Here's a guide to the career of The Walking Dead star Laurie Holden. The acting career of Laurie Holden began somewhat by accident while she was visiting her director stepfather Michael Anderson (Logan's Run) on the set of 1980 miniseries The Martian Chronicles and ended up being cast when another actress didn't show up. She didn't act again until 1986 comedy Separate Vacations, which was again directed by her stepfather. She later appeared alongside Burt Reynolds in 1989 thriller Physical Evidence, which would be Michael Crichton's final film as director.
Laurie Holden became much more active during the 1990s, appearing in a ton of hit shows from this era like Due South, Murder, She Wrote and Highlander: The Series. She also played the recurring role of Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, with the character debuting in season 4 episode "Herrenvolk." In 1995 she played a main role in martial arts action film Expect No Mercy, alongside Billy Blanks and had a recurring part in the short-lived TV adaptation of The Magnificent Seven.
The 2000s would prove to be a breakthrough decade for the actress, starting with 2001's The Majestic. While this nostalgic Jim Carrey drama didn't end up doing much business, it marked her first project with director Frank Darabont, who would become a key collaborator. In 2005 she appeared in maligned comic book adaptation Fantastic Four and made an impression with genre fans for her role as tough cop Cybil in 2006's Silent Hill. Not only is the film considered one of the better video game adaptations out her, but Holden also put in a memorable turn.
In 2007 she reunited with Frank Darabont for a leading role in 2007's The Mist. This Stephen King adaptation finds people trapped by an otherworldly mist filled with creatures in their local supermarket, and it comes with a memorably dark ending. In 2008 she joined acclaimed cop show The Shield for its seventh and final season. In 2010 she re-teamed with Darabont once more by joining the cast of The Walking Dead as Andrea, who would become an important character during the first three seasons before making an exit.
Since leaving the show, Laurie Holden has appeared in a number of projects, including Dumb And Dumber To, horror movie Pyewacket and guest roles on The Americans and Major Crimes. Most recently, she appeared alongside Mel Gibson in 2019 thriller Dragged Across Concrete and the poorly-received animated adventure Arctic Dogs with Jeremy Renner.