In the weekend of July 29-30, Monopoly Events sets up camp in Manchester for the 2023 edition of Comic Con Manchester. Last year, we were there for the weekend and this year Liv returns to Bowlers Exhibition Centre for one day (Sunday). The guests list of this edition is out of this world and in the upcoming weeks, we will tell you all about it. Of course, there are some worries regarding the SAG strikes in Hollywood, but the organization of Comic Con Manchester assures us that everything will be OK! So put away your worries, sit back and let us tell you all about the "The Walking Dead" part of this year's guestlist. None less than 9 actors and actresses of the post-apocalyptic horror series will be in Manchester! Some of them we already met, others are on top of the want-to-meet list ;)... Let's get started!
Lauren Cohan
Christian Serratos
We already saw this next guest at Walker Stalker Con London in 2016, but unfortunately, we did not get the chance to meet her. In "The Walking Dead" she started out as part of Abraham's group and eventually grew out to be a strong independent woman and mother. I am of course talking about Rosita Espinosa and she is played by American actress Christian Serratos.
She was born Christian Marie Bernardi on 21 September 1991 in Pasadena, California (U.S.). Her mother (Alicia Serratos), a marketing agent and jewelry designer, is of Mexican descent. Her father, a set construction worker, is of Italian descent. Christian grew up in Burbank and during her early childhood she served as an extra on "The Drew Carey Show" and the sitcom "Coach". At the age of 3, Christian started figure skating and she grew up competing on a pretty high level. She was also trained in ballet and jazz. At one point her coaches were talking about The Olympics. Eventually she stopped competing at the age of 10 and even now she still skates for fun. Christian signed with Ford Modelling Agency, when she was 7 years old and she started to get an interest in the theatrical acting division of the agency, when she was 8 years old. Christian loved acting so much, that she stopped modelling. In 2004, Christian made her television debut with the role of Suzie Crabgrass in "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" and she played this role for 44 episodes from 2004 until 2007. During this time, she also had some minor roles in other TV series and movies.
In 2008, she landed her first big movie role as Angela in the first of the "Twilight" movies ("Twilight"). She reprised her role in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009), "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010), "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" (2011) and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" (2012, credit only). In 2014, she landed the role that made her name rise to worldwide fame. She joined the cast of the immensely popular AMC show "The Walking Dead" for the second half of season 4. Over the seasons that followed, she managed to become one of the main characters of the show, which ended in 2022 (after 11 season). Christian played the role of Rosita for 129 episodes. In 2020-2021, she played the title role of Selena Quintanilla in 18 episodes of the musical drama "Selena - The Series".
Christian Serratos will be a guest in Manchester on both days.
Prices:
Autograph: £63 (about €74)
Photo op: £63 (about €74)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A with Lauren Cohan & Alanna Masterson: Saturday 15:00-16:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Khary Payton
Next up is a 'royal' guest ... At Comic Con Manchester you get the chance to have an audience with the King ... King Ezekiel that is! Ezekiel is portrayed by American actor Khary Payton and we already met him a few years ago. I will tell you about that meeting later, but first let me tell you some more about this wonderful man.
Khary was born in Augusta (Georgia, U.S.) on May 16, 1972, to Victor (a pediatrician) and Gwendolyn (an artist) Payton. Even at a young age, Khary had an interest in the performing arts. He went to high school in Athens and during his time in high school he was the winner of Showtime's Kid Talent Quest. After winning this talent show, Khary knew he wanted to be an actor. He enrolled at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas (Texas), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theater Studies. During his teenage years Khary also started doing stand-up comedy and after his time in college he spent a lot of time performing Shakespeare. At first his father, was not happy with Khary wanting to become an actor. However, when Khary was in his early 20s, his father came and saw him play in "Hamlet". He has been his biggest fan ever since (until his death in 2021). When Khary was in his 30s, he started doing a lot of voice over work, as well as some acting in movies and TV shows. One of the voice roles, Khary is mostly known for is the one of Cyborg in "Teen Titans" (2003-2007), "Teen Titans Go!" (2013 - present) and the "Teen Titans" movies.
Khary also did a lot of voice roles in video games (for an extensive overview of his voice work, check out his IMDb page). Before Khary got his big break in "The Walking Dead", he was also known for his role as Terrel Jackson in 24 episodes of the soap "General Hospital". Khary moved to Los Angeles, to pursue acting, but when he landed the role of King Ezekiel in "The Walking Dead", he ended up back in Georgia (not far from where he was born). When he just landed the role, he could not tell his parents about it, because it had yet to be announced and according to Khary, his mom is really bad in keeping secrets. When he was shooting his first episode, he was only an hour and a half from where his mom and dad lived, but he couldn't visit them. He also says his work as a voice actor and his Shakespeare background helped him a lot in portraying King Ezekiel. Eventually, Khary played the role of Ezekiel in 83 episodes of the show (which ended in 2022). More recently, Khary voiced the Penguin King in "The Super Mario Bros Movie" (2023).
Our own experience:
We met Khary Payton at Comic Con Brussels 2020 (right before Covid hit Europe). Unfortunately, he did not do a panel at that day, but we did get some awesome selfies. Khary was very nice and talkative. He was in front of his signing table, so he could really interact with his fans and so he did. When it was our turn, he gave us both a big hug and we talked about Ezekiel's story arch. He really took his time and the selfies turned out great!
Khary Payton will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A with Pollyanna McIntosh & Austin Amelio: Sunday 15:00-16:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Alanna Masterson
In 2016, we went to London for Walker Stalker Con and they had a huge guest list. One of the guests was Alanna Masterson, who plays the role of Tara in "The Walking Dead". Unfortunately, it was so crowded, that we had to do our best to just catch a glimpse of her. Now Alanna is coming to Manchester and hopefully I will get to see more of her this time...
Alanna Masterson was born in Long Island (New York, U.S., on June 27, 1988) to mother Carol Masterson and father Joe Reaiche. Her father was a professional rugby player of Australian/ Lebanese descent. Alanna has four (half) brothers, who are all (famous) actors/producers. Her oldest (half)brother is Danny Masterson, who is mostly known for his roles as Hyde in "That 70s Show" and Jameson Bennett in "The Ranch". Christopher Masterson, is mostly known for his role as oldest brother Francis in "Malcolm in the Middle". The youngest brother of the three is Jordan Masterson and he is known for his roles in movies and TV shows, like: "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Last Man Standing. And then there is Will Masterson, who is the least famous one of the brothers.
Alanna's passion for acting came from spending a lot of time on the sets with her brothers. She learned a lot about the filming process during this time. In the early days of her career, Alanna mostly had minor guest roles (mostly one episode) in series, like: "Malcolm In The Middle", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Grey's Anatomy". Her first recurring role, came when she landed the role of Abbie in 8 episodes of "First Day" (2010). In 2013, Alanna had her big breakthrough, when she joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" in the fourth season of the show. She played the role of Tara in 87 episodes, from 2013 until 2019. In 2016 she played the role of Lydia in 8 episodes of "Mistresses".
Alanna Masterson will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £31,50 (about €37)
Photo op: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A with Lauren Cohan & Christian Serratos: Saturday 16:00-17:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Austin Amelio
Next up Austin Amelio, who is mostly known for his role as Dwight in "The Walking Dead" and "Fear The Walking Dead". Dwight is the bad guy; you love to hate and over the time grows out to be the anti-hero of the show...
Austin Amelio was born on 27 April 1988, in Austin, Texas (U.S.). There is not much known about his early life. In interviews, he talks about his dad being a businessman and about his mother taking him to Broadway musicals. Austin was born and raised in Texas, but at one point his father's work took the family to first California, then to Singapore and eventually back to Austin. He discovered his love for acting at a young age, as well as his love for skateboarding. He grew up in the world of skateboarding and the creative lifestyle surrounding it. During his college years he decided he wanted to take his acting ambitions to another level and after college, he decided to attend a three-year course at conservatory, studying Meissner's technique (a very well-known acting technique). From that moment Austin started booking jobs and he did a lot of theatre and improv. Eventually, he ended up getting the role of Nesbitt in "Everybody Wants Some!!" from Texas filmmaker and living legend Richard Linklater (known from movies like: ""Dazed and Confused", "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset", "Before Sunset" and "Boyhood"). Austin's star rose and in 2015 he embarked on his "The Walking Dead" journey, when he joined the cast in the sixth season. He played the role of Dwight in 36 episodes of the show, before he switched over to the spin-off "Fear The Walking Dead". He has been playing the role of Dwight in "Fear" since 2019... (for 53 episodes and counting).
Austin Amelio will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A with Khary Payton & Pollyanna McIntosh: Sunday 15:00-16:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Cassady McClincy
On to the actress, who played the role of Lydia and she did a hell of a job. Lydia quickly grew out to be a fan favorite, since her first appearance in the 9th season of "The Walking Dead". I loved her character's story arch and the way she portrayed it. I am of course talking about the amazing Cassady McClincy and I am very excited about the fact that she will be a guest in Manchester in a few weeks!
Cassady Marie McClincy was born on the 1st 0f September 2000 in Ohio (U.S.). Not much is known about her childhood, except for the facts that she (and her three siblings) were raised in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 9, Cassady got an agent and started acting. In the early years of her career, she played some minor roles in various movies and TV shows, like: "Drop Dead Diva", "Let The Lion Roar", "Good Behaviour", "Ozark" and "Daytime Divas". In 2018, she played the role of Jackie in the movie "Love, Simon" and Young Molly Strand in 4 episodes of "Castle Rock". In 2019, she joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" and the rest is history...
Cassady McClincy will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A: t.b.a.
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Pollyanna McIntosh
The seventh "The Walking Dead" guest making her way to BEC arena is Scottish actress Pollyanna McIntosh, who played the role of Anne/Jadis in 24 episodes of "The Walking Dead" and in 6 episodes of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond".
Pollyanna McIntosh was born on 15 March 1979 in Dunbartonshire, Scotland (U.K.) to David and Judith McIntosh. David was also an actor and he is best known for his role as Lucifer, alongside Richard Burton in the 1967 movie "Doctor Faustus". In the early seventies he retired as an actor, because he wanted to spend more time with his family. He became a businessman. Back to Pollyanna: from ages two to five she and her family lived in Portugal, before moving back to Edinburgh. Eventually the family ended up in Columbia, so Pollyanna spent a lot of her childhood in South America. She developed an interest in acting from a young age and she debuted as an actress at the age of 16. Pollyanna started out as an actress/director in London's independent film and theatre.
In 2004, Pollyanna moved to Los Angeles and started out directing stage productions. In 2005, she landed her first movie role as Stacy in the horror movie "Head Space". Over the next 10 years of her career, Pollyanna slowly made her name in the movie- and Tv world, with roles in (among others): "Exam" (2009), "The Woman" (2014), "Filth" (2013) and "Hap and Leonard" (6 episodes, 2016). In 2017, she was cast as Jadis in season 7 of "The Walking Dead". She played the role for 24 episodes from 2017 until 2018 and in 2021 for 6 episodes in the spin-off "The Walking Dead: World Beyond". In 2022, she plays the role of Queen Ælfgifu in "Vikings: Valhalla". Next year, McIntosh will reprise her role as Anne/Jadis again in the movie "The Walking Dead: Rick and Michonne". She is said to play a main role in the movie, that is currently in post-production!
Pollyana McIntosh will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £31,50 (about €37)
Photo op: £31,50 (about €37)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Times:
Q&A Khary Payton & Austin Amelio: Sunday 15:00-16:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Paola Lázaro
Seven down, two more to go! Another 'royalty' from "The Walking Dead" will be setting up camp in Manchester. The actress behind Juanita "Princess" Sanchez is Puerto Rican actress Paola Lázaro!
Paola Lázaro was born (October 24, 1994) and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico (U.S.). After high school, she moved to New York to study at the State University of New York at Purchase (SUNY Purchase). She graduated in 2009 as a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a degree in dramatic writing. But this was just the beginning, because Paola went on to study at Columbia University (New York). In 2013, she completed her Master's degree in playwriting. During the last year of her studies, she was mentored by Pulitzer Prize winning Stephen Adly Guirgis. He helped her with her thesis play and the two have become close over the years. After spending some time writing for various theatre groups and playing some minor roles in shorts and TV shows, Paola was asacked to join the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York as their playwright-in-residence for the 2016-2017 season. Her play "Tell Hector, I Miss Him" was a huge success. In 2018, Paola was cast as Gutierrez in the TV show "Lethal Weapon". She played this role for 7 episodes and her interest in acting grew bigger. In 2019, she played minor roles in the TV shows "SMILF" (as Itsy) and "Wu-Tang: An American Saga". In 2020, she got her big break when she was cast as Juanita 'Princess' Sanchez. She played the role for 27 episodes and became very popular, very fast.
Paola Lázaro will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £31,50 (about €37)
Photo op: £31,50 (about €37)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Photo op Princess&Mercer: £68,25 (about €80)
Times:
Q&A with Michael James Shaw: Saturday 14:15-15:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Michael James Shaw
The 9th and last "The Walking Dead" guest that is coming to Manchester is none other than the man in the orange suit. He had a big role in the last season of the show and he is portrayed by American actor Michael James Shaw.
Born on 16 September 1986 in New York City (New York, U.S.) as the son of John Henry Shaw and Rogenia Shaw. He has two siblings (a brother and a sister). Shaw was raised in Florida, where he attended the Vanguard High School in Ocala. Following his graduation in 2005, he enrolled at Howard University in Washington D.C., where he earned his Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. Eventually he was one of the just 18 students that were accepted into Juilliard's (performing arts conservatory) in New York City, where he earned his MFA (Master's Degree in Fine Arts). Ever since kindergarten, where he had his first starring role (as the Big Bad Wolf) in the kindergarten production of "The Three Little Pigs Opera", Shaw had been into the performing arts. During his time in elementary school, high school and college, he performed in local theatre productions. After some roles in short films and an uncredited minor role in "The Wire", Shaw got his first break in television, with the role of Papa Midnite in 3 episodes of "Constantine" (2014-2015) and this was followed by a recurring role (as Agent Mike) in 14 episodes of the TV show "Limitless". This last show gained him wide recognition. In 2018, Shaw became a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when he portrayed the role of Corvus Glaive in "Avengers: Infinity War". A year later he reprised the role in "Avengers: Endgame". From 2019 until 2022, he played Aiden Shaw in the action adventure "Blood & Treasure" and he also played the role of Mercer in the last season of "The Walking Dead".
Michael James Shaw will be a guest at Comic Con Manchester on both days...
Prices:
Autograph: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op: £36,75 (about €43)
Photo op TWD group: £399 (about €465)
Photo op Princess&Mercer: £68,25 (about €80)
Times:
Q&A with Paola Lázaro: Saturday 14:15-15:00
Photo op: t.b.a.
* Please note that appearances, prices and times are subject to change.
Well, that's it for the "The Walking Dead" part of the guest list for Manchester Comic Con 2023. There are still some tickets available, so get on over to the website. Keep an eye on our website and social media for the next article...
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