Sarah Wayne Callies Biography

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.

Early life

Callies was born in La Grange, Illinois and 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 Breaks 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:

"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 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 up until (and beyond) her character's death in season three. Callies played one of the female lead roles in the upcoming Canadian thriller Faces in the Crowd. 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).

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 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."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	'	Marjorie
2007	Whisper	Roxanne
2008	Bittersweet	Robyn
2010	Lullaby for Pi	Josephine
2011	Black Gold	Kate Summers
2011	Faces in the Crowd	Francine
2011	Foreverland	Fran
2013	Black Sky	Allison Stone	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Jenny Rochester	Episode: "Privilege"
2003	Dragnet	Kathryn 'Kate' Randall	Episode: "The Brass Ring"
2003	Queens Supreme	Kate O'Malley	Episode: "Flawed Heroes"
2003	Tarzan	Officer Jane Porter	Main role (9 episodes)
2004	'	Laura Kelly	Unsold TV pilot
2005	Numb3rs	Agent Kim Hall	Episode: "Counterfeit Reality"
2005"2009	Prison Break	Dr. Sara Tancredi	Regular role (69 episodes)
2007	Queens Supreme	Kate O'Malley	Episodes: "Permanent Markers", "Let's Make a Deal", "Things Change", "Case by Case"
2009	Dexter the Game	Debra Morgan (voice)	Video game
2009	Prison Break: The Final Break	Dr. Sara Tancredi	TV film
2010	House	Julia	Episode: "Open and Shut"
2010	Tangled	Chloe / Sally	TV film
2010"2013	'	Lori Grimes	Main role (35 episodes)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2011	Saturn Award	Best Actress on Television	The Walking Dead
2012	Scream Award	Best Horror Actress	The Walking Dead
2012	Satellite Award	Best Cast - Television Series	The Walking Dead