Katherine McNamara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine McNamara
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McNamara in November 2014
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| Born | November 22, 1995 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Drexel University |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is well-known for playing Clary Fray in the TV show Shadowhunters from 2016 to 2019. For this role, she won a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award.
In 2022, Katherine starred as Abby Walker in the western action series Walker: Independence. She also played Mia Smoak in the superhero series Arrow. Another big role was Julie Lawry in the miniseries The Stand. Her movie roles include Sonya in the Maze Runner series and Lily Bowman in New Year's Eve.
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Early Life and School
Katherine McNamara was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She is the only child of Ursula and Evan McNamara. Her dad was in the U.S. military. She grew up in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and then moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2011.
Katherine was a very smart student. She was partly homeschooled and finished high school at just 14 years old. By age 17, she had earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drexel University. She did a lot of her college work online. In 2017, she also started an online master's degree program in literature at Johns Hopkins University.
Acting Career
Katherine started acting on stage in Kansas City. She then appeared in movies made in the area, like Matchmaker Mary in 2008. In 2010, she was in a Broadway show called A Little Night Music. She also began making guest appearances on TV shows. These included Law & Order: SVU, 30 Rock, and Drop Dead Diva.
She appeared in movies such as New Year's Eve. She was also in the Disney Channel movie Girl vs. Monster as Myra Santelli. Katherine played Becky Thatcher, Tom Sawyer's girlfriend, in the film Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn.
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Katherine had a recurring role as Claire on the Disney XD series Kickin' It. She also appeared in two episodes of the Disney Channel series Jessie. In 2014, she was cast as Harper Munroe in the MTV series Happyland. In 2015, she joined The Fosters for three episodes.
On May 6, 2015, Katherine was chosen to play the main character, Clary Fray, in Shadowhunters. This TV show was based on Cassandra Clare's popular book series The Mortal Instruments. She also played Sonya in the Maze Runner movie sequels, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018).
In 2018, Katherine joined the cast of Arrow as Mia Smoak. She became a regular cast member for the show's final season. She also returned as Mia Queen in The Flash in 2021. In 2019, Katherine was cast as Julie Lawry in The Stand, a limited series based on Stephen King's book.
In 2020, Katherine helped make Untitled Horror Movie. The cast filmed it remotely because of COVID-19 rules. In 2021, she lent her voice to the horror podcast The Burned Photo. She also voiced a character in the animated film The Adventures of Bunny Bravo.
In March 2022, Katherine was cast as the main character, Abby Walker, in Walker: Independence. This show is a prequel to the series Walker. She also started hosting a Shadowhunters rewatch podcast called Return to the Shadows with her co-star Dominic Sherwood. In 2024, she starred as a rookie U.S. Secret Service agent in the film Air Force One Down.
Singing Career
Katherine has sung songs for movies and TV shows she has been in. She wrote and sang "Chatter" for the movie Contest. She also wrote "My Heart Can Fly" for Little Savages. Her song "Ember" was featured in an episode of Shadowhunters.
In December 2019, Katherine was the voice of singer Sally Jessup in the animated Christmas special Spirit of Christmas. This special was part of the DreamWorks series Spirit Riding Free on Netflix. She sang several songs in the special.
In 2020 and 2021, Katherine released several songs on digital music platforms. These included "What Do We Got to Lose", "Making a Monster Out of Me", and "Love Me Like That". She had recorded these songs earlier while building her music portfolio.
Helping Others
Katherine has worked to stop bullying. She has shared her own experiences of being bullied as a child. She also works with the Lollipop Theater Network. This group visits children who are in hospitals because they are very sick.
In 2017, she recorded the song "Glass Slipper" for a charity campaign. This campaign supported the United Nations Girl Up program. She also made a t-shirt with the song's lyrics to help the cause. In 2018 and 2019, she took part in the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend. This event raises money for the Kansas City Children's Mercy Hospital.
In March 2020, Katherine released a song called "Just Like James". The money from this song was given to the World Health Organization (WHO) to help with COVID-19 relief. Google matched the sales from the first 30 days.
Film and Television Roles
Katherine McNamara has appeared in many films and television shows. Here are some of her notable roles:
Films
- 2011: New Year's Eve as Lily Bowman
- 2014: Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn as Becky Thatcher
- 2015: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials as Sonya
- 2018: Maze Runner: The Death Cure as Sonya
- 2021: Trust as Amy
- 2024: Air Force One Down as Allison Miles
Television Shows
- 2012: Girl vs. Monster as Myra Santelli (Disney Channel film)
- 2012–2013: Kickin' It as Claire (3 episodes)
- 2013: Jessie as Bryn Breitbart (2 episodes)
- 2014: Happyland as Harper Munroe (Main role)
- 2016–2019: Shadowhunters as Clary Fray (Main role)
- 2018–2020: Arrow as Mia Smoak (Recurring, then main role)
- 2020: The Stand as Julie Lawry (Miniseries)
- 2022–2023: Walker: Independence as Abby Walker (Main role)
Awards and Recognitions
Katherine McNamara has received awards and nominations for her acting:
- 2018: People's Choice Awards - Won for Female TV Star in Shadowhunters
- 2019: Teen Choice Awards - Won for Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress in Shadowhunters
- 2023: Critics' Choice Super Awards - Nominated for Best Actress in an Action Series in Walker: Independence
See also
In Spanish: Katherine McNamara para niños
