Katherine McNamara is a prolific American actor, most notably for playing Clary sage in the acclaimed supernatural drama television show, Shadowhunters, and Mia Smoak in the acclaimed superhero show, Arrow. She’s also recently been cast in the comedy blockbuster World War Z as a zombie bride. Together with her work in television, film, and theater, she’s established herself as one of the many great actresses of her generation.
At age nine, Katherine became infatuated with the work of Richard Matheson in her first big screen role. That audition led to a career that would span decades in the acting game. Over the course of her many roles, she garnered awards notice and praise from such diverse sources as the Oprah Winfrey Show, Variety magazine, The New York Times, The Chicago Daily Tribune, and The Washington Post. Her numerous roles in films and television shows have made her after in both the mainstream and international entertainment industries. One of her early roles was in the acclaimed zombie romance The Maze Runner, which she also starred in along with Dylan O’Brien. For her efforts in that film, she went on to receive an Oscar nomination.
Currently, she’s repped by ICM, reps and Young Godless Entertainment. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Katherine began her professional acting career in the late seventies or early eighties, playing such diverse characters as a teenage girl in the beloved western Band of Brothers. Her popular characters in that film included Bo since he was the love interest of the teenage protagonist, Aidan Turner. Another one of her memorable characters was attorney David Storey, who she portrayed in legal thrillers like Legally Married. Those roles earned her both an Oscar nomination and win for those roles, as well as a second Oscar nomination.
Over the past several years, Katherine has shown a propensity for producing award-winning scripts, most notably in the last two movies she’s produced. She also has a reputation as being a great actress that can speak on behalf of all women. In her films, she plays strong, flawed women who are strong, flawed women. Her strength as an actress comes from the fact that she doesn’t need to put on a convincing performance in order to shine. In fact, you could even say that she does it herself.
Because of her wide range of talents, especially in her role as a mom on American Gods, McNamara has been able to play the lead female role in TV programs, movies and commercials. She’s appeared in episodes of Law and Order, Sex and the City and it was her appearance in those series’ fourth season that catapulted her into stardom status. It was that presence onscreen that allowed her to move into playing the lead role in BBC America’s own Shadowhunters, the British version of the popular anime show.
Although she’s not scheduled to appear in the adaptation of Japanese fantasy hit anime series until later in 2021, it’s safe to say that we’ll most likely be seeing a lot more of Katherine during the rest of her career. The producers of the anime have even already confirmed that they’re hoping to make a sequel to the hit TV series in late 2021. In the meantime, fans will just have to wait and see what happens with the lead role of Katherine Grace. What she represents, both onscreen and off, cannot be denied, and she will most certainly continue to be an important part of the world of Theatre and TV for many years to come.
