Sonja Sohn's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) The Wire Det. Shakim… Body of Proof Detective S…

Main Movie Roles 2008 - Step Up 2: The Streets 2002 - G 2000 - Shaft 1999 - Bringing Out The Dead 1998 - Slam

BIOGRAPHY:

Sohn was born in Newport News, Virginia. Her father, an African-American soldier in the United States Army, met her Korean mother when he was stationed in South Korea after the Korean War. After Sohn's older brother was born, her mother decided to move to the United States as she felt that a child of mixed Korean and African-American parentage would be discriminated against in Korea. Sohn had a difficult childhood; she was often teased for her mixed heritage, her schizophrenic father physically abused her mother and her older brother was killed when she was a teenager. She struggled with an addiction to cocaine and pills throughout her teens and twenties.

Before she was an actress, Sohn was a slam poet. While performing her work on stage, she was spotted by Marc Levin who offered her the role in his film Slam. She also wrote lyrics and co-wrote the script for the film. It went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the Sundance Film Festival. After debuting in Slam, Sohn appeared in minor roles in films such as Shaft and Bringing Out the Dead. She also starred in independent films Perfume, G and The Killing Zone. Through the five seasons of the HBO series The Wire, she held a starring role as Detective Kima Greggs. She struggled during the first season of The Wire and considered quitting as she had trouble recalling her lines. She has also guest starred on many episodes of Cold Case as "Toni Halstead". She won the supporting television actress award at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards for her character on The Wire.
She had a supporting role in the Hollywood film Step Up 2 the Streets. In 2008-09, she was a guest star in the ABC series Brothers & Sisters, and in 2010 she appeared in an episode of CBS series The Good Wife. In 2011, she was a guest star on the show Bar Karma. She played (Seasons 1-2) Detective Samantha Baker in the medical drama television series Body of Proof with Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan, which premiered on ABC on March 29, 2011.

Sohn is a graduate of Warwick High School. She has two daughters and is married to Australian composer Adam Plack.


TRIVIA:

• Her father is African-American, and her mother is Korean-American.
• Was a "Slam" poet before becoming an actress...
• Graduated from Warwick High School. She was a cheerleader and was voted "most popular" and "most school-spirited.".
• "Sohn" is her mother's maiden name. She changed her name because her father disapproved of her becoming an actress.
• Grew up in Newport News, Virginia.
• Studied English at Brooklyn College which led to her writing poetry.