.jpg)
Bill Compton first appeared in Dead Until Dark, the first novel of The Southern Vampire Mysteries series True Blood is based on. In the novel, Bill’s birthday is given as April 9, 1940.
However, in the show, Bill’s birthday is April 9, 1935. Despite the five-year discrepancy, Bill is still presented as a vampire who is 173-years-old as the series begins. Bill was bitten by a vampire around 1865, making him an immortal trapped in the body of a 30-year-old. Stephen Moyer was 39 at the time the pilot aired.
Alexander Skarsgard
![Bill in semi-profile in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-3.jpg)
Before Stephen Moyer was cast as Bill Compton, series regular Alexander Skarsgard auditioned for the part. A blessing in disguise, Skarsgard would go on to play the memorable role of Eric Northman in 76 of 81 episodes.
Additionally, Alexander’s father, Stellan Skarsgard, was offered an unspecified role on the show but declined due to his busy schedule. Skarsgard told E! News that “I don’t have the time,” before lauding his son’s acting chops on the series.
Changed His Middle Name
![Bill ith knuckles to cheek in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-1.jpg)
Another subtle change made from the books to the series was Bill’s middle name. In the novels, the ancient vampire’s full name is given as William Erasmus Compton.
But in Living Dead in Dallas, the second book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, Bill’s middle name is mysteriously listed as Thomas. For whatever reason, Thomas is used as Bill’s middle name in the TV series.
Resurrection
![Bill flashes fangs and holds stake in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-7.jpg)
Of all the vampires in the series, Bill is the only one known to be resurrected from the grave. He was first turned into a vampire by Lorena, his maker, around the time the American Civil War ended.
Years later, Bill drinks the blood of the almighty vampiress, Lilith (Jessica Clark), and dies almost instantly. Moments later, Bill reanimates as an even more formidable vampire who assumes Lilith’s unparalleled powers.
Vampiric Powers
![Bill lifts spade in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-4.jpg)
Upon drinking Lilith’s blood, Bill obtains a slew of newfound superhuman abilities. While many are unclear at first, these powers include physical omnipotence, telekinetic mind-control, prophetic clairvoyance, and obtaining Lilith’s large fangs.
Bill’s newfound powers also make him impervious to physical injuries, such as being staked through the heart. The only thing he remains vulnerable to is sunlight.
Daywalker
![Bill sits in outdoor chair in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-6.jpg)
Bill is only vulnerable to sunlight until he imbibes the blood of Warlow, the faerie-vampire Macklyn Warlow (Robert Kazinsky). Once he drinks Warlow’s blood in the episode “Don’t You Feel Me,” he obtains the ability to become a daywalker.
Much like Lilith, Bill’s blood also serves as a euphoric intoxicant when sucked by fellow vampires. Bill can also pass on the ability to become a daywalker when he is bitten until Warlow is killed by a witch.
Maker Status
![Bill dons leather coat in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-5.jpg)
In Season 1, Bill is punished for staking a bloodsucking ghoul. To atone, Bill is tasked with biting a human teenage female named Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll), which bestows him with the power of a Maker. He did not possess these powers in the books.
As a Maker, Bill has the ability to call and control Jessica and beckon her through his telekinetic powers. When Bill drinks Lilith’s blood, he obtains the powers of an advanced call, which can be used to make his progeny vomit blood and experience extreme physical pain.
Romantic Interests
![Bill and Sookie face to face in True Blood.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-8.jpg)
Unless you watched every episode of True Blood, it’s easy to overlook Bill’s many romantic interests in the series. Other than Bill’s human wife, Caroline, with whom he had two children, the dashing vampire courted an array of female suitors.
Bill’s biggest and most influential romance was Sookie Stackhouse (his real-life wife, Anna Paquin), the series lead. But Bill also became romantically involved with Lorena (Mariana Klaveno), Salome (Valentina Cervi), and Portia (Courtney Ford). The series omitted two key relationships Bill had in the novels, including real estate agent Selah Pumfrey and his sister, Judith Vardamon, who Lorena made to resemble his late wife.
Appeared In Every Episode
![Bill sits on tree log in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/true-blood-bill-9.jpg)
Along with Sookie, her brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), and short-order chef, Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), Bill is one of just four characters to appear in every True Blood episode.
Despite the horrors he endured for seven seasons and 81 episodes, Bill ultimately succumbed to a fatal case of Hepatitis V. Rather than take the cure, Bill convinced Sookie to stake him through the heart so he could die peacefully in his confederate grave.
Fatal Feats
![Bill flashes fangs in holy shirt in True Blood](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/bill-compton-true-blood.jpg)
As a character who evolved and devolved from protagonist and antagonist, Bill was responsible for some of the most influential deaths in the series. For instance, Bill is the only True Blood character to kill at least one person in every season.
Bill was also responsible for killing some of the series’ most memorable heroes and villains. Bill’s body count includes killing Marnie Stonebrook (Fiona Shaw), Nan Flanagan (Jessica Tuck), Salome Agrippa, and Truman Burrell (Arliss Howard).