# Kit Harington
**Kit Harington** (born 1986) is an English actor best known for playing [Jon Snow](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-snow-character) on the HBO fantasy series *Game of Thrones* (2011–2019), a role that brought him two Primetime Emmy nominations and made him a global star before he turned 30. His full name is Christopher Catesby Harington; he has gone by Kit since birth and learned his legal first name only at age 11.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/bio/) • [2](https://www.eonline.com/news/551190/game-of-thrones-kit-harington-didn-t-know-his-real-name-until-he-was-11-years-old) Since 2024 he has played Sir Henry Muck on the HBO financial drama *Industry*, and in August 2026 he was cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO's *Harry Potter* series.[3](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrgunEP371Y)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Christopher Catesby Harington, born 1986 in Acton, London, to a businessman father and former playwright mother[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/bio/) |
| Breakthrough role | Jon Snow on *Game of Thrones* (HBO, 2011–2019)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) |
| Emmy nominations | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2016) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2019), both as Jon Snow[6](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kit-harington) |
| Stage debut | Lead role of Albert in the National Theatre's *War Horse*, cast in 2007 while still months from graduating drama school[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) |
| Notable films | *Pompeii* (2014), *Testament of Youth* (2014), *Brimstone* (2016), *Eternals* (Dane Whitman), and the voice of Eret in *How to Train Your Dragon 2* (2014) and *The Hidden World* (2019)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) |
| Producer | Developed, executive produced, and starred as his ancestor Robert Catesby in the BBC miniseries *Gunpowder* (2017)[7](https://time.com/5035335/kit-harington-game-of-thrones-gupowder/) |
| Marriage | Married *Game of Thrones* co-star Rose Leslie on 23 June 2018 at Kirkton of Rayne, Aberdeenshire[8](https://time.com/4959441/kit-harington-rose-leslie-love-story-timeline/) |
| Awards tally | 6 wins and 29 nominations, including a 2019 Voice Arts Award for animation voiceover[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/awards/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kit-harington/bio/3030739328/) |
## Early life and training
Harington was born in [Acton, London](https://www.edgepedia.org/acton-london), and grew up in [Worcestershire](https://www.edgepedia.org/worcestershire), the son of businessman David Richard Harington and former playwright Deborah Jane Catesby. His mother named him after the Elizabethan playwright [Christopher Marlowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-marlowe), whose first name was shortened to Kit, and he has said he prefers the name Kit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/bio/) His family has aristocratic roots: his father is Sir David Harington, 15th Baronet, and through his mother Harington descends from Robert Catesby, the instigator of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.[11](https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2017/kit-harington-plays-his-ancestor-in-bbcs-new-epic-drama-gunpowder-671/)
He took an interest in acting as a teenager after watching a production of [Samuel Beckett](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuel-beckett)'s *Waiting for Godot*, began acting regularly in school plays, and studied drama at Worcester Sixth Form College before enrolling at the Central School of Speech and Drama, from which he graduated in 2008.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685) Rejection came early: most drama schools turned him down, and his first audition for a production after joining the [National Youth Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-youth-theatre) ended in failure, an experience he has described as being hit by a sledgehammer.[3](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/)
## Stage beginnings
While still months from graduating, Harington was cast in 2007 as Albert in the National Theatre's production of *War Horse*, the boy who follows his beloved horse Joey into World War I. The production earned considerable praise and raised his visibility considerably; he went on to co-star in *Posh* at London's Royal Court Theatre.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) He later returned to the stage for the 2016 modern revival of Christopher Marlowe's *Doctor Faustus* and a 2022 production of Shakespeare's *Henry V* at the Donmar Warehouse.[3](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/feb/17/kit-harrington-male-anger-interview-henry-v-donmar-warehouse)
## Game of Thrones
Shortly after *Posh*, Harington auditioned for and won the role of Jon Snow, the reluctant hero of *Game of Thrones*, which debuted on HBO in 2011 and climbed steadily as a pop culture phenomenon over eight seasons.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) He was 22 and without any screen credits when he auditioned for the role of the Stark bastard.[14](https://cdn.penguin.co.uk/dam-assets/books/9780552177245/9780552177245-sample.pdf) The show's shooting schedule and continuity requirements dictated much of his life, including keeping his trademark curly hair at a particular length, but he used limited time off to build a parallel film career.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington)
The role earned him two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019, both for playing Jon Snow.[6](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kit-harington) He has spoken about the difficulty of acting within the show's large-scale production, where hundreds of extras and visual effects surround each take, and about his early uncertainty with the character, whom he at times felt he was playing wrong.[15](https://time.com/4773752/game-of-thrones-kit-harington-jon-snow/)
## Film and voice work
During his *Game of Thrones* years Harington starred in the ancient disaster movie *Pompeii* (2014) as Milo, played Roland Leighton opposite [Alicia Vikander](https://www.edgepedia.org/alicia-vikander) in the World War I period romance *Testament of Youth* (2014), and voiced the dragon trapper Eret, Son of Eret, in the animated sequel *How to Train Your Dragon 2* (2014), reprising the role for *How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World* (2019).[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) • [16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/phil-dunster-what-trying-replicate-kit-harington-how-to-train-your-dragon-2-eret) He also appeared in the western thriller *Brimstone* (2016) with [Dakota Fanning](https://www.edgepedia.org/dakota-fanning).[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) *How to Train Your Dragon 2* won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and received an Academy Award nomination.[17](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/kit-harington)
After the series ended in 2019, he joined another franchise as Dane Whitman in the Marvel film *Eternals*, a character who becomes the Black Knight in the comics.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) • [18](https://actingmagazine.com/2025/03/actor-profile-kit-harington/) Later film work includes the crime thriller *Blood for Dust* (2024), in which he plays a drug-running killer, and the horror film *The Beast Within*.[19](https://apnews.com/article/5f61ab5bcb9629dceefe3409b99fce0f) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington)
## Producing and later television
Harington moved into producing with *Gunpowder* (BBC, 2017), a three-part miniseries about the 1605 [Gunpowder Plot](https://www.edgepedia.org/gunpowder-plot) in which he starred as [Robert Catesby](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-catesby), his own ancestor through his mother's side. He developed the project and executive produced it.[7](https://time.com/5035335/kit-harington-game-of-thrones-gupowder/) • [20](https://time.com/5068611/gunpowder-true-story-kit-harington/)
Since 2024 he has played Sir Henry Muck, an aristocrat of great ambition but scant success, on *Industry*, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay's HBO financial thriller; his portrayal of Henry's tragicomic hubris has earned praise and awards buzz, and he is set to return for the show's fifth and final series.[3](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/) • [21](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/kit-harington) In August 2026, [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) confirmed that he would play the vain Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart in season two of HBO's *Harry Potter* series, taking over a role that [Nicholas Hoult](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-hoult) had previously been reported to hold.[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrgunEP371Y) He is also set to star as Sydney Carton in the upcoming *A Tale of Two Cities* limited series for MGM+ and the BBC.[3](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/)
## The Jon Snow sequel
Harington developed a sequel series centered on Jon Snow after *Game of Thrones* ended, but in 2024 he confirmed the project had been scrapped because it was not exciting enough and HBO found it too downbeat.[22](https://apnews.com/article/4bc47ca40e8d3ecd0fc8414c8a49f367) • [23](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/game-of-thrones-star-kit-harington-can-see-the-jon-snow-sequel-happening-now-i-feel-more-comfortable-with-that-character-and-that-world-again/) In 2026 interviews he said a sequel could still happen now that he feels more comfortable with the character and the world again, having done other work in the meantime.[23](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/game-of-thrones-star-kit-harington-can-see-the-jon-snow-sequel-happening-now-i-feel-more-comfortable-with-that-character-and-that-world-again/)
## Personal life
Harington met the actor [Rose Leslie](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-leslie), who played Ygritte, Jon Snow's on-screen love interest, on *Game of Thrones*, and the two began an off-screen romance. They married on 23 June 2018 at Kirkton of Rayne church in [Aberdeenshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/aberdeenshire), with the reception held at Wardhill Castle, a property in the Leslie family for generations; castmates including [Sophie Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophie-turner), Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage, and Emilia Clarke attended.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington) • [8](https://time.com/4959441/kit-harington-rose-leslie-love-story-timeline/) He has spoken publicly about a 2019 stay in rehab and about sobriety, describing it as wonderful and saying he is an entirely different person for it.[21](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/kit-harington)
## References
1. [Kit Harington – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/bio/)
2. [Game of Thrones' Kit Harington Didn't Know His Real Name Until He Was 11 Years Old!, E! Online](https://www.eonline.com/news/551190/game-of-thrones-kit-harington-didn-t-know-his-real-name-until-he-was-11-years-old)
3. [Kit Harington on ‘Industry,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ and 20 Years of Proving Himself, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/kit-harington-industry-interview-photoshoot-80086/)
4. [Kit Harington Joins 'Harry Potter' Season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart, Replaces Nicholas Hoult, The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrgunEP371Y)
5. [Kit Harington Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kit_harington)
6. [Kit Harington – Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kit-harington)
7. ['It's Just Bigger Than It's Ever Been.' Kit Harington on Filming Game of Thrones' Final Season, TIME](https://time.com/5035335/kit-harington-game-of-thrones-gupowder/)
8. [Everything You Need to Know About the Real-Life Love Story of Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, TIME](https://time.com/4959441/kit-harington-rose-leslie-love-story-timeline/)
9. [Kit Harington – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685/awards/)
10. [Kit Harington Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kit-harington/bio/3030739328/)
11. [Kit Harington and His Ancestor Robert Catesby, TheGenealogist](https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2017/kit-harington-plays-his-ancestor-in-bbcs-new-epic-drama-gunpowder-671/)
12. [Kit Harington, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3229685)
13. [Kit Harington on Henry V and life after Jon Snow, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/feb/17/kit-harrington-male-anger-interview-henry-v-donmar-warehouse)
14. [Casting Tales, Inside HBO's Game of Thrones sample (Penguin)](https://cdn.penguin.co.uk/dam-assets/books/9780552177245/9780552177245-sample.pdf)
15. [Kit Harington: Season 7 Is a 'Huge Seismic Shift' for Jon Snow, TIME](https://time.com/4773752/game-of-thrones-kit-harington-jon-snow/)
16. [Phil Dunster on Kit Harington's How to Train Your Dragon 2 Performance, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/phil-dunster-what-trying-replicate-kit-harington-how-to-train-your-dragon-2-eret)
17. [Kit Harington: Biography at a Glance, CAA Speakers](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/kit-harington)
18. [Actor Profile: Kit Harington, Acting Magazine](https://actingmagazine.com/2025/03/actor-profile-kit-harington/)
19. [Kit Harington leans into playing a bad guy in 'Blood for Dust', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5f61ab5bcb9629dceefe3409b99fce0f)
20. [The True Story Behind the HBO Miniseries Gunpowder, TIME](https://time.com/5068611/gunpowder-true-story-kit-harington/)
21. [Kit Harington – latest news, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/kit-harington)
22. [The Jon Snow sequel to 'Game of Thrones' isn't happening, Kit Harington says, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/4bc47ca40e8d3ecd0fc8414c8a49f367)
23. [Kit Harington can see the Jon Snow sequel happening, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/game-of-thrones-star-kit-harington-can-see-the-jon-snow-sequel-happening-now-i-feel-more-comfortable-with-that-character-and-that-world-again/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Gw to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license