Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the protagonist in the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. Rick Grimes is a small town sheriff’s deputy who has a son, Carl, with wife Lori. He awakens from a coma after a life-threatening gun shot wound to find the world overrun by zombies, or “walkers” as they’re referred to within the story.