Born 3 January 1983 in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, Katie McGrath is an Irish actress known mostly for her TV roles. She is best recognised for her role as Morgana in the BBC series “Merlin”, Lucy Westenra character on the British-American series “Dracula”, Sarah Bennett role in the first season of the Canadian horror anthology series “Slasher”, and Lena Luthor on the American superhero series “Supergirl”, which has been airing for five years now.
The stories of many film stars have shown time and again that studying Theatre Arts isn’t the only route into an acting career. Sometimes, passion, a little bit of talent, willingness to hone one’s skills, and an unexpected opportunity is all it takes. For Irish actress, Katie McGrath, whose academic background couldn’t be further from filmmaking, the foray into acting has been an interesting story.
From working as a wardrobe staff on a TV production, to being advised to give acting a shot, and ultimately becoming a famous actor, Katie’s story further proves that we never know what tomorrow holds. We will now journey through her 14-year career and learn more about how it has worked out thus far. For starters, here are ten facts about Katie McGrath.
10 facts about Katie McGrath
- Katie worked several jobs before going into acting. She worked as a cocktail waitress, as a makeup artist, and also at a piercing bar.
- At some point, she intended to pursue a career as a fashion journalist, and she worked at Image magazine for eight months before losing interest.
- Courtesy of her mother’s friend, Katie got a job as a first assistant director in the wardrobe department of the TV series, The Tudors. Although she had no sewing skills, she got this position based purely on her experience of working for a fashion magazine.
- Katie became an actress almost by accident as this was not a career path she had intended to pursue at any point in her life.
- She attended St. Andrew’s College, where she studied for an International Baccalaureate, and she also has a degree in Russian history from Trinity College in Dublin.
- Her brother Rory McGrath is a VFX guy who has worked on several Marvel projects and the James Bond franchise.
- She almost didn’t initially get the part of Morgana due to her Irish accent as Colin Morgan (who was cast as Merlin) is Irish, and the producers didn’t want two Irish characters. Morgan was, however, able to fake a British accent, and that solved the problem.
- Although Katie seems to have quite the reputation of being cast as a lesbian, she has only ever played such a role thrice in her career.
- In 2012, she won the Anglo Fan Favourites in the Woman’s category. She won against Helena Bonham-Carter and many other favourites.
- According to Celebrity Net Worth, Katie McGrath has a net worth of $4 million, mostly accumulated from her acting career and endorsements.
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Early life and education
McGrath was raised in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, by her father, Paul, who works with computers, and mother, Mary, who works for an Irish designer. She grew up with her two older brothers, Sean, an online media manager, and Rory, a post-production producer.
Katie studied the International Baccalaureate at St. Andrews College before graduating with a degree in History from Trinity College, Dublin, where she had focused on Russian history.
Career
Katie McGrath began her career as a fashion journalist for Image magazine before getting a job as a wardrobe assistant, and she worked on the sets of the series “The Tudors” (2007 – 2010). Friends and acquaintances advised her to try her hand at acting, and she took their counsel by sending her photos to an agency. Her first acting role came in 2007, and she hasn’t looked back since.
As of 2021, Katie’s career is only six years shy of two decades. In her fourteen years of practice, she has made a name for herself through a considerable number of notable roles both in TV and film. She has also picked up a few award nominations and recognitions along the line.
In 2007, she acted in the short film “Pebble” and the television film “Damage”. A year later, she did other television films like “Eden” and “Freakdog”, and also appeared in the miniseries “The Roaring Twenties”. That same year, McGrath secured the role of Morgana Pendragon in the series “Merlin”, a role that she is now mostly known for.
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Katie McGrath Morgana Merlin
Arguably her most famous role to date, Katie got cast in the commercially successful television series in 2007. It is interesting to note that the role, which paved the way for her acting career, almost didn’t go her way. Being Irish, she nearly didn’t get cast on the show because Colin Morgan, who played the titular role of Merlin, was also Irish.
The show’s creator had no intentions to have two Irish characters on the series. Thus, Morgan had to fake a British accent, and that ultimately made way for Katie. It is noteworthy that Katie has played British characters in other roles, and as such, she wouldn’t have had a problem doing an accent in “Merlin” if it was necessary.
“Merlin” was a British fantasy-adventure drama television program. It is loosely based on the Arthurian legends regarding the close relations of Merlin and King Arthur. The series synopsis reads:
“a reimagining of the traditional legend, in which young warlock, Merlin is sent to the kingdom of Camelot by his mother and becomes the personal manservant to Prince Arthur. During his time there, Merlin learns that his magical powers must be used to protect Arthur, but must also be kept hidden because magic was banned in Camelot by Arthur’s tyrannical father, King Uther Pendragon, and those caught practicing it are executed.”
Katie played the role of Morgana Pendragon, initially portrayed as a kind and empathetic young woman, but later comes to despise her father, Uther, for his prejudice against magic. When she realises he would never accept her if he knew of her magical powers, she begins covertly plotting against him. She eventually became the show’s primary villain and relentlessly coveted Arthur’s throne.
Lena Luthor Supergirl
Katie got the role of Lena Luthor on the TV series “Supergirl” in 2016. She made her first appearance in the Season two premiere episode titled “The Adventures of Supergirl”. In 2017, she was promoted to a series regular and has remained on the show since. Lena is the CEO of L-Corp and the younger paternal half-sister of Lex Luthor, who arrives in National City after Lex has been incarcerated, hoping to rebrand Luthor Corp as a force for good.
