Stana Katić (; born ) is a Canadian actress and producer. She played Kate Beckett on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television romantic crime series ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

'' (2009–2016) and FBI Special Agent Emily Byrne in the psychological thriller series '' Absentia'' (2017–2020).

Early life

Katic was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, Canada. In describing her ethnicity, she has stated "My parents are Serbs from Croatia. I call us

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

n because that's the part of the planet that we are originally from. I have

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

and even a handful of Montenegrin family members." Her father is from

Vrlika Vrlika is a small town in inland Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The closest large towns are Sinj, Knin, and Drniš. Vrlika was given the status of town in 1997. Vrlika is an underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the Ar ...

, Croatia, and her mother is from the surrounding area of

Sinj Sinj () is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. As of the 2021 Croatian census, 2021 census, the population was 23,500 people, of which 10,800 inhabited its urban core. Sinj is k ...

, Croatia. Katic later moved with her family to

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...

. She spent the following years moving back and forth between Canada and the United States. After graduating from

West Aurora High School West Aurora High School, or WAHS, is a public four-year high school located in Aurora, Illinois. It is part of West Aurora Public School District 129. The school is also referred to as "West," and "West High,". History High school classes ...

in 1996, Katic enrolled to study International Relations, Economics and pre-law at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

and then at

The Theatre School at DePaul University The Theatre School at DePaul University, previously the Goodman School of Drama (also known as TTS and GSD, respectively) is the drama school of DePaul University. Originally associated with the Goodman Theatre, its first class was conducted at ...

, where she studied toward an MFA in acting from 2000 to 2002. Katic studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school.

Career

Katic played Hana Gitelman in ''

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

'', Collette Stenger in '' 24''s season five, and Jenny in the film '' Feast of Love'' starring

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

. She also played Morgenstern in

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

's film '' The Spirit'', Canadian Intelligence agent Corrine Veneau in the ''James Bond'' film ''

Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy thriller film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, Robe ...

'' (though she was originally up for the role of Strawberry Fields in the film), and Simone Renoir in the third installment of ''The Librarian'' franchise, '' The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice''. In August 2008, ABC announced acquisition of the television series ''

'', starring Katic as Kate Beckett and

Nathan Fillion Nathan Christopher Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian and American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on ''Castle''. , he sta ...

Richard Castle Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle (born Richard Alexander Rodgers) is a fictional character on the ABC crime series ''Castle''. He is portrayed by Nathan Fillion. The name Richard Castle is also used as a pseudonym under which a set of real books ...

.The Digital Spy
"ABC announces 'Castle' for 2008–09
Retrieved 28 June 2009 In 2008, Katic established her own production company, Sine Timore Productions, which is Latin for "without fear". The entertainment website

BuddyTV BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...

placed Katic, as Kate Beckett in ''Castle'', on its annual list of "TV's 100 Sexiest Women" every year from 2009 to 2013, including at No. 1 in 2011. Aside from her looks, the website also gave her some credit as an actress, placing Katic at No. 6 on its list of "The 15 Best Drama Lead Actresses of the 2011–2012 TV Season". Katic was also on the

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

Hot 100 list from 2012 through 2014. In the summer of 2010, Katic filmed '' For Lovers Only'' with the Polish brothers in France and '' The Double'' with

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

. At the third annual

Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as "The Shortys") are awards for outstanding and innovative work in digital and social media content by brands, advertising agencies, and creators. The awards, which generally focus on short-term content, honor achiev ...

held on 28 March 2011, she won the actress category. In May 2011, she won the Most Glamorous Actress online ballot for the

Monte-Carlo Television Festival The Monte-Carlo Television Festival is held every year in June in the Monaco, Principality of Monaco at the Grimaldi Forum, under the Honorary Presidency of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco. The opening ceremony ...

In 2011, she served as a jury member at the Film Festival Zlín, where ''For Lovers Only'' made its world premiere. ''

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

'', in which she plays

Lenore Kandel Lenore Kandel (January 14, 1932, New York City – October 18, 2009, San Francisco, California) was an American poet, affiliated with the Beat Generation and Hippie counterculture. Biography Although Kandel was born in New York, her family l ...

, premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2013. In conjunction with the 2011

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

, there was an official announcement in ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' that she would become the voice for

Talia al Ghul Talia al Ghul (; , ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), Bob Brown, and first app ...

in '' Batman: Arkham City''. In January 2012, she was a presenter at the 64th Annual

Directors Guild of America Awards The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...

. She was the recipient of the PRISM Award for Performance in a Drama Episode at the 16th Annual

PRISM Awards The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books. The Council provides guidelines on the depi ...

for her portrayal of suffering from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

in the ''Castle'' season-four episode " Kill Shot". Katic was nominated for the

39th People's Choice Awards The 39th People's Choice Awards ceremony, honoring the best in popular culture for 2012, was held January 9, 2013 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and was broadcast live on CBS and simulcast over Xbox Live at 9:00 pm EST. The ceremony was ...

in the Favorite Dramatic TV Actress category, before winning the category at the

40th People's Choice Awards The 40th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2013, was held January 8, 2014, at the Microsoft Theater, Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm Eastern Time Zone, EST. The ce ...

. Katic portrayed rock singer and producer

Genya Ravan Genya Ravan (born Genyusha Zelkowitz; April 19, 1940), also known as Goldie, is an American rock music, rock singer and music producer. She was lead singer of the Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive. Early life Genyusha Zel ...

in the 2013 film ''

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

''. In April 2016, ABC and

ABC Studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...

confirmed that they would not be renewing Katic's contract for a ninth season of ''Castle'', which would be a shortened season in a cost cutting effort. The series was outright canceled on 12 May 2016. Katic played Carolina Baxter in the Lifetime film ''

Sister Cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

'' that premiered on 17 September 2016. On 26 September 2016, she appeared in ''White Rabbit Red Rabbit'' by

Nassim Soleimanpour Nassim Soleimanpour (, born 10 December 1981) is an Iranian playwright. He is best known for his 2010 play ''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''. Early life and education Soleimanpour was born in Tehran, Iran.Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which ...

. Katic starred as Rachel Rozman in the 2016 film, '' The Rendezvous'', opposite

Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey (born May 28 1975) is a British actor who is known for his roles as Zafar Younis in the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks'' (2004–2007) and Neal Hudson in the CBS medical drama '' Code Black'' (2015). He also had a recurring role ...

. In 2016, Katic was cast in the horror film ''Cadaver'' In January 2017, Katic appeared as Anna in the film ''Lost in Florence.'' Katic was cast as Emily Byrne in the

AXN AXN is a pay television channel brand by Sony Pictures Television, which was first launched in September 1997 in Asia. Local versions have since been launched in several parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with some ne ...

series '' Absentia'' that premiered in 2017. In 2019, she played

Vera Atkins Vera May Atkins (15 June 1908 – 24 June 2000) was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who worked in the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War. Early life Atkins was ...

in '' A Call to Spy'', the film is inspired by the stories of three women who worked as spies in World War II.

Personal life

Katic lives in Los Angeles. She is fluent in five languages: English, French, Italian, Serbian, and Slovenian. She holds

dual citizenship Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

in Canada and the United States. She founded ''The Alternative Travel Project'' in 2010 which is an initiative to encourage people to Go Car Free for just one day and seek out alternative methods of public transportation to reduce the environmental impact of personal vehicles. Katic wrote the lyrics for "Hey Blue Eyes", which she sang for fans at the 51st

Zlín Film Festival Zlín Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth () is an annual festival of children's film in Zlín in the Czech Republic, founded in 1961 in the former Czechoslovakia. History The first festival t ...

in 2011. Katic married her longtime boyfriend, Kris Brkljac, an Australian business efficiency consultant, in a private ceremony in Croatia on 25 April 2015, one day before her 37th birthday. On 19 June 2022, a representative of Katic confirmed that Katic and Brkljac welcomed their first child during the winter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Katic, Stana 1978 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Hamilton, Ontario Actresses from Illinois American film actresses American people of Croatian descent American people of Montenegrin descent American people of Serbian descent American television actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Croatian descent Canadian people of Montenegrin descent Canadian people of Serbian descent Canadian television actresses People from Aurora, Illinois Naturalized citizens of the United States Shorty Award winners