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Who is Katie McGrath?
She’s an actress with over 25 acting credits to her name, yet Katie McGrath never intended to make acting her job. Although she aspired to be an actress as a child, she grew up and pursued other interests; nonetheless, it appears that fate had other plans for her. Stay with us to hear more about her journey from fashion journalist to one of Hollywood’s most recognized stars.
Early life, family, and education
Born Katherine Elizabeth McGrath under the zodiac sign of Scorpio on 24 October 1983, Katie is aged 39 as of June 2023. She’s a native of Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, where she was raised by her parents, Paul a computer technician, and Mary who works for various Irish designers. Katie spent most of her childhood days alongside her brothers, Rory and Sean.
As mentioned, as a little girl she wanted to star in movies, and even planned to run in a circus, but growing up, she forget about her childhood dream. When it comes to her educational background, Katie attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 2001, enrolled at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Russian history.
Growing up alongside her mother who was in the fashion business, Katie developed a love for this industry, and worked as a fashion journalist for the magazine Image. In early 2007, her mother’s friend offered her a job as a wardrobe assistant on the set of the hit series “The Tudors”. Her colleagues advised her to try her hand at acting, which Katie subsequently did. She sent some of her photos to Irish agents, and soon landed her first role.
Roles in movies
Katie made her acting debut as Rachel in the 2007 TV movie “Damage”, which was nominated for the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Single Drama/Drama Serial. She followed with her role as Dessie’s Girlfriend in the 2008 movie “Eden”, which was Katie’s big screen debut.
Her next movie role came in 2011 when she was cast to play Lady Thelma in the historic romantic drama “W.E.”, written and directed by Madonna. It was the story of an affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, which was nominated for the Oscar – Best Achievement in Costume Design.
Later that year, Katie was seen playing her first lead role, as Jules Daly in the TV movie “A Princess for Christmas”, which earned her the MovieGuide Award nomination for Most Inspirational Television – Acting.
Katie returned on the big screen as Jodi Rutherford in the romantic comedy “Leading Lady”, in which she starred opposite Bok van Blerk. In the following year, she was cast to play Zara in the science-fiction adventure “Jurassic World”, also starring Chris Pratt, Ty Simpkins and Bryce Dallas Howard. Fun fact: Katie did all of her stunts in the movie.
Katie was next cast to play Elsa in the 2017 movie “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”, starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law and Astrid Berges-Frisbey, followed by her role as Mrs Wentworth in the 2018 family fantasy drama “Buttons, A New Musical Film”, co-starring Kate Winslet, Robert Redford and Alivia Clark, which followed the heartwarming journey of two orphan girls who have only one wish for Christmas – to find a home.
Roles in series
Katie made her first television series appearance in 2008, as Bess in an episode of the series “The Tudors”. Later that year, she was cast to play one of her most notable TV series roles, as Morgana in the series “Merlin”. Between 2008 and 2012, Katie was seen in 65 episodes of this fantasy drama, which followed the adventures of the legendary Merlin. She co-starred with John Hurt, Bradley James and Colin Morgan, and the show had 25 award nominations and four wins, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Visual Effects.
Speaking of awards, for her performance in the series, Katie was nominated for two Monte-Carlo TV Festival Golden Nymphs for Outstanding Actress – Drama Series, in 2009 and ’11. Two years later, she was nominated for the SFX Award, United Kingdom for Best Actress.
Katie McGrath as Lucy Westenra in season 1 episode 1 of Dracula, The Blood Is the Life. pic.twitter.com/C778VFHRUM
— katie mcgrath picture bot (@katiemcgrathbot) August 16, 2022
After her role in “Merlin”, Katie was seen as Lucy Westenra in the series “Dracula”, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The series aired during 2013 and 2014, and Katie appeared in all 10 episodes.
In 2016, Katie was cast to play another of her most significant TV roles, as Lena Luthor in the series “Supergirl”. Between 2016 and 2021, she was seen in 96 episodes of this action-adventure drama about Superman’s cousin, Kara Danvers, and her own superhero adventures. The show had 52 award nominations and 15 wins – Katie was nominated for the 2018 Teen Choice Award for Scene Stealer.
Concurrently, Katie portrayed Elizabeth Carruthers in the series “Frontier”, an historic adventure drama about Declan, a half-Cree Native-Canadian/half-Irish outlaw, which aired between 2016 and 2018. Katie was also seen as Saskia De Merindol in the 2019 TV mini-series “Secret Bridesmaids’ Business”, in which she starred opposite Georgina Haig and Abbie Cornish.
We have a piece of great news for Katie’s admirers – she will be seen in the announced TV mini-series “The Continental: From the World of John Wick”, which is currently in development, and set to be released by the end of 2023.
Love life and relationships
Katie has been the subject of numerous speculations about her romantic life, most of them have been related to her relationship with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The two reportedly dated back in 2007 and were a couple for a year, however, neither Katie nor Jonathan confirmed these assumptions. They were often seen together in public, and although some assumed that they are just close friends, many believed that they had a romance.
Katie is quite secretive when it comes to her love life, and hasn’t shared any info about her dating history. As of June 2023, it is assumed that Katie is single, she hasn’t been married or engaged, and doesn’t have children.
How rich is Katie McGrath?
Katie’s journey from fashion journalist to big screen and notable television roles, as she said, was a bit cheeky, adding that she felt like she won the lottery. Besides fame, her acting career brought her a decent amount of wealth. According to sources as of June 2023, Katie has a net worth estimated at over $4 million.
