What the School for the Arts taught me was a great work ethic. They showed me - not just taught me - that if you work hard, you can see the effects. They gave me that lesson, and I have used it at every stage of my life. And I am still using it now in my new role on 'The Walking Dead.'

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.

I went to Juilliard as a clarinet major, and somewhere between the beginning and the end, I stopped playing it. I asked myself who was I reaching... I just fell out of love with it.

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.

Although I was born in New York, I moved to Baltimore when I was young. And I like to say New York birthed me, but Baltimore raised me. A big part of my heart was always in Baltimore.

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.

Once I got the job on 'Walking Dead,' I started thinking about how I always wanted to get back to the East Coast. My mom lives in Baltimore, and I have a lot of family in Baltimore and New York.

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.

The plan was to go Juilliard, graduate, and then go across the street and play in the New York Philharmonic - that was the plan, anyway.

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.

What the School for the Arts taught me was a great work ethic. They showed me - not just taught me - that if you work hard, you can see the effects. They gave me that lesson, and I have used it at every stage of my life. And I am still using it now in my new role on 'The Walking Dead.'

Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.