Sarah Anne Wayne Callies (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress who played Sara Tancredi in the Fox television series Prison Break , Alison in Into the Storm and Lori Grimes in AMC's The Walking Dead.
Early life
Callies was born in La Grange, Illinois, the daughter of Valerie Wayne, a professor of English, and David E. Callies, a law professor. Callies moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her family when she was one. Her parents are professors at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Throughout her youth, she expressed an interest in acting through participating in various school plays at the independent Punahou School. After graduating from high school, she entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. In conjunction with her studies, she continued her involvement in theatre. She continued her education at Denver's National Theater Conservatory, where she obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2002.
Career
Callies' first role on television was as Kate O'Malley, a recurring part 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. She stated through a spokesperson to TV Guide in Fall 2007:
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." When asked by Kirstin of E! whether the fans' overwhelming response to her death had factored in, Executive Producer Matt Olmstead admitted it had indeed influenced the decision.
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 portrayed Lori Grimes in the AMC horror/drama series The Walking Dead, based on the comic book series of the same name, until season three. 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. Callies starred in the Nigerian movie Black Gold (2011) and one of the female lead roles in the Canadian thriller Faces in the Crowd (2011).
Personal life
On July 21, 2002, Callies married Josh Winterhalt, whom she met at Dartmouth College. 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.
She was voted one of Maxim's "The Hottest Women of Fall TV '08."
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Sarah Wayne Callies at the Internet Movie Database
- Sarah Wayne Callies talks to theTVaddict.com
