Former ‘Degrassi’ kid Liboiron goes horror for Netflix series ‘Hemlock Grove’

TORONTO – Former “Degrassi: The Next Generation” kid Landon Liboiron is among the stars of the upcoming Netflix series “Hemlock Grove.” In leaping aboard the buzz-laden horror show, he joins several former cast members who have established healthy careers well beyond the Canadian teen drama. A look at five of “Degrassi”‘s most famous alumni:

Aubrey Graham, a.k.a. Drake — The biggest star by far to come out of “Degrassi” has to be Toronto’s Grammy-winning rap sensation. He first gained fame as the wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on the Canuck soap but pulled a complete image overhaul with a hook-laden music career helped along by collaborations with Lil Wayne, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj.

Nina Dobrev — This raven-haired beauty went from playing teen mom Mia Jones to the double-barrelled role of Elena Gilbert and her doppelganger Katherine Pierce on the supernatural “The Vampire Diaries.” Not only did the gig catapult her fame to a whole new stratosphere, it launched Dobrev into the tabloids for her off-screen romance with on-screen co-star Ian Somerhalder.

Jake Epstein — Boy-next-door charm went a long way toward establishing a fan following for Epstein’s drug-addled “Degrassi” regular Craig Manning. Since leaving the series he’s vaulted into the theatre world with a starring role in the U.S. national tour of the Broadway hit “American Idiot,” as well as credits on “Spring Awakening” and “Billy Elliot: The Musical.” These days he swings for the rafters as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Broadway show “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

Shay Mitchell — Mitchell landed on one of the hottest teen series around when she followed up her “Degrassi” stint with a starring role on “Pretty Little Liars.” And she certainly hasn’t seemed to have had trouble with the transition — as suggested by her 1.2 million followers on Twitter.

Shenae Grimes — Grimes bounced from one teen drama to another when she put behind her turn as the troubled Darcy Edwards on “Degrassi” for a leading role in the “90210” reboot as Annie Wilson. But with the U.S. series ending for good once its current fifth season wraps, the question now is: What next?

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