Katie McGrath's early life and education
Katie McGrath was raised in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, by her parents, Paul and Mary. Her father works with computers, and her mother works for an Irish designer. She has two older brothers, Sean, an online media manager, and Rory, a post-production producer. McGrath studied the International Baccalaureate at St. Andrew's College before graduating from Trinity College, Dublin with a degree in history with a focus in Russian history.
Career beginnings
After graduating from Trinity College, McGrath became interested in fashion journalism and worked for the lifestyle and fashion magazine, Image. However, she left the job after a while, as it was not her calling. Her mother's best friend, an assistant director, helped her get a job as a wardrobe assistant on the series The Tudors (2007). While working on the production, some staff members suggested she try acting. A cast driver on the series passed her a list with the actors' agents on it, so she wrote and sent photos to them, and was signed shortly after.
Breakthrough and notable roles
McGrath is best known for her roles in television, including Morgana on the BBC One series Merlin (2008-2012),Lucy Westenra on the British-American series Dracula (2013-2014),Sarah Bennett in the first season of the Canadian horror anthology series Slasher (2016),and Lena Luthor on the American superhero series Supergirl (2016). Her film roles include Lady Thelma Furness in the drama film W.E. (2011),Zara in the science fiction adventure film Jurassic World (2015),and Elsa in the epic fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).
Recent work
In 2016-2017, McGrath was featured in the first two seasons of Frontier, alongside Jason Momoa. In 2019, she starred in the Australian TV show Bridesmaids, alongside Georgina Haig and Abbie Cornish. In 2020, McGrath narrated the audio book for Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain. After wrapping up the sixth and final season of Supergirl in 2021, McGrath traveled to Budapest, where she shot the John Wick spin-off series The Continental. McGrath can be seen as The Adjudicator in The Continental, which aired its three episodes in 2023.
