The Walking Dead is an American horror television series based on the comic book series of the same title, written by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The story of The Walking Dead is based on the post-apocalyptic life of the few survivors who dread the zombie attack and in the course of action, form communities and come up with their own rules and regulations for survival, leading to hostile conflicts between them.
The first season of The Walking Dead aired in October 2010 and the tenth season premiered in October 2019. It has been renewed for the eleventh and the final season which is expected to air in 2021. The shoot of the series has been mostly done in Riverwood Studios, near Senoia Georgia.
Andrew Lincoln played the main lead of the series till his departure in the ninth season. The rest of the long-standing cast members include big names such as Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, and others.
Let’s take a look at the real-life pictures of the ensemble cast of The Walking Dead:
Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)
Norman Mark Reedus, born on January 6 1969 is an American actor, voice actor, television host, and model. He is best known for playing the main lead of Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead. He has starred in multiple films and television series and has also hosted his own show Ride With Norman Reedus. He has been a voice actor for different characters as well. He started his acting career in 1993 and was discovered by a director at a party who asked him if he was interested in acting. He has been in two serious relationships, the first one with the model Helena Christensen which ended in 2003. Currently, he is dating Diane Kruger. He has two children out of these two relationships.
Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes)
Andrew James Clutterbuck, born on September 14, 1973, is an English actor. His first breakthrough role was as the character Egg in BBC drama This Life. He then continued to star in different movies. In 2010, he attained international fame for the portrayal of Rick Grimes, a leading character in The Walking Dead. In 2018, he departed from the show but will be representing and playing the same character in The Walking Dead film series. In 2006, Andrew got married to Gael Anderson, the daughter of infamous flutist and vocalist Jethro Tull. They have two children.
Danai Gurira (Michonne)
Danai Jekesai Gurira, born on February 14 1978 is an American actress and playwright. She is known for starring in The Walking Dead as Michonne and as Okoye in Marvel superhero movies such as Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. She was the playwright of BRoadway play Eclipsed for which she received a nomination for Tony Awards. She taught playwriting in Zimbabwe, Liberia, and South Africa. She made her acting debut in 2009 on a Broadway play and appeared in a Hollywood movie The Visitor in 2007. Danai lives in Los Angeles and speaks four different languages. She is into fitness and very much a fan of Pilates and cross-training.
Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier)
Melissa Suzanne McBride, born on May 23, 1965, is an American actress and former casting director. Her breakthrough role was as Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead. Originally, it was a minor role which later got expanded as a main and leading character of the show. She is one of the two cast members to have appeared on every season of the show. She began her acting career in 1991 and worked in different commercials, television series, and Hollywood movies. She moved to Atlanta in the 1980s and still resides there.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, born on April 22, 1966, is an American actor. He has appeared in many television series and Hollywood movies such as Grey’s Anatomy, Rampage, Watchmen, One Tree Hill. He was helping his friend with the move when he himself decided to stay in Los Angeles and pursue his acting career. He felt he had some talent and then fell in love with acting. He has been married twice and has two children.
Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene)
Lauren Cohan, born on January 7, 1982, is a British American actress. She is known for playing the role of Maggie Green in The Walking Dead. She was raised in America till she was 13 but then her family movies to the UK. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and English literature. She also co-founded a theater company at her university. She started his acting career around 2005 and then continued to play different roles in television series and Hollywood movies.
Christian Serratos (Rosita Espinosa)
Cristian Marie Serratos, born on September 21, 1990, is an American actress. She has played the role of Rosita Espinosa in The Walking Dead. She has also played a significant role in The Nickelodeon series Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. She started her acting career in 2004. However, at the age of 7, she signed a contract with the Ford Modelling Agency. She is an animal activist. She is in a relationship with singer David Boyd since 2014 and the couple has a child together.
Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes)
Chandler Riggs, born on June 27, 1999, is an American actor and DJ. He is best known for playing the role of Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead. He has won different awards and nominations for his performance in the television series. He started his acting career at the tender age of 4. He has appeared in much different television series, however, his breakthrough role was The Walking Dead, where he became a recurring cast member.
Steven Yeun (Glen Rhee)
Steven Yeun, born on December 21, 1983, as Yeun Sang-Yeop is an American actor of South Korean origin. He is best known for his role as Glen Rhee in The Walking Dead. He has received critical acclaim and several accolades for his performance in the movie Burning in 2018. He has appeared in a long list of movies such as Origins, Sorry To Bother You, Final Space, Wizard of Oz, and others. He has received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He met Jordan Klepper and joined a theater company. He started his acting career in 2005. He married photographer Joana Pak in 2016 and they have two children together.
Seth Gilliam (Gabriel Stokes)
Seth Gilliam, born on November 5, 1968, is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal in movies and television series such s The Wire, Oz, Teen Wolf, and The Walking Dead. He started his acting career in the early ’90s and has starred in award-winning movies. He has also performed on stage and feels acting in the theater is a lot more fun.
This completes the list of the leading cast of The Walking Dead. Although the series is heading towards the finale, the images shared by the actors on their social media handles show that during the course of working together, they have become more like a family.
