Norman Reedus

Regarded as one of the series' most popular characters, he currently stars as Dixon in the spin-off series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023–present). Reedus is also the host of the AMC travel show Ride with Norman Reedus (2016–present) and starred as protagonist Sam Porter Bridges in the video games Death Stranding (2019) and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025).

Norman Mark Reedus was born on 6 January 1969 in Hollywood, Florida, the son of Marianne (née Yarber), a teacher and former Playboy bunny, and Ira Norman Reedus. Reedus's paternal grandmother was of Italian and French descent, while his grandfather had English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. His parents divorced when he was young. He has a sister, Leslie. As a teen, Reedus lived in Japan with his mother.

Reedus worked at a Harley-Davidson shop in Venice, Los Angeles, California, and contributed artwork to various shows as a painter, photographer, sculptor, and video artist. He first acted in the play Maps for Drowners at the Tiffany Theater on Sunset Boulevard.

In 2010, Reedus began playing Daryl Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead, a horror drama about a group of friends and family members who fight to survive in a violent apocalyptic world populated with flesh-eating zombies and the few surviving humans. The character was not originally in the comic book series of the same name, but was created specifically for Reedus after his audition for the character of Merle Dixon. The Walking Dead comic creator Robert Kirkman feels "absolutely blessed Reedus has honored the show with his presence, and the way he has come in and taken over that role and defined Daryl Dixon. A lot of Reedus's portrayal of the character in the first season inspired all the writers to do what we did with him in the second season. We love writing him and end up doing cool stuff with him." The drama has evolved into the highest-rated in cable history, smashing all previous records. Reedus was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance and has overall received critical acclaim for the role. Reedus reprised his role of Daryl as the lead of a spin-off series centered on his character, following the conclusion of the 11th and final season of The Walking Dead. Angela Kang is the showrunner for the series, which debuted in September 2023.

Reedus has modeled for Prada, Yohji Yamamoto, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Durban, Levi's, Lexus, and Morgenthal Fredrics. In 2015, Reedus posed for a Cruelty Free International advertisement in support of ending cosmetic tests on animals. In the mid-1990s, while working as a model, Reedus appeared in the music videos for "Wicked as It Seems" by Keith Richards, "Violently Happy" by Björk, "Flat Top" by Goo Goo Dolls, "Cat's in the Cradle" covered by Ugly Kid Joe, "Strange Currencies" by R.E.M., and "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead. In 1999, he appeared in the video for "Mean to Me" by Tonic. Since achieving fame as an actor, he has also appeared in the videos for "Judas" by Lady Gaga, "Sun Down" by Tricky (feat. Tirzah), "Gypsy Woman" by Hilary Duff, "No Cities to Love" by Sleater-Kinney, and "Curse of the Blackened Eye" by Orville Peck. Reedus is also a painter, sculptor, and photographer who has shown his artwork in galleries in New York City, Barcelona, Berlin, and Frankfurt. He released a book of photography on October 31, 2013, called The Sun's Coming Up... Like a Big Bald Head. In September 2014, Reedus announced a fan-art compilation called Thanks for All the Niceness.

In 2014, it was revealed that Reedus was set to star in Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro's horror game Silent Hills, but Kojima departed Konami and the game was canceled in 2015. Reedus went on to reunite with Kojima to star in the videogame Death Stranding (2019) where he takes the role of Sam Porter Bridges, the protagonist of the game, a courier tasked with reconnecting a post-apocalyptic United States. Reedus reprises his role in the game's sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025). Reedus has also reprised his role as Daryl Dixon in the 2013 video game The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, which is based on the television series, and has additionally provided his likeness as Daryl for Fortnite Battle Royale, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and Dead by Daylight.

In 2022, Reedus released his debut novel The Ravaged.

Reedus was in a five-year relationship with Danish-Peruvian ex–Victoria's Secret Angel and supermodel Helena Christensen from 1998 to 2003. Despite reports to the contrary, the two were never married. Together they have a son, born in 1999. They remained friends and shared joint custody of their son until he reached adulthood. Reedus owns part of the restaurant chain Nic and Normans. In February 2005, Reedus sustained a head injury when a truck collided with his car in Germany. His nose was reconstructed with the aid of four screws and his left eye socket with titanium. In 2015, during the filming of Sky, Reedus met German actress Diane Kruger; the two were first seen together as a couple in July 2016. In November 2018, Kruger gave birth to their daughter, his second and her first child. Reedus has lived in New York City since 1997.