Sonequa Martin-Green

After playing minor parts as teenagers on various television series and independent films, actress Sonequa Martin-Green successfully moved into more mature roles, often with an intense or fiery streak, on "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-16), "The Walking Dead" (AMC, 2010-) and "Once Upon a Time" (ABC, 2011-). Born Sonequa Martin in Russellville, Alabama, she initially wanted to pursue a career as a psychologist, but fell in love with acting after appearing in a play in the tenth grade. She made her screen debut in a comedy short, "Not Quite Right (2005) while attending the University of Alabama, and after graduating in 2007, Martin-Green moved to the East Coast, where she appeared in theater productions. There, she met her husband, Kenric Green, while both were performing in a play; the couple remained in New York for the next five years, during which Martin-Green enjoyed guest roles as teenagers on "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-2011) and in independent features. After relocating to Los Angeles, Martin-Green landed recurring roles on two major television series: she played Army trainee Kanessa Jones on "Army Wives" (Lifetime, 2007-2013) before moving to "The Good Wife" as Courtney Wells, who briefly served as assistant to Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies). In 2012, Martin-Green's profile enjoyed a significant boost when she joined the cast of "The Walking Dead." Her character, Sasha Williams, was one of the toughest in the show's sprawling cast: a former firefighter, she became a top sharpshooter among the survivors, but also displayed a fragile side when tremendous losses - the deaths of her brother, Tyreese (Chad Coleman), and significant other, Bob (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) - leave her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Following her character's debut in the third season of "Walking Dead," Martin-Green was cast as Tamara, a woman determined to rid the world of magic, in the second season of "Once Upon a Time." She reprised the role briefly in the third season of the fantasy-drama before returning for the fourth season of "Walking Dead," after which she was promoted from a recurring role to series regular.