What is Sonja Sohn's Net Worth?
Sonja Sohn is an American actress, activist and filmmaker who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Sonja Sohn is best known for playing Detective Shakima Greggs on the HBO crime drama television series "The Wire." With a long resume of playing police officers, detectives and narcotics officers, it was dramatic irony when Sohn was arrested and charged with felony cocaine possession in 2019.
Early Years
Sonja Denise Williams, also known as Sonja Plack, was born on May 9, 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia to a Korean mother and an African American father. She attended Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia. While performing her poetry at a public event, she was noticed by American independent film producer and director Marc Levin who invited her to become a part of his future film "Slam."
Slam
Sonja Sohn co-wrote the screenplay for the independent dramatic film "Slam" in 1998. In the story of a young African American poet hampered by his social background, Sohn played the role of teacher Lauren Bell. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and a Camera d'Or Award for Best First Feature Film at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. For her performance in Slam, Sohn was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance and won a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor.
Additional Film Work
Sonja Sohn played Kanita in the 1999 Martin Scorsese horror film "Bringing Out the Dead." The following year, she played the role of Alice, alongside American actor Samuel L. Jackson in the American crime thriller "Shaft." Several small roles followed and then, in 2019, she starred as Myra in the American sports drama "High Flying Bird," directed by Steven Soderbergh. In 2023, Sohn starred as Nancy Foreman in the biographical sports drama "Big George Foreman" and as Bonnie in the American thriller "Breakwater."
The Wire
An American crime drama television series aired on HBO, "The Wire" premiered on June 2, 2002 and ran until March 9, 2008. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the series focused on the effect that institutions such as criminal enterprises and drug addiction have on people. Each of its five seasons focused on a different issue in which individuals struggled between being subordinate to the expectations of a category and acknowledging their freedom of personal choice. In the series, Sonja Sohn portrayed Detective Shakima Greggs – a capable yet cynical lesbian who is highly esteemed by her colleagues in the narcotics division.
In 2010, Time magazine included the show on its list of 100 Best of All-Time TV Shows. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it as number nine on its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series. In 2013, TV Guide ranked the show as number six on its list of The Best 60 Series of All Time. That same year, it came in at number six on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 26 Best Cult TV Shows Ever.
The show went on to appear on lists of the best television shows of all time through 2023 when Variety ranked it at number seven out of 100. It has been nominated for, and won, a variety of awards including an Edgar Award and a Directors Guild of America Award. For her work on the series, Sohn was nominated for a 2005 Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and won a 2008 Asian Excellence Award.
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Body of Proof
An American medical/crime drama television series aired on ABC from March 29, 2011 to May 28, 2013, "Body of Proof" focused on the life of medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt and her struggle to balance her professional life with her personal life. Sonja Sohn played Samantha Baker on the show.
Additional Television Work
Sonja Sohn has had roles on such television shows as "Cold Case," "Brothers & Sisters," "The Good Wife" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." In 2016, she played Captain Betty Audrey on the action-adventure series "Luke Cage" and Detective Gabriella in the drama series "Shut Eye." She went on to appear in "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Utopia." In the American police procedural drama "Will Trent," – which premiered on January 3, 2023 – Sohn portrayed Georgia Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Amanda Wagner.
Filmmaking
Sonja Sohn created, directed and co-produced the 2017 HBO documentary "Baltimore Rising" which focused on the April 12, 2015 death of 25-year-old Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. While in police custody for possession of a knife, Gray sustained fatal injuries to his spinal cord at the hands of police officers.
Personal Life
In 2003, Sonja Sohn married Australian musician and composer Adam Plack. They divorced in 2011. She has two children; Sophia and Sakira.
On July 21, 2019, Sohn was arrested in North Carolina on a felony cocaine possession charge as well as misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was a passenger in a vehicle which was pulled over by police and was determined to contain drugs after a dog made a search. Cocaine and drug paraphernalia was found in a purse inside the vehicle.
Sohn is the founder and CEO of a community initiative called Rewired for Change, a non-profit organization in Baltimore, Maryland which works to empower at-risk youth to make better choices.
