Meet The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live cast — who's who in the Rick and Michonne spinoff

Lesley-Ann Brandt and Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Lesley-Ann Brandt and Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween night in 2010. Based on a comic book, the series about people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse was a bold primetime choice for AMC, which was known for Mad Men and Breaking Bad

14 years later, the franchise is going strong and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live features the return of original character Rick Grimes and Michonne, his loving wife who never gave up hope of finding him. 

Let's get to know the cast of the newest spinoff in the TWD Universe, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Danai Gurira as Michonne

Danai Gurira as Michonne in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: AMC)

Michonne has been on quite the journey over the years. She lost her husband Rick when he sacrificed himself on the bridge to save the community in The Walking Dead season 9. She'd been pregnant with their child at the time, so she raised Judith and their son, RJ, by herself while also taking care of Alexandria. When she discovered proof that Rick survived the bridge, she left her kids with Daryl (Norman Reedus) and went on a journey to find him. 

Danai Gurira is an actor, producer and writer, known for her role as Jill in Treme before joining The Walking Dead in its third season. One giant franchise wasn't enough for the multitalented Gurira, as she joined the Marvel family in 2018 with her role as Okoye in Black Panther. She's since appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

Rick Grimes is the man, the myth and the legend in the TWD Universe. The whole story began when he woke up from a coma in a hospital to discover that the world around him turned upside down. After working to keep his family safe, and after suffering tremendous loss over the years, he and Michonne were finally in a good place when a herd of walkers threatened the safety of his home. Ever the hero, Rick blew up the bridge to keep them from reaching the community and was presumed dead. However, Rick was saved by former Trash Heap boss Jadis, and she flew him to safety on a helicopter. He hasn't been seen since. 

Prior to his stint in the apocalypse, Andrew Lincoln might be best known as the guy with the signs professing his love for Keira Knightley in Love, Actually. Some of his non-TWD projects include Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, Penguin Bloom and Strike Back.

Lesley-Anne Brandt as Pearl 

Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

We don't know much about Pearl, who is seen in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live teasers as someone who is working with Rick in the Civic Republic Military. She's tough and capable of taking care of herself, but it's too early to tell who she is and who she's fighting for. 

Lesley-Ann Brandt might be best known for her role as Maze in Lucifer. She's also appeared in a variety of projects like Heartlock, Adult Night, The Librarians, Gotham, Single Ladies and Being Mary Jane

Terry O'Quinn as Beale

Terry O'Quinn as Beale in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

Major General Beale is one of the highest-ranking CRM officials we've met in the TWD Universe to date. Like all military men, he plays by the book and he expects 100% from his soldiers. But can he be trusted, or does he have his own agenda?

Terry O'Quinn is probably best known as John Locke from Lost. He's appeared in a number of series, as in both recurring and guest roles, including Emergence, Hawaii Five-0, Patriot and Secrets and Lies

Craig Tate as Donald Okafor

Craig Tate as Okafor in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

Donald Okafor is another CRM soldier. Like Beale, he's tough and demanding, but we don't know who he is or what his motivation is. Can he be trusted? Only time will tell. 

Craig Tate is known for his roles in Greyhound, 12 Years a Slave and King Richard. He's also appeared in a number of other roles including I'm a Virgo, Reprisal and Snowfall

Matthew Jeffers as Nat

Matthew Jeffers as Nat in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: AMC)

Nat is another new character in the TWD Universe. We don't know a lot about him, though he's wearing a heavy-duty apron in the image so he might be someone who knows how to build things. 

Matthew Jeffers is an actor and producer known for roles in Unidentified Objects, New Amsterdam, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist and FBI

Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis

Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

(Image credit: Gene Page/AMC)

Jadis is the perpetual mystery on The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The former leader of the Heapsters, the community living in a trash heap, was responsible for saving Rick's life by calling for help on her walkie-talkie. At the time, no one understood her connection to the black helicopter that came to their rescue. In The Walking Dead: World Beyond, however, it's revealed that she's a CRM operative. Now she's back in The Ones Who Live, but we already know she can't be trusted.

Pollyanna McIntosh first appeared in The Walking Dead's seventh season, but she left a lasting impression and now she's a fixture in the TWD Universe, becoming one of the few actors to appear in more than one series. She's also known for many other roles, including Vikings: Valhalla, Lodge 49 and Hap and Leonard.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live airs Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC, with episodes available to stream on AMC Plus.

Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer

 

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  

When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.