Kit Harington
Kit Harington | |
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![]() Harington in 2014 | |
Born | Christopher Catesby Harington 26 December 1986 Acton, London, England |
Alma mater | Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2008–present |
Christopher Catesby "Kit" Harington[1][2] (born 26 December 1986)[1][2] is an English actor. He rose to prominence playing the role of Jon Snow in the award-winning HBO television series Game of Thrones,[3] which garnered him a nomination for the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award.[4] Harington also played lead roles in the films Pompeii, Testament of Youth, and Spooks: The Greater Good, as well as supporting roles in the films Silent Hill: Revelation and Seventh Son. In 2014, Harington had a voice role in How to Train Your Dragon 2.[5]
Early life and ancestry
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Coat_of_Arms_of_Baron_Harington.png/150px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Baron_Harington.png)
Harington was born in Acton, London,[6] to Deborah Jane (Catesby), a former playwright, and Sir David Richard Harington, 15th Baronet, a businessman.[7][8] His mother named him after Christopher Marlowe, whose first name was shortened to Kit,[9] a name Harington prefers.[10] Harington's uncle was Sir Nicholas John Harington,[11] 14th Baronet,[12] and his patrilineal great-grandfather was Sir Richard Harington, 12th Baronet. Through his paternal grandmother, Lavender Cecilia Denny, Harington's eighth-great-grandfather was Charles II of England.[13] Also, through his father, Harington descends from Scottish politician Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville.[14]
Harington was a pupil at the Southfield Primary School from 1992 to 1998. When he was 11, his family moved to Worcestershire[15][16] and he studied at the Chantry High School in Martley until 2003.[17] He became interested in acting after watching a production of Waiting for Godot when he was 14,[18] and he performed in several school productions.[17] He attended Worcester Sixth Form College, where he studied Drama and Theatre (2003–05). When he was 17, he was inspired to attend a drama school after seeing a performance by Ben Whishaw as Hamlet in 2004.[15][19] Harington moved back to London when he was eighteen and, a year later, attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 2008.[20][21]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Kit_Harrington_%289350745314%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/210px-Kit_Harrington_%289350745314%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Before acting, Harington originally wanted to become a journalist, a cameraman, or a war correspondent.[22] While still at drama school, he landed the role of Albert in the National Theatre's adaptation of War Horse.[2][22][23] The play won two Olivier Awards and gained Harington a great deal of recognition. He was later cast in his second play Posh, a dark ensemble comedy about upper-class men attending Oxford University.[2] After War Horse, Harington auditioned for and landed his first television role as Jon Snow in the television series Game of Thrones. The show debuted in 2011 to great critical acclaim and positive reviews and was quickly picked up by the network for a second season.[24] Harington's role is largely filmed in Iceland and Northern Ireland.[25] In 2012, Harington was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television for the role.[26] Harington made his cinematic debut in 2012 as Vincent in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D. The horror film was based on the survival horror video game Silent Hill 3, and was a sequel to the film Silent Hill.[27] He was honoured with Actor of the Year at the Young Hollywood Awards 2013, which celebrates the best emerging young talent in film, music and television.[28]
Harington's first major lead role in a feature film occurred when he played Milo in the Pompeii. Production for the film commenced in 2013 and took place in and around Toronto. Some scenes were also shot in the actual city of Pompeii itself.[29] The film was a modest box office success and received mixed reviews from critics. That year, Harington also voiced Eret in How to Train Your Dragon 2,[5] which was a critically acclaimed, box-office success,[30] won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and received an Academy Award nomination.[31][32] In 2014, Harington also appeared alongside Jeff Bridges in the film Seventh Son, a poorly received fantasy–adventure film.[33] Harington played Roland Leighton, the main character's love interest, in Testament of Youth alongside Alicia Vikander and Emily Watson.[34] The film was released in wide distribution in the UK on 16 January 2015. Its world premiere was in The Centrepiece Gala, supported by the Mayor of London, at the British Film Institute London Film Festival in October 2014.[35][36][37]
In December 2014, it was announced that he would feature in Xavier Dolan's upcoming movie The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, with Jessica Chastain, Kathy Bates, Thandie Newton and Susan Sarandon.[38] Filming began in July 2016 in Montreal, Quebec and will run through to Spring 2017. He starred in the 2015 HBO comedy 7 Days in Hell, a short film about a 7-day tennis match.[39] In June 2015, it was confirmed that Harington would star in Martin Koolhoven's upcoming western thriller film Brimstone, replacing Robert Pattinson.[40] In 2016, Harington starred as the main villain in the first-person shooter video game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.[41] He is the driver in the current 2016 commercial for the Infiniti Q60 sport coupe car. It is his latest role for product commercials.
Personal life
In 2016, Harington confirmed that he has been in an on-and-off relationship with Game of Thrones co-star Rose Leslie since 2012.[42][43][44]
Philanthropy
On September 12, Harington, as well as Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Peter Capaldi, Douglas Booth, Neil Gaiman, Keira Knightley, Juliet Stevenson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Stanley Tucci, featured in a video from the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR to help raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. The video, titled "What They Took With Them", has the actors reading a poem, written by Jenifer Toksvig and inspired by primary accounts of refugees, and is part of UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign, of which also includes a petition to governments to expand asylum to provide further shelter, integrating job opportunities, and education.[45][46]
Filmography
Film
Title | Year | Role | Director | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Silent Hill: Revelation | 2012 | Vincent Smith | Michael J. Bassett | [27] | |
Pompeii | 2014 | Milo | Paul W. S. Anderson | Lead role | [29] |
How to Train Your Dragon 2 | 2014 | Eret | Dean DeBlois | Voice role | [5] |
Testament of Youth | 2014 | Roland Leighton | James Kent | [34] | |
Seventh Son | 2014 | Billy Bradley | Sergei Bodrov | [33] | |
Spooks: The Greater Good | 2015 | Will Holloway | Bharat Nalluri | [47] | |
Brimstone | 2016 | Samuel | Martin Koolhoven | [40] | |
The Death and Life of John F. Donovan | 2017 | John F. Donovan | Xavier Dolan | Post-production † | [48] |
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Game of Thrones | 2011–present | Jon Snow | HBO | Main role | [49] |
7 Days in Hell | 2015 | Charles Poole | HBO | Television film | [39] |
Video games
Title | Year | Voice role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Game of Thrones | 2015 | Jon Snow | [50] |
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | 2016 | Salen Kotch | [51] |
Theatre
Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
War Horse | 2008–2009 | Albert Narracott | Olivier Theatre and New London Theatre | [52][53] |
Posh | 2010 | Ed Montgomery | Royal Court Theatre | [2][54] |
The Vote | 2015 | Colin Henderson | Donmar Warehouse | [54] |
Doctor Faustus | 2016 | Faustus | Duke of York's Theatre | [55] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Scream Award | Best Ensemble (shared with the cast) | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [56] |
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with the cast) | Nominated | [57] | ||
IGN Award | Best TV Hero | Nominated | [58] | ||
IGN People's Choice Award | Best TV Hero | Nominated | [58] | ||
Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Nominated | [59] | ||
2012 | Golden Nymph Award | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [60] | |
2013 | Young Hollywood Awards | Actor of the Year | Won | [61] | |
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with the cast) | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [62] | |
2014 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with the cast) | Nominated | [63] | |
2015 | Empire Award | Empire Hero Award (shared with the cast) | Won | [64] | |
Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [65] | ||
Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Nominated | [66] | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with the cast) | Nominated | [67] | ||
2016 | Gold Derby TV Awards | Best Drama Supporting Actor | Won | [68] | |
Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [69] | ||
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [4] | ||
Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [70] | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with the cast) | Pending | [71] |
References
- ^ a b "Kit Harrington". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e "Kit Harington". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Low, Lenny Ann (22 March 2014). "Game of Throne's Kit Harington: Man for all seasons". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Emmys 2016: The Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ a b c Harmanian, Harout (20 June 2012). "'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Gets Kit Harington". MovieWeb. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Sophie Heawood (1 May 2014). "Meet Kit Harington: Game of Thrones hunk and Hollywood's hottest new player". London Evening Standard.
- ^ Ed Cumming (3 May 2015). "Kit Harington: 'The acting never feels like work'". The Observer.
- ^ Cindy Pearlman (20 March 2014). "Jon Snow knows the right moves – sometimes". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Lenny Ann Low (22 March 2014). "Game of Throne's Kit Harington: Man for all seasons". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Emma Brown. "The HBO Heartthrob: Kit Harington". Interview Magazine.
- ^ "Person Page 43217: Christopher Harington". thepeerage.com. 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Nicholas John Harington". Geneall.net. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ "Lavender Cecilia Denny". Geneall.net. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ Siobhan Synnot (11 January 2015). "Kit Harington discusses release of his new film". The Scotsman.
- ^ a b Alex Bilmes (6 May 2015). "Mr Kit Harington". Mr Porter.
- ^ "Nerdist Podcast Episode 482: Kit Harington". Nerdist. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ a b James Connell (7 April 2014). "Game of Thrones star says Worcester will always be home". Worcester News.
- ^ Nojan Aminosharei (1 April 2013). "Q&A: Kit Harington". Details.
- ^ Ruben V. Nepales (7 February 2014). "'Thrones' star bulked up, then slimmed down for film role". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ "Kit Harington". Royal National Theatre. August 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Tara Abell (30 March 2012). "Game of Thrones Star Kit Harington Loves Iceland, Fears Flying". The Daily Traveller.
- ^ a b "Kit Harington Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Kit Harington – Biography". Internet Movie Database. 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "HBO Re-commissions 'Game of Thrones'". IFTN. 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Exclusive interview with Kit Harington". myfanbase.de. 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Saturn award nominations2012
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (7 March 2011). "Clemens, Harington join 'Silent Hill'". Variety. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "'Game of Thrones' Kit Harington (Jon Snow): My big break". OnTheRedCarpet.com. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ a b DeMara, Bruce (19 February 2013). "Paul W.S. Anderson to shoot Pompeii in Toronto". The Star. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "Box Office: 'How To Train Your Dragon 2' Crosses $500M Following China Debut". Forbes. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Golden Globes: 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Wins Best Animated Feature Film". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ "'Birdman,' 'Budapest' lead Oscar nominations". USA Today. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Seventh Son". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ a b Kit, Borys (4 February 2014). "'Game of Thrones' Star Kit Harington to Headline 'Testament of Youth'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ BAZ BAMIGBOYE. "BAZ BAMIGBOYE: A hundred years on, Brittain's got talent". Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Edward Davis. "Indiewire: Watch: First Trailer For 'Testament Of Youth'". Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Clare Stewart. "British Film Institute: Testament of Youth". Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ "'Game of Thrones' Star Joins Jessica Chastain in Xavier Dolan Celebrity Satire". Deadline.com. 4 December 2014.
- ^ a b "7 Days in Hell: HBO's tennis mockumentary is a grand slam". The Guardian. 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b "BrimstoneMovie". Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ http://time.com/4380582/kit-harington-call-of-duty-infinite-warfare-villain/]
- ^ "'Game of Thrones' Co-Stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie Make Red Carpet Debut as a Couple". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ Staff, Hollywood Life; Staff, Hollywood Life (27 August 2012). "Are 'Game of Thrones' Stars Kit Harington & Rose Leslie Dating?". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Game of Thrones' Kit Harington and Rose Leslie Share Serious PDA During L.A. Shopping Trip". People. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "2016 Stories - #WithRefugees". Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ^ "What They Took With Them - #WithRefugees". 7 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (7 November 2013). "AFM: Kit Harington, Jennifer Ehle Sign on for 'Spooks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (4 December 2014). "'Game Of Thrones' Star Joins Jessica Chastain In Xavier Dolan Celebrity Satire". Deadline.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Game of Thrones: Cast". HBO. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Matulef, Jeffery (10 June 2016). "Jon Snow actor Kit Harington will play Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's villain". Eurogamer. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Staff writer (2 July 2009). "Theatre Interview with Kit Harington – The 22-Year-Old Stars in War Horse at the New London Theatre". The London Paper. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Kit Harington". London Theatre Database. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Game of Thrones's Kit Harington looking for another stage role?". What's on Stage. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Doctor Faustus". Best of Theatre. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "2011 SCREAM Awards: Best Ensemble". Spike. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Award. Screen Actors Guild. 29 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Best Television Hero 2011". IGN. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Nominations for the 38th Annual Saturn Awards". Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Nominees/Competition 2012" (PDF). Golden Nymph Awards. 2012. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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{{cite web}}
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{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Hipes, Patrick (10 December 2014). "SAG Awards Nominations: 'Birdman' & 'Boyhood' Lead Film Side, HBO & 'Modern Family' Rule TV – Full List". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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- ^ "Television Branch: 2014–15". Online Film & Television Association Award. 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ Bryant, Jacob (24 February 2016). "Star Wars, Mad Max, Walking Dead Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Home – Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- ^ Montgomery, Daniel (7 September 2016). "Gold Derby TV Awards 2016: 'People v. O.J. Simpson' leads winners, 'Game of Thrones' & 'Veep' also prevail". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
{{cite web}}
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- ^ "Critics' Choice TV Awards: HBO Leads With 22 Nominations". 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (14 December 2016). "SAG Awards nominations 2017: See the full list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
Further reading
- Heath, Chris (April 2014). "Kit Harington on Game of Thrones, Nudity, and His Butt Double". GQ. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1986 births
- Living people
- 21st-century English male actors
- Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama
- English male film actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English people of Scottish descent
- Male actors from London
- Male actors from Worcestershire
- People from Hammersmith
- People from Worcester
- Younger sons of baronets