Half the time we see any of The Walking Dead’s survivors onscreen, they're covered in post-apocalyptic
filth and zombie sludge.
So when their real-life counterparts clean themselves up and hit the interview circuit,
they're especially stunning.
They're even more unrecognizable in these adorable throwback pictures from their youth.
Here’s what The Walking Dead cast looked like as kids.
Andrew Lincoln
Andrew James Clutterbuck hails from London, and showed an interest in acting in his early
teens.
He chose his stage name, Andrew Lincoln, after studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art and landing his first real gig in an episode of a U.K. sitcom called, Drop the Dead Donkey.
It would be almost a decade before he landed his second-most widely seen role to date as
the lovesick, sign-holding, Mark in Love, Actually.
Since becoming Sheriff Rick Grimes for The Walking Dead, Lincoln has shunned all other
roles.
Chandler Riggs
Just seven when he first started packing heat to battle the walkers, Chandler Riggs is a
natural within the realm of the undead.
It's also a been-there-done-that situation for him, since his first role was in the short
amateur film, Jesus H. Zombie.
The Walking Dead set was a homecoming for him, as he's a native of Atlanta, Georgia,
where the show is filmed.
Riggs is keeping the horror theme going, starring in Mercy in 2014, as well as the 2016 home
invasion flick, Keep Watching.
Norman Reedus
After moving to L.A. and working as a motorcycle mechanic, Norman Reedus was discovered at
a party.
It wasn’t long before he landed a role in Guillermo del Toro's Mimic, ...and the 1997
film Floating, …. launching his career.
Before The Walking Dead, he was best-known for his role as Murphy Macmanus in The Boondock
Saints.
Reedus' original audition was for the role of Merle Dixon, but it'd already gone to actor
Michael Rooker.
Show execs liked him so much that they created Daryl Dixon for him, not knowing the character
would become such a fan favorite.
Melissa McBride
In the early '90s, Melissa McBride landed her first role on an episode of Matlock, but
she also worked behind the scenes as a casting director.
You may also recognize her from her appearance as Dawson’s slightly-older-lady in Dawson’s
Creek.
McBride was chosen to star as Carol due to her relationship with original showrunner
Frank Darabont, who cast her in his adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist.
Also in The Mist?
Laurie Holden, who played The Walking Dead’s Andrea, and Jeffrey DeMunn, who played Dale.
Steven Yeun
Though he was born in Seoul, South Korea, Steven Yeun and his family moved to Saskatchewan
when he was a child.
"Uh, this is the core of who I am, I have brought a picture.
That's me."
Yeun studied psychology in college, and his parents hoped he'd pursue a career in medicine
or law.
"Then your parents were not happy that you chose this profession?"
"Uh, no, my parents are, are Korean and traditionally uh, that first generation of Korean Americans
aren't to happy with uh, the little curve ball that you throw them."
He had an interest in acting, though, and moved to Chicago to pursue his interest in
improv, landing a gig with Second City before relocating to Los Angeles.
Prior to Dead, he'd had a number of roles in shows like The Big Bang Theory and Law
& Order: LA, but his biggest break happened when he landed the part of Glenn Rhee… which
was only his second audition in LA.
Lauren Cohan
Although she was born in the U.S., Lauren Cohan's family relocated to the U.K. when
she was a teenager, so that’s why she still speaks with a distinct accent when she's out
of character.
After studying drama in college, she launched her career in the mid-2000s with films like
Van Wilder 2 and Float.
She gained more screen time as Bela in Supernatural and a brief, albeit memorable stint on The
Vampire Diaries before joining The Walking Dead as Maggie Greene.
Danai Gurira
Born in Iowa and raised in her family's native nation of Zimbabwe, Danai Gurira participated
heavily in her school's drama programs.
She later studied psychology at Minnesota’s Macalester College and achieved her M.F.A.
at NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.
Gurira became involved with the Broadway theater scene as well—and is still active in theater.
Her harrowing play about the Liberian sex slave industry, titled Eclipsed, was recognized
by the 2016 Tony Awards.
No stranger to action, Gurira also won the role of Okoye, a royal guard in Marvel's Black
Panther.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Seattle native Jeffrey Dean Morgan has made a name for himself in both TV and film, perhaps
best recognized as ill-fated heartthrob Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy, and through his
recurring roles in Supernatural, Magic City and The Good Wife.
The Walking Dead marks a maniacal new turn for Morgan's screen presence, as he'd previously
been known to play a relatively nice guy in most of his prior projects.
Michael Cudlitz
Before he started rocking The Walking Dead’s show's most meme-friendly facial hair as Abraham
Ford, Michael Cudlitz had a few memorable TV and movie moments on Beverly Hills 90210,
Band of Brothers, and Southland.
The latter earned him a Critic's Choice Award in 2013.
Since taking on the role of the troubled-but-beloved Abe…
"When you were uh, pouring the bisquick, you trying to make pancakes?"
...Cudlitz has continued working on the small screen, nabbing recurring guest roles in Ballers
and House of Lies during his Dead downtime.
Josh McDermitt
On The Walking Dead, Eugene Porter might just be unintentionally funny, but in real life,
Josh McDermitt's entire career can be attributed to his humor.
He got his start by calling into a local Phoenix radio show before making a very brief appearance
on the comic competition show Last Comic Standing.
He then moved into acting on the failed pilot for Rehab for Rejects and the quickly-cancelled
sitcom Retired at 35 before making a two-episode appearance on AMC’s Mad Men.
Finally, McDermitt landed the role of a lifetime as The Walking Dead’s resident mullet.
"The smartest man I ever met happened to love my hair.
He said my hair made me look like and I quote, a fun guy."
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