Katherine Waterston

Katherine Waterston
Waterston in 2018
Born
Katherine Boyer Waterston

(1980-03-03) 3 March 1980
London, England
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Alma materNew York University
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present
Children1
FatherSam Waterston
RelativesJames Waterston (paternal half-brother)

Katherine Boyer Waterston[1][2] (born 3 March 1980)[3][2] is a British and American actress. She made her feature film debut in Michael Clayton (2007). She had supporting roles in films including Robot & Frank, Being Flynn (both 2012) and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013), before her breakthrough performance in Inherent Vice (2014). She portrayed Chrisann Brennan in Steve Jobs (2015), and went on to star as Tina Goldstein in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and its sequels. Her other film roles include Alien: Covenant (2017), Logan Lucky (2017), The Current War (2017), Mid90s (2018), The World to Come (2020) and The End We Start From (2023).

Early life

Katherine Waterston was born in Westminster, London,[4] the daughter of American parents, Lynn Louisa (née Woodruff), a former model, and Sam Waterston, an actor.[4][5][6][7] She is a middle child, with a sister who is an actor, and a brother who is a director.[8][9] She also has an older paternal half-brother, actor James Waterston.[9][10]

Raised in Connecticut,[8] Waterston graduated from the Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, in 1998.[11] She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[4]

Career

Waterston's first starring role on film was in the 2007 independent drama The Babysitters, alongside John Leguizamo and Cynthia Nixon.[12][13] Also in 2007, Waterston performed in the play Los Angeles by Julian Sheppard. The following year, she acted in Kindness, a play by Adam Rapp.[14] In 2010, Waterston played Gena in the original Off-Broadway production of Leslye Headland's Bachelorette, the role played by Lizzy Caplan in the 2011 film version. In 2011, she played Anya in the Classic Stage Company revival of The Cherry Orchard.[15] Also in 2011, she performed in Rapp's Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling at the Classic Stage Company.[16]

Waterston at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con

After supporting roles in films including Enter Nowhere (2011),[17] Being Flynn (2012), The Letter (2012) and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013), Waterston was cast in the 2014 crime film Inherent Vice, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.[18][19] The film and her performance received generally positive reviews from critics.[20] The following year, she appeared in Queen of Earth[21][22][23] and played Chrisann Brennan in director Danny Boyle's biographical drama Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender.[13][24]

In 2016, Waterston was cast as Tina Goldstein in the fantasy film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opposite Eddie Redmayne. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success, grossing $814 million worldwide.[25] Waterston reprised her role in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018,[26] and had a short part in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022).[27][28] In 2017, she starred alongside Fassbender for director Ridley Scott in the science fiction horror film Alien: Covenant.[29][30] That year she also starred in Steven Soderbergh's heist comedy-drama Logan Lucky and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's historical drama The Current War.[31][32]

Waterston's next starring roles were in the independent films State Like Sleep (2018),[33][34] Mid90s (2018),[35][36] Amundsen (2019),[37] and The World to Come (2020).[19][38][39][40][41] In 2020, she starred in the British-American horror drama series The Third Day alongside Jude Law.[42][43][44] In 2022, she joined the cast of the second season of HBO period drama series Perry Mason.[45]

In 2023, Waterson starred in British film The End We Start From,[46] for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Performance at the British Independent Film Awards.[47] In 2023 she also starred in the film Asphalt City and as an MI5 agent in the British spy thriller television series Slow Horses.[48]

In 2024, Waterson starred as a series regular in the Paramount+ spy thriller series The Agency, based on the French drama Le Bureau des Légendes (2015-2020)[13][49][50] and in the film Afraid by Chris Weitz.[51][52] In 2025, she featured in slasher film Fear Street: Prom Queen[53] and in the British period satirical comedy film Fackham Hall.[54][55]

Personal life

As of 2017, by her description during an interview, Waterston held dual citizenship,[56] British and American.

For a number of years she was in a relationship with American playwright Adam Rapp.[57][58] His 2011 three-play collection The Hallway Trilogy is dedicated to her;[59] she appeared as Rose Hathaway in Part 1: Rose in its premiere at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.[60]

In 2018, Waterston moved to London and revealed that she was expecting her first child, whom she gave birth to in 2019.[61][62][63][5] She has not made public who the father of her son is.[62][10]

Waterston is a supporter of transgender rights. She has cited her participation in the Fantastic Beasts franchise as a reason for her being so vocal, and has publicly denounced statements by series creator J. K. Rowling which she considered insensitive to transgender people.[64][65]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes titles that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Michael Clayton Third Year
The Babysitters Shirley Lyner
2008 Good Dick Katherine
2009 Taking Woodstock Penny
2011 Enter Nowhere Samantha
2012 Robot & Frank Shopgirl
Being Flynn Sarah
The Letter Julie
The Factory Lauren
2013 Night Moves Anne
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her Charlie
2014 Inherent Vice Shasta Fay Hepworth
Glass Chin Patricia Petals O'Neal
2015 Sleeping with Other People Emma
Queen of Earth Virginia
Steve Jobs Chrisann Brennan
Manhattan Romance Carla
2016 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Tina Goldstein
2017 Alien: Covenant Janet "Danny" Daniels
Logan Lucky Sylvia Harrison
The Current War Marguerite Westinghouse
2018 State Like Sleep Katherine Grand
Mid90s Dabney
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Tina Goldstein
2019 Amundsen Bess Magids
2020 The World to Come Abigail
2022 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Tina Goldstein Cameo appearance
Babylon Estelle Conrad
2023 Asphalt City Nancy
The End We Start From O
2024 Afraid Meredith Pike
2025 Fear Street: Prom Queen Nancy Falconer
Fackham Hall Lady Davenport
2026 The Uprising † Joan of Kent Post-production[66]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2013 Boardwalk Empire Emma Harrow 5 episodes
2020 The Third Day Jess Miniseries, 5 episodes
2023 Perry Mason Virginia "Ginny" Szymanski Aimes Main role (season 2), 6 episodes
Slow Horses Alison Dunn Recurring (season 3)
2024 The Franchise Quinn Walker Episode: "Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost"
2024–present The Agency Naomi Ford Main role

Shorts

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Orchids Beatrice
2011 Eat Claire
2012 Ástarsaga Solange
2015 Outlaws The Trapeze Artist
2017 Alien: Covenant – Prologue: Last Supper Janet "Danny" Daniels
2022 House Comes with a Bird Ruth

Video games

Year Title Voice role
2016 Lego Dimensions Tina Goldstein (voice)

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Smashing The Play Company
2007 Los Angeles Audrey The Flea Theater
2008 Kindness Frances Playwrights Horizons
2009 Reborning Kelly Summer Play Festival
2010 Bachelorette Gena McGinn/Cazale Theatre
2011 The Hallway Trilogy
(Part 1: Rose)		 Rose Hathaway Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling Cora Cabot Classic Stage Company
2012 The Cherry Orchard Anya

Awards and nominations

Waterston at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards
Year Association Category Work Result
2014 Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Inherent Vice Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Village Voice Film Poll Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Indiewire Critics' Poll Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards Robert Altman Award Won
Denver Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Cast Ensemble Steve Jobs Nominated
2016 Gold Derby Awards Ensemble Cast Nominated
Chlotrudis Awards Best Supporting Actress Queen of Earth Nominated
2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice Fantasy Movie Actress Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Nominated
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actress Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Nominated
2020 Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actress The World to Come Won
2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards

British Independent Film Awards

 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Best Supporting Performance

 Babylon

The End We Start From

 Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Katherine Waterston". tvguide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Katherine Waterston". screendollars.com. Screendollars. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Katherine Waterston Biography & Movies". tribute.ca. Tribute. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Carrillo, Jenny Cooney (2 November 2016). "Fantastic Beasts' Katherine Waterston Career Hasn't Always Been Magical". The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH.com.au). Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 Wilson, Samantha (14 November 2018). "Katherine Waterston: 'Fantastic Beasts' Star Expecting First Child—Congrats". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  6. ↑ Soloski, Alexis (17 February 2022). "Sam Waterston Is Still the Face of 'Law & Order'". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Katherine Waterston opens up about following in footsteps of dad Sam Waterston". TODAY.com. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 Fine, Marshall (2 May 2008). "Katherine Waterston Doesn't Rest on Family Laurels". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013. Waterston grew up in a small Connecticut town, a middle child in a family of actors. She routinely visited her father on movie sets and backstage at theaters.
  9. 1 2 Gariano, Francesca (24 February 2024). "Sam Waterston's 4 Children: All About Elisabeth, Katherine, James and Graham". People. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  10. 1 2 Mercuri, Monica (22 February 2024). "Meet Sam Waterston's Four Children — And See Which One of Them Guest Starred on Law & Order!". Soaps. Sheknows. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Chizzik, Danielle (8 October 2015). "Katherine Waterston is the Star You Haven't Heard of Yet". Town & Country. New York. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  12. ↑ Holden, Stephen (9 May 2008). "From High School Student to Ruthless Madam". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Chilton, Louis (30 November 2024). "Katherine Waterston: 'I felt lots of shame about playing mothers before I was one'". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (14 October 2008). "Welcome to New York; Now Go Find a Friend". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Bellafante, Ginia (7 March 2007). "A Story of Survival of the Fittest". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (4 October 2011). "At a Dinner, Exotic Fare and Foul Play". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  17. ↑ Armitage, Hugh (5 April 2010). "Jack Heller debuts with 'Enter Nowhere'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Fleming, Mike (31 May 2013). "Katherine Waterston Gets Lead in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  19. 1 2 Lattanzio, Ryan (2 March 2021). "'Inherent Vice' Made Katherine Waterston, but 'The World to Come' Confirms Her Greatness". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Merry, Stephanie (8 January 2015). "Katherine Waterston is ready for your lame questions about that 'Inherent Vice' sex scene". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  21. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (30 June 2016). "Queen of Earth review – pungent chamber piece of simmering envy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (17 September 2014). "'Inherent Vice' Actress Joins Indie 'Queen of Earth' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Young, Neil (24 August 2015). "Review: Katherine Waterston and Elisabeth Moss Triumph in Alex Ross Perry's 'Queen of Earth'". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Weintraub, Steven (26 October 2015). "Katherine Waterston on Steve Jobs Movie and Aaron Sorkin". Collider. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Box Office Mojo.
  26. ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey (15 November 2018). "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald review – an astonishing level of visual detail and inventiveness". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Abdulbaki, Mae (16 April 2022). "Why Is Tina Hardly In Fantastic Beasts 3? Her Absence Makes No Sense". ScreenRant.
  28. ↑ Spencer, Samuel. "'Fantastic Beasts 3' Reviews Reveal How Much Katherine Waterston Is in Film". Newsweek. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  29. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (17 December 2015). "Katherine Waterston To Star In 'Alien: Covenant'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  30. ↑ O'Falt, Chris (13 March 2017). "'Alien: Covenant': Ridley Scott and Katherine Waterston Discuss the Series' Newest Kickass Female Lead – Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  31. ↑ Fleming, Mike (1 November 2016). "Katherine Waterston Joins 'The Current War'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  32. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (30 July 2019). "The Current War review: A solid historical drama drowned in cinematic tricks". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  33. ↑ Lang, Brent (13 September 2018). "The Orchard Buys Katherine Waterston Thriller 'State Like Sleep' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  34. ↑ Murray, Noel (3 January 2019). "Review: Katherine Waterston is a marvel in overly complex drama 'State Like Sleep'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  35. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (14 July 2017). "Katherine Waterston, Sunny Suljic to Star in Jonah Hill's Directorial Debut "Mid-90s" (Exclusive) - The Tracking Board". The Tracking Board. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  36. ↑ Smith, Patrick (6 November 2019). "Mid90s review: Jonah Hill's directorial debut is a problematic paean to adolescence". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Katherine Waterston to star in 'Amundsen'". The Times of India. 8 May 2018. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  38. ↑ Brooks, Xan (6 September 2020). "The World to Come review – a spellbinding romance of stolen hours". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  39. ↑ Kenigsberg, Ben (11 February 2021). "'The World to Come' Review: Cold Comfort". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  40. ↑ O'Sullivan, Charlotte (23 July 2021). "The World to Come review: a love story where loneliness lies with lust". The Standard. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  41. ↑ Newland, Christina (22 July 2021). "The World to Come is a reckless and beautiful period lesbian romance". The i Paper. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  42. ↑ Petski, Denise (12 July 2019). "Katherine Waterston Circling HBO & Sky's Jude Law Mystery Drama 'The Third Day'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  43. ↑ Grater, Tom. "Katherine Waterston, Paddy Considine, Emily Watson board Sky/HBO series 'The Third Day' (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  44. ↑ Dry, Jude (9 March 2020). "'The Third Day' Trailer: Jude Law Leads HBO Series From 'Sleep No More' Team". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  45. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (4 November 2021). "'Perry Mason' Season 2: Katherine Waterston, Hope Davis Among 7 Joining Cast; Diarra Kilpatrick Promoted To Regular".
  46. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (25 August 2022). "Katherine Waterston To Star Opposite Jodie Comer In Apocalyptic Thriller 'The End We Start From'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  47. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (2 November 2023). "Jodie Comer, Paul Mescal Score Nods as 'Rye Lane,' 'Scrapper, 'All of Us Strangers' Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  48. ↑ Hibbs, James (29 November 2023). "Slow Horses creator explains changes from book for season 3". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  49. ↑ Grobar, Matt (25 July 2024). "Katherine Waterston Joins Showtime's 'The Agency' As Series Regular". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  50. ↑ Shutler, Ali (26 November 2024). "Katherine Waterston on 'The Agency' and what really happened with 'Fantastic Beasts'". NME. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  51. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (16 December 2022). "John Cho & Katherine Waterston To Star In Sony-Blumhouse's 'They Listen', Horror Pic To Hit Cinemas Late Summer". Deadline. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  52. ↑ James, Caryn (30 August 2024). "'Afraid' Review: John Cho and Katherine Waterston Star in Chris Weitz's Bland AI-Themed Horror Flick". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  53. ↑ Zee, Michaela (26 March 2024). "Netflix's 'Fear Street: Prom Queen' Sets Ensemble Cast". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  54. ↑ Davis, Edward (28 October 2025). "'Fackham Hall' Trailer: Damian Lewis, Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston & Tom Felton Star In Jimmy Carr's British Period Spoof". The Playlist. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  55. ↑ Scheck, Frank (4 December 2025). "'Fackham Hall' Review: Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston Lead Disposably Fun 'Downton Abbey' Spoof". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  56. ↑ Horowitz, Josh (host); Waterston, Katherine (17 May 2017). Michael Fassbender (Vol. III) & Danny McBride; Katherine Waterston. Happy Sad Confused, Episode 159 (podcast). New York, NY: MTV Podcast Network. Event occurs at 01:13:54. Retrieved 20 June 2026. The Waterston interview segment occurs from 00:45:05-01:22:05, with the timestamp presenting the dual citizenship statement. An archive of the podcast can be found at this link, archive date November 27, 2019, access-date February 22, 2026.
  57. ↑ Eyre, Hermione (10 November 2016). "Fantastic Beasts' Katherine Waterston on coping with Harry Potter mania". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  58. ↑ Pollard, Alexandra (23 July 2021). "Katherine Waterston: 'It's still pretty much a nightmare to be a woman'". The Independent. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  59. ↑ Rapp, Adam (2013). The Hallway Trilogy. New York: Theatre Communications Group. p. iv. ISBN 978-1559364164.
  60. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (28 February 2011). "The Hallway Trilogy". Variety. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  61. ↑ Gilbey, Ryan (9 July 2021). "Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston's frontier romance: 'She let me be more full-bodied'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  62. 1 2 Martin, Annie (14 November 2018). "'Fantastic Beasts' star Katherine Waterston expecting child". upi.com. United Press International. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  63. ↑ Gariano, Francesca (24 February 2024). "Sam Waterston's 4 Children: All About Elisabeth, Katherine, James and Graham". people.com. People. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  64. ↑ Sharf, Zack (28 July 2021). "Katherine Waterston: It Was 'Important' to Publicly Oppose J.K. Rowling's Anti-Trans Beliefs". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  65. ↑ Walsh, Savannah (28 July 2021). "Katherine Waterston on Why It's "Important" to Denounce J.K. Rowling's Transphobic Comments". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  66. ↑ Kroll, Justin (4 September 2025). "Katherine Waterston Joins Paul Greengrass' Next Movie; Andrew Garfield Officially Closes Deal To Star As Focus Features Boards Project". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
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