Alexandra Breckenridge joins 'The Walking Dead'

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Alexandra Breckenridge has joined The Walking Dead.

The 32-year-old actress will portray recurring character Samantha on season five, with the possibility of promotion to a series regular in season six. Samantha is described as a strong, smart and articulate mother with a bohemian spirit and a vulnerable side.

Breckenridge joins a cast of 17 series regulars, including Andrew Lincoln as protagonist Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as survivalist Daryl Dixon, Steven Yeun as former pizza deliveryman Glenn Rhee and Lauren Cohan as Rhee's wife, Maggie Greene. Tyler James Williams and Seth Gilliam are also new this season, with Lennie James returning as the unstable Morgan Jones.

The Walking Dead is based on Robert Kirkman's comics of the same name, and debuted on AMC in 2010. The horror drama follows sheriff's deputy Grimes as he navigates a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by zombies. Season five premiered October 12, and the series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

Breckenridge is best known for portraying young Moira O'Hara on American Horror Story: Murder House, and Kaylee on American Horror Story: Coven. The actress also starred as Willa McPherson on Dirt, Katerina Pelham on True Blood and Carly Brugano on Save Me. She is scheduled to appear in a number of upcoming films, including Zipper, Other People's Children and Broken Vows.