Kit Harington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kit Harington
Harington in 2019
Born	Christopher Catesby Harington (1986-12-26) 26 December 1986 (age 38) London, England
Alma mater	Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2008–present
Spouse(s)	Rose Leslie ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2
Relatives	John Harington (ancestor) Robert Catesby (ancestor)

Christopher Catesby Harington (born on December 26, 1986), known as Kit Harington, is an English actor. He is famous for playing Jon Snow in the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Kit Harington studied at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. He started his acting career in 2009 in the play War Horse in London's West End. He has also acted in other West End plays like The Children's Monologues (2015) and Doctor Faustus (2016). In 2022, he played the main role in William Shakespeare's play Henry V.

He also helped create, produce, and star in the 2017 BBC drama series Gunpowder, where he played Robert Catesby. Kit Harington has appeared in TV shows such as Modern Love (2021) and Extrapolations (2023). His films include Pompeii (2014) and Testament of Youth (2014). He played Dane Whitman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Eternals (2021). He also voiced Eret, a dragon hunter, in the How to Train Your Dragon film series (2014–2019).

Kit Harington's Early Life and Family History

Arms of the Harington baronets

Christopher Catesby Harington was born on December 26, 1986, in Acton, west London. His mother named him after the writer Christopher Marlowe. Kit is a shorter version of Christopher, and he prefers this name. He didn't know his full name until he was eleven years old.

His parents are Sir David Harington, a businessman, and Deborah Jane Catesby, a former playwright. Through his father, Kit is related to a Scottish politician named Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Kit Harington is also related to people who were on different sides of the Gunpowder Plot (1605). He has a family link to Robert Catesby, who led the plot, through his mother's side. Through his father's side, he is related to King James I, who was the target of the plot, and to Lord Harington of Exton, who was in the Houses of Parliament when the plotters tried to blow it up.

Kit went to Southfield Primary School from 1992 to 1998. When he was eleven, his family moved to Worcestershire. He then attended Chantry High School until 2003. He became interested in acting after seeing a play called Waiting for Godot when he was fourteen. He performed in several school plays. He later studied Drama and Theatre at Worcester Sixth Form College from 2003 to 2005. At seventeen, he was inspired to go to drama school after seeing Ben Whishaw perform as Hamlet in 2004. Kit moved back to London in 2005 and joined the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 2008.

Kit Harington's Acting Career

Starting Out in Theatre (2008–2010)

Before acting, Kit Harington wanted to be a journalist. While still in drama school, he got the role of Albert in the National Theatre's play War Horse. This play won two Olivier Awards and helped Kit become well-known. After that, he was cast in his second play, Posh, a comedy about upper-class men at Oxford University.

Becoming Famous with Game of Thrones (2011–2018)

Kit Harington at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

After War Horse, Kit Harington auditioned for his first TV role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. The show started in 2011 and was very popular. Game of Thrones is set in a fantasy world with different noble families fighting for power. Jon Snow is introduced as the son of Ned Stark, a respected lord. Kit's role was filmed in Iceland and Northern Ireland. The series finished in April 2019.

Kit received great reviews for playing Jon Snow. In 2012, he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television. In 2016 and 2019, he was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards. By 2017, Kit Harington was one of the highest-paid actors on TV, reportedly earning £2 million per episode of Game of Thrones.

Kit Harington made his first movie appearance in 2012 as Vincent in Silent Hill: Revelation, a horror film. In 2013, he won Actor of the Year at the Young Hollywood Awards. His first big lead role in a movie was in Pompeii (2014). Filming for Pompeii took place in Toronto, Canada, and some scenes were shot in the actual city of Pompeii. The movie received mixed reviews. That same year, Kit also voiced Eret in the animated film How to Train Your Dragon 2, which was very successful. He voiced Eret again in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019, which was also a big hit.

Kit Harington at the Game of Thrones season three premiere in 2013

In 2014, Kit Harington also appeared in the fantasy film Seventh Son with Jeff Bridges. Kit played Billy Bradley, an apprentice. The film was released in the UK in January 2015. In December 2014, it was announced he would star in The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. This film premiered in August 2018 but received poor reviews.

He starred in the 2015 HBO comedy 7 Days in Hell, a short film about a long tennis match. In 2016, Kit Harington played Salen Kotch, the main villain, in the video game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. That same year, he starred in a West End play called Doctor Faustus.

In February 2017, it was reported that Kit Harington would write, star in, and produce Gunpowder, a three-part historical drama for BBC. It was based on the true story of the Gunpowder Plot. He played his ancestor Robert Catesby. In June 2018, it was announced that Kit would star in the West End play True West. The play opened in November 2018 and closed in February 2019. That same year, he hosted the NBC show Saturday Night Live. His Game of Thrones co-stars Rose Leslie and Emilia Clarke appeared during his opening speech.

Expanding His Career (2020–Present)

In 2020, Kit Harington took part in a virtual performance of a play called Burn. In September 2020, it was announced he would appear in the second season of the Netflix series Criminal: UK. In August 2019, Kit joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His role was later revealed to be Dane Whitman in the movie Eternals, released in November 2021. The film made over $402 million worldwide. That same year, he was cast in the second season of the Amazon Prime Video series Modern Love.

In March 2022, Kit Harington played the main role in Henry V at the Donmar Warehouse. In May, it was announced that Kit would star in Mary’s Monster, a film about author Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. That same month, he also joined the action thriller Blood for Dust. In June 2022, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin said that a Jon Snow spin-off series was being planned, and that Kit Harington had first suggested the idea. However, Kit later said the show was no longer in development because they "couldn't find the right story to tell."

In March 2023, Kit Harington appeared in the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations as Nicholas Bilton. Kit is also producing a TV thriller called Empire of Dirt. In 2024, he was cast in the West End play Slave Play at the Noël Coward Theatre. That same year, he was cast in a main role in the third season of the HBO/BBC One series Industry, playing Henry Muck, a CEO of a green tech energy company.

Kit Harington's Personal Life

In 2017, Kit Harington bought a 15th-century country home outside Ipswich, Suffolk.

Kit Harington started a relationship with his Game of Thrones co-star Rose Leslie in 2011. They announced their engagement in The Times newspaper on September 27, 2017.

On June 23, 2018, the couple got married in Scotland. They had a son by February 2021. In February 2023, Kit announced they were expecting their second child. In July 2023, they confirmed the birth of their daughter.

Kit Harington is a big football fan and supports Manchester United. He is also on the cultural advisory board of Colossal Biosciences.

Kit Harington's Charity Work

In 2015, Kit Harington joined other actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Nicole Kidman in a charity performance called The Children's Monologues. This event took place in London, and the money raised went to Dramatic Need, a charity that helps children in South Africa and Rwanda.

Kit Harington at Comic Con in 2014

Since April 2016, Kit Harington has been an ambassador for The Royal Mencap Society. This is a leading organization in the UK that helps people with learning difficulties and supports their families. On April 16, 2016, he became a patron of Longlands Care Farm, a charity in Worcestershire. This charity helps and supports young people aged 14–19 who are struggling in school. On September 12, 2016, Kit Harington, along with other actors, appeared in a video for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. The video, called "What They Took With Them", aimed to raise awareness about the global refugee crisis.

In August 2017, Kit Harington supported the Mencap StopSleepInCrisis campaign. He asked the government to provide funding for overnight carers. He said that the learning disability sector in the UK was facing a crisis and that many care providers might go bankrupt.

In 2018, he joined actors like Tom Hiddleston and Kristin Scott Thomas for a charity event called Happy Birthday, Harold. This event celebrated the work of Harold Pinter and raised money for Amnesty International and Chance to Shine.

In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kit Harington supported a humanitarian campaign. He starred in a video asking people to help Ukrainian refugees. He also auctioned off signed Game of Thrones items to support Ukraine.

Kit Harington's Acting Roles

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Roles

Radio Roles

Video Game Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kit Harington para niños