Lesley-Ann Brandt’s Best TV and Movie Roles: Where You’ve Seen The Walking Dead Star

Before joining The Walking Dead universe as Pearl Thorne in The Ones Who Live, Lesley-Ann Brandt starred in a variety of roles for TV and film. The South African actor is well-known for taking on projects in horror, fantasy, and other traditionally “nerdy” genres, having appeared in shows like Gotham, The Librarians, and most notably Lucifer.

With a variety of roles under her belt, here’s where else you’ve seen Lesley-Ann Brandt before.

Lucifer

As mentioned previously, Brandt is most known for her role as Lucifer’s (Tom Ellis) right-hand Mazikeen in the hit TV series Lucifer. Mazikeen a.k.a. Maze is known for her fierce loyalty, though she sometimes struggles to adapt her brash nature to the human world. Brandt does a phenomenal job of portraying Maze’s growth from demon with a penchant for sadistic torture to a slightly more vulnerable and human demon with a penchant for sadistic torture. Maze’s softness never overshadows her physical capabilities, and Brandt makes sure that we know that just because Maze learns how to better communicate her feelings, doesn’t mean she won’t still cut a guy for crossing her family.

Spartacus

Before bringing Mazikeen to life in Lucifer, Brandt played another fiercely loyal woman in Spartacus and the prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Though Brandt only plays Naevia in Gods of the Arena and through the first season of Spartacus, it’s her performance that instills Naevia’s kindhearted and determined nature for Cynthia Addai Robinson to carry on in further seasons. Despite her lack of agency as a slave to Lucretia and the House of Batiatus, Naevia is still one of the strongest characters in the series. Her compassion for others is her greatest strength as she tries to make the best of her limited circumstances.

Horror Noire (2021)

The horror anthology film Horror Noire features six stories that are each crafted by Black screenwriters and directors. Within this film, Brandt stars in the story “The Lake” as Abbie, a woman running from her past who is looking for a fresh start. Abbie finds her fresh start after moving into a lake house and starting work as a teacher for the small town’s local district. Though things may seem serene and idyllic as Abbie starts anew, the lake holds a secret of its own that threatens to expose the past that Abbie is so desperate to escape. We don’t get much time with Abbie, as is the nature of anthologies and short stories, and yet Brandt makes the most of this vignette. “The Lake” is a cautionary tale about the dangers of running from our mistakes, and Brandt’s performance makes this message all the more powerful.

Single Ladies

It turns out that Lucifer wasn’t the first time that Brandt worked alongside actor D.B. Woodside. In 2014, she had a recurring role in VH1’s dramedy series Single Ladies as Naomi Cox, an antagonist to Woodside’s Malcolm. Naomi first appears in season 3, claiming that she owns a stake in Malcolm’s jewelry business. The ensuing legal battle and further drama that comes forth throughout the season proves that Brandt is a formidable force no matter who she’s playing on screen. Naomi may have only been a recurring character for one season, but because of Brandt, she certainly made an impact.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.