Katie McGrath (born January 3, 1983) is an Irish actress.[1] In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series Merlin (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series Dracula (2013–2014), Saskia in the TV series Secret Bridesmaids Business, and Sarah Bennett in the first season of the horror anthology series Slasher (2016), and for her role as Lena Luthor on the superhero series Supergirl (2016–2021). Her film roles include Lady Thelma Furness in the drama film W.E. and Jules Daly in the Christmas movie A Princess for Christmas (2011), Zara Young in the science fiction adventure film Jurassic World (2015), and Elsa in the epic fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).
Early life[]
McGrath was raised in Ashford, County Wicklow, by her father, Paul, who works with computers, and mother, Mary, who works for an Irish designer. She has two older brothers, Sean, an online media manager, and Rory, who is a post-production producer.[2] She studied the International Baccalaureate at St. Andrew's College before graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in history with a focus on Russian history.[3]
At a young age she applied to the Ballygowan 'Be the Face of MTV' competition.[4] Twenty finalists would be able to attend MTV Lick Party at the Tivoli.
Career[]
McGrath originally sought to work in fashion journalism and took on a job at Image magazine[3] before becoming a wardrobe assistant on the set of The Tudors. While working on The Tudors, McGrath was advised to try acting, so she sent photographs to Irish agents.[5] She said:
- "Being an actress was kind of like when you're a kid, and you want to run away and join the circus, it's something you really want to do, but then you grew up and got a proper job. It was a dream, but I didn't think it would ever be reality, and yet here I am!"
- ―Katie McGrath[5]
McGrath was cast in Damage, an Irish TV-movie in 2007. She also starred in the play La Marea at the Dublin Theatre Festival in the same year.[6] She appeared in the feature films Eden and Freakdog in 2008, before being cast as Morgana Pendragon in Merlin.[7]
In 2009, McGrath starred in a five-part docudrama for Channel 4 exploring the life of Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen, in which she played a young Princess Margaret.[8] Emilia Fox portrayed Elizabeth II in the same episode in which McGrath appeared; the two had previously worked together as sisters Morgause and Morgana in Merlin. In 2010, McGrath was cast in Madonna's directorial debut W.E., an Edward VIII biopic. McGrath played Lady Furness, the king's former mistress who introduces him to Wallis Simpson.[9]
In 2011, McGrath appeared with Roger Moore in the comedy-drama film A Princess for Christmas, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie shot mainly at the Peleş Castle in Romania.[10] In September 2011, McGrath voice-acted the characters in the Irish animated short film Tríd an Stoirm (Through the Storm).[11] Later that month, McGrath was cast as Oriane Congost in Labyrinth.[12]
McGrath was reunited with her The Tudors co-star and close friend Jonathan Rhys Meyers in NBC and Sky Living's horror drama TV series Dracula; she portrayed Lucy Westenra.[13] In June 2013, McGrath co-starred in episode four of the Channel 4 show Dates as a young lesbian on the dating scene alongside Gemma Chan.[14]
In November 2014, McGrath co-starred in a Hozier music video for the song "From Eden".[15]
In 2015, McGrath had a supporting role as Zara in the film Jurassic World[16] and starred in the Crackle original spy-thriller, The Throwaways.[17]
McGrath portrayed the lead role in the first season of Chiller's original horror series Slasher, which premiered on March 4, 2016.[18]
In 2016, it was announced that McGrath would play the recurring role of Lena Luthor in the second season of Supergirl.[19][20] She debuted in the season two premiere episode titled "The Adventures of Supergirl" and was promoted to a series regular in March 2017 and maintained this role until the show's end in 2021.[21][22] She appeared as Elsa in Guy Ritchie's fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which was released in May 2017.[23]
In 2019, McGrath starred alongside Abbie Cornish and Georgina Haig in Seven Network series Secret Bridesmaids' Business, about how a bride's wedding turns deadly after one of the bridesmaids invites a stranger into their lives. McGrath starred as Saskia, a bisexual lawyer who is described as an intelligent, loyal woman who is holding a secret.[24]
In September 2023 she had a supporting role in The Continental as the Adjudicator.[25]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Pebble | Tara | Short film |
| Damage | Rachel | Television film | |
| 2008 | Eden | Trisha | |
| Freakdog | Harriet Chambers | ||
| The Roaring Twenties | Vixen | Television miniseries | |
| 2011 | W.E. | Lady Thelma Furness | |
| A Princess for Christmas | Jules Daly | Television film | |
| 2012 | Labyrinth | Oriane Congost | Television miniseries |
| Tríd an Stoirm | Alice / Banshee | Short film; voice role | |
| 2014 | Leading Lady | Jodi Rutherford | Afrikaans film |
| 2015 | Jurassic World | Zara Young | |
| The Throwaways | Gloria Miller | ||
| 2017 | King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | Elsa | [23] |
| 2018 | Buttons | Mrs. Katherine Wentworth | |
| 2023 | The Continental: From the World of John Wick | The Adjudicator | Recurring role; television miniseries |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Tudors | Bess | Episode: "His Majesty's Pleasure" |
| 2008–2012 | Merlin | Morgana Pendragon | Main role |
| 2009 | The Queen | Princess Margaret | Episode: "Margaret" |
| 2013 | Dates | Kate Foster | Episode: "Erica and Kate" |
| 2013–2014 | Dracula | Lucy Westenra | Main role |
| 2016 | Slasher | Sarah Bennett | Main role (season 1) |
| 2016–2021 | Supergirl | Lena Luthor | Recurring role (season 2); Main role (seasons 3–6) |
| 2016–2017 | Frontier | Elizabeth Carruthers | Recurring role (seasons 1–2) |
| 2019 | Secret Bridesmaids' Business | Saskia de Merindol | Main role |
Music videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "From Eden" | Hozier |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actress - Drama Series | Merlin | Nominated | [26] |
| 2011 | [27] | ||||
| Movieguide Awards | Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance on Television | A Princess for Christmas | [28] | ||
| 2013 | SFX Awards | Best Actress | Merlin | [29] | |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Scene Stealer | Supergirl | [30] |
References[]
- ↑ "What Katie's doing next". TheTimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved on October 1, 2019.
- ↑ "Katie McGrath superstar in waiting". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved on March 15, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Carey, Anna (October 2008). "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The Gloss Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved on December 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Jessie a face of MTV finalist". Independent. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved on June 24, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "She's magic". Sunday Herald Salon (October 4, 2008). Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved on June 14, 2015.
- ↑ "La Marea". Bedrock Productions. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011.
- ↑ "'Merlin' Katie McGrath final series Q&A". Digital Spy (December 4, 2012). Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved on October 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Five actresses to play the Queen for C4". The Guardian (January 27, 2009). Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved on March 4, 2009.
- ↑ Love, Ryan (October 8, 2010). "Katie McGrath praises 'fantastic' Madonna". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010.
- ↑ Blaga, Lulia (February 25, 2011). "Production: Christmas at Castlebury Hall Will Shoot in Romania". Film New Europe. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved on May 17, 2011.
- ↑ "Short Film of the Week: Watch Tríd an Stoirm by Fred Burdy". Film Ireland. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved on October 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Katie McGrath: 'Labyrinth is gritty'". Digital Spy (December 20, 2011). Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved on October 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' 'Dracula'". IFTN (February 4, 2013). Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved on February 4, 2013.
- ↑ "New Channel 4 series "Dates" features gorgeous, complex lesbian couple - AfterEllen". AfterEllen (June 26, 2013). Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved on October 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Hozier releases new video for 'From Eden' featuring Katie McGrath". Irish Independent (November 19, 2014). Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved on November 19, 2014.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (April 3, 2014). "Judy Greer Joins Jurassic World". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved on June 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Crackle Premieres Jeremy Renner-Produced Movie 'The Throwaways'". Videoink (January 30, 2015). Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved on December 14, 2015.
- ↑ "'Slasher' star Katie McGrath's character gets a bloody good welcome". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved on October 14, 2016.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (4 August 2016). "Supergirl Lands Merlin's Katie McGrath as Lex's Sister Lena Luthor". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved on August 31, 2016.
- ↑ Bernstein, Elizabeth (August 4, 2016). "Supergirl Finds Its Lena Luthor in Jurassic World's Katie McGrath". Nerd Much?. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved on August 31, 2016.
- ↑ Saclao, Christian (September 12, 2016). "'Supergirl' Season 2 Spoilers: CW Releases First Official Photos Of Katie McGrath As Lena Luthor". IBTimes.com. IBT Media Inc.. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved on December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 22, 2017). "'Supergirl': Katie McGrath Promoted To Series Regular For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved on March 22, 2017.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Katie McGrath - Hamilton Hodell - CV". HamiltonHodell.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved on June 13, 2015.
- ↑ Yang, Rachel (May 8, 2019). "Abbie Cornish-Led Thriller Series 'Secret Bridesmaids' Business' Begins Production (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved on May 10, 2019.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (February 8, 2022). "'The Continental': Katie McGrath, Ray McKinnon Among 5 Cast In Starz's 'John Wick' Prequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on February 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Irish Film & Television Network | IFTN | Company Directory, Irish film Locations, Actors, Crew, Industry events, Jobs". The Irish Film & Television Network. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved on November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "In Full: Monte Carlo TV Festival fiction nominees". Digital Spy (April 20, 2011). Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved on November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "20th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry Winners List". Movieguide.org (2012). Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved on December 13, 2020.
- ↑ "IMDB: Merlin Awards". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved on September 8, 2020.
- ↑ "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Here's the Full List of Nominations". Moviefone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved on June 25, 2018.
External links[]
- Katie McGrath at Wikipedia
- Katie McGrath at the Internet Movie Database