Chad L. Coleman, born on September 6, 1967, is an American actor known for his roles in acclaimed television series such as "The Wire" and "The Walking Dead". This article delves into Coleman's portrayal of Tyreese Williams in AMC's post-apocalyptic horror series, "The Walking Dead".
Tyreese Williams: A Character Overview
Tyreese Williams, nicknamed Ty by his companions, is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's "The Walking Dead". In the television series, Tyreese is introduced as being from Jacksonville, Florida, along with his sister, Sasha. He is the older brother of Sasha and was also the leader of a small group of survivors. He became one of the first newcomers at the Prison.
Tyreese is a strong, yet compassionate, protective, and unselfish individual, Tyreese struggles with his own morality while still managing to protect his group, often trying to prevent any bloodshed.
Tyreese's Journey in The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead Week Chad L. Central) on AMC. Though The Walking Dead‘s TV version instantly earned high marks from readers of the graphic novel when it debuted in October, 2010, fans still had one question. Where was Tyreese?
One of the most memorable characters from the show’s source material, the hammer-wielding warrior was conspicuous in his absence from early episodes, and readers couldn’t comprehend how the show’s writers could leave out such a central character.
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When Tyreese finally showed up, leading a small group of survivors into the prison where Team Grimes had set up camp for sanctuary, he wasn’t exactly the same character from the comics. For one, he was no longer traveling with his teenage daughter but with his sister.
For another, he was not immediately accepted as Rick’s right-hand man as he was in the books but was rejected by Rick and sent back into the wilderness.
Tyreese makes his debut appearance in this episode. He is seen with a group of survivors in the woods. One survivor from his group, Donna, is bitten on the arm by a walker while escaping from a small herd. While they run away, Tyreese discovers a destroyed wall, which ends up being the back of the prison.
Tyreese leads them through the broken part of the fence and into the facility. Tyreese's group is attacked by walkers again, this time, inside the boiler room. His sister, Sasha, screams as she and her friends are being attacked, and she is heard from the other side of the prison, where Rick Grimes' group is.
Tyreese attempts to kill Donna with his hammer to avoid reanimation. He doesn't manage to do it because of distractions. At this point, Tyreese and Sasha view that Carl, Beth Greene, and her father Hershel have not allowed their entry to the cell block, as Carl locked them out.
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Tyreese is in the common room telling Hershel how he managed to survive through the past months. Later, when Tyreese and his group go outside to bury Donna, he starts arguing with Ben and Allen over their planning to take over the prison. Tyreese disagrees with them, stating that the Survivors are good people and that they don't want any trouble, unaware that more survivors make up the Prison group.
Tyreese and his group run into Milton Mamet and Andrea Harrison during their journey from the prison. Milton and Andrea tell them about Woodbury, and Milton offers to take them there. He and the group arrive in Woodbury, where they are greeted by The Governor.
Tyreese and Sasha are seen guarding the wall, and Sasha makes fun of how poor a shot her brother is when Andrea tries to lure them away to another part of the wall. When they refuse, she confesses that she's leaving Woodbury. "The Governor is not what he seems to be," she warns before fleeing.
Back in Woodbury, Tyreese is yelled at by Allen for jeopardizing their standing with The Governor. Allen then blames Tyreese for a prior encounter where he saved Donna in front of his family, emasculating Allen (in his eyes) in front of his family.
They are brought by Martinez to a walker pit and are asked for help rounding up the dead. Tyreese realizes that the Walkers will be used to tear the prison survivors apart and refuses to participate in the plan. He offers to leave Woodbury; Allen steps in and the two fight, nearly resulting in Tyreese dropping Allen into the walker pit, but he relents at the last second.
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Tyreese and Sasha confront the Governor about keeping captive biters, but the Governor tells Tyreese and Sasha that the pit walkers are just a scare tactic and were never intended to kill people.
Tyreese is seen being told to gear up and head out to the prison, but he and Sasha both decline, offering to guard the children and elderly. That night, they encounter Karen along with the Survivors and demand to know what's going on.
Tyreese is told that The Governor went mad and killed the soldiers who were trying to retreat, and is horrified when he sees the room where Andrea is held hostage.
Tyreese is seen visiting Karen and kisses her. Sasha is seen readying a vehicle with Tyreese to go on a supply run to Big Spot. Bob Stookey asks her if he can go. She is initially reluctant to let him come along, saying he has only been with them a week. "You were out on your own when Daryl found you. At Big Spot, Sasha lays out the group's plan to get in and get out. Things go awry when Bob accidentally breaks a shelf, which lands on him.
Walkers suddenly begin falling in from holes in the ceiling. Zach is bitten by one while saving Bob. Later that night, Tyreese and Karen are seen in their cell talking to one another before going to sleep. Karen tells him that she is not ready to start sleeping with him, since she knows that they would never want to stop once they start. Tyreese is seen with Karen. He starts singing to her until she leaves for her cell block. Later on, Tyreese saves Karen during the walker attack on Cell Block D. She then is seen coughing and being brought to Tyreese's cell. However, the Council decides to take her away from the healthy people as they discovered there is a disease that kills people.
When Tyreese goes to visit her, he finds a blood trail that leads outside. Carol Peletier, Rick, and Daryl meet Tyreese in the courtyard. Tyreese explains that he came to see Karen, but instead found a blood trail leading to the sight of her and David murdered in cold blood.
Tyreese then approaches Rick, demanding that he use his cop skills to find out who did it. When Tyreese starts to become physical with Daryl, Rick tries to conciliate Tyreese, but he pummels Rick twice before Daryl grabs him. Rick fights back and repeatedly pummels Tyreese in the face, both breaking his own hand and giving Tyreese a wounded eye. Daryl restrains Rick, preventing the latter from doing any more harm.
Tyreese is later seen digging two graves for Karen and David. Bob finds him doing this and tries to convince him to get his eye looked at. Tyreese declines and says that he won't do so until the bodies are buried. Daryl later finds him and asks if he wants to help the group's supply team, whose aim is to retrieve medical supplies from a far-off college. He, however, turns down the offer, but later joins them after seeing Sasha's condition.
During the drive to the college with Daryl, Bob, and Michonne, a radio transmission can be heard. Daryl attempts to tune the radio in; however, he crashes into a walker and almost drives into a walker herd. The supply group is quickly surrounded by the herd and decides to make a run for it. After everyone abandoned the car, Tyreese just sat inside it, glaring at the walkers outside. Everyone but Tyreese manages to make it out of the herd's range. Tyreese gets converged by walkers when he exits the car. He starts to fight them off with his hammer. The group decides to leave him behind, believing that there is no way that he can survive. Moments later, however, when the supply group has managed to escape into a forest clearing, they hear the bushes behind them rustle. Two walkers burst out; however, Tyreese follows through seconds later and smashes one in the head.
Tyreese and his supply group continue to walk to find another vehicle, as they were forced to ditch their former one, due to a massive herd. They find an auto-shop, and after clearing some ivy, find a minivan, which just needs a battery. A few walkers are inside, and the group proceeds to clean them out. As the group chops away at the overgrowth, Tyreese, still unhappy with Karen's death, cuts too fast and pulls at a door, releasing the auto-shop's walkers.
The group kills them after a struggle, but Tyreese refuses to let go of his walker, still trapped in the ivy. He eventually pulls it out, and they struggle before the others kill it. While scavenging the veterinary college for medical supplies, Daryl and his supply group are ambushed by walkers who have seemingly died from the same flu-like disease present in the Prison.
Tyreese helps the group escape by throwing a fire extinguisher through the window, and they all jump onto the roof of an outside walkway. Bob almost loses his bag but manages to retrieve it. Daryl finds there is nothing in his bag but a bottle of liquor, which he attempts to throw away. Bob puts his hand on his holster, pleading with Daryl to give him the bottle back. Daryl, un-intimidated, disarms Bob and grabs him until Tyreese breaks them up, saying that Bob has already made his choice.
Tyreese and the group arrive after Rick and Carl kill the horde. Tyreese asks Rick if Sasha is okay, to which Rick replies he doesn't know. When Tyreese is approached by Rick and Daryl, both of whom want to talk about the killings of Karen and David, he persuades Rick to see what he found: a tortured and mutilated rat. After stating that the one who killed Karen and David and fed the walkers through the fence with rats is the same person and a psychopath, Rick tells him that it is impossible. Before Rick gets the chance to tell him why, the Governor's tank shoots a shell, blowing up a guard tower and making a lot of noise.
Tyreese and the other able survivors rush outside of the prison to meet the armed force. After negotiation with The Governor failed and Hershel is killed, Tyreese is seen holding an M1 rifle and participating in the prison defense with other survivors. After The Governor broke down the fence with his men, Tyreese, who is known for his bad aptitude with a gun, was being pushed back while fighting Alisha and another unnamed soldier. After being pushed back behind flower pots, he is saved by Lizzie and Mika Samuels, the former of whom kills both Alisha and the unnamed soldier. After he tells them they need to leave, he yells at the two, telling them that they are going the wrong way.
Tyreese is seen walking through the woods with Mika and Lizzie, with baby Judith, whom they managed to take with them while fleeing the prison, strapped to his chest. Tyreese does his best to cope with a crying Judith, a grim, determined Lizzie, and a terrified Mika. When Mika becomes so frightened that she runs off further into the forest, Tyreese finds her and calms her down. Tyreese hears screams from the railroad tracks and leaves Judith with the girls to try to see if it's someone from their group. Tyreese helps the group kill the various walkers who have attacked them, but is ultimately the only survivor of the conflict. As he prepares to go back to the girls, he turns around to see them standing near him, along with Carol, who is holding Judith. Tyreese, who knows nothing of the reason why Carol wasn't at the prison during the fall, greets her warmly. Before turning, the last remaining survivor tells them of a safe haven known as Terminus.
Tyreese is first seen with Carol, Lizzie, Mika, and Judith, sleeping on the railroad, while Carol and Lizzie are speaking. He is having nightmares and speaking in his sleep, repeating the word "no". While on the railroad tracks with Judith and Lizzie, Tyreese prepares to kill a walker that got stuck on the train tracks, but is stopped by Lizzie, who tells him she understands walkers have to be killed sometimes, but sometimes they don't. While they are boiling water, Tyreese looks out the window to find Lizzie scolding Carol about killing a walker.
As Tyreese and Carol set out to scout the woods for deer, they come back to camp to find Mika's lifeless body and Lizzie holding her knife, her hand dripping with blood, in an attempt to show Carol and Tyreese that the walkers aren't different, and that she was preparing to kill Judith too. Tyreese tells Carol that Lizzie admitted to feeding mice to the walkers at the prison and also killing the dissected rabbit he found in the tombs the day of the Governor's attack. Tyreese also believes she killed Karen and David, but Carol counters that Lizzie would have allowed them to turn.
After Carol executes Lizzie, the two bury the sisters next to each other, and Tyreese carries the body of Lizzie and places her in the grave. As they are sitting in the darkened room, she slides her revolver across the table to Tyreese and admits that she killed Karen and David in an attempt to keep the flu from spreading to the other survivors, and that Tyreese can do what he has to do. Tyreese takes his hand off the revolver, telling Carol he forgives her but he will never forget what she did, and that it has now become a part of ...
Relationships
In The Walking Dead, Tyreese Williams had romantic involvements with Carol, Michonne, and Karen. He initially protected Carol emotionally and physically, but their relationship ended abruptly. Tyreese then became involved with Michonne in the prison, sharing a close bond and living together.
Protecting Judith
In The Walking Dead, Tyreese Williams ensured Judith Grimes' survival by rescuing her during the prison outbreak. He cared for Judith while escaping with Lizzie and Mika. Tyreese's protective nature led him to nearly kill Martin when he threatened Judith.
Death
Tyreese from Walking Dead succumbs to a walker bite infection despite an amputation attempt by Michonne. Before passing, he experiences visions of Beth, Bob, and the girls. Post-death, Michonne prevents his reanimation.
Chad L. Coleman on Playing Tyreese
Played by Chad L. Coleman, best known for his heartfelt portrayal of ex-con Cutty on The Wire, the TV version of Tyreese is similarly burly and courageous as his comic counterpart. Perfectly cast, Coleman brings a quiet intensity to the character, maintaining the original’s sense of loyalty but coloring him with a sense of sadness and doubt that adds another layer of emotional complexity.
Coleman was upgraded to series regular and main cast member at the start of the fourth season and retained this status for its fifth season until his character was killed off in the mid-season premiere.
On the auditioning process, Coleman said: "I knew I was auditioning for Tyreese. I got a call that Robert Kirkman had his eye on me since seeing me as Cuddy [sic] from The Wire. He'd been looking at me for a while and I didn't know about it. There was a lot of buzz online about people wanting this character to appear and who should play him - and I was on a lot of those lists. That echoed Kirkman's sentiments and he went to AMC and said, "Chad is Tyreese." They said fine but we have to see other people and Kirkman said, "But it's Chad." He went to bat for me and I was grateful that it all ...
He’s got so many different qualities to him, that he’s a very rich, complex guy to play.
Coleman also shared his thoughts on the show's family-like atmosphere: "The Walking Dead has the reputation for having a very family-like atmosphere. Yes. Absolutely. Everybody loves what they do, and they’re passionate. Everybody respects that this is a plush gig. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something that’s reaching so many people and with storytellers who want to tell stories with such rich characters? So we all have a profound appreciation for having the gig, and it’s an environment where everyone loves coming to work. People just have great personalities."
Coleman reflected on the parallels between "The Wire" and "The Walking Dead," noting the unexpected deaths of major characters and his entry into both shows in their third seasons. He also discussed the complexity of Tyreese on the show, appreciating the unpredictability of the character's journey.
Chad L. Coleman: It’s got a scale to it. It’s bigger on all levels than any other season. Just across the board, the pace of it is nonstop and relentless. In season four, we ramped up into it. It didn’t just come out the box and it built up to big dramatic moments and amazing visuals with the walkers.
Having had the opportunity to binge watch the DVDs, there was an aesthetic there and a work ethic and the way they go about doing business. You have to be all-in. And I pride myself on being that type of actor, so I knew when you put your hardhat on and you go to work, you’re going full out.
Yes, absolutely. And that’s the beauty of television. We’ve got to respect this medium, and also I like the complexity of him on the show. I think it’s more immediate for me, because I don’t know where this guy is going to go. I like that-it keeps people guessing, and it keeps you engaged to figure out where he’s going.
Absolutely, but that’s what I’ve been gifted to do. I’ve been doing it on stage and throughout my career, and I’ve always been drawn to dramatic acting. That’s not to say that I don’t do comedy, because I have, but I’ve been drawn to [dramatic work]. You can have an out of body experience when delivering a scene.
First of all, as a child we all like being scared. Or maybe you didn’t like it, but you had some relationship to a scary movie. Either you loved it or you were terrified, but you were having some visceral experience with it. I think that’s where it starts for us all, and you don’t ever lose that. I think if you start there, it appeals to the little kid in all of us. We like being scared. And then you go from there, and now you’ve got this rich storytelling and great acting, and you put that all together, there’s something for everybody. It’s like gumbo. Somehow along the way, there’s going to be a demographic that it’s going to hit.
I do my best to say “Hey, I’m human. I’m just here. This is what I do for a living. Thank you for your passion.” I’m just a normal guy, and I’m fortunate to be involved in this profession and this show. I do appreciate your passion, but I’m just a regular guy. Sometimes it lands; sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you just have to let them have that.
I’ve got to say, at this point, it’s about 50-50. The Wire is the amazing gift that just doesn’t go away. It resonates in a different way, but [The Wire fans] are just as passionate. You just don’t have the same volume. They’re like, “That was the greatest show ever! I don’t care what you say.” The Walking Dead fans are more like, “Oh, man! Tyreese!” The Wire fans, their passion is their appreciation that it was something they feel will never be replicated. [The Walking Dead] is growing in its passion for storytelling and that novelistic approach. I think we’re continuing to evolve with that, and that’s really exciting.
You’ll visit one character, and you may not hit that again until three or four episodes later. But it still resonates with people. That’s very hard to do, but I think we’re in that wheelhouse now. It’s quite a privileged place to be.
Yeah, and Seth Gilliam. It’s still unique company. There’s only three of us on the face of the earth that can say that. I love it. That’s why I’m trying to fuse The Wire fans with The Walking Dead fans. I’m trying to get those two together. Norman [Reedus] has his Boondock Saints fans, and that’s a perfect mix for the subject matter and the genre, whereas The Wire fans are a little bit different. It will take some time, but I’m like, “I want to see you guys come together. Right! Yeah. The Wire was not completely unlike that, though.
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