Katherine McNamara

Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995) is an American actress. She portrayed Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 supernatural drama series Shadowhunters, receiving a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award for her work. In 2022, she starred in the western action series Walker: Independence as Abby Walker, which earned her a Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actress in an Action Series nomination. She also portrayed Mia Smoak in the superhero series Arrow and starred as Julie Lawry in the post-apocalyptic miniseries The Stand. Her film roles include Lily Bowman in the 2011 romantic comedy New Year's Eve, Rosa in the 2015 drama A Sort of Homecoming, Sonya in the second and third films of the dystopian science fiction film series Maze Runner, and Amy in the 2021 thriller Trust.

Early life and education McNamara was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Ursula McNamara, a research scientist and college professor and Evan McNamara, who served in the U.S. military. She was raised in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 2011.

While growing up, McNamara was an advanced student in certain subjects, resulting in her being partly homeschooled; she received her high school diploma at age 14. At age 17, McNamara graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drexel University, completing much of her course work online.

Career

Acting McNamara began her acting career on stage in Kansas City. She then participated in motion picture productions filmed in the Kansas City area, such as Matchmaker Mary in 2008 and the short film "Get Off My Porch". In 2010, she appeared in the 2009 Broadway revival of A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. She began making guest appearances in television series, including Law & Order: SVU, 30 Rock, and Drop Dead Diva. McNamara appeared in theatrical movies such as New Year's Eve and in the Disney Channel original movie Girl vs. Monster, playing the role of Myra Santelli. She co-starred in the film Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, playing the role of Tom's girlfriend Becky Thatcher. McNamara also appeared in the independent films Contest and A Sort of Homecoming.

She appeared on three episodes of the Disney XD series Kickin' It, in which she had a recurring role as Claire, Kim's rival, and in two episodes of the Disney Channel series Jessie, playing Bryn Brietbart, a rival to Emma Ross. She also appeared as Myra Santelli in Girl vs. Monster, and as Tara Campbell in an episode of the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans. McNamara was cast in the MTV series Happyland as Harper Munroe, a theme park photographer. It was announced that McNamara would playing the recurring role of Kat on the third season of The Fosters in 2015.

On May 6, 2015, ABC Family (now Freeform) announced that McNamara would be playing the lead character Clary Fray in Shadowhunters, a television adaptation of Cassandra Clare's bestselling book series The Mortal Instruments. McNamara appeared in The Maze Runner film sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, as Sonya, a co-leader of Group B. She reprised the role in the 2018 sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure.

In September 2018, McNamara was cast in the seventh season of Arrow as the recurring character of Mia Smoak, the daughter of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak; In October 2019, The CW announced plans for a potential Arrow spin-off featuring Mia Smoak. A backdoor pilot for the spin-off aired as the ninth episode of Arrow'''s final season. However, in January 2021, The CW passed on ordering the spin-off to series. In August 2021, The CW announced that McNamara would return as Mia Queen in the five-episode "Armageddon" storyline at the beginning of The Flash Season 8.

In October 2019, McNamara was cast as Julie Lawry in the CBS All Access limited series adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. Principal photography on the limited series was completed in March 2020, and CBS All Access announced a premiere date of December 17, 2020.

In November 2018, McNamara joined the cast of a Charlie Day film, formerly known as El Tonto, and eventually retitled Fool's Paradise before a release in 2023. During May and June 2020, McNamara participated in the making of Untitled Horror Movie, a movie that was shot by cast members receiving direction from Nick Simon via remote videoconferencing. This was due to restrictions necessitated by COVID-19 distancing protocols. In 2021, QCode released The Burned Photo, a horror podcast, with McNamara as a member of the voice cast. The same year, she was also added to the voice cast of the animated film The Adventures of Bunny Bravo.

In March 2022, McNamara was cast in the lead role in the pilot to Walker: Independence, a planned prequel series to Walker. She portrays Abby Walker, the ancestor of Jared Padalecki's Cordell Walker. The same month, she was added to the cast of the film Jade, which is stuntman James Bamford's directorial debut. On April 11, 2022, she began hosting a Shadowhunters rewatch podcast with co-star Dominic Sherwood called Return to the Shadows. McNamara also starred as Chloe Belle in the Amazon Prime film Sugar (marketed on Lifetime as Danger Below Deck) alongside Jasmine Sky Sarin which was loosely based on the real-life story of the Cocaine Cowgirls.

McNamara starred as a rookie U.S. Secret Service agent in the 2024 film Air Force One Down. In December 2024, McNamara wrapped production on the film Coyotes in Colombia.

Singing During the course of her career, McNamara has sung songs that were used in movies or television series in which she appeared. She wrote and sang "Chatter" for Contest, and she also appeared in a music video for that song. She wrote "My Heart Can Fly", which her character sings during a talent competition in Little Savages. She sang "Wait for You", the end credits song for A Sort of Homecoming. She also sang "Stay True", the end credits song for R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls. Her song "Ember" was played during the 20th episode of the second season of Shadowhunters.

In December 2019, McNamara was featured as the voice of singer Sally Jessup in the animated Christmas special episode of the DreamWorks series Spirit Riding Free entitled "Spirit of Christmas", which premiered on Netflix. She also provided the vocals for several songs featured in the special. In November 2020, McNamara released "What Do We Got to Lose" on digital music platforms. Her song "Making a Monster Out of Me" became available on digital music platforms on December 17, 2020. She released "Love Me Like That" across various digital music platforms on February 14, 2021. All of these songs were recorded several years earlier, when McNamara was building a music portfolio.

Philanthropy McNamara has participated in anti-bullying efforts by describing how she was bullied as a child. McNamara has also worked with the Lollipop Theater Network, visiting children who are confined to hospitals due to the severity of their illnesses. In 2017, she recorded the song "Glass Slipper", which was used as part of a charity campaign for the United Nations Girl Up program. She also created a t-shirt with the "Glass Slipper" lyrics as part of this campaign. Since 2018, she participated in the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, which raises donations for the Kansas City Children's Mercy Hospital.

On March 31, 2020, McNamara announced that she was working on a song originally recorded in 2014 called "Just Like James", based on the Ian Fleming character James Bond. It was released April 8, 2020 in the Google Play Store, Apple's iTunes store, and Spotify. Proceeds from the song were donated to the World Health Organization (WHO) for COVID-19 relief efforts. Google donated funds matching sales from the first 30 days.

On May 8, 2020, McNamara participated in a live-reading adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice'' with Acting for a Cause.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 All Roads Lead Home Fair Goer Uncredited role Matchmaker Mary Mary Carver also known as Beyond Puppy Love 2009 Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency Emma Marsh also known as Jr. Detective Agency 2011 Sam Steele and the Crystal Chalice also known as The Junior Spy Agency Last Will Wedding Guest New Year's Eve Lily Bowman Segment: "Mother & Daughter" 2012 Last Ounce of Courage Caroler 2013 Contest Sarah O'Malley 2014 Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn Becky Thatcher 2015 A Sort of Homecoming Rosa Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Sonya 2016 Little Savages Tiffany Natural Selection Paige Thomas Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? Sandy Keely 2017 Charlotte Mary Segment: "Get Off My Porch" 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Sonya 2019 Assimilate Hannah Originally titled Replicate 2020 Monster Killers Mary Segment: "Get Off My Porch" 2021 Trust Amy Originally titled Push Finding You Taylor Risdale Originally titled There You'll Find Me Untitled Horror Movie Chrissy Direct-to-video film; also executive producer Montana MavericksHeatherLimited theatrical release The Knocking N/A Executive producerPost-productionAnd Love KnockedEmilyPost-productionCheap AF Post-production Big Tiger Post-productionCocaine IslandMaya

Television

Theater Year Production Role(s) Playwright Venue 2007 The Happy Elf Harry Connick Jr. Kansas Coterie Theater 2008 The Crucible Arthur Miller Metro Ensemble Theater 2010 A Christmas Story: The Musical Easter Jane Benj Pasek and Justine Paul Kansas Starlight Theater

Podcasts Year Title Role Notes 2020 Day by Day Zoe Voice role; episode: "Unspoken Truth" 2021 Bobby Wonder Mighty Mila Voice role 2021–2022 The Burned Photo Kira Barrington 2025 DC High Volume: Batman Wilcox Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi Alicia Voice role; 2 episodes 2025-2026 The Legend of Taylore Morana "Mara" Tod Voice role; 3 episodes

Short stories Year Title Role Notes 2007 The Bride & the Groom Wedding Guest Romance 2010 Get Off My Porch Mary Thriller The Nuclear Standard Penny Drama, Sci-Fi 2015 Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters Clary Fray / Herself Action 2016 Horoscopes Kat Comedy 2023 Haunted Stories and Tales of Horror N/A HorrorProducer Samaritan Carly Horror

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref 2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Breakout Star Shadowhunters 2018 People's Choice Awards Female TV Star Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress 2019 2023 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in an Action Series Walker: Independence 2024 HollyShort Film Festival Rising Star Award 2025 Los Angeles Film Awards Best Actress The Queen's Jewel