Happy 31st Birthday, Kit Harington!

Kit Harington, aka Jon Snow, the King in the North, turns 31 years old today. We, along with the rest of the realm, wish him a happy

birthday

nameday!

Like many of the younger performers on the show, Harington was an unknown actor when cast on Game of Thrones, having only appeared in a pair of English plays beforehand. HBO chose well, as Harington’s brooding portrayal of Jon has earned him numerous awards nominations, including at the Emmy Awards and from the Screen Actors Guild. Whether it’s waving a sword about in some of the series biggest action sequences, such as the Massacre at Hardhome or the Battle of the Bastards, or stubbornly adhering to the values of his adoptive father Ned Stark, Harington has brought an energy to the show that has garnered the love of fans.

Outside of Thrones, Harington has a diverse resume, including a starring role in 2014’s Pompeii and voice work on two installments of the How to Train Dragon movies. Most recently, Harington starred as distant real-world relative Robert Catesby in BBC’s Gunpowder mini-series. That series, which Harington also produced, was picked up by HBO for American distribution. HBO loves some Kit Harington, it seems.

And while Jon Snow may not have as many titles as Daenerys Targaryen, he’s just as important to the story. In fact, at this point, Harington has actually enjoyed the most screen time of any character in the series.

Offscreen, 2017 was banner year for the English actor. In October, Harington announced his engagement to former Thrones co-star Rose Leslie (Ygritte). In a case of real life imitating art, the pair fell in love after doing the same on screen. Hopefully real life has a happier ending.

Harington is currently filming the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, set to air sometime in 2019. Hopefully Harington received an equal number of Christmas and birthday gifts. December babies are always complaining about that.

Next: HBO 2 is marathoning the entirety of Game of Thrones starting today

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