Christopher Catesby "Kit" Harington (born 26 December 1986) is an English actor and producer. Born in Acton, Greater London, Harington graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in 2008. While still at drama school, he landed the leading role of Albert, making his professional acting debut in the National Theatre and West End critically acclaimed adaptation of the play War Horse. His performance was seen by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, in a private theatre visit in 2009.
In 2011, Harington rose to prominence for his breakthrough role as Jon Snow in the HBO television series Game of Thrones, which brought him international recognition. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a Critics Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, among other accolades. In 2017, he was honoured with the Giffoni Experience Award by the Giffoni Film Festival.
Harington has appeared in several feature films such as the historical romance film Pompeii (2014), British drama Testament of Youth (2014) and critically acclaimed animated How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014). He also developed, produced and starred in the BBC historical period drama mini-series Gunpowder (2017), which has since been picked up by HBO and Endemol, and distributed worldwide.