William Thomas "Bill" Compton is a fictional vampire in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a book series written by Charlaine Harris. He first appears in the first book of the series, Dead Until Dark, and is included in every book that follows. In the television version of the story, True Blood, Bill Compton is played by the actor Stephen Moyer.

Bill Compton is a vampire and sometimes has a romantic relationship with the series' main character, Sookie Stackhouse. People from the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, sometimes call him "Vampire Bill."

Fictional history

According to the book series, Bill was born on April 9, 1840. As a human, he lived in Bon Temps. He was a married farmer with several children. Before becoming a vampire, Bill worked as a tax accountant and was known for his excellent work. Bill served as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War.

In 1865, a vampire named Lorena turned Bill into a vampire. He had a long and difficult relationship with his maker, Lorena.

After the Great Revelation, Bill decided to "mainstream" and live peacefully with humans. He returned to his ancestral home in Bon Temps. Later in the series, after Bill discovered he was related to the Bellefleur family, he secretly gave them money to repair their family home.

Because of concerns about the Area Five sheriff, Eric Northman, Bill applied for and was appointed as the area's investigator. Later in the series, Bill was sent by Queen Sophie-Anne to investigate Sookie's telepathic abilities.

Most older vampires have good memories, but Bill has an exceptional ability to remember details, faces, and conversations. Bill manages and distributes a database that lists all vampires in North America. Because of security concerns, only other vampires can buy this database.

In Dead Until Dark, Sookie saved Bill from being "drained" by a couple who wanted to sell his blood for profit. (In the series, vampire blood, called "V," is a drug that is addictive, increases strength, and causes hallucinations for humans.) Later, Bill saved Sookie with his blood when the couple tried to take revenge. Despite the anti-vampire beliefs of the people in Bon Temps, Bill and Sookie began a romantic relationship.

Bill and Sookie's relationship ended when Lorena trapped him in Mississippi. In Club Dead, the relationship ended for good when Eric told Sookie about Bill's mission to investigate her for Queen Sophie-Anne. After their relationship ended, Bill continued to appear in the novels and became a trusted friend by Dead Reckoning.

Bill first appeared in a video called "Bon Temps vampire speaks" posted on BloodCopy.com, one of seventeen official websites created to support the HBO series True Blood. Bill is one of only four characters to appear in every episode of the series. The other three characters are Sookie Stackhouse, her brother Jason, and Lafayette Reynolds, a cook at Merlotte's Bar and Grill.

Bill's story in the television show is different from the novels. In the first season, Bill was forced to create his first progeny after being punished for staking another vampire. He turned a teenage girl named Jessica Hamby into a vampire.

In the third season, Bill's maker, Lorena, was killed by Sookie after she staked her. When Bill needed blood, Sookie cut her arm to feed him. Bill nearly drained her to death. After being kicked out into sunlight, Bill learned that faerie blood makes vampires temporarily immune to the sun.

In the fourth season, Bill became the Vampire King of Louisiana after leading a rebellion against Queen Sophie-Anne with the help of the Authority.

Bill became an antagonist in the fifth and sixth seasons after drinking the blood of Lilith, the Progenitor of the vampire race. After drinking her blood, Bill was destroyed and brought back as a more powerful vampire. He could not be killed by stakes, did not need an invitation to enter a human home, and had visions of the future. He could also control Warlow, Lilith's only known progeny and Sookie's then-lover.

In the final season, Bill became infected with "Hepatitus-V," a deadly virus created by humans to kill vampires. Instead of taking a cure, Bill chose to die the "true death." He convinced Sookie to stake him in a grave made for his presumed death during the Civil War.

Portrayal and reception

Before Stephen Moyer was chosen for the role, Benedict Cumberbatch tried out for it.

In 2011, actor Stephen Moyer received the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television for his performance as Bill Compton on the show True Blood.

Stephen Moyer said, "Bill kills many people in the first season because he is a killer. He cannot control his actions. He has also lost everything—his life in war, his family, and his sense of being alive. This makes him sad and longing for something, which makes him interesting to act." He added that Bill serves as a guide for the show to show what is right or wrong.

True Blood was often seen as a story that represents the civil rights movement and the fight for gay rights. However, the show’s creator, Alan Ball, said he did not always agree with this interpretation and sometimes discouraged people from using it. Stephen Moyer responded, "There is no doubt that True Blood had these connections. We even said, 'We’re coming out of the coffin'—this was not a hidden meaning."