Sonja Sohn

A trailblazing veteran of the slam poetry movement, Sohn wrote and co-starred in "Slam" (1998), the shoe-string budget indie that kicked her career into high ascent. A subtle, yet imposing actress, Sohn was best known for her role as streetwise Detective Shakima "Kima" Griggs on the criminally underappreciated urban drama, "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-07).

Born and raised in New York to an African-American father and a Korean-American mother, Sohn was …