Lauren Cohan

Lauren Cohan was born Lauren Storholm on January 7, 1982, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to an American father and a Scottish mother. She spent her early years in New Jersey and Georgia before moving to the United Kingdom at the age of thirteen with her family, settling in Surrey, England. Upon her mother’s remarriage, her surname became Cohan, and she converted to Judaism at age five. Cohan pursued higher education at King Alfred’s College, now the University of Winchester, where she studied Drama and English Literature. During her university years, she co-founded a theatre company, gaining early experience in performance through touring productions.

Cohan’s career began with her film debut as Sister Beatrice in “Casanova” (2005), followed by a role in the sequel “Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj” (2006) as Charlotte Higginson. Her early television career included a significant supporting role as Bela Talbot in the third season of “Supernatural” (2007–2008) and appearances in shows such as “The Vampire Diaries” (2010–2012) as Rose and “Chuck” (2011) as Vivian McArthur Volkoff. These roles established her presence in the entertainment industry and showcased her versatility across different genres.

A turning point in Cohan’s career arrived in 2011 when she was cast as Maggie Greene, later Maggie Rhee, in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror series “The Walking Dead.” Initially a recurring character in season two, she was promoted to a series regular in season three, a role she maintained for many years and subsequently reprised in the spin-off series “The Walking Dead: Dead City” (2023–present), also serving as an executive producer and director. Her film work during this period included “Death Race 2” (2010), the lead role in the supernatural-horror film “The Boy” (2016), and appearances in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) as Martha Wayne and “Mile 22” (2018) as Alice Kerr. Her diverse roles demonstrate a consistent progression in both scope and depth of her acting career.