Katherine Grace McNamara is an actress, performer, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles in "Happyland," "The Fosters," "Shadowhunters," "R.L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls," "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," and "Natural Selection." A bright and smart redhead beauty, she graduated from Drexel University and Johns Hopkins University, gracing the covers of glossy magazines: Seventeen (October 2016), Modeliste, Pulse Spikes, Jamo (March 2017), NKD (June 2017), and C'est Prune (July 2017).
Actress and Model
Among her talents is musical giftedness. She recorded and released several of her own compositions. Her song "Chatter" became her debut single and the soundtrack to the film "Contest."
Childhood and Adolescence
Katherine McNamara was born on November 22, 1995, in Kansas City, Missouri, and became the only child of Evan and Ursula McNamara. From an early age, she was involved in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, hula, and waltz dancing. Katherine also loved singing and took vocal lessons. Her parents encouraged her passion for both dance and vocal arts.
Baby photo of Katherine McNamara
In school, she was a very bright student. Seemingly taking to heart the famous quote from Huckleberry Finn, "I don't allow schooling to interfere with my education," she switched to homeschooling. This allowed her to complete the school curriculum by the age of 14, three years earlier than her classmates.
Young Katherine McNamara could confidently be called a child prodigy
By the age of 17, the ambitious and hardworking beauty had obtained an undergraduate degree—a Bachelor's in Business Administration with honors—through Drexel University's online program. The next step for her was studying at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a Master's degree in Applied Economics.
Acting Career
Katherine began her acting career before finishing high school, at the age of 13. She performed in several Broadway plays, including her debut musical "A Little Night Serenade," which tells the story of a boy whose dreams turn music into a tangible character. She was fortunate enough to perform alongside recognized professionals such as Angela Lansbury, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elaine Stritch, Bernadette Peters, and others. After a successful start, she moved to Los Angeles and landed minor roles in the TV series "30 Rock" and "Drop Dead Diva."
Katherine began her acting career at 13
In 2011, she played in the romantic comedy "New Year's Eve" alongside an ensemble of superstars including Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher.
In 2012, she starred in the fantasy comedy "Girl vs. Monster," where she played the role of Myra Santelli and performed the songs "Had me @ hello" by Olivia Holt and "Nothing's gonna stop me" by Samantha Fox. The following year, she appeared in 3 episodes of the comedy "Kickin' It" and in the Disney TV series "Jessie."
The evolution of Katherine McNamara
In 2014, Katherine joined the cast of the adventure film "Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn," playing Tom's friend Becky. During the same period, she landed the leading role in the teen romantic comedy "Happyland," which told the story of amusement park employees. Her character Lucy is in love with Ian, the park owner's son. However, Lucy's mother Gloria fears the young man could be her daughter's brother.
Photos from the filming of 'Tom Sawyer'
It's also worth mentioning the film "Little Savages," released that same year, featuring the actress's own song "My Heart Can Fly" as the soundtrack.
Katherine McNamara Interview (2016)
In 2015, she landed the key role of Rose in the movie "Homecoming," which featured her rendition of Elliott Yamin's song "Wait for you."
She also starred in the drama series "The Fosters" about a lesbian couple and in the sequel "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," based on the novel by American author James Dashner. According to the plot, which is known for its stunning special effects, the teenagers who escaped from the maze, where terrifying creatures, cyborg-grievers dwelled, faced new challenges. They encountered deadly dangers while crossing a scorched territory to uncover the plans of the sinister organization WCKD.
Katherine McNamara on the set of 'The Maze Runner'
In 2016, she starred in "Shadowhunters," a TV adaptation of the fantasy book series "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare. The first attempt at adaptation was the 2013 film "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" starring Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins, but it did not continue due to low box office returns.
'Shadowhunters': Katherine McNamara as Clary Fray
The new adaptation with Dominic Sherwood and McNamara was more successful. The first season included 13 episodes. Popular among the teenage audience, Katherine, who played the magically talented Clary Fray fighting against demonic creatures, was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards in the "Breakout Star" category.
Katherine McNamara without makeup
In January 2017, the second season of "Shadowhunters," consisting of 20 episodes, premiered. The actress mentioned in interviews that she was attracted to the complexity of her character, who is emotional and selflessly devoted to her loved ones. She enthusiastically performed combat scenes with swords, staffs, bows, and arrows, executing most of the stunts herself (including flips), as well as plenty of romantic episodes.
Shadowhunters: Kat McNamara (Clary Fray) Full Interview
In 2018, viewers saw her in the final installment of "The Maze Runner," where Katherine's characters, along with those played by Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Kaya Scodelario, set out to find a cure for a deadly disease that had plagued humanity.
Katherine McNamara In The Maze Runner 2
In 2019, the actress appeared in the horror film "Assimilate" and joined the DC Universe by appearing in the series "Batwoman" as Mia Smoak. She returned to this character in the action movie "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Mia appeared in the seventh season of the series "Arrow" as a guest character and joined the regular cast in the eighth season.
Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak
In 2020, the actress appeared in the series "The Stand" based on the novel by Stephen King. She landed a "villainous" role as the manipulative Julie Lawry. Katherine's fans were surprised, as they were used to seeing her on the "side of good." The actress herself explained her choice simply: "It's creative food for the soul. We crave variety, and I was dying to play with a different set of brushes."
Katherine McNamara in the series 'The Stand'
She landed the lead role of Abby Walker, the widow of a murdered sheriff, in the series "Walker: Independence" (a prequel to the series "Walker" starring Jared Padalecki).
Katherine McNamara as Abby Walker
In 2022, the actress could be seen in the film "Love, Classified."
Katherine McNamara's Personal Life
The actress is not married. Her fans are convinced she has a romance with her co-star from "Shadowhunters," Will Tudor, who played Sebastian. But these are just rumors. Relationships with Dominic Sherwood and Matthew Daddario have also been attributed to her.
Pictured: Katherine McNamara and Will Tudor
One of Kat's favorite activities is baking. She loves pastries. An avid reader, she names Cassandra Clare's "The Mortal Instruments" series as her favorite books. She considers herself a fan of the pop-rock band Fall Out Boy.
The actress likes to have fun in front of the camera
For fans planning to send her flowers, media reports mention that she is very fond of freesias and peonies.
Katherine McNamara Now
In February of 2024, the action movie "Jade" featuring Katherine McNamara premiered. Additionally, she starred alongside Anthony Michael Hall in the action film "Air Force One Down," for which she had to get into athletic shape in just one month:
I had three and a half weeks to transform from a flexible ballerina into a marine and then, on top of that, be ready to perform all his combat and stunt work. I just dove headfirst into all kinds of training and really worked hard. But in the end, it paid off.
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