Rise to Fame
Teaching actors how to hit back is an unusual path to stardom, but that's how she found the camera. Decades before Vikings, Katheryn Winnick was running three WIN KAI self-defense schools across North America by her early twenties, holding a black belt in Taekwondo she'd earned at 13. She parlayed that into coaching actors on set, until watching them do the work made her want the parts instead. Years of episodic appearances on Bones, CSI, and Criminal Minds followed. Then Vikings cast her as Lagertha and changed the calculation entirely.
In the Spotlight
Six seasons as a Norse shield-maiden got her Entertainment Weekly coverage as one of TV's standout feminist characters of the decade. The question is what follows. Big Sky on ABC gave her the lead as a Montana detective, but the show ran three seasons before ABC cancelled it. Films with Liam Neeson and a Cannes premiere alongside Sean Penn filled the gap without another breakout character landing. She directed an episode in Vikings Season 6 and won a Women's Image Award for it. Running Kat Scratch Inc. suggests she's playing a longer game than just acting.
Side Notes
Her Ukrainian roots run deeper than most fans realize. Born Katerena Vinitska to Ukrainian immigrant parents in Ontario, she didn't speak English until she was 8. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she and her mother co-founded The Winnick Foundation for humanitarian aid. Russia formally banned her from entry that November, alongside 99 other Canadians. A bodyguard license, fluency in five languages, and three self-defense schools spanning Toronto, New York, and L.A. round out a resume that has nothing to do with acting.