Katheryn Winnick (born Katerena Anna Vinitska on December 17, 1977 in Etobicoke, Ontario) is a Canadian actress of Ukraininan descent. She spoke Ukrainian as her first language until she was 8 years old, when she began speaking English.
She began training in martial arts at a very early age and by the time she was 21 she had already started three martial arts schools. Eventually she was brought in to help train actors in martial arts for fight scenes and she decided to go into acting.
Her most well-known roles have been in television, playing Hannah Burley, Booth’s girlfriend in season 6 of Bones, and the lead role of the legendary shield maiden Lagertha in The History Channel's Vikings.
Tropes that appear frequently in her works
- Action Girl: Because of her background in martial arts she often plays female badasses.
- Ms. Fanservice: Whenever she’s not playing a badass action girl, she’s playing one of these. Assuming the character isn't both, of course.
- Sensual Slavs: Being a smoking hot Ukrainian and fluent in the language she’s played this part more than once.
Trivia
- Bodyguard Babes: She is a Real Life example of this trope, being a licensed bodyguard and drop dead gorgeous.
- Cast the Expert: She got into acting after being brought in to teach martial arts to actors in a movie.
- Naturalized Name: She changed hers from Katerena Vinitska, which is similar to her current name.
- Retroactive Recognition: She did a lot of one-episode guest appearances and small movie roles before breaking it big with Vikings so this comes up a lot.
- Star-Making Role: As Lagertha in Vikings.
- You Look Familiar: In two different franchises…
- She has been in CSI, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY as a different character each time.
- She has been in Law & Order and twice in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, again as a different character each time.
TV Roles
- Bones as Hannah Burley
- CSI as Maureen Martin note
- CSI: Miami as Nicole Harjo note
- CSI: NY as Lisa Kay note
- Criminal Minds as Maggie Lowe note
- House as Eve note
- Law & Order as Sarah Shipley note
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Karyn Bennett and Carrie Conlon note
- Nikita as Kelly note
- Person of Interest as Frankie Wells note
- Vikings as Lagertha
- Wu Assassins as Christine "C.G." Gavin
- Big Sky as Jenny Hoyt
Film Roles
- Amusement as Tabitha
- Hellraiser: Hellworld as Chelsea
- Killers as Vivian
- Love & Other Drugs as Lisa
- Satan's Little Helper as Jenna
- Cold Souls as Sveta
- Stand Up Guys as Oxana
- The Art of the Steal as Lola
- The Dark Tower (2017) as Laurie
- Polar as Vivian
- Flag Day as Patty Vogel
- The Marksman as Sarah Pennington
Video Game Roles
- Call of Duty: WWII (Nazi Zombies mode) as Doctor Marie Fischer
