Sarah Drew Bio
Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director whose career spans animated television, network drama, feature films, and stage work. She is widely recognized for voicing Stacy Rowe on the MTV animated series Daria, playing Hannah Rogers on the family drama Everwood, and portraying Dr. April Kepner on the long-running ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. More recently, Drew has taken on the lead role of Emily Lane in the Hallmark Christmas mystery series Mistletoe Murders, which premiered in 2024.
Trained at the University of Virginia, Drew has built a versatile résumé that includes Broadway, London’s West End, regional theater, Hallmark productions, and directing projects. Her ability to move between comedy, drama, voice work, and live performance has made her a familiar presence across film and television for more than two decades.
Early Life and Background
Sarah Drew was born and raised in Stony Brook, New York, where she attended The Stony Brook School. She grew up in a family deeply connected to education and ministry. Her mother, Dr. Jeannie Drew, taught biology at an independent private school for girls in Manhattan, and her father, the Rev. Charles Drew, serves as senior pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York City. Her brother, Allen Drew, is a pastor at Mt. Airy Community Church in Philadelphia and also directs an a cappella group at Germantown Friends School. A distant family connection also runs through the entertainment industry, as her second cousin is actor Ben McKenzie.
From an early age, Drew showed interest in performance and storytelling, eventually channeling that interest into formal training in the arts. She pursued higher education at the University of Virginia, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in drama in 2002. Her college years provided a strong foundation in classical theater and helped prepare her for the professional stage and screen work that followed.
Path to Acting
Drew’s first major professional credit arrived while she was still in high school, when she was cast as the voice of Stacy Rowe on the animated series Daria in 1997. She continued voicing the character through the series finale in 2001 and also reprised the role in the Daria television films Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?. The role introduced her to a wide audience and gave her early experience working within an established creative team.
Following her graduation from the University of Virginia, Drew transitioned quickly into professional stage work. In 2001, she made her professional stage debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. She then moved to Broadway in 2003 with Vincent in Brixton, a production that later traveled to London’s West End. These early theatrical experiences helped establish her as a serious dramatic performer before she shifted her focus toward television and film.
Sarah Drew Career
Early Career (1997–2003)
After her debut on Daria, Drew began building a steady résumé of television and film appearances. In 2003, she appeared in the feature film Radio, marking one of her first on-screen live-action roles. She also took on a guest role in the short-lived series Wonderfalls, gaining additional experience in front of the camera. These early projects allowed her to balance her growing stage career with screen work.
During this same period, Drew continued to develop her theatrical craft. Her Broadway run in Vincent in Brixton and the subsequent West End engagement demonstrated her range as a stage actress and exposed her to international audiences. By the end of 2003, she had laid the groundwork for a more prominent transition into television drama.
Breakthrough (2004–2009)
Drew’s breakthrough on television came in 2004, when she was cast as Hannah Rogers on The WB family drama series Everwood. The role, which she played from 2004 to 2006, gave her sustained exposure and helped establish her as a reliable dramatic performer. She followed this with a string of guest appearances across notable series, including Cold Case, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Medium, Castle, Glee, Privileged, Supernatural, and Private Practice.
In 2007, Drew appeared in the film American Pastime as Katie Burrell, the daughter of a Japanese relocation camp sergeant, demonstrating her willingness to take on roles rooted in historical and emotional subject matter. She also starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film Front of the Class in 2008 and took on a recurring role as Kitty Romano in the AMC drama series Mad Men from 2008 to 2009. These projects widened her range and visibility just before her career-defining move to Grey’s Anatomy.
Grey’s Anatomy and Major Roles (2009–2018)
In 2009, Drew was cast as Dr. April Kepner in the ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. She first appeared in the sixth season episode “Invasion” as one of the residents from Mercy West Hospital following its merger with Seattle Grace Hospital. Drew was brought aboard the series after earlier collaborations with creator Shonda Rhimes, including guest appearances on Private Practice and a lead role in the unaired 2009 pilot Inside the Box. She was promoted to series regular for the seventh season in 2010.
Her portrayal of April Kepner became one of the most recognizable characters of her career. In March 2018, it was announced that Drew, along with Jessica Capshaw, would be leaving Grey’s Anatomy, with showrunner Krista Vernoff confirming the decision was creative rather than budgetary. Drew later returned to the series during season 17 in 2021 and again for the milestone 400th episode of season 18 in April 2022, alongside Jesse Williams.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond Grey’s Anatomy, Drew starred in the 2014 feature film Moms’ Night Out and continued to take on a wide variety of television projects. Shortly after her 2018 Grey’s Anatomy exit, she was cast as Detective Cagney in CBS’ Cagney & Lacey reboot pilot, though CBS ultimately passed on the series. In July 2018, she played Lucille Ball in the world premiere of I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom, recorded before a live audience at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater and later released as an audio production. In 2019, she was cast as the title character in the CBS pilot The Republic of Sarah, which was also passed on by the network. In 2020, she joined the Freeform series Cruel Summer in a recurring role as Cindy Turner, and in 2021, she was cast in the Apple TV+ comedy series Amber Brown, based on the books by Paula Danziger. In 2022, she starred as Lizbeth Meredith in the Lifetime movie Stolen By Their Father, which featured Elizabeth Smart as an executive producer. She currently plays the lead role of Emily Lane in the Hallmark Christmas mystery series Mistletoe Murders (2024–present).
Sarah Drew Family
Sarah Drew was raised in Stony Brook, New York, by her father, the Rev. Charles Drew, and her mother, Dr. Jeannie Drew. Her father serves as senior pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York City, while her mother taught biology at an independent private school for girls in Manhattan. Her brother, Allen Drew, is a pastor at Mt. Airy Community Church in Philadelphia and also directs an a cappella group at Germantown Friends School. Drew is the second cousin of actor Ben McKenzie.
Personal Life
Drew married Peter Lanfer, a lecturer at Dartmouth College, on June 17, 2002. The couple has two children. She is Christian, and her faith has remained a steady part of her personal and family life throughout her career in entertainment.