Kate Mara Biography

Kate Mara is an American actress best known for her roles starring as Zoe Barnes in Netflix’s House of Cards from 2013 to 2014, Shari Rothenberg in FOX’s 24, Hayden McClaine in FX’s American Horror Story: Murder House, Patty Bowes in FX’s Pose, and A Teacher. Her performance in A Teacher won her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Best New Scripted Series Award as an executive producer.

Kate Mara Age

Mara was born on February 27, 1983, in Bedford, New York, U.S.A. She is 41 years old as of 2024. Mara celebrates her birthday on February 27th.

Kate Mara Height

Mara stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 2 inches.

Kate Mara Family

Mara was born to Timothy Christopher Mara and Kathleen McNulty Rooney in New York. Her father worked as an NFL scout while her mother worked as the vice president of the New York Giants for player evaluation. The second of four siblings, she has an older named Daniel, a younger sister named Patricia Rooney, and a younger brother named Conor.

Timothy has 10 siblings through whom she has 20 aunts and uncles, and 40 cousins. Her great-grandparents are Tim Mara who founded the New York Giants and Art Rooney Sr who founded the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maternally, her family has owned the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers football team since its formation in 1933. On the other hand, her paternal family has owned the NFL’s New York Giants since its formation in 1925. Her paternal grandparents were Wellington Mara and Ann Mara.

Wellington was the co-owner of the Giants football team from 1959 until his death in 2005. Following his death, his son, John(Mara’s uncle), succeeded him and he is the current president, CEO, and co-owner of the team. Her maternal grandfather, Timothy James “Tim” Rooney, has been the manager of the Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York since 1972.

Dan Rooney, her granduncle, works as the chairman of the Steelers and cofounder of The Ireland Funds, a charitable organization. He also worked as a United States Ambassador to Ireland. Art Rooney II, her cousin, currently works as the president and co-owner of the Steelers. Mara has Irish ancestry with one-quarter Italian, and smaller amounts of German, French-Canadian, and English.

Kate Mara Ronney

Mara is the eldest sister of Rooney Mara Phoenix. Rooney was born on April 17, 1985, in Bedford, New York, U.S.A. She is 39 years old as of 2024. Just like Mara, Rooney is an actress who gained fame for starring in The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

During her career, she has received nominations for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award. Known for her charity work, she supervises the  Uweza Foundation, which supports children and families in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. Additionally, she founded Hiraeth Collective, a vegan clothing line. Since late 2016, she has been in a relationship with actor, Joaquin Phoenix, with whom she has co-starred in Her, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, and Mary Magdalene.

Kate Mara Husband

Mara got married to Fantastic Four co-star, Jamie Bell, on July 15, 2017. The couple shared news of their marriage on July 17th. They began dating in 2015 and he popped the big question in January 2017. After their marriage, she became the stepmother for Bell’s son from his marriage to Evan Rachel Wood. In May 2019, she gave birth to their daughter. On November 17, 2022, she shared the news of delivering her son the previous work via her Instagram account. She lives in Los Angeles and Manhattan.

Mara says that her vegan diet and regular workouts keep her fit. She is one of the faces of the Humane Society of the United States and in 2015 they featured her in one of their campaign videos to promote Meatless Monday.

Before Jamie, Mara previously was in a short lesbian relationship with Elliot Page. Page is a Canadian actor and producer who has won nominations for an Academy Award, three British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

From 2010 to 2014, she was in a relationship with Max Minghella. Max is an English actor best known for his roles in Syriana, Art School Confidential, Elvis and Anabelle, The Social Network, The Darkest Hour, The Ides of March, The Internship, Horns, Spiral, and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Kate Mara Net Worth

Mara has an estimated net worth ranging between $10 Million – $20 Million which she has earned through being an actress.

Kate Mara Shooter

Mara starred as Sarah Fenn in Shooter. Sarah is the widow of Donnie Fenn, a sniper who was killed during a military mission in Ethiopia. Bob Lee Swagger seeks her help after he becomes entangled in a conspiracy to execute the president. She treats his wounds and becomes his ally, helping him to collect evidence for the conspiracy.

Kate Mara 24

Mara starred as Shari Rothenberg in 24 for 5 episodes. Rothenberg works as a computer analyst at CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit). She uses her skills to help track down threats against national security.

Kate Mara American Horror Story: Murder House

Mara starred as Hayden McClaine in American Horror Story: Murder House for 11 episodes. is a former student of Ben Harmon, a psychiatrist, and his mistress. Emotionally unstable and manipulative, she becomes pregnant with his child and threatens to reveal their affair, demanding that he acknowledge their relationship. She is later killed by Larry, a ghost who resides in the Murder House, turning her into a ghost who haunts the Murder House. As a ghost, she tortures Ben and Vivien, using tactics to make Vivien mad and reclaim Ben’s affection.

Kate Mara House of Cards

Mara starred as Zoe Barnes in House of Cards. Zoe is an intrepid reporter from Washington, D.C. working at Washington Herald. With the hopes of advancing her career, she forms a mutually beneficial relationship with Frank Underwood. In this magnitude, she exposes political scandals while he uses her journalism skills to disclose damaging stories about his rivals. Her role in the film won her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Award.

Kate Mara A Teacher

Mara starred as Claire Wilson in the miniseries, A Teacher, which she also produced. A Teacher follows English teacher Claire and her 17-year-old male student Eric Walker as they start a secret forbidden relationship at Westerbrook High School in Austin, Texas within a span of 10 years.

Kate Mara Education

After graduating a year early from Fox Lane High School, Mara joined the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where she studied Musical Theater. However, she took a respite from studying to work on her acting career.

Kate Mara Career

Mara started acting when she was 9, appearing in a school musical. She went to multiple youth theater-arts schools and starred in community theater and school plays. She had her audition at NBC in the police drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. Even though she didn’t get the part, she decided to pursue acting. She secured her first TV role in FX’s Nip Tuck as Vanessa Bartholomew. She also made appearances in the TV shows Cold Case, Boston Public, CSI: Miami, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In 2004, Mara joined the cast of Prodigy in the lead role. The following year, she starred in a recurring role of WB’s Jack & Bobby. In 2006, she starred as a computer analyst named Shari Rothenberg in Fox’s 24. She then joined the cast of HBO’s Entourage SN 6 in 2009. In the series, she starred as Brittany, an assistant at Eric “E” Murphy’s talent agency and a potential love interest. In 2011, she played a guest role in FX’s American Horror Story as Hayden McClaine. Her former producer on Nip/Tuck offered her the role. In 2012, Mara starred as Zoe Barnes in House Of Cards, winning her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Award on July 10, 2014.

Stage

Mara debuted on stage in 2003 with a role in John Guare’s Landscape of the Body with Lili Taylor at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She appeared in The Alice Complex at Dixon Place in New York City in 2005 and the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles in 2006. While talking to WFAN radio in 2006, she said that that was a dream since that was what she wanted to do as a kid and didn’t pay attention to movies or TV.

Film

Mara debuted in film with a role in Random Hearts opposite Harrison Ford in 1999. In the film, she starred as the daughter of a congresswoman, Jessica Chandler. Next, she starred in Joe the King in 1999 and Tadpole in 2002. In 2004, she appeared in Peoples which was filmed in Louisville, Kentucky. Additionally, she appeared in Urban Legends: Bloody Mary and The Californians opposite Noah Wyle and Illeana Douglas. She gained critical praise for her supporting role in Brokeback Mountain.

Mara signed with the William Morris Agency, appearing on the New York Daily News list of “10 young actors who have a shot at making it big” at the start of 2006. That same year, she starred as Summer Jones in Zoom. Next, she starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in We Are Marshall as cheerleader Annie Cantrell. In 2007, she starred in Full of It with Ryan Pinkston.

Mara appeared in Gap’s advertising campaign called Khakis with Attitude. She then played the role of a Kentucky widow with a Southern accent in Shooter. For 3 months, she filmed Transsiberian in Vilnius, Lithuania. The film was also shot on location in Beijing and Russia.

2008 to present;

In 2008, Mara appeared in Stone of Destiny, a film following the thievery of the Stone of Scone on Christmas Day 1950. In the film, she starred as Kay Matheson, a student involved in removing the stone in a Scottish nationalist plot. She starred in T Takes: Brooklyn 09 in December of that year. Also, she played the role of Lucy in The Open Road.

Mara starred in Peep World with Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, and Rainn Wilson in 2009. Further, she made a cameo appearance in Marvel’s Iron Man 2. In July of that same year, she filmed Happythankyoumoreplease in New York City. In the film, she portrays a waitress and aspiring singer named Mississippi. The following year, she starred as Kristi Moore in 127 Hours.

Mara starred in Ironclad in 2011, a film that follows the story of the siege of Rochester Castle by King John in the year 1215. She appeared in Ten Year, about a 10-year high school reunion, to attract financing for a feature film. In 2012, she appeared in Deadfall opposite Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde. The following year, she appeared in the music video for Holding On For Life by Broken Bells. In 2014, she starred opposite Johnny Depp in Transcendence.

In 2015, Mara starred as Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four reboot. That same year, she played the supporting role of astronaut Beth Johanssen in The Martian. Moreover, she appeared as Ashley Smith in Captive. In 2017, she starred as Megan Leavey in Megan Leavey. Moreover, she starred with Elliot Page in  My Days of Mercy, which she also co-produced. In 2025, she will star in The Dutchman and The Astronaut.

Kate Mara Movies and TV Shows

Mara has starred in multiple movies and TV shows during her career such as

• Joe the King
• Time Well Spent
• Prodigy
• Big Guy
• Queen of Hearts
• After the Disco Part One: Angel and the Fool
• Transcendence
• The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards
• The Martian
• Jack & Bobby
• Morgan
• Chappaquiddick
• Moonbeam City
• Call Jane
• Class of ’09
• Friendship