Kat Graham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kat Graham
Kat Graham at Essence Festival of Culture 2025
Born	Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (1989-09-05) September 5, 1989 (age 35) Geneva, Switzerland
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress singer dancer model
Years active	1998–present
Known for	Playing Bonnie Bennett on The Vampire Diaries
Spouse(s)	Bryant Wood ​ (m. 2023)​
Musical career
Also known as	Toro Gato
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul dance
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	A&M/Octone (2012–2013) Interscope (2014–2015) Sound Zoo (2015–present)

Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989), known as Kat Graham, is an American actress, singer, dancer, and activist. She is famous for playing Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries, a popular TV show about supernatural beings.

Kat has also appeared in many movies. These include The Parent Trap (1998), 17 Again (2009), and All Eyez on Me (2017). As a singer, she has released several albums and EPs.

Early Life and Background

Kat Graham was born in Geneva, Switzerland. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Her father, Joseph, has roots in Americo-Liberian culture. Her mother, Natasha, was Jewish, from a family with Polish and Russian backgrounds.

Kat's father was involved in the music industry. Her grandfather was a UN Ambassador for 40 years. He worked in countries like the Netherlands and Kenya. Kat has shared that her grandparents were refugees. This experience inspires her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, which helps refugees.

Her parents separated when she was five years old. Kat was raised in her mother's Jewish faith. She also attended a Hebrew school.

Career Highlights

Early Work in Entertainment

Kat Graham started her career very young, at age six. Over the next eight years, she appeared in many TV commercials. These included ads for Barbie and Pop-Tarts.

When she was 15, a famous choreographer named Fatima Robinson noticed her. Kat was asked to dance as a background performer for rapper Bow Wow at the BET Awards. After this, she danced for other big artists like Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams.

At 17, Kat joined a national campaign for Coca-Cola's Fanta soda. She was one of the "Fantanas", known as Capri or Strawberry. Kat has also appeared in many music videos for artists like Justin Bieber, Usher, and Nelly.

Acting in TV and Movies

Kat Graham in June 2013

In 1998, Kat made her first movie appearance in The Parent Trap. She played Jackie, a camper. In 2002, she started acting on TV in the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire.

She later appeared in other TV series. These included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The O.C., and Hannah Montana. In Hannah Montana, she played Allison for three episodes. Kat also had important roles in movies like 17 Again and The Roommate.

In 2009, Kat was cast in The Vampire Diaries. She played Bonnie Bennett, a young witch. This role became her most well-known. The show became very popular. In 2011, Kat won "Choice TV Female Scene Stealer" at the Teen Choice Awards for her role. She became a main female lead in 2015.

In 2010, Kat starred in the dance movie Honey 2. She played Maria Ramirez, a dancer who joins a crew. The film was released in theaters in some countries. It later came out on DVD in North America. Critics praised Kat's performance and dancing.

In 2017, she played actress Jada Pinkett Smith in the movie All Eyez on Me. Kat has also starred in Netflix romantic comedies. These include The Holiday Calendar (2018) and Operation Christmas Drop (2020). She also appeared in the thriller How It Ends.

In 2022, Kat competed on The Masked Singer as "Robo-Girl". She was eliminated on "Muppet Night". Kat is set to play singer Diana Ross in the upcoming Michael Jackson movie Michael.

Music Career

Kat Graham

Kat Graham started her music career in 2002. She wrote a song called "Derailed" for a movie. In 2007, she was featured on songs by will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas. She even toured with The Black Eyed Peas.

In 2010, Kat released her first single, "Sassy". She also released covers of songs by artists like Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul. In 2012, she signed with a major record label, A&M/Octone Records.

Her song "Put Your Graffiti On Me" was released in March 2012. It received good reviews. The music video gained millions of views on YouTube. The song reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Kat performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She released her first EP, Against The Wall, in May 2012. It did well on the iTunes charts. In 2015, Kat released her first studio album, Roxbury Drive. Her second album, Love Music Funk Magic, came out in 2017.

In 2021, Kat introduced a new music identity called Toro Gato. She released an EP, Toro Gato, as part of an NFT collection. She released Toro Gato Pt. II in January 2022. These albums were unique because they were available as NFTs.

On June 3, 2022, she released her fourth album, Long Hot Summer. She also announced her first solo world tour. In September 2023, Kat announced the TIME World Tour 2023/2024. This tour features songs from her entire career.

Other Projects

In 2011, Kat Graham released her first book, The Blue Sky Chronicles. It is a collection of poems.

In 2019, Kat co-founded a wellness company called Modern Nirvana. She worked with Frank Elaridi and Bryant Wood. In 2022, they released The Modern Nirvana Oracle Deck. This deck helps people awaken their intuition.

From 2019 to 2020, she hosted The Consciousness Collective Podcast with Deepak Chopra. In November 2023, Kat released her self-help book called Seasons of You.

Musical Style

Kat Graham says her music is influenced by artists like Destiny's Child, The Beatles, Janet Jackson, and Prince. She describes her sound as "vintage 90's with a modern twist."

Personal Life

Kat Graham can speak English, French, and Spanish. She also knows some Hebrew and Portuguese.

She married her business partner, Bryant Wood, in Los Angeles in October 2023. Kat has been a vegan since 2012. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Discography

Studio Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Tours

• The Fantanas (2004–2006)
• The Black Eyed Peas Black Blue & You Tour (2007)
• Long Hot Summer World Tour (2022)
• The TIME Tour (2023–2024)

Awards and Recognitions

Kat Graham has won several awards for her work.

• In 2011, she won a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Female Scene Stealer" for The Vampire Diaries.
• In 2014, she received the Creative Award from the Black Women in Film Association.
• In 2017, she won another Teen Choice Award for "Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress" for The Vampire Diaries.
• In 2019, she received the Humanitarian award at the Westfield Film Festival for her work with refugees and human rights.
• In 2020, PETA gave her a Humanitarian Award for her animal activism.
• In 2021, she won the Human Rights Advocate award at the World Influencers and Bloggers Awards.
• In 2024, she received the Taurus Award at the Outdoor Film Festival for her contributions to film.

See also

In Spanish: Kat Graham para niños