Katie McGrath is an actress who was born in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland. She went to St. Andrew’s College for her early education and later earned a degree in history from Trinity College, Dublin, with a particular emphasis on Russian history. Interestingly, McGrath initially had ambitions of working in fashion journalism and even landed a position at Image magazine. However, she eventually shifted her focus to the entertainment industry by working as a wardrobe assistant on the provocative medieval series The Tudors (Showtime, 2007–2010).
It was during her time on The Tudors that a colleague suggested she might have a future in acting. Taking that advice to heart, Katie decided to give it a shot and sent her headshot to several Irish talent agencies. It wasn’t long before opportunities began to arise. She landed roles in a variety of notable projects, including the five-part docudrama The Queen (Channel 4, 2009), which portrayed Queen Elizabeth II, the fantasy series Merlin (BBC One, 2008–2012), and Madonna’s polarizing film W.E. (2011), which centered around Wallis Simpson.
Katie later reunited with The Tudors co-star Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the short-lived NBC vampire series Dracula (2013–), and continued to build her career with a small but impactful role in the blockbuster hit Jurassic World (2015). Her most prolific year to date came in 2017, when she starred in Guy Ritchie’s action-packed King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), took on the role of Lena Luthor—sister of the infamous Lex Luthor—in the popular TV series Supergirl (The CW, 2016–), and appeared in the Canadian-American historical drama Frontier (Discovery Channel Canada, 2017–). Through it all, Katie McGrath has continued to demonstrate her versatility and growing presence in both film and television.
Katie McGrath is best known for her role in Jurassic World (2015), which happens to be her highest-rated film to date. On the flip side, one of her earlier performances was in Freakdog (2008), a movie that didn’t receive quite as much acclaim. While Katie McGrath has been part of several projects over the years, these two films stand out as the high and low points in terms of critical reception.