Andrew Lincoln plays the hot psychopath Sheriff Rick Grimes [1] on The Walking Dead [2], but there's so much more to him. The 44-year-old English actor has been acting since the early '90s and has established himself as a fan favorite [3]. Still, there may be a few interesting tidbits you may not know about the star. Keep reading to get to know more about Andrew.
- His last name isn't Lincoln. Andrew was actually born Andrew James Clutterbuck. The actor changed his name [5] because his former agent told him it made him sound like a hobbit.
- Sorry, but he's not single. The handsome star [6] is married to a woman named Gael Anderson, and they have two kids together, son Arthur and daughter Matilda.
- He's friends with Gwyneth Paltrow [7] and Chris Martin [8]. Chris and Gwyneth's daughter, Apple, even served as a flower girl [9] at Andrews wedding in June 2006.
- The Walking Dead [10] isn't his first rodeo. If he looks familiar, it's probably because he's appeared in a handful of films and TV shows, including Love Actually [11] and BBC's This Life.
- He played an important part in Princess Diana's funeral. Diana's public funeral [12] was held on Sept. 6, 1997, and Andrew was a part of the funeral procession [13]. The actor was an alum of the Royal Academy of Dramatic art (one of the charities Diana was patron of [14]) and was selected to walk behind Diana's coffin at St. James Palace with Prince William and Prince Harry. Andrew later talked about the "bizarre experience [15]" in an interview with Metro in 2008. "I was in awe of the princes," he said. "Losing a parent and then having to grieve publicly is extraordinary. I was asked because I am a RADA graduate and all the organizations Princess Diana was a patron of were represented. We had to walk behind the gun carriage that carried her body."