Sonequa Martin-Green Bio
Sonequa Chaunté Martin-Green (born March 21, 1985) is an American actress best known for her television roles as Michael Burnham, the central character in the streaming science fiction series Star Trek: Discovery, and as Sasha Williams on the long-running drama The Walking Dead. She has built a career playing complex, layered women across network television, independent film, and major studio productions. Raised in a small town in northern Alabama, Martin-Green initially planned to study psychology before discovering her passion for acting during her high school years.
Over the course of her career, Martin-Green has earned recognition for bringing emotional depth and physical commitment to her performances, including the critical praise she received for her work in the independent film Toe to Toe and her long-running tenure on The Walking Dead. Her casting in Star Trek: Discovery placed her at the center of one of the most storied franchises in entertainment history, making her one of the most recognizable television actresses of her generation.
Early Life and Background
Sonequa Martin-Green was born and raised in Russellville, Alabama, a small community in the northern part of the state. She is the daughter of Charles Winston Martin, who passed away in 2021 after a short battle with cancer, and Vera Lynn Martin-Moore, a three-time cancer survivor. Her parents divorced during her upbringing, and her mother later remarried. In April 2021, Martin-Green experienced a profound personal loss when both of her parents died one day apart, her father from cancer and her mother from a heart attack the following day.
Martin-Green has one full sister, NaKisha, and three older paternal half-sisters. Growing up in a close-knit family in rural Alabama, she has spoken about how her early environment shaped her curiosity about human behavior and motivation, interests that would later inform both her initial academic plans and her eventual approach to acting.
Although she initially planned to pursue a career in psychology, Martin-Green changed direction in the tenth grade while rehearsing for a school theatre production. She has described the moment as an epiphany, recalling that she realized acting offered a way to explore the same questions about human nature that had drawn her to psychology in the first place. She went on to study theatre at the University of Alabama, graduating in 2007 with a degree in the field.
Path to Acting
Following her graduation from the University of Alabama, Martin-Green began pursuing professional acting opportunities, eventually relocating to New York to build her career. She made her television debut in 2008 on the NBC series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, appearing as Kiana Richmond. That same year, she also began working in film, setting the stage for a series of early roles across both mediums.
Her first recurring television role came with the Lifetime series Army Wives in 2009, where she portrayed Kanessa Jones. That same year, she was cast as Courtney Wells on The Good Wife, a role she would hold for two years. The character of Courtney represented her first sustained recurring role as an adult character, as opposed to the teenage characters she had played in her earliest screen appearances.
While building her television résumé, Martin-Green also made her film debut in 2009, starring as Tosha Spinner in the independent drama Toe to Toe opposite Louisa Krause. The film centered on two young women from opposite sides of the Washington, D.C., area whose friendship and rivalry unfold against the backdrop of economic and social pressure. Her performance drew critical acclaim and helped establish her as a serious dramatic talent in the independent film world.
Sonequa Martin-Green Career
Early Career (2005–2011)
Martin-Green began her professional career in 2005, working steadily in regional theatre, independent projects, and small television guest roles for several years before landing her first major recurring parts. In 2011, she made additional guest appearances on series including Gossip Girl and NYC 22, further expanding her television profile and demonstrating her range across genres from teen drama to police procedurals.
During this formative period, she also built a body of work on the New York indie film scene, where her commitment to emotionally demanding roles caught the attention of casting directors in higher-profile projects. Her early career was marked by a willingness to take on complex, often morally ambiguous characters, a pattern that would continue throughout her work in more visible productions.
Breakthrough (2012–2017)
Martin-Green’s breakthrough arrived in 2012 when she was cast as Sasha on The Walking Dead, the sister of Chad Coleman’s Tyreese and an original character created specifically for the television adaptation. She had originally auditioned for the role of Michonne, a part that ultimately went to Danai Gurira, but then-showrunner Glen Mazzara was so impressed with her audition that he wrote Sasha specifically for her. The role began as a recurring part before being upgraded to a series regular for the fourth season, a rare move for the long-running show.
Her performance as Sasha, particularly during the fifth and seventh seasons of The Walking Dead, earned favorable reviews from critics and viewers alike. Martin-Green brought a quiet intensity to the character, balancing grief, strength, and moral conflict across some of the series’ most emotionally charged storylines. The role made her a household name among fans of the series and a respected figure within the wider television industry.
While still appearing on The Walking Dead, Martin-Green also took on the recurring role of Tamara in the second and third seasons of the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time, playing a character determined to rid the world of magic. The dual commitments highlighted her growing stature as a versatile television actress capable of anchoring prestige dramas and genre hits alike.
Notable Works and Milestones
In December 2016, Martin-Green was reported as the lead of the then-upcoming Star Trek: Discovery, a role officially confirmed by CBS All Access in April 2017. She debuted as First Officer Michael Burnham in the premiere episode “The Vulcan Hello” on September 24, 2017, becoming the central character of the series. Series co-creator Bryan Fuller described Burnham as offering a fresh perspective aboard the starship, distinct from the captain-centered viewpoint of previous Star Trek series. The role cemented Martin-Green’s place as a leading actress in television science fiction and introduced her work to a global audience.
Sonequa Martin-Green Family
Sonequa Martin-Green was born to Charles Winston Martin and Vera Lynn Martin-Moore, both of whom passed away in April 2021, one day apart, after years of separate health struggles that included her mother’s long battle with cancer. She shares a close relationship with her full sister, NaKisha, and also has three older paternal half-sisters. The experience of losing both parents in such quick succession has shaped her public advocacy, particularly her work with health-related organizations focused on family and community well-being.
Personal Life
Martin-Green married fellow actor Kenric Green on December 4, 2010, and the couple has remained together since. They welcomed their first child, a son, in 2015, a pregnancy she experienced during filming of the fifth season of The Walking Dead, during which she concealed her changing appearance with layered clothing and larger prop weapons. In 2020, the couple expanded their family with the birth of a daughter.
Since April 2016, Martin-Green has served as an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer, an organization she joined partly because of her mother’s ongoing battle with multiple forms of the disease. Her work with the group emphasizes outreach to ethnically diverse communities and the importance of clinical trial participation. In interviews, she has spoken candidly about how her family’s health experiences have informed both her personal outlook and her choice of advocacy work.
