Sonequa Martin-Green Biography
Sonequa Martin-Green is an American actress of African descent who gained fame for her TV roles as Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery and Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead.
Martin has also appeared in multiple independent films before she secured recurring roles as Courtney Wells in The Good Wife. She later played recurring roles as Tamara in Once Upon a Time and Rhonda in New Girl.
Sonequa Martin-Green Age
Martin was born Sonequa Chaunté Martin-Green on March 21, 1985, in Russellville, Alabama, U.S.A. She is 39 years old as of 2024. Martin celebrates her birthday on March 21st.
Sonequa Martin-Green Height
Martin stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 4½ inches.
Sonequa Martin-Green Family
Martin was born to Vera Lynn Martin-Moore Freeman and Charles Winston Martin in Russellville, Alabama. After her parents divorced, her mother remarried. She has a full sister named NaKisha, and three older half-sisters from her father’s relationship.
Her mother passed away on April 10, 2021, at the age of 71, due to a heart attack. During a February 2018 Essence interview, she revealed that her mother had fought three types of cancer and one of her half-sisters had breast cancer.
On the other hand, her father passed away on April 9, 2021, at the age of 78. She shared news of her parents’ passing on July 13, 2021, via her Instagram account, stating that they both passed because of unrelated reasons. An obituary revealed that her father had passed after a brief battle with liver cancer.
Sonequa Martin-Green Husband
Martin married Kenric Green on December 4, 2010. She gave birth to their son, Kenric Justin Green II, in 2015. Kenric is 9 years old as of 2024. While filming The Walking Dead SN 5, she was pregnant and hid her pregnancy by wearing thick layers of clothing and using larger guns. She gave birth to their daughter in 2020. She is 4 years old as of 2024.
Since April 2016, Martin has worked as an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer, which promotes clinical trials, especially emphasizing outreach in ethnically diverse communities
Sonequa Martin-Green Net Worth
Martin has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which she has earned through her successful career as an actress.
Sonequa Martin-Green Education
Martin joined the University of Alabama, where she received a Bachelor Of Fine Arts degree in Theatre in 2007.
Sonequa Martin-Green The Walking Dead
Martin starred as Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead for 45 episodes. Sasha is the younger sister of Tyreese Williams and a former firefighter. She alongside her brother and a group of survivors encountered Rick Grimes’ group at the prison. After being denied sanctuary, they join Rick’s community after experiencing the brutality of The Governor in Woodbury.
Sonequa Martin-Green Once Upon A Time
Martin starred as Tamara in Once Upon A Time for 7 episodes in 2013. Tamara is a human who hates magic believing it as dangerous and unholy. In this magnitude, she plans to remove magic from the world by any means possible.
Sonequa Martin-Green Star Trek: Discovery
Martin starred as Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery for 65 episodes from 2017 to 2024. She is Spock’s adoptive sister and works as the First Officer of the USS Shenzhou under Philippa Georgiou.
After committing mutiny, Michael is stripped of her rank and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, Gabriel Lorca recruits her as a science specialist after spending 6 months in prison. Lorca vies her as an asset in the war against the Klingons.
For her performance in the series, she won the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television in 2018 and the Saturn Award for Best Actress in Streaming Presentation in 2019. In 2021, she won a Saturn Best Actress on Television Award nomination.
Sonequa Martin-Green Career
Martin initially wanted to be a psychologist but changed to acting while in the 10th grade. She commented that she wasn’t aware that she’d be an actress until she was 16. Martin had a fascination for human behavior and why people do what they do.
Besides acting, Martin voiced Michael Burnham in the Star Trek Online video game episode, Measure of Morality. That same year, she voiced Vienna Cole in Fast & Furious Crossroads. In 2024, she voiced Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2, winning her a nomination for a Golden Joystick for Best Lead Performer Award.
Film
Despite being primarily recognized for her TV roles, Martin debuted on film in 2009, playing the lead role of Tosha Spinner in Toe to Toe opposite Louisa Krause. In November 2018, she was announced as a cast member of The Outside Story opposite Brian Tyree Henry. In July 2021, she played the role of Kamiyah James in Space Jam: A New Legacy. She will star in Sarah’s Oil in 2025.
TV
Martin has had several guest and recurring roles in TV shows. She debuted on TV in 2008 with guest appearances as Kiana Richmond on NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She gained her first recurring role on Army Wives where she portrayed Kanessa Jones. In 2009, she secured the role of Courtney Wells on The Good Wife, marking her first recurring role playing an adult character as she played a teenager in both film and TV. She portrayed Courtney for 2 years before she starred in Gossip Girl and NYC 22 in 2011.
In 2012, Martin secured the recurring role of Sasha in The Walking Dead. Initially, she auditioned for the role of Michonne under a pseudonym because of the covertness of the auditioning process. After Danai Gurira secured the role, Glen Mazzara created a role specifically for her because he wanted her to be a part of the show. Sasha became a regular cast member during SN 4 opposite Emily Kinney and Coleman.
Following her audition for the role of Michonne, Martin read the first three volumes of the graphic novels to prepare for the TV series. Aware that they were different, she decided to stop reading the comic book series to prevent spoilers for future storylines that may happen on the TV series. Her role as Sasha, especially in seasons 5 and 7, won favorable reviews.
After wrapping up the filming of The Walking Dead SN 3, Martin was cast in SN 2 of Once Upon a Time where she portrayed a woman who wants to remove the magic world, Tamara. She briefly returned for SN 3 before she returned to her regular role as Sasha in The Walking Dead.
In December 2016, a report revealed that she would be the lead in Star Trek: Discovery. CBS All Access officially confirmed the report in April of the following year. On September 24, 2017, she debuted as First Officer Michael Burnham in The Vulcan Hello. She was the central character during the 4 seasons aired in 2023.
Sonequa Martin-Green Movies and TV Shows
Martin has acted in several films and TV shows during her career such as
- Not Quite Right
- Blind Thoughts
- NYC 22
- Rivers Wash Over Me
- Yelling to the Sky
- Holiday Rush
- Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
- After Trek
- The Ready Room
- Invincible
- My Dead Friend Zoe
Sonequa Martin-Green Social Media Platforms
She is active on her social media accounts and often posts on her Instagram and Twitter. She has over 1 million followers on Instagram and over 580K on Twitter.