# Sarah Wayne Callies

Sarah Wayne Callies is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sara Tancredi in Fox's Prison Break, Lori Grimes in AMC's The Walking Dead, and more recently, as Birdie Nicolletti in ABC's The Company You Keep. She has also starred as Katie Bowman in USA Network's Colony and Robin Perry in NBC's Council of Dads and has had film roles in Whisper (2007), Black Gold (2011), and The Show (2017).

## Early life and education

Callies was born in La Grange, Illinois. Her parents Valerie Wayne and David E. Callies were both professors at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Callies moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her family when she was one year old. 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, Callies entered Dartmouth College where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama in 1999, with a minor in women's studies and a senior fellowship in Indigenous theology. In conjunction with her studies, Callies remained involved in theatre. She continued her education at the National Theatre Conservatory, where she obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2002.

## Career

Callies moved to New York in 2003 and then quickly landed her first television role 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.

### Prison Break

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. She played the role in the first two seasons, but her character was killed off for the third season before being brought back for the fourth season. According to Prison Break's executive producer Matt Olmstead, although the writers, the network, Callies herself, and he all wanted her to stay on the show, the character was written out due to contract disputes. 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.
However, in March 2008, Olmstead stated that the character of Sara is still alive and would return in season four. 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." Executive Producer Matt Olmstead admitted the fans' overwhelming response to her death had influenced the decision to bring the character, and Callies, back to the show.

### The Walking Dead

In 2010, Callies was cast in the major role of Lori Grimes on the AMC post-apocalyptic drama series The Walking Dead, based on the comic-book series of the same name. The drama became the highest-rated show in AMC's history. Callies played the role from the show's pilot until the third season.

### Other projects

Callies starred in her first feature, the independent film The Celestine Prophecy, in 2006. She also starred in the horror film Whisper alongside Josh Holloway the following year. In April 2010, she appeared on the Fox Television drama House as a patient of the week, whose open marriage fascinates House and the team. In August 2010, Callies' first screenplay, an adaptation of Campbell Geeslin's children's book Elena's Serenade, was optioned by French production company Fulldawa Films.
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). In 2015, she co-starred with Nicolas Cage in Uli Edel's thriller film Pay the Ghost. In 2016, she returned to television in the lead role of Katie Bowman in Colony.

## Personal life

Callies is married to Josh Winterhalt, whom she met at Dartmouth College. On January 23, 2007, her publicist announced that the couple were expecting their first child. Their daughter was born in July 2007. Their second child, an adopted son, was born in 2013.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | The Celestine Prophecy | Marjorie | |
| 2007 | Whisper | Roxanne | |
| 2008 | Bittersweet | Robyn | |
| 2010 | Lullaby for Pi | Josephine | |
| 2011 | Black Gold | Kate Summers | Reissued into Black November |
| 2011 | Faces in the Crowd | Francine | |
| 2011 | Foreverland | Fran | |
| 2012 | Black November | Kate Summers | Reissued version of Black Gold |
| 2014 | Into the Storm | Allison Stone | |
| 2015 | Pay the Ghost | Kristen Lawford | |
| 2016 | The Other Side of the Door | Maria Harwood | |
| 2017 | The Show | Karina | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Kate O'Malley | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Dragnet | Kathryn "Kate" Randall | Episode: "The Brass Ring" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jenny Rochester | Episode: "Privilege" |
| 2003 | Tarzan | Jane Porter | Main role; 9 episodes |
| 2004 | The Secret Service | Laura Kelly | Unsold television pilot |
| 2005 | Numbers | Kim Hall | Episode: "Counterfeit Reality" |
| 2005–2009, 2017 | Prison Break | Sara Tancredi | Main role (seasons 1–2, 4–5); 73 episodes |
| 2009 | Prison Break: The Final Break | Sara Tancredi | Television film |
| 2010 | House | Julia | Episode: "Open and Shut" |
| 2010 | Tangled | Chloe / Sally | Unsold television pilot |
| 2010–2013, 2018 | The Walking Dead | Lori Grimes | Main role (seasons 1–3); 26 episodes, Voice role (Episode: "What Comes After") |
| 2016–2018 | Colony | Katie Bowman | Main role; 36 episodes |
| 2017 | The Long Road Home | Leann Volesky | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Robot Chicken | Lori Grimes | Voice role; Episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" |
| 2018-2022 | Letterkenny | Anita Dyck | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Unspeakable | Margaret Sanders | Main role; 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Council of Dads | Robin Perry | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2023 | The Company You Keep | Birdie Nicoletti | Main role; 10 episodes |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2023 | The Walking Dead: Destinies | Lori Grimes | Voice role |

### Directing credits

Television :
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2018 | Colony | 3x09 - "The Big Empty" |
| 2019 | Unspeakable | Episode 5 - "Compensation (1988–1993)" |
| 2020–2021 | The Good Doctor | 4x04 - "Not the Same" |
| 2020–2021 | The Good Doctor | 4x13 - "Spilled Milk" |
| 2020–2021 | The Good Doctor | 5x06 - "One Heart" |
| 2022 | Family Law | 2x08 - "Family History" |
| 2023 | Firefly Lane | 2x12 - "Time After Time" |
| 2023 | Firefly Lane | 2x13 - "Can't Fight This Feeling" |
| 2023–2024 | Fire Country | 1x09 - "No Good Deed" |
| 2023–2024 | Fire Country | 2x09 - "No Future, No Consequences" |
| 2023–2024 | Fire Country | 3x07 - "False Alarm" |
| 2024 | The Irrational | 2x07 - "Stan by Me" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2011 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | The Walking Dead | Nominated |
| 2012 | Scream Awards | Best Horror Actress | The Walking Dead | Nominated |
| 2012 | Satellite Awards | Best Cast – Television Series | The Walking Dead | Won |
| 2017 | Leo Awards | Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture | The Show | Nominated |