Katheryn Winnick — Biography
Katheryn Winnick, a Canadian-American actress of Ukrainian heritage, has appeared on five magazine covers and in five photo spreads. Born on December 17, 1977, in Etobicoke, Ontario, Winnick grew up speaking Ukrainian as her primary language and did not learn English until reaching age eight. She is one of three children in her family. Beginning martial arts training at seven years old, Winnick achieved her first black belt by thirteen and subsequently opened three Taekwondo schools before turning twenty-one. While earning her kinesiology degree from York University in Toronto, she instructed actors in Taekwondo and self-defense techniques. Winnick trained at the William Esper Studio and began performing in plays through her local Toronto community center as a child. During her high school years at Richview Collegiate Institute, she directed theatrical productions and earned a drama and directing scholarship.
Her entertainment career commenced when she taught martial arts to performers on film sets, an experience that prompted her to pursue acting professionally. She became a series regular on Student Bodies before appearing in numerous films including Stand Up Guys, Failure to Launch, Love & Other Drugs, and Killers. Her television guest appearances span shows such as House, The Glades, Bones, Law & Order franchises, CSI franchises, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, and Nikita. In Bones, she played Hannah Burley, a war correspondent stationed in Afghanistan who develops romantic feelings for protagonist Seeley Booth. Winnick appeared in the drama-comedy Cold Souls, which premiered at Sundance in 2009. Following a 2011 guest role on The CW's Nikita, she starred in 2013 films A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and The Art of the Steal while joining History Channel's Vikings as Lagertha. In 2017, she announced a casting in a project later revealed to be Call of Duty: WWII's Nazi Zombies mode. The following year brought her series regular role as Christine Gavin in Netflix's Wu Assassins, and in 2020, she was cast as Jenny Hoyt on ABC's Big Sky.
Winnick holds dual American and Canadian citizenship since 2015. Her brothers have appeared on Vikings alongside her. She and her mother established The Winnick Foundation in March 2022 to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion. That November, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs prohibited her entry along with ninety-nine other Canadians as a sanctions response.
Her entertainment career commenced when she taught martial arts to performers on film sets, an experience that prompted her to pursue acting professionally. She became a series regular on Student Bodies before appearing in numerous films including Stand Up Guys, Failure to Launch, Love & Other Drugs, and Killers. Her television guest appearances span shows such as House, The Glades, Bones, Law & Order franchises, CSI franchises, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, and Nikita. In Bones, she played Hannah Burley, a war correspondent stationed in Afghanistan who develops romantic feelings for protagonist Seeley Booth. Winnick appeared in the drama-comedy Cold Souls, which premiered at Sundance in 2009. Following a 2011 guest role on The CW's Nikita, she starred in 2013 films A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and The Art of the Steal while joining History Channel's Vikings as Lagertha. In 2017, she announced a casting in a project later revealed to be Call of Duty: WWII's Nazi Zombies mode. The following year brought her series regular role as Christine Gavin in Netflix's Wu Assassins, and in 2020, she was cast as Jenny Hoyt on ABC's Big Sky.
Winnick holds dual American and Canadian citizenship since 2015. Her brothers have appeared on Vikings alongside her. She and her mother established The Winnick Foundation in March 2022 to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion. That November, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs prohibited her entry along with ninety-nine other Canadians as a sanctions response.
