Andrew Lincoln – known to millions as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead – celebrates his birthday today, but how much do you know about him?
Rick Grimes is one of the most iconic TV characters of the past 15 years. The sheriff’s deputy trying to keep himself, his family and friends alive from attacks by zombies and hostile humans, was a fixture in the horror drama The Walking Dead from 2010-18, and in a spinoff in 2022.
For Andrew Lincoln who played Rick, it turned into a career-defining role and made him a global star.
So, as Andrew celebrates his 53rd birthday today, how much do you know about him? Here are some facts you might not know.
Lincoln isn’t his real surname
Ever since he made his TV debut in a UK comedy series in 1994, he has been known professionally as Andrew Lincoln. However, that isn’t his real surname – it is actually Clutterbuck.
Apparently, Andrew changed it to Lincoln as he thought Clutterbuck sounded like a poor character in a Charles Dickens novel.
His big break came soon after leaving drama school
Andrew had an interest in acting from childhood, an appeared in school productions as well as spending a summer at the National Youth Theatre. He was interested in pursuing acting as a career and attended the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
But soon after finishing at RADA, Andrew secured the role that gave him his big break, being cast as Edgar ‘Egg’ Cooke in BBC drama This Life. The show, about the lives and loves of a group of law graduates in the 20s who share a house in London, was a huge hit, and captured the spirit of the late 1990s in the UK. It ran for two series and made stars of the main cast, who were mostly largely unknown beforehand.
He went back to school to study for a role
One of Andrew’s big roles in the wake of This Life was in a sitcom, Teachers. He played probationary teacher Simon Casey in the show and, to research and prepare for the role, he literally went back to school. Andrew’s brother is a teacher, and he went along with him for a few weeks to experience what being a teacher is really like.
His father-in-law is a famous musician
Andrew has been married to Gael Anderson since 2005, and they have two children.
While Gael works in the film industry she is not in the public eye, she does come from a famous family. He father, Ian Anderson is the lead vocalist in the legendary rock band Jethro Tull – and has been the only constant member of the group since it was formed way back in 1967.
He didn’t watch himself in The Walking Dead
While The Walking Dead quickly became a hugely successful show around the world after it debuted in 2010, and made Andrew an international star for his portrayal of Rick Grimes, Andrew didn’t stayed out of all the hype that came with that.
Indeed, Andrew famously said that he didn’t even watch the show when it was broadcast. In an interview in 2017, he said he was choosing to ignore the whole thing ans that “I am allergic to my own face.”
He’s known for being a tech ‘luddite’
Andrew is known for his aversion to some modern technology and is a self-confessed ‘luddite’ – a term used for people who don’t embrace new technologies. For instance, he has historically avoided modern smartphones and has never taken part in social media. This helps to keep him out of the limelight, which is how he prefers it – living quietly with his wife and two children when not filming.
