Andrew Lincoln

Andrew James Clutterbuck (born 14 September 1973), known professionally as Andrew Lincoln, is an English actor. His first major role was as the character Egg in the BBC drama This Life (1996–97).

Early life and education Lincoln was born Andrew James Clutterbuck on 14 September 1973 in London, the son of an English civil engineer and a South African nurse. He has one brother who is 18 months older than him. His family moved to Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, when he was 18 months old, and then to Bath, Somerset, when he was eight or nine. He spent a summer at the National Youth Theatre in London and became interested in acting as a career. After leaving school, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) drama school and began to use "Andrew Lincoln" as his stage name.

Career

In 1994, Lincoln made his TV debut in "Births and Deaths", an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey. In 1995, soon after finishing drama school, he was cast in his first major role playing Edgar "Egg" Cooke, one of the lead characters in the BBC drama This Life. He went on to appear in British television series and dramas such as The Woman in White, The Canterbury Tales, and Wuthering Heights, including probationary teacher Simon Casey in the Channel 4 sitcom Teachers. He also had a lead role as university lecturer and psychologist Robert Bridge in Afterlife, and starred in the Sky 1 series Strike Back with Richard Armitage in 2010. Lincoln appeared in several films such as Human Traffic and Gangster No. 1 and starred alongside Vanessa Paradis in Pascal Chaumeil's Heartbreaker. In particular, his role as Mark in the 2003 film Love Actually gained him wider recognition.

Lincoln has performed in plays, including Hushabye Mountain in 1999, Blue/Orange in 2000 and 2001, The Late Henry Moss in 2006, the Parlour Song in 2009, as well as radio productions. He has done voice-overs for documentaries, advertisements, and government campaigns. He directed two episodes in the third series of Teachers for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best New Director (Fiction) in 2004. the protagonist of AMC's post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead. Grimes is a sheriff's deputy who awakens from a coma in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. He becomes the leader of a group of family and friends who are forced to relentlessly fight off flesh-eating zombies and hostile humans. In 2010, Lincoln signed up for the show for a potential six years and renegotiated a deal for two further seasons. Lincoln appeared on the show for the final time on 4 November 2018, having previously stated that he wished to spend more time with his children. According to The New York Times, Lincoln's role on The Walking Dead made him "the center of one of the world's biggest pop culture franchises". Following Lincoln's departure from The Walking Dead, it was planned that he would reprise his role of Rick Grimes in a trilogy of feature-length films. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the films were delayed; they were later replaced with The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, a six-hour television show starring both Lincoln and Danai Gurira. Lincoln starred in the 2024 spin-off The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Recognition and awards Lincoln has received various awards and nominations for his portrayal of Rick Grimes; he won the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 2015 and again in 2017. In 2012 and 2015, TVLine spotlighted Lincoln as "Performer of the Week" for his performance in the fourth episode of season 3 ("Killer Within") and for the fifteenth episode of season 5 ("Try"), respectively. Regarding Lincoln's performance in "Try", TVLine said that he "could act his way from A to Z all within the span of a single hour".

Personal life On 10 June 2006, Lincoln married Gael Anderson, daughter of Ian Anderson, flautist and vocalist of Jethro Tull. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Lincoln is a Manchester United fan.

He was educated in Bath, where he was childhood friends with former Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale.

Politics Lincoln has appeared in a video in support of the Robin Hood tax in 2014. Along with others involved in the video he has encouraged the public to get behind the measure, noting its "incredible support from people across Europe."

Acting credits Film Year Film Role Notes 1995 Boston Kickout Ted Film debut 1999 Human Traffic Felix Understanding Jane Party Stonehead 1 A Man's Best Friend Man Short film 2000 Gangster No. 1 Maxie King Fixated Andy Short film Offending Angels Sam 2003 Love Actually Mark 2004 Enduring Love TV Producer 2006 These Foolish Things Christopher Lovell Hey Good Looking! Paul Scenes of a Sexual Nature Jamie 2008 The Pro (unknown role) Short film 2010 Heartbreaker Jonathan Alcott Made in Dagenham Mr. Clarke 2020 Penguin Bloom Cameron Bloom

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Drop the Dead Donkey Terry Episode: "Births and Deaths" 1995 N7 Andy Unsold television pilot 1996 Over Here Cappy Episodes: "#1.1" & "#1.2" Bramwell Martin Fredericks Episode: "The Return of the Betrayer" 1996–1997 This Life Edgar "Egg" Cooke Main role; 32 episodes 1997 The Woman in White Walter Hartright Miniseries; 2 episodes 1999 Mersey Blues Himself - Narrator Docuseries; 5 episodes 2000 Bomber Captain Willy Byrne Miniseries; 2 episodes A Likeness in Stone Richard Kirschman Television film 2000–2001 Shipwrecked Himself - Narrator Reality series; 27 episodes 2001–2003 Teachers Simon Casey Lead role (series 1–2), Recurring role (series 3); 20 episodes (also directed 2 episodes) 2003 State of Mind Julian Latimer Television film Trevor's World of Sport Mark Boden Episode #1.1 Canterbury Tales Alan King Episode: "The Man of Law's Tale" 2004 Holby City Boyfriend to Hep C Patient Episode: "Letting Go" (uncredited) Whose Baby? Barry Flint Television film Lie with Me DI Will Tomlinson Miniseries; 2 episodes 2005–2006 Afterlife Robert Bridge Main role; 14 episodes 2007 This Life + 10 Edgar "Egg" Cooke Television special 2008 The Things I Haven't Told You DC Rae Television film Play or Be Played Joe 2009 Wuthering Heights Edgar Linton Miniseries; 2 episodes Moonshot Michael Collins Television film 2010 Strike Back Hugh Collinson Main role; 6 episodes (series 1) 2010–2018, 2022 The Walking Dead Rick Grimes Lead role (seasons 1–9), Special guest star (season 11); 102 episodes 2011 Dispatches Himself - Narrator Episode: "Secret NHS Diaries" 2014 Tigers About the House Docuseries; 4 episodes 2017 Red Nose Day Actually Mark Television short for Red Nose Day 2017 Robot Chicken Rick Grimes Voice role; Episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" 2018 Fear the Walking Dead Episode: "What's Your Story?" 2022 Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Edgar Bradley Episode: "The Murmuring" 2024 The Walking Dead: The Return Himself Television special; also executive producer The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Rick Grimes Miniseries; 6 episodes (also executive producer and co-creator) 2025 Coldwater John Lead role; 6 episodes (also executive producer) 2026 Force of Nature Himself - Narrator Docuseries; 6 episodes

Theatre Year Title Role Location Playwright 1998 Sugar Sugar Joe Bush Theatre Simon Bent 1999 Hushabye Mountain Danny Hampstead Theatre Jonathan Harvey 2000–2001 Blue/Orange Bruce Cottesloe Theatre (2000)Duchess Theatre (2001) Joe Penhall 2002 Free Alex Loft (Lyttelton Theatre) Simon Bowen 2006 The Late Henry Moss Ray Almeida Theatre Sam Shepard 2009 Parlour Song Dale Jez Butterworth 2020 A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge The Old Vic Jack Thorne 2025 The Lady from the Sea Edward Bridge Theatre Simon Stone

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2021 Fortnite Battle Royale Rick Grimes Likeness 2024 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Playable Character (DLC); Voice and Likeness 2025 Dead by Daylight 2026 World War Z

Podcast Year Title Role Notes 2024 A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath Dr. Mark Tyburn Main role; 12 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Result Work 2004 British Academy Television Awards Best New Director (Fiction) Teachers Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Ensemble Acting Love Actually Empire Awards Best Newcomer 2007 Golden Nymph Award Outstanding Actor – Drama Series Afterlife 2010 IGN Summer Movie Award Best TV Hero The Walking Dead 2011 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Scream Awards Best Horror Actor 2012 Satellite Awards Best Ensemble – Television (Special Achievement Award) 2013 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Drama Series TV Guide Award Favorite Actor 2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Favorite TV Anti-Hero 2015 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best TV Actor 2016 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi 2017 People's Choice Awards Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television 2018 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television People's Choice Awards Best TV Actor 2019 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television 2025 Saturn Awards Best Actor in a Television Series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Best Television Presentation