Sarah Wayne Callies

Sarah Wayne Callies

Sarah Wayne Callies in December 13, 2011
Born Sarah Anne Callies
(1977-06-01) June 1, 1977 (age 34)
La Grange, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 2003–present
Spouse Josh Winterhalt

Sarah Wayne Callies (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress who is best known for her roles as Sara Tancredi in the Fox television series Prison Break, and Lori Grimes in AMC's The Walking Dead.

Biography

Early life

Callies was born in La Grange, Illinois and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her family when she was one. Throughout her youth, she expressed an interest in acting through participating in various school plays at the independent Punahou School. While her parents are professors at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, Callies did not follow in their footsteps. Instead, she chose to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from high school, she entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. In conjunction with her studies, she continued her involvement in theatre.[1] She continued her education at Denver's National Theater Conservatory where she obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2002.[1]

Movie career

Callies' first role on television was as Kate O'Malley, a recurring role on the short-lived CBS show Queens Supreme. Her first starring role was as Detective Jane Porter on The WB's Tarzan.

After making various guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dragnet (2003) and NUMB3RS, Callies gained a starring role on Fox's Prison Break as Sara Tancredi. Her role lasted from 2005 through 2009. According to Prison Break's executive producer Matt Olmstead, although he, the writers, the network and Callies herself all wanted her to stay on the show the character was written out related to contract disputes.[2] She stated through a spokesperson to TV Guide in Fall 2007:

"As hard as we all tried, the Prison Break powers that be and I were unable to find a way to meet both the needs of the story and the needs of my family. We parted wishing each other well. I had a wonderful time working with the creative team and have a world of respect for all of them; they took great care of Sara. I'm also enormously grateful to the fans. They've been so gracious and supportive, and I hope they continue to enjoy the show."[2]

However, in March 2008 Olmstead stated that the character of Sara is still alive and would return in Season 4 of Prison Break. Though the character Sara Tancredi appeared to have a violent death Olmstead stated "...we realized that there was actually a way she could still be alive."[3] When asked by Kirstin of E! whether the fans' overwhelming response to her death (namely the STGD Campaign and Save-Sara-Tancredi.org) had factored in, Executive Producer Matt Olmstead admitted it had indeed influenced the decision.[4]

Callies has also starred in two feature films - Universal Pictures' Whisper and an independent film, The Celestine Prophecy.

In April 2010, she appeared on the Fox Television drama House M.D. as a patient of the week whose open marriage fascinates House and the team.

She portrays Lori Grimes in the AMC horror/drama series The Walking Dead, based on the comic book series of the same name.[5] Callies played one of the female lead roles in the upcoming Canadian thriller Faces in the Crowd.[6] In August 2010 Callies' first screenplay, an adaptation of Campbell Geeslin's children's book "Elena's Serenade", was optioned by producer Cameron Lamb and Canadian production company The Film Farm.[citation needed]

Callies starred in the movie Black Gold (2011 Nigerian film).

Personal life

On June 21, 2005, Callies married Josh Winterhalt, whom she met at Dartmouth College.[citation needed] Winterhalt is a martial arts teacher. On January 23, 2007, her publicist announced that the couple were expecting their first child. In July 2007, Callies gave birth to a girl, Keala Winterhalt.[citation needed] She is close friends with Prison Break co-star Wentworth Miller, saying: "I have the great privilege of working opposite someone who is also a great friend. That's something that makes my work easier, it makes my time on set more fun and I think it makes the work better". She was voted one of Maxim's "The Hottest Women of Fall TV '08."[7][8]

Filmography

List of acting performances in film and television
Year Film Role Notes
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jenny Rochester Episode "Privilege"
L.A. Dragnet Kathryn 'Kate' Randall Episode "The Brass Ring"
Tarzan Officer Jane Porter 9 episodes
2003-2007 Queens Supreme Kate O'Malley 5 episodes
2004 The Secret Service Laura Kelly TV movie
2005 Numb3rs Agent Kim Hall Episode "Counterfeit Reality"
2005-2009 Prison Break Dr. Sara Tancredi 69 episodes
2006 The Celestine Prophecy Marjorie
2007 Whisper Roxanne
2008 Bittersweet Robyn
2009 Prison Break: The Final Break Dr. Sara Tancredi Video
2010 House Julia Episode "Open and Shut"
Tangled Chloe / Sally TV movie
Lullaby for Pi Josephine
2010–present The Walking Dead Lori Grimes Lead role
2011 Black Gold Kate Summers
Faces in the Crowd Francine
2012 Foreverland Fran Post-production
Black November Kate Summers Post-production

References

External links