Emily Rebecca Kinney (born August 15, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as
Beth Greene on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
's horror drama television series ''
The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018, 2022). Kinney has also appeared on several other television series, including
Showtime's critically acclaimed ''
Masters of Sex'' and
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
's ''
The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' and ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
''.
In 2016, she co-starred in the
ABC series ''
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...
'', alongside
Hayley Atwell.
Early life
Kinney was born in
Wayne, Nebraska
Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College.
History
Wayne was founded in 1881 when the Chicago, St. Paul, M ...
, to Vaughn Charles and Jeanne Kinney.
She has an older sister, Sara. She and her family frequently moved during her youth, including to
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, and other parts of Nebraska.
Kinney attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
for a semester. In 2006, she graduated from
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it had approximately 2,100 students, including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...
[ with a ]Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in theatre. Kinney then moved to New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, where she pursued a Broadway and acting career.
Career
Kinney worked in coffee shops, where she began to meet people from the acting and music industries. She appeared in 20 plays during her four years of college and began her professional acting career at age 21, when she was cast in the play '' Spring Awakening'' as Anna, a young German schoolgirl. The following year, Kinney costarred as Jean Fordham in the play '' August: Osage County''. She was then cast as Emily on Showtime's '' The Big C''. Later, Kinney appeared on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', where she guest starred as Jeannie Richmonds. Kinney made her film debut with ''Aunt Tigress'' playing Gina. Kinney continued acting in a variety of recurring guest and cameo roles in various films and television shows.
In 2011, Kinney was cast as the recurring character Beth Greene on '' The Walking Dead'', an AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
television horror drama. Although she was actually 25 at the start of production, her character Beth was the 16-year-old sister of Maggie in Season 2. After two years on the program, Kinney received a promotion to series regular. Greene is one of a small group who must find a way to not only survive a zombie apocalypse, but who must also cope with other survivors who are even more dangerous than the undead. She contributed to '' The Walking Dead: Original Soundtrack – Vol. 1'', in which she collaborated with Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan ( ; born January 7, 1982) is an American actress known for her role as Maggie Rhee in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022), a role she reprises in '' The Walking Dead: ...
on the single, " The Parting Glass". Kinney finished her role on ''The Walking Dead'' as Beth in 2014, but made one final appearance in 2015 in the ninth episode of the fifth season.
Kinney reprised her role of Beth Greene in November 2018 through voiceover, which is heard in Andrew Lincoln's final episode asking his character Rick Grimes what is his wound.
Kinney returned to the ''Law & Order'' franchise in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', in the role of Haley Cole.[ She released her second EP ''Expired Love'' in 2013. It was re-released in 2014 with two additional tracks. In an interview with AMC, Kinney talks about the story of the album: "'Expired Love' is about my story. But I do think that with my acting career, my style seeps into my career a lot. My songs are similar to ]Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
' in that they're little stories. Sometimes I write songs based on one word or feeling that keeps popping up for me. And I do feel like, because I've never played a character for so long, that it can't help but seep its way into things. It's like, maybe this is why a particular idea keeps coming up for me, because this is something that we keep dealing with on the show!"
Kinney's new single, “Rockstar”, was released December 9, 2014. After her departure from ''The Walking Dead'', she made guest appearances on several television shows, including a starring role in the sixteenth episode of ABC's ''Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume
* '' ...
'' titled "Memories of Murder" and a co-starring spot in the eighteenth episode of The CW's ''The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' titled "All-Star Team-Up". She also landed recurring television roles on Cinemax's ''The Knick
''The Knick'' is an American period medical drama television series on Cinemax created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series follows Dr. John W. Thackery (Clive Owen) and the staff at a fictionalized v ...
'' and Showtime's critically acclaimed '' Masters of Sex'' for four episodes. Kinney starred in the music video for the Train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
song " Bulletproof Picasso". Kinney released her new studio album, '' This Is War'', on October 2, 2015. As well as “This Is War”, the album featured another single, “Birthday Cake”.
In 2016, Kinney played the main character in Hallmark Channel's '' Love On The Sidelines''. On February 12, 2016, it was announced that Kinney would be joining the main cast of ABC's ''Conviction
In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...
'' alongside Hayley Atwell. On ''Conviction'', Kinney played Tess Larson, "the paralegal for the Unit team who althoughextremely bright, asa bit naive and occasionally, an underlying dark sadness emerge " On March 30, 2016, Kinney made a guest appearance as Brie Larvan/Bug-Eyed Bandit on ''Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'', a role she previously played on ''The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
''. On October 28, 2016, her new single, "Back on Love", was released.
On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Kinney would join the cast of ABC's ''Ten Days in the Valley
''Ten Days in the Valley'' is an American drama television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 1, 2017, through January 6, 2018. The series, starring Kyra Sedgwick, was ordered direct-to-series on August 4, 2016. ...
'' alongside Kyra Sedgwick. Kinney, it was reported, would play Casey, "Jane's hip and upbeat young assistant who looks up to her boss as a role model". In October 2017, Kinney's single, ''Mermaid Song'', was released. On August 24, 2018, Kinney released her solo album, ''Oh Jonathan'', which included a single released earlier that month, “Boy Band Hero”. Kinney announced a tour in support of the album, marking her second tour.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Stage
Discography
*''Blue Toothbrush - EP'' (2011)
*''Expired Love'' (2013, 2014)
*'' This Is War'' (2015)
*'' Oh Jonathan'' (2018)
*'' The Supporting Character'' (2021)
*'' Swimteam'' (2023)
Tours
* This Is War Tour (2015)
* Oh Jonathan Tour (2018)
Accolades
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Emily
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
Actresses from Nebraska
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Living people
Nebraska Wesleyan University alumni
People from Wayne, Nebraska
Singers from Nebraska
21st-century American women singers
1984 births