Sonja Sohn Biography
Sonja Sohn whose full name is Sonja Denise Williams is an American activist, filmmaker, and actress popular for her current role as Amanda in the ABC series, Will Trent. Previously, her roles of interest included a Baltimore detective Shakima Greggs in the HBO crime drama series, The Wire. Moreover, she is known for starring in the independent film, Slam which she co-wrote, and appearing as Samantha Baker in the ABC medical and crime comedy-drama series, Body of Proof.
Sonja Sohn Age
Sohn was born in Fort Benning, United States on May 9, 1964. Therefore as of 2022, Sonja Denise Plack is 58 years old.
Sonja Sohn Height
Sohn stands at a height of 1.65 m, and her weight is about 65 kg.
Sonja Sohn Family
Denise Plack’s mother was Korean and her father was Black and met when her father was stationed in South Korea after the Korean War. However, Sonja Williams has not mentioned the names of her parents and siblings.
Sonja Sohn Husband
Denise Williams married an Australian didgeridoo or wind instrument player, composer, and producer Adam Plack in 2003. Plack’s genre of music consists of New-age music, Folk music, Dance or Electronic, New Age, Hip-Hop and Rap, and Ukranian Rock. Sonja and Adam had two daughters, Sakira Wang born in 1986, and Sophia Wang born in 1990. In 2019, the couple divorced and currently, she is not seeing anyone.
Sonja Sohn Career
Denise Williams graduated from Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia. Before transiting to acting, she was a slam poet performing on stage. During her performance, she was spotted by Marc Levin offering her a role in his film Slam. Sonja wrote lyrics and co-wrote the script for the film and after her debut in Slam, she appeared in minor roles in films like the 2000 action crime, Shaft, and the 1999 psychological drama Bringing Out the Dead. Moreover, Sohn also starred in independent films like the 2001 film Perfume, the 2002 drama film G, and the unauthorized James Bond novel, The Killing Zone.
Struggling through the first season of the HBO series, The Wire, she was considering quitting as she was troubled to recall her lines. Sonja also guest-starred on various episodes of Cold Case as Toni Halstead and had a supporting role in the Hollywood dance drama film, Step Up 2: The Streets. From 2008 to 2009, Denise was a guest star in the ABC family drama series Brothers & Sisters. In 2010, she appeared in an episode of the CBS legal and political series, The Good Wife, and a guest star on the show Bar Karma in 2011. Premiering on ABC on March 29, 2011, Sohn played Detective Samantha Baker in the first two seasons of the medical drama TV series, Body of Proof with Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan.
Other Experiences & Will Trent (ABC Series)
Jumping to May 30, 2014, it was announced that Sonja would be joining season 2 of The CW fantasy supernatural drama series, The Originals. In the film, she played the constant role of Esther Mikaelson aka the witch Lenore. She made her directorial debut in the 2017 HBO documentary Baltimore Rising focusing on the 2015 Baltimore protests and community rising in response to police violence. She directed The Slow Hustle in 2021, a documentary about the death of Baltimore Homicide Detective Sean Suiter fictionalized in the HBO mini-series We Own This City.
The new series Will Trent is based on the best-selling books by Karin Slaughter. It’s about a special agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) with both the highest clearance rate with cases and his own way of doing things. It was announced in May 2022 that Sonja had signed on to ABC’s police drama Will Trent as Amanda, the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Trent’s (Ramón Rodríguez) boss. Sohn is coldly competent and always camera ready for a press conference. Climbing the ranks at the GBI has made Amanda a real ball-buster, but she has a mysterious soft spot for Will. In the ABC series that premiered on January 3, 2023, Erika will be working with:
- Ramón Rodríguez
- Erika Christensen
- Iantha Richardson
- Jake McLaughlin
Activism
Involved in political activism, Sonja campaigned in North Carolina in support of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential bid. In 2009, she took a break from acting to concentrate on social issues. Moreover, she is the founder and CEO of the Baltimore- based reWIRED for Change, a program that communicates with risk youth involved in criminal activity. The program runs in the University of Maryland School of Social Work using episodes of The Wire as a teaching tool to examine and query lives and past actions. Sonja was charged with the felony of cocaine possession on July 21, 2019.
Awards and Recognition
In 1998, Sonja won the Gotham Awards in the Breakthrough actor category and the Sundance Festival Film Awards in the category of Grand Jury Prize. Likewise, she was also a nominee for the Independent Spirits Awards in the Best Debut Performance category in 1998. In 2005 and 2008, she was a nominee for the Image Awards in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also won the supporting Tv actress award at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards for her character on The Wire. Sonja was as well presented with the woman of the year award from the Harvard Black Men’s Forum in 2011.
Sonja Sohn’s Net Worth
Sonja’s estimated net worth is $1.5 million. Her primary source is her job as an activist, filmmaker, and actress.
Social Media Accounts
Sohn is active on social media and she posts personal and work-related stuff from time to time. She has over 32.1k followers on Instagram, 1500 on Facebook, and 16.7k on Twitter.