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Zulu warriors with shields, a detail from an 1847 drawing

A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer.

Shields vary greatly in size, ranging from large panels that protect the user's entire body to small models (such as the buckler) that were intended for hand-to-hand-combat use. Shields also vary a great deal in thickness; whereas some shields were made of relatively deep, absorbent, wooden planking to protect soldiers from the impact of spears and crossbow bolts, others were thinner and lighter and designed mainly for deflecting blade strikes.

In prehistory and during the era of the earliest civilizations, shields were made of wood, animal hide, woven reeds or wicker. In classical antiquity, the Migration Period and the Middle Ages, they were normally constructed of poplar, lime or another split-resistant timber—covered in some instances with leather and/or reinforced with a metal boss, rim or banding—and carried by foot soldiers, knights and cavalry.

Shape wise, depending on time and place, shields could be round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular or scalloped. Sometimes they took on the form of kites, flatirons or figures-of-eight, or had rounded tops on a rectangular base with perhaps an eyehole inserted. The shield was held by a central grip or by straps which went over or around the user's arm

Often shields were decorated with a painted pattern or an animal representation and these designs developed into systematized heraldic devices during high-medieval times for purposes of battlefield identification. Even after the introduction of gunpowder and firearms to the battlefield, shields continued to be used by certain groups. In the 18th century, for example, Scottish Highland fighters liked to wield small shields (known as a targe), and as late as the 19th century, some non-industrialized peoples employed them (such as Zulu warriors) when waging war.

In the 20th and 21st century, shields have been used by military and police units that specialize in anti-terrorist actions, hostage rescue, riot control and siege-breaking. The modern term usually refers to a device that is held in the hand or attached to the arm, as opposed to an armored suit or a bullet-proof vest.

Prehistory and antiquity[link]

Greek soldiers of Greco-Persian Wars. Left: Greek slinger. Right - hoplites. Left hoplite's shield has a curtain which serves as a protection from arrows.

The oldest form of shield was a protection device designed to block attacks by hand weapons, such as swords, axes and maces, or Ranged weapon sling-stones and arrows. Shields have varied greatly in construction over time and place. Sometimes shields were made of metal, but wood or animal hide construction was much more common; wicker and even turtle shells have been used. Many surviving examples of metal shields are generally felt to be ceremonial rather than practical, for example the Yetholm-type shields of the Bronze Age or the Iron Age Battersea shield. The shield was used to make the Greek Phalanx formation.

Size and weight varied greatly. Lightly armored warriors relying on speed and surprise would generally carry light shields that were either small or thin. Heavy troops might be equipped with robust shields that could cover most of the body. Many had a strap called a guige that allowed it to be slung over the user's back when not in use or on horseback. During the 14th-13th century BC, the Sards or Shardana, working as mercenaries for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, utilized either large or small round shields against the Hittites. The Mycenaean Greeks used two types of shields: the "figure eight" or "fiddle" shield, and a rectangular type, the "tower" shield, curved on the top. They were made of wood and leather, and were of such a large size that a warrior could hide completely behind his shield. The Ancient Greek hoplites used a round, bowl-shaped wooden shield called an aspis. Examples of Germanic wooden shields c350 BC - 500 AD survive from weapons sacrifices in Danish bogs.

The heavily armored Roman legionaries carried large shields (scuta) that could provide far more protection, but made swift movement a little more difficult. The scutum originally had an oval shape, but gradually the curved tops and sides were cut to produce the familiar rectangular shape most commonly seen in the early Imperial legions. Famously, the Romans used their shields to create a tortoise-like formation called a testudo in which entire groups of soldiers would be enclosed in an armoured box to provide protection against missiles. Many ancient shield designs featured incuts of one sort of another. This was done to accommodate the shaft of a spear, thus facilitating tactics requiring the soldiers to stand close together forming a wall of shields.

Middle Ages[link]

A portrait probably made by a Mughal artist.The courtier dressed in floral robes facing left and carrying weapons and a black shield.

In the early European Middle Ages, simple round shields made from linden-wood wood covered on both sides by leather were typical. Over time, these were displaced by the kite shield, which was rounded at the top and tapered at the bottom. This gave some protection to the user's legs, without adding too much to the total weight of the shield. Kite shields were commonly used by cavalry as well.

As body armour improved, knight's shields became smaller, leading to the familiar heater shield style. Both kite and heater style shields were made of several layers of laminated wood, with a gentle curve in cross section. The heater style inspired the shape of the symbolic heraldic shield that is still used today. Eventually, specialised shapes were developed such as the bouche, which had a lance rest cut into the upper corner of the lance side, to help guide it in combat or tournament. Free standing shields called pavises, which were propped up on stands, were used by medieval crossbowmen who needed protection while reloading.

In time, some armoured foot knights gave up shields entirely in favour of mobility and two-handed weapons. Other knights and common soldiers adopted the buckler (origin of the term "swashbuckler"^[1]). The buckler is a small round shield, typically between 8 and 16 inches (20-40 centimeters) in diameter. The buckler was one of very few types of shield that were usually made of metal. Small and light, the buckler was easily carried by being hung from a belt; it gave little protection from missiles and was reserved for hand-to-hand combat. The buckler continued in use well into the 16th Century.

In Italy, the targa, parma and rotella were utilized by common people, fencers and even knights. The development of plate armour made shields less and less common as plate armour eliminated the need for a shield. Lightly armoured troops continued to use shields after men-at-arms and knights ceased to use them. Shields continued in use even after gunpowder powered weapons made them essentially obsolete on the battlefield. In the 18th Century, the Scottish clans used a small, round shield called a targe that was partially effective against the firearms of the time, although it was arguably more often used against British infantry bayonets and cavalry swords in close-in fighting.

During the 19th Century, non-industrial cultures with little access to guns were still using war shields. Zulu warriors carried large lightweight shields made from a single ox hide supported by a wooden spine, these were called Ishlangu.^[2] This was used in combination with a short spear (assegai) and/or club.

Although the size of shield would vary due to personal preference and role, most were thin compared to common belief (a misconception aided by the depiction of heavy shields in films). When used in fighting, shields were most effective when used to cause glancing blows. By deflecting a sword blow to the side, rather than blocking it head on, the attacker could be rendered open to a counterattack. This technique allowed the shield to be made lighter and more easily wielded, while reducing the amount of energy and risk of injury posed to the shield-bearer.

Modern era[link]

Law enforcement shields[link]

A police officer utilizing a ballistic shield NIJ Level IIIA

NIJ Level III

U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) fire a shield-equipped Minigun

Shields for protection from armed attack are still used by many police forces around the world. These modern shields are usually intended for two broadly distinct purposes. The first type, riot shields, are used for riot control and can be made from metal or polymers such as polycarbonate Lexan or Makrolon or boPET Mylar. These typically offer protection from relatively large and low velocity projectiles, such as rocks and bottles, as well as blows from fists or clubs. Synthetic riot shields are normally transparent, allowing full use of the shield without obstructing vision. Similarly, metal riot shields often have a small window at eye level for this purpose. These riot shields are most commonly used to block and push back crowds when the users stand in a "wall" to block protesters, and to protect against shrapnel, projectiles, molotov cocktails, and during hand-to-hand combat.

The second type of modern police shield is the bullet-resistant tactical shield. These shields are typically manufactured from advanced synthetics such as kevlar and are designed to be bulletproof, or at least bullet resistant. Two types of shields are available. 1. Light weight level IIIA shields that stop hand guns and submachine guns. 2. Heavy Level III and IV shields that stop rifle rounds. Tactical shields often have a firing port so that the officer holding the shield can fire a weapon while being protected by the shield, and they often have a bulletproof glass viewing port. They are typically employed by specialist police, such as SWAT teams in high risk entry and siege scenarios, such as hostage rescue and breaching gang compounds, as well as in antiterrorism operations. Tactical shields often have a large signs stating "POLICE" (or the name of a force, such as "US MARSHALS") to indicate that the user is a law enforcement officer.

Gun shields[link]

With the widespread use of machine guns in World War I and in subsequent conflicts, battlegrounds were swept with automatic weapons fire. While soldiers who are in foxholes or trenches are protected from this fire, soldiers who are manning mounted machine guns were vulnerable to being hit. Since WW I, there have been a variety of attempts to install armored gun shields on tripod-mounted machine guns or vehicle-mounted weapons to protect machine gunners. Transportation devices with mounted guns that may have gun shields to protect the gunner include jeeps, Humvees, armored cars, and boats.

Non-martial applications[link]

Many non-martial devices also employ shielding of a kind—not usually a single device worn on an arm but various protective plates or other insulation positioned where needed. Space craft have heat shields to ensure a safe re-entry. Electronics uses shielding to reduce electrical noise and crosstalk between signals. Better-quality patch cables used in audio and electronic music have shielding to reduce interference and noise. People and systems that must work in the presence of ionizing radiation (X-rays) such as dentists, hospital technicians, and patients undergoing X-rays are protected with lead shielding clothing.

A "shield" is also a design term used to describe emblems that resemble a heraldic shield. Movie studio Warner Bros. uses a shield emblazoned with WB as its logo. The Looney Tunes cartoons, released through Warner Bros., open with the WB shield zooming through concentric circles.

Media[link]

This section looks like an image gallery. Wikipedia policy discourages galleries of random images of the article subject; please improve or remove the section accordingly, moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons if not already hosted there.

• 

  Wall painting depicting a Mycenaean Greek "figure eight" shield with a suspension strap at the middle, 15th century BC, National Archaeological Museum, Athens -The faces of figure eight shields were quite convex. The cited "strap" may be the ridge on the front (so denoted by the visible pattern of the ox hide) of the shield.

• 

  A hoplite by painter Alkimachos, on an Attic red-figure vase, c. 460 BC. Shield has a curtain which serves as a protection from arrows.

• 

  Reenactment of an early Imperial Roman legionary shield array

• 

  Sword and buckler combat, plate from the Tacuinum Sanitatis illustrated in Lombardy, ca. 1390

• 

  Ceremonial shield with mosaic decoration. Aztec or Mixtec, AD 1400-1521. In the British Museum

• 

  Drawing from the Codex Manesse showing jousting knights on horseback carrying shields

• 

  Australian Aboriginal shield, Royal Albert Memorial Museum

• 

  Nias ceremonial shield

See also[link]

• Aspis
• Buckler
• Heater shield
• Kite shield
• Scutum (shield)
• Escutcheon (heraldry)

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Drummond, James. "Notes on Ancient Shields and Highland Targets" Archaeologica Scotica Vol 5 (1890)
• Schulze, André(Hrsg.): Mittelalterliche Kampfesweisen. Band 2: Kriegshammer, Schild und Kolben. - Mainz am Rhein. : Zabern, 2007. - ISBN 3-8053-3736-1

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shields

Look up shield in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Myarmoury.com, The Shield: An Abridged History of its Use and Development.
• Baronage.co.uk, The Shape of the Shield in heraldry.
• Era.anthropology.ac.uk, Shields: History and Terminology, Anthropological Analysis.
• Hadesign.co.uk, The Buckler, The Sussex Rapier School.
• Classical Greek Shield Patterns.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010)

Michael Chiklis
Chiklis, May 2007
Born	Michael Charles Chiklis (1963-08-30) August 30, 1963 (age 48) Lowell, Massachusetts United States
Occupation	actor, voice actor, director and television producer
Years active	1989 – present
Spouse	Michelle Morán (1992–present)
Website
http://www.michaelchiklis.com/

Michael Charles Chiklis (born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, voice actor, director and television producer. Some of the previous roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, the Thing in the Fantastic Four film series, and Jim Powell on the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama No Ordinary Family.

Early life[link]

Chiklis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the son of Charlie Chiklis, who runs a hair/beauty salon, and Katherine, a hospital administrative aide^[1] from whom Chiklis has been described as inheriting his acting ability.^[2] Chiklis' father is a second-generation Greek American (his paternal ancestors came from Lesbos Island)^[3] and his mother is of Greek and Irish descent.^[4] Chiklis grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and began entertaining his family with celebrity imitations when he was five years old. As a child, Chiklis appeared in regional theater productions and became a member of the Actors' Equity Association at age thirteen. He later attended Boston University College of Fine Arts, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

At age 20, Chiklis shaved his head to look like he had male-pattern baldness for his role as a 65-year-old man in You Can't Take It With You. Instead of using powder on his head (as he did on his face), he used greasepaint, and he failed to remove it properly at the end of each day. This killed the hair follicles on his head, essentially shaping his career in many ways. Chiklis has said in an NPR interview that this was a very traumatic experience as a young actor, and is the reason he wore a hairpiece in Wired.

Career[link]

After graduation, Chiklis moved to New York City with high ambitions, but he struggled for several years before being cast in the role of John Belushi in the controversial biopic Wired in 1989. The film was panned in general and flopped at the box office. He also guest starred in several popular television series such as Miami Vice, L.A. Law, Murphy Brown, and Seinfeld alongside bit parts in films like Nixon.

Chiklis' first successful role was in The Commish, a police comedy/drama that ran from 1991-1996 on ABC. Chiklis played Anthony "Tony" J. Scali, a police commissioner in a small city in upstate New York. A stern but lovable father figure, Chiklis' character had an easygoing style, smart wit, and an unorthodox approach to parenthood and police work. After The Commish, Chiklis starred in the short-lived and critically panned NBC sitcom Daddio.

After playing Curly Howard in a television movie about the Three Stooges, Chiklis decided to reinvent his image. With his wife's help, he spent six months on an extensive workout regimen and shaved his head. He turned up to audition for The Shield looking nothing like the pudgy, friendly character of The Commish. Winning over creator Shawn Ryan, Chiklis nabbed the leading role of the show's anti-hero, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey. Although The Shield was extremely controversial because of its violent content, Chiklis' performance was highly praised. His first major recognition came when he won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for the role. Chiklis received a Golden Globe Award that same year for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama as well. Between 2004 and 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series but did not win. Chiklis later parodied his role as Vic Mackey in "Monstourage," an episode of Robot Chicken. The skit involved Mackey accidentally switching places with Ben Grimm.

Since 2000, Chiklis has taken up a number of voice roles, voicing Chihiro's father, Akio, in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away and Roman/King Webster in the direct-to-video feature The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. He has also performed in several episodes of Family Guy and had a voice role in Heavy Gear: The Animated Series.

In 2005, he starred in Fantastic Four as Thing and reprised the role in its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Being a fan of the comic book series, he had dreamed of playing the character if ever there was a Fantastic Four movie being produced. Chiklis was often praised for his performance in a film that otherwise earned mixed reviews.

Chiklis had a role in the 2008 film Eagle Eye as the United States Secretary of Defense.

In the wake of Bernard Madoff scandal, Chiklis is developing a series at FX about a similar investment scheme. The project, called House of Cards, concerns a group committing an elaborate scam similar to the Madoff fraud. Chiklis had been developing the project since February 2008 after he and his wife became victims of a Ponzi scheme themselves. Cards will likely center on the leader of the scheme, with Chiklis planning to executive produce but not star.^[5]

Chiklis most recently starred in the ABC television series No Ordinary Family, which premiered on September 28, 2010,^[6] as part of the 2010-11 television season^[7] and ended in April, 2011.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Chiklis married Michelle Epstein on June 21, 1992, and they have two daughters, Autumn, born on October 9, 1993, and Odessa, born in 1999.^[9] Autumn played Vic Mackey's daughter Cassidy on The Shield.

He attended Andover High School, the same high school as his good friend Jay Leno.

A lifelong comic book fan, he rarely turns down an autograph request from children.^[10] In fact, according to the DVD commentary for the Fantastic Four film, his voice has been going hoarse from doing The Thing's voice so many times; in Chiklis's own words:

How do you say "no" to an 8 year old?

Chiklis is a fan of both the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins, was interviewed for the HBO documentary The Curse of the Bambino about the Red Sox's long struggle to win the World Series, and narrated the video introduction of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

He is also an accomplished musician, specializing in drums and vocals but also playing guitar and bass. A member of several performing bands in the Boston area such as The Surgeon General, Best Kept Secret and Double Talk.

In 2011, Michael Chiklis and his band MCB released their first single "Til I Come Home." This powerful rock ballad is a tribute to soldiers who long for the day when they come home to loved ones. The song has been critically acclaimed world wide. MCB's prior music was another single, Make Me High written for the independent film High School starring Chiklis, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks and Matt Bush, single released spring 2011.

Philanthropy[link]

Chiklis has participated in celebrity Texas Hold 'Em tournaments to benefit comedian Brad Garrett's charity foundation, Maximum Hope.^[11] Michael has worked closely with many different charities over the years including The Children's Lifesaving Foundation, The Alzheimer's Foundation, Autism Speaks and the Revlon Run Walk benefiting breast cancer research.

Awards and nominations[link]

Primetime Emmy Awards

• 2002 Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
• 2003 Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Golden Globe Awards

• 2002 Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series
• 2003 Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series
• 2004 Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series

Satellite Awards

• 2002 Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series
• 2003 Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2003 Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Ewwy Awards

• 2009 Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series

Filmography[link]

• Miami Vice (1989)
• B.L. Stryker (1989)
• Wired (1989)
• Wiseguy (1989)
• The Rain Killer (1990)
• Murphy Brown (1990)
• L.A. Law (1990–1991)
• The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (1991)
• Seinfeld (1991)
• Nixon (1995)
• The Commish (1991–1996)
• Body and Soul (1998)
• Touched by an Angel (1998)
• Taxman (1998)
• Soldier (1998)
• Carlo's Wake (1999)
• St. Michael's Crossing (1999)
• Last Request (1999)
• Do Not Disturb (1999)
• The Three Stooges (2000)
• Daddio (2000)
• Family Guy (2000–2001) (voice)
• Heavy Gear: The Animated Series (2001)
• Spirited Away (2001) (voice)
• The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002) (voice)
• The Shield (2002–2008)
• Fantastic Four (2005)
• Stuart Little: The Animated Series (2006)
• Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
• Eagle Eye (2008)
• Robot Chicken (2008) (voice)
• The Legend of Secret Pass (2008) (voice)
• No Ordinary Family (2010–2011)
• High School (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Michael Chiklis at the Internet Movie Database
• Exclusive interview from Maxim.com

Shawn Ryan
Ryan in 2011 at the Deauville American Film Festival
Born	(1966-10-11) October 11, 1966 (age 45) Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter

Shawn Ryan (born October 11, 1966, Rockford, Illinois) is a writer, and the creator of the FX Networks series The Shield and the Fox TV series The Chicago Code.^[1][2]

Education/Personal life[link]

He graduated from Middlebury College and is married to actress Cathy Cahlin Ryan, who starred on The Shield. They have two children.

Career[link]

Ryan got his start in television as a staff writer on the show Nash Bridges and served as a writer/producer on Angel before creating and acting as Head Writer on The Shield. He was partnered with David Mamet to serve as showrunner for The Unit.

Ryan was set to executive produce Confessions of a Contractor,^[3] a 2009 CBS television pilot based on Richard Murphy's book of the same name. The story centres on a successful L.A. contractor who becomes involved with two of his female clients. The production was put on hold when casting contingencies could not be met.^[4] He was the show runner for season 2 of Fox's Lie to Me. He was the show runner and executive producer of FX's Terriers. He created the crime drama The Chicago Code.^[5]

Awards/Nominations[link]

He was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 (Emmy Award), and a Humanitas Prize in 1998^{[citation needed]}.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Days of Yore interview with Shawn Ryan about his path to success
• Los Angeles Times profile of Shawn Ryan
• Writers Guild interview of Shawn Ryan
• Shawn Ryan Bio at CBS - The Unit
• Shawn Ryan Bio Yahoo! TV
• Shawn Ryan at TV.com
• Shawn Ryan at the Internet Movie Database

Walton Goggins
Walton Goggins, August 2009
Born	Walton Sanders Goggins, Jr. (1971-11-10) November 10, 1971 (age 40) Birmingham, Alabama, US
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present

Walton Sanders Goggins, Jr. (born November 10, 1971) is an American actor best known for his roles on the FX Networks series The Shield and Justified, portraying Detective Shane Vendrell and Boyd Crowder, respectively. He is also known for his character roles in the films Miracle at St. Anna and Predators. Goggins co-produced and starred in the 2001 short film The Accountant, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Goggins accepted the award alongside Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount.

Early life[link]

Goggins was born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in Lithia Springs, Georgia. He has lived in Los Angeles since he was 20 years old.

Career[link]

Goggins is best known for his portrayal of Detective Shane Vendrell in the FX series The Shield, a role he played from 2002 to the series' conclusion in 2008.

In addition to his acting work, Goggins is also an award winning filmmaker. He has a production company – Ginny Mule Pictures – with his partner Ray McKinnon. Together they have made four films: a short, The Accountant (won the Academy Award in 2001), Chrystal (Sundance Dramatic Competition), Randy and the Mob and That Evening Sun (South By Southwest Special Jury Prize 2009). He worked with McKinnon on a new television show, Rectify. Goggins was set to play the lead and AMC Television had bought the pilot script, written by McKinnon.

In May 2010, Goggins was promoted to series regular for Season 2 of Justified on FX.^[1] In July, he had a major supporting role as a deadly death row inmate being hunted by the titular antagonists in the film Predators.

In May 2011, Goggins appeared in "Code of the West", a commercial for Ram Truck's Guts & Glory campaign.

On July 14, 2011, Goggins was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Boyd Crowder on Justified.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Goggins is an avid photographer. He has showcased some of his work on a blog that he created when he took time off work and traveled throughout India. He is also an avid traveler – spending much of his free time on the road around the world – India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Central America, and Morocco.

In politics Goggins has been active in the Democratic Party; in the 2008 presidential election, he campaigned for Senator Barack Obama, going door-to-door in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. He is also known to be a fan of the work of former President Jimmy Carter. He is also active in various non-profit organizations that range from environmental to humanitarian work. He is a regular at GLOBAL GREEN USA events and activities. He connected to environmental issues through his significant other, Nadia Conners, who directed the documentary The 11th Hour about the environmental crisis.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Video games[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Walton Goggins at the Internet Movie Database
• Audio Interview w/ The Rafferty/Mills Connection Podcast (2009)
• myFanbase Interview with Walton Goggins on "Justified" and "The Shield", Dec. 2011
• Walton Goggins Fan

Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden at 2012 ACE Eddie Awards Arrivals
Born	Heather Laurie Holden (1972-12-17) December 17, 1972 (age 39) Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present
Parents	Glen Corbett (deceased) Adrienne Ellis
Relatives	Gloria Holden (grandmother, deceased) Michael Anderson (stepfather) Christopher Holden (brother)

Heather Laurie Holden (born December 17, 1972, Los Angeles)^[1] is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The Walking Dead.

Early life and education[link]

Born in Los Angeles in 1969 (according to some sources such as IMDB.com) and raised in Toronto,^[2][3] Holden holds dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada. She was born in 1972 to actors Glen Corbett and Adrienne Ellis. Her grandmother was actress Gloria Holden. Her parents divorced, and her mother married director Michael Anderson. Her first role was on The Martian Chronicles (1980), when she played Rock Hudson's daughter. A graduate of U.C.L.A, she is a member of the National Honor Society and has been the recipient of the prestigious Natalie Wood Acting Award. She is currently enrolled at Columbia University where she is acquiring her Master of Human Rights degree.

Television and film career[link]

Laurie Holden in New York Comic Con in 2011 to promote The Walking Dead.

Holden has starred in numerous television and film projects and has received worldwide critical acclaim and honorable recognition for her diverse and eclectic choice of roles.

Early in her career, Holden made a name for herself by costarring opposite Burt Reynolds in Physical Evidence (1989), Vanessa Redgrave in the miniseries Young Catherine (1991) and William Shatner in the TV Movie TekWar: TekLab (1994). She played Mabel Dunham in the TV Movie The Pathfinder (1996) (based on the novel of James Fenimore Cooper). On stage, she starred in Time and the Conways, written by J. B. Priestley and The Winter's Tale, based on the play of William Shakespeare. Other stage roles include Regina in Ghosts and Procne in The Love of the Nightingale.

After making various guest appearances on Due South, Murder, She Wrote and Poltergeist: The Legacy, Holden found some success playing a memorable recurring role on the seminal sci-fi series The X-Files, that of Marita Covarrubias, a mysterious government worker who becomes an informant to Special Agent Fox Mulder starting in the fourth season of that show through the final one (1996–2002). She also had a supporting role, as Mary Travis, opposite Michael Biehn and Ron Perlman in the TV series based on the MGM classic The Magnificent Seven (1998–2000) for CBS.

Holden's most notable roles include starring opposite Jim Carrey in Frank Darabont's film The Majestic (2001) (It was while performing on stage in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, that Holden was discovered by Darabont). As Carrey's long lost love, she received critical acclaim and praise for her performance.^[4]. In 2002, she played her role of Marita Covarrubias for the final episode of The X-Files. She also co-starred alongside Dean Cain, Jennifer Tilly and Tim Curry in the Canadian comedy Bailey's Billion$ (2004). Other memorable roles include such hits as Fantastic Four (2005) (where she played Michael Chiklis' former love interest), playing cult hero Cybil Bennett in Christophe Gans' artistic-horror video game adaptation of Silent Hill (2006),^[5] and co-starring as Amanda Dumfries opposite Marcia Gay Harden and Thomas Jane in Stephen King's The Mist (2007). Holden recently starred as Olivia Murray in FX's critically acclaimed series The Shield and has also been seen in AMC's The Walking Dead (2010), based on the graphic novels.^[6]. She plays Andrea, a civil rights lawyer and one of the main characters of the TV Series. Laurie Holden is actively producing film, theatre and television projects in addition to her acting pursuits.

Honors and nominations[link]

Holden was named as one of the top 100 Most Creative People in Hollywood in Entertainment Weekly's It List and One of Ten Actors to Watch by Variety. She also won "The Look of The Year" Elite model search in Toronto and was nominated in 1996 for a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Due South (1994).

She was nominated in 2011 for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television for the series The Walking Dead.^[7] For her role in this series, she was also nominated in 2011 for the Scream Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[8]

Human rights[link]

Holden is a Founding Board Member of the Canadian Somaly Mam Foundation^[9] and an Advisory Board Member of The Somaly Mam Foundation in the U.S.

Filmography[link]

Documentary/Herself[link]

Laurie Holden in 2007 to promote The Mist.

• Inside the X Files (TV special documentary) .... Herself
• HBO First Look (1 episode, "The Majestic", 2001) (TV series documentary) .... Herself
• Path of Darkness: Making Silent Hill (2006) (video documentary) .... Herself
• Up Close with Carrie Keagan (1 episode, "15 November 2007", 2007) .... Herself
• When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist' (2008) (video documentary short) .... Herself and special thanks
• Monsters Among Us: The Creature FX of 'The Mist' (2008) (video documentary short) .... Herself and special thanks
• Silent Hill: entre deux mondes (video documentary) (2009) .... Herself
• The Making of 'The Walking Dead (video documentary) (2011) .... Herself
• Nightmare Factory (2011) .... Herself
• Walking Dead (2011) (episode #1.6) .... Herself
• Walking Dead (2011) (episode #1.7) .... Herself
• Desmontando The Walking Dead (2011) (TV) : elle-même
• Walking Dead (2012) (episode #1.13) .... Herself

Theatre[link]

• The Only Game in Town (2000), based on the play of Frank D. Gilroy
• Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (2000), based on the play of Tennessee Williams
• The Love of the Nightingale, based on the play of Timberlake Wertenbaker : Procne
• Ghosts, based on the play of Henrik Ibsen : Regina
• Toros Y Hevos
• A Chorus Line, based on the book of James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante : Kristine
• The Winter's Tale, based on the play of William Shakespeare : Hermione
• Time and the Conways, based on the play of J. B. Priestley : Madge

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Laurie Holden

• Laurie Holden at the Internet Movie Database