American actress Sarah Wayne Callies has appeared in more than two dozen roles for film and television since emerging onto the scene in 2003. She is best known for her roles as Lori Grimes in the AMC mega-hit “The Walking Dead,” Katie Bowman in the USA Network’s science-fiction drama “Colony,” and Robin Perry in NBC’s drama “Council of Dads.”
Callies was born to university professors in La Grange, Illinois in 1977. She became interested in acting at a young age, appearing in her school’s plays before eventually attending Dartmouth College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in drama in 1999. She then received her master’s from the National Theatre Conservatory.
Callies’ education included a minor in women's studies and a senior fellowship in indigenous theology, which she has been able to incorporate into her latest passion project. “Aftershock” is a scripted podcast released in 2021 that she not only stars in but also directed and produced.
“There were stories I’d wanted to tell for years, about women and indigenous rights among other things, that fit beautifully into the world. But when you’re doing a podcast there isn’t much in the way of budget, so if you want to make it happen you have to do a lot of it yourself – produce and direct and write and act and cast and whatever else needs to get done. In this case, that’s a joy, because it’s a level of creative input I’ve never had in my storytelling before. I loved it,” she said in an interview with Flickering Myth.
Callies’ first starring role was early in her career as Detective Jane Porter on The WB's “Tarzan.” She has also appeared on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 2003’s “Dragnet,” “NUMB3RS,” and had a starring role in FOX’s “Prison Break.” Film roles include “The Celestine Prophecy,” “Black Gold,” “The Other Side of the Door,” and “The Show.”
Callies has been nominated for several awards, including a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television and a Scream Award for Best Horror Actress for her work on “The Walking Dead,” and a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture for her role in “The Show.” In 2012, she and her other castmates won a Satellite Award for Best Cast: Television Series for “The Walking Dead.”