Sonja Sohn

Sonja Sohn, born Sonja Denise Williams on May 9, 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia, is an American actress, filmmaker, and activist whose career spans more than two decades of groundbreaking work in film and television. Raised by a Korean mother and an African‑American father who met while stationed in South Korea after the Korean War, Sohn grew up navigating a richly multicultural heritage that later informed her artistic voice and her commitment to social justice. After graduating from Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia, she began performing as a slam poet, a platform that caught the attention of director Marc Levin, leading to her breakout role in the 1998 independent film Slam, a project she also co‑wrote and for which she contributed lyrics; the film earned the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and launched her into Hollywood. Sohn’s most iconic performance came as Detective Kima Greggs on HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire (2002‑2008), a role that earned her the 2008 Asian Excellence Award for Supporting Television Actress and cemented her reputation as a powerful on‑screen presence. Beyond The Wire, she appeared in films such as Step Up 2: The Streets and TV series like Body of Proof, The Originals, and the ABC police drama Will Trent, showcasing a versatile range that spans drama, crime, and science‑fiction genres. In parallel with her acting career, Sohn founded reWIRED for Change, a Baltimore‑based outreach program that uses episodes of The Wire to engage at‑risk youth in reflective dialogue and rehabilitation, reflecting her deep belief in art as a catalyst for community transformation. Her directorial debut, the HBO documentary Baltimore Rising (2017), examined the 2015 protests after the death of Freddie Gray, while her 2021 film The Slow Hustle chronicled the mysterious death of homicide detective Sean Suiter, further demonstrating her commitment to amplifying marginalized stories through documentary cinema. Sohn’s activism extends to political advocacy, having campaigned for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential bid and receiving the Harvard Black Men’s Forum Woman of the Year award in 2011, solidifying her status as a multifaceted cultural figure who leverages both performance and activism to inspire change.