Background

Ethnicity: Kit's ancestry is English, as well as Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, and Dutch. His distant roots include German, French, and Spanish, and, going back to the 1400s and 1500s, he also has remote Italian, Polish, Lithuanian, Austrian, and Danish ancestry.

Harington was born on 26 December 1986, in Acton, London, to Deborah Jane (Catesby), a former playwright, and Sir David Harington, 15th Baronet, a businessman. His full name is Christopher Catesby Harington; his mother named him after Christopher Marlowe, whose first name was shortened to Kit, a name Harington prefers. He did not learn what his full name was until he was eleven years old. Harington's uncle was Sir Nicholas John Harington, 14th Baronet, and his patrilineal great-grandfather was Sir Richard Harington, 12th Baronet. The Harringtons are an ancient family that once spelled their name Haverington and derived the name from their estate, a lordship in Cumberland. The first person identified with their name was one Robert De Haverington, the son of Osulphus or Oswulf whose manor was Flemingby. Through his paternal grandmother, Lavender Cecilia Denny, Harington's eighth-great-grandfather was Charles II of England. Also, through his father, Harington descends from Scottish politician Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville.

He is related to men who were involved on opposite sides of the Gunpowder Plot. He claims a family connection with the leader of the plot Robert Catesby on his mother's side, while through his father's side, he is related to James I (grandfather of Charles II), the target of the assassination attempt, and to Lord Harington, who was in the Houses of Parliament that Catesby and his co-conspirators tried to blow up. Another relation, John Harington (a different branch of the family), observed at the age of 13 the displayed head of Catesby after his execution and later commented on it.

At the age of four, Harington nearly drowned when he got into trouble in a swimming pool. In an interview with the Sunday Times Culture magazine, Harington revealed that he was "seconds from death".

Education

Harington was a pupil at the Southfield Primary School from 1992 to 1998. When he was 11, his family moved to Worcestershire and he studied at the Chantry High School in Martley until 2003. He became interested in acting after watching a production of Waiting for Godot when he was 14, and he performed in several school productions.

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. Harington moved back to London in 2005 when he was eighteen after graduating from Sixth Form and, later that year, attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 2008.

Career

Kit was one of those lucky young actors whose struggle period did not last too long. He started acting in professional theatrical productions as soon as he graduated from acting school. One of his earliest plays was ‘Posh,’ organized by the ‘Royal Court Theatre.’ Prior to that, while still in acting school, he had played the main role in the play ‘War Horse.’ His performance in the play earned him two ‘Olivier Awards.’

Still a fresher when it came to screen acting, he auditioned for a role in the ‘HBO’ drama ‘Game of Thrones.’ Hundreds of other actors from all over the country auditioned for the role, but Kit earned it eventually. His debut role itself was a career-defining journey. The series premiered on ‘HBO’ in 2011 and featured Kit as ‘Jon Snow,’ the illegitimate son of the show’s main character, ‘Ned Stark.’ Kit’s character went through several changes over the course of the series. While ‘Jon’ was portrayed as a naive but brave young boy initially, he eventually turned into a solid battle commander. By the time the third season premiered, ‘Jon’ had become a fan favorite. Kit’s consistent good performance in the series made him an international star. Kit has also won several awards over the years for his portrayal of ‘Jon Snow.’

While enjoying his massive international success, Kit was showered with many acting offers. In 2012, he made his big-screen debut with a supernatural horror film titled ‘Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.’ He played ‘Vincent,’ a lead role in the film. The film, however, was a commercial and critical disaster. Following the debacle of his debut film, Kit took a year-long break and concentrated on his portrayal of ‘Jon Snow’ in ‘Game of Thrones.’ 2014 was a major year for Kit, as he appeared in four films that year.

His first film of 2014 was a historical disaster titled ‘Pompeii.’ He played a leading role in the film. While the film received a few good reviews, many critics panned the film due to its historical inaccuracies and shoddy visual effects. Kit then voiced the character of ‘Eret’ in the animated film ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2.’ The movie was a critical and commercial success. Kit then portrayed the lead role of ‘Roland Leighton’ in the war drama ‘Testament of Youth.’ The film was heavily appreciated by critics but turned out to be a box-office disaster. Kit’s last film of 2014 was ‘Seventh Son,’ a fantasy epic that was poorly received by critics, in spite of being a commercial success.

In 2015, Kit appeared as one of the two leads in the ‘HBO’ sports drama ‘7 Days in Hell.’ The same year, Kit appeared in the British spy drama ‘Spooks: The Greater Good.’ The film was received well by critics. Kit’s performance also received immense appreciation, and the film also turned out to be a box-office hit. The 2016 Western thriller ‘Brimstone’ featured Kit in the supporting role of ‘Samuel.’ The film was a big commercial and critical success. In 2017, Kit worked as an executive producer for the miniseries ‘Gunpowder,’ based on the famous ‘Gunpowder Plot’ that had taken place in London in 1605. The movie featured him as ‘Robert Catesby.’ In 2018, Kit appeared in the film ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan,’ which was severely panned by critics.

Over the years, Kit has also been actively involved with theater and has appeared in plays such as ‘The Vote’ and ‘Posh. In June 2018, it was announced that Harington would star in the ’West End’ upcoming stage play True West, written by Sam Shepard and directed by Matthew Dunster. The play was set to premiere in November 2018 at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.

In March 2014, Harington was named the face of Jimmy Choo, starring in the fall/winter 14 men's lines. In 2015, he returned to front Jimmy Choo's new menswear campaign for Spring/Summer 15. In 2016, he became a spokesman for Nissan's premium brand Infiniti. He starred in a short film marking the launch of Infiniti Q60 titled Tyger. In March 2017, Harington was announced as the face of Dolce & Gabbana The One fragrance for men.

Achievements

• 

  Kit Harington rose to prominence for his breakthrough role as Jon Snow in the HBO television series Game of Thrones, which brought him international recognition. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a Critics Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, among other accolades. In 2017, he was honored with the Giffoni Experience Award at the Giffoni Film Festival.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Seventh Son

    (When Mother Malkin, the queen of evil witches, escapes th...)

    2014
  • Mi-5

    (When a terrorist escapes custody during a routine handove...)

    2015
  • Silent Hill: Revelation

    (When her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is d...)

    2012
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2

    (This thrilling second chapter of the How to Train Your Dr...)

    2014
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

    (When Hiccup discovers Toothless isn't the only Night Fury...)

    2019
  • Testament Of Youth

    (Alicia Vikander and Kit Harington star in Testament of Yo...)

    2014
  • Pompeii

    (A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against ...)

    2014
  • Brimstone

    (From the moment the new reverend climbs the pulpit, Liz k...)

    2016

• TV series

  • 7 Days in Hell

    (Two tennis arch-rivals battle it out on the court in the ...)

    2015
  • Gunpowder - Season 1

    ('Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington stars in this three-...)

    2017
  • Game of Thrones: The Complete Seasons 1-7 (BD + Digital)

    (HBO series set in a mythical world whose inhabitants vie ...)

    2011

Religion

Despite his Catholic ancestry, Harington was raised in the Church of England but isn’t particularly religious.

Politics

Harington doesn’t have a lot of insights about political issues. When asked in an interview about politics he basically called it all a dirty game whose players deceive the voters.

Views

Since April 2016, Harington has been an ambassador for The Royal Mencap Society; a leading organisation in the United Kingdom focussed in helping people with learning disabilities that also provides support for their families and caregivers.

On 16 April 2016, he was appointed as a patron of Longlands Care Farm, a charity located on a working livestock farm in Worcestershire, in which they care for, mentor and support disadvantaged and vulnerable young people aged 14 – 19 who are not succeeding in mainstream education.

On 12 September 2016, 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.

In August 2017, with a video backing Mencap #StopSleepInCrisis, Harington called on the government to fund six years' back pay for overnight carers. In a personal message of support, Harington said: "The learning disability sector in the UK is on the brink of crisis. It is faced with a back-pay bill of £400 million which it cannot pay. Many of the providers of this essential, ‘sleep-in’ service, face bankruptcy. And some of the most vulnerable people in our society will be left, without care, without hope and without an independent future. Stand with Mencap and stand with the incredible people our colleagues support and care for every day."

On 15 June 2018, Harington backed the 130 challenge, a charity campaign focused on raising the funds to save Trowbridge's Town Hall Arts in Wiltshire. Harington stated: "Small-scale out-of-London venues like Town Hall Arts are becoming a more and more precious commodities, for the communities they serve and also for the many actors, musicians and artists they provide paid work for. They are a vital part of the arts ecology and it’s only with these sorts of venues that actors like myself have a chance of building a career in the arts."

Quotations: "I'm very lucky, I've got two very loving parents, still very much together, and always been very supportive."

"The more you fly, the more unsettling it is, because you realize how much more likely it will be for you to crash. I am getting better at it, though."

"I don't go to work thinking, 'Right, I'm going to be more heart-throbby today.'"

"I have a wild streak, but I like to keep that very much for my friends."

"As an actor, you don't have much choice about your appearance. It's a good excuse for looking ridiculous."

"The best people to have power are the ones who don't want it."

"I try not to read the social networks too much. I find that way madness lies."

"I love New York; I love the city. It's impossible. It's a theme park of a city, isn't it."

"Jeff Bridges is one of those icons that I put on a very high pedestal, so just to get to chill with him off-camera on cold, rainy days was surreal."

Membership

• 

  The Royal Mencap Society

Personality

Kit Harington has a fear of spiders, needles, and flying. He gets around by car or train.

Kit broke his ankle in 2012 when he was locked out of his apartment building in London and fell while trying to climb to his flat. During Season 3 of Game of Thrones (2011) the film crew had to figure out how to shoot around the injury, including the use of stand-ins in "Jon Snow wigs". Harington felt so guilty that he bought the production manager a bottle of whiskey.

Physical Characteristics: Kit Harington has curly black hair. He said, he's never had long hair before Game of Thrones (2011) and he actually had to wear a wig in the first season. Harington intends to cut his hair short again after the series is complete.

Height - 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)

Weight - 77 kg (170 pounds)

Eye color - dark brown

Body specifications:

Chest – 43 inches (109 cm)

Arms / Biceps – 15 inches (38 cm)

Waist – 32 inches (81 cm)

Quotes from others about the person

• "Kit and I are counterparts in terms of experience. We are pretty much the same age, and our characters have had parallel journeys, and we as actors have had parallel journeys. We’ve both done stupid action movies we regret and fabulous things we’re proud of, and we’ve always come back to Thrones." - Emilia Clarke

Interests

• Favorite movie – The Shining (1980)
  
  Favorite filmmaker - David Lynch

• Politicians

  Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville

• Writers

  1984, by George Orwell

• Artists

  Deborah Jane Catesby

• Sport & Clubs

  Gym & Fitness

• Athletes

  Manchester United

• Music & Bands

  Nick Cave, Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Jake Bugg, Bon Iver, M83, Sigur Ros, Adele, Rolling Stones, Jurassic 5, Funkdoobiest, Slick Rick, Nas, Cypress Hill, Gang Starr, Wu-Tang Clan

Connections

Harington began an on-off relationship with his Game of Thrones co-star Rose Leslie in 2012. They announced their engagement through the "Forthcoming Marriages" section of The Times on 27 September 2017. On 23 June 2018, the couple married at Rayne Parish Church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, followed by a reception at the 12th-century Wardhill Castle.

Father:

David Richard Harington

(born June 25, 1944)

He is the proud father to two grown up sons and was also a book store owner.

Mother:

Deborah Jane Catesby

Deborah is a former playwright and talented artist. It was widely speculated that she named her son after a 16th century British playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe whose first name is shortened as Kit but later stated that she just like the name Kit and her son also happened to love it so much that he chose it as his professional moniker. She has been married to Kit’s father since 1983.

Spouse:

Rose Lesli

(born 9 February 1987)

She is a Scottish actress.

Brother:

John Harington

(born January 7, 1984)

Friend:

Emilia Clarke

(born 23 October 1986)

She is an English actress.

Friend:

John Bradley

(born 15 September 1988)

He is an English actor, best known for his role as Samwell Tarly in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.

Friend:

Alfie Allen

(born 12 September 1986)

He is an English actor. He is best known for playing Theon Greyjoy in the HBO series Game of Thrones since 2011.

Friend:

Richard Madden

(born 18 June 1986)

He is a Scottish actor. Born and raised near Glasgow, in Renfrewshire, he made his screen debut as a child actor and stage debut whilst a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In 2007, he toured with Shakespeare's Globe company as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, a role he would reprise in the West End in 2016.

Friend:

Ed Sheeran

Kit Harington became friends with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran after both had inadvertently met while using adjacent urinals in the men's room.

References

• Entertainment Weekly Magazine (Kit Harington Cover/ May 13, 2016)
• TV Guide Magazine April 1-14 2019 Emilia Clarke Kit Harington Game of Thrones
• Out Magazine, June/July 2015
• Entertainment Weekly March 20/27, 2015 Your Complete Guide to Game of Thrones Kit Harington
• Kit Harington: A Short Biography
• Esquire Magazine (June, 2017) KIt Harington Game of Thrones Cover
• Rolling Stone May 8, 2014
• Mens Health UK April 2014 (Kit Harington Cover)