When we think of Kit Harington, most of our minds naturally go to that iconic line in Game of Thrones when his character is told: ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow.’
But in the real world for Kit, it turns out that for the first 11 years of his life he actually did know nothing… about his name.
The actor, who was born Christopher Catesby Harington on December 26, 1986, in Acton, west London, has gone by Kit since the day he was born.
However, for more than a decade, nobody told him that it wasn’t his real name.
Speaking to Interview magazine back in 2012, the 39-year-old recalled the moment the penny dropped.
After sitting a placement test at school, the actor wrote down Kit Harrington on the paper.
‘They looked at me like I was completely stupid,’ he said.
‘They said, “No, you’re Christopher Harington, I’m afraid.” It was only then I learned my actual name. That was kind of a bizarre existential crisis for an 11-year-old to have.’
Despite learning his real name, Kit decided to never make the switch back.
‘No one ever calls me Christopher,’ he added.
‘I only use it when I’m applying for a new passport or something. I felt that’s who I was. I’m not really a Chris.’
After training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Kit made his professional debut in 2009 as Albert Narracott in the West End production of War Horse.
From there, his career was changed forever after being cast as Jon Snow in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
He would go on to play the iconic character across eight seasons, becoming one of the most recoginsable actors on the planet.
In 2024, Kit confirmed that a Jon Snow spin-off series was ‘off the table’ after they could not find the right story.
Since Game of Thrones ended, he has gone on to star in a number of West End plays, included Doctor Faustus, True West and Henry V.
He also appeared in Marvel’s Eternals as Dane Whitman, a role that hinted at a bigger MCU future.
Since 2024, he has starred as Sir Henry Muck in HBO’s financial thriller Industry.
Last year, his former Game of Thrones co-star Sophie Turner, who played his onscreen ‘sibling’, said it was ‘really weird’ to play his lover in Gothic horror movie The Dreadful, which is set in the 15th century.
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