Who Was Andrew Lincoln Before ‘The Walking Dead’?

Andrew Lincoln was only a nationally-known actor in his home country of England, but in 2010, things shifted as he gained international fame for playing the “everyman” character Rick Grimes on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Although he departed the show in season 9, Andrew’s portrayal of the hero was what pushed The Walking Dead to where it’s at.

When Angela [Kang, the showrunner] pitched the idea to me, she said that we’ve been oscillating between antihero and hero for the last nine years, and I think we should probably finish with a heroic act,” he said about his shocking exit from the thriller hit during an interview with The New York Times. “I said, ‘That sounds like a great plan. I’m in.'”

With that being said, there’s so much more to Andrew Lincoln than just playing Rick Grimes. Before making his international breakthrough, Andrew was a prolific face in the comedic scene in England. In terms of personal life, the actor also has been enjoying his fatherhood life for quite some time. To sum it up, here’s Andrew Lincoln’s life before The Walking Dead.

6. Andrew Lincoln Performed In Several Theatre Plays

There are many cases of theater stars turned film actors, and Andrew Lincoln is one of them. In fact, some of his iconic roles include Bruce in Blue/Orange, a sardonically comic piece that touches some of the most taboo subjects of the 21st century, alongside Bill Nighy and Chiwetel Ejiofor. After its premiere at the Royal National Theatre in London in April 2000, the show went on to become a big success. BBC later adapted the play into a television film, starring Brian Cox, John Simm, and Shaun Parkes.THETHINGS VIDEO OF THE DAYClosehttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.517.2_en.html#goog_2027119568

5. Andrew Lincoln As Dr. Robert Bridge In ‘Afterlife’

Between 2005 to 2006, Andrew was Dr. Robert Bridge in Afterlife. The Stephen Volk-created mystery drama chronicles the life of a university teacher who gets his hands dirty in a series of supernatural events. The show is set in Bristol, England, and was exec-produced by Tammy Chopling and Murray Ferguson. Afterlife lasted only for two seasons and 14 episodes, unfortunately, but it was critically successful that the Monte Carlo Television Festival nominated Andrew for the Best Actor.

4. He Starred In A British Sitcom

Speaking of comedy, Andrew Lincoln actually made his career start in this genre. He was Simon Casey on Chanel 4’s Teachers, a sitcom drama about a group of secondary school teachers and their chaotic day-to-day lives with the students. The show was so successful that it gained six BAFTA nominations throughout its two-year run.

“It is just a light-hearted look at a group of friends who happen to be teachers. It is more about the characters. The kids in the show are more with it than the staff. They are all a bit tragic really,” he said.

3. Andrew Lincoln Was Nominated For Best New Director By BAFTA

In addition to acting, Andrew also tested his acting skills. During his days of shooting Teachers, the British actor directed two episodes in the third season, amassing a BAFTA Awards nomination for Best New Director (Fiction) in 2004.

“It was also the first time in nine years in the business that I’d had to use my brain. As an actor, not thinking is good. For a director, the brighter an actor is, the more difficult he is to direct. Maybe that’s why directors in the past would always sing my praises,” he said.

2. Andrew Lincoln And Fatherhood

Ever since he was boosted to stardom, Andrew Lincoln has been adopting a more down-to-earth approach to anything in life, including dating. While the actor has infamously dated Tara Fitzgerald, whom he met during the set of BBC’s The Woman In White, he decided to settle down with Gael Anderson, daughter of Jethro Tull’s frontman Ian Anderson. The pair tied the knot in 2006 and had welcomed two additional lives to their family: Matilda (born 2007) and Arthur (born 2010).

1. What’s Next For Andrew Lincoln?

So, what’s next for Andrew Lincoln? Departing The Walking Dead must be a fresh start for the actor, and he made his first non-TWD role in 2020 with Glendyn Ivin’s drama Penguin Bloom starring alongside Naomi Watts and Jacki Weaver. The actor is currently gearing up to reprise his iconic role in Universal Pictures’ upcoming trilogy of The Walking Dead films.

The actor stated earlier in December 2020 that the shooting will begin in early 2020, with Gale Anne Hurd on the executive producer seat. Unfortunately, the progress has been stalled for quite some time due to the current global health crisis.