Katherine McNamara

Early life and education

McNamara was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Ursula 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 part-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. As of November 2015, she is studying for a Master of Science degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Career

McNamara began her acting career on Broadway, appearing in A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. She began guest starring on television series including Drop Dead Diva and 30 Rock. McNamara has appeared in theatrical movies such as New Year's Eve, and appeared in the Disney Channel original movie Girl vs. Monster playing the role of Myra Santelli. She co-starred in the film remake of 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 in an episode of the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans. McNamara was cast in the MTV series Happyland as Harper Munroe, a resident of the park who pursues a boy despite the fact that she already has a boyfriend. It was announced that McNamara would playing the recurring role of Kat on the third season of The Fosters in 2015.

It was announced on May 6, 2015 that McNamara would be playing the lead character Clary Fray in Shadowhunters, the Freeform television adaptation of Cassandra Clare's best-selling book series The Mortal Instruments. Her first musical release, an original single titled "Ember", was included in the show's second season finale. McNamara appeared in The Maze Runner film sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, as Sonya, a co-leader of Group B. She will reprise the role in the 2018 sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure.