Andrew Lincoln

Andrew James Clutterbuck (born 14 September 1973),^[1] better known by his stage name Andrew Lincoln, is an English actor. He is most recognised for his portrayal of Rick Grimes, the lead character on the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead. His first major role was in the BBC drama This Life,^[2] followed by roles such as Simon in the Channel 4 sitcom Teachers and Mark in the romantic comedy film Love Actually (2003).

Early life

Andrew Clutterbuck was born in London,^[3] the son of an English civil engineer and a South African nurse.^[4][5] His family moved to Hull when he was 18 months old, and then to Bath when he was eight or nine.^[3] He attended Beechen Cliff School, where at age 14 he had his first acting role as the Artful Dodger in a school production of Oliver!.^[6][7] He spent a summer at the National Youth Theatre in London and became interested in acting as a career.^[8] After leaving school, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and began to use "Andrew Lincoln" as his stage name.^[9]

Career

Lincoln in 2012

Lincoln made his first on-screen appearance in "Births and Deaths", a 1994 episode of Channel 4 sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey.^[10] In 1995, soon after finishing drama school, he was offered his first major role playing Edgar "Egg" Cook, one of the leading characters in the acclaimed BBC drama This Life.^[11][12] He went on to star in a number of British television series and dramas such as The Woman in White, The Canterbury Tales and Wuthering Heights,^[13][14] most notably as probationary teacher Simon Casey in the successful Channel 4 sitcom Teachers.^[15] He also had a lead role as university lecturer and psychologist Robert Bridge in Afterlife, and starred in the 2010 Sky One series Strike Back with Richard Armitage.^[16]

Lincoln appeared in several films such as Human Traffic and Gangster No. 1 and starred alongside Vanessa Paradis in Pascal Chaumeil's Heartbreaker.^[17] In particular, his role as Mark in the 2003 film Love Actually gained him wider recognition.^[18]

Lincoln has also performed in plays, including Hushabye Mountain in 1999,^[19] the widely praised Blue/Orange in 2000 and 2001,^[20][21] The Late Henry Moss in 2006,^[22] the Parlour Song in 2009,^[6] as well as radio productions.^[23] He has done voice-overs for documentaries, advertisements, and government campaigns.^[2] He directed two episodes in the third series of Teachers for which he won a BAFTA nomination for Best New Director (Fiction) in 2004.^[9][24]

The Walking Dead

In April 2010, Lincoln was cast as Rick Grimes,^[25] the protagonist^[26] of AMC's live-action adaptation of the comic book series The Walking Dead.^[27] Grimes is a sheriff's deputy who awakens from a months-long coma in the midst of a violent zombie apocalypse caused by an unknown pathogen. He becomes the leader of a group of family and friends who are forced to relentlessly fight off flesh-eating zombies and evil humans.^[28] The drama has the highest Nielsen ratings in cable television history, including the most 18- to 49-year-old viewers of any cable or broadcast television series during its third through (current) sixth seasons.^[29][30][31] In 2010, Lincoln signed up for the show for a potential six years.^[32] He has since renegotiated a deal for two further seasons.^[33]

Personal life

On 10 June 2006, Lincoln married Gael Anderson, daughter of Ian Anderson, former flutist and vocalist in Jethro Tull. They have two children, Matilda and Arthur.^[34] Apple Martin (daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) was the flower girl at their wedding.^[6]

Lincoln's older brother, Richard Clutterbuck, was formerly head of the Bristol Free School^[35] and is the current head of Kings Oak Academy in Kingswood.^[36]

Filmography

Lincoln speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International for The Walking Dead panel

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andrew Lincoln.

• Andrew Lincoln at the Internet Movie Database
• Andrew Lincoln on Facebook