Kathryn Emily Douglas (born October 19, 1998) is a Canadian actress. Her roles in horror and thriller projects have gained her recognition as a scream queen.
Douglas's career started in 2013 with roles in the television series Spooksville (2013âÂÂ2014) and the film Compulsion (2013). Subsequent television roles included Defiance (2013âÂÂ2015), Raising Expectations (2016âÂÂ2018), Mary Kills People (2017âÂÂ2019), and Pretty Hard Cases (2021âÂÂ2023). After her first leading film role in the thriller Level 16 (2018), Douglas's breakthrough came with roles in the true crime television films ' (2018) and The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story (2023); the latter won her the Canadian Screen Award.
Douglas gained wider recognition for her starring role in the Netflix comedy drama series Ginny & Georgia (2021âÂÂpresent). She has since acted in The Walk (2022), Lazareth (2024), and Clown in a Cornfield (2025).
Douglas was born into a family with three siblings on October 19, 1998, in Burlington, Ontario, in Canada. Douglas started acting at the age of six at the Great Big Theatre Company in Burlington, Ontario. She starred in a number of productions, including a Christmas play involving penguins, and as Tinkerbell, at the summer camp of the Burlington Dance Academy. Douglas attended Nelson High School in Burlington. Throughout her early acting career, Douglas completed her education through the use of a travelling tutor.
Douglas began her screen acting career at the age of six in F2: Forensic Factor. Douglas later played Sally Wilcox on Discovery FamilyâÂÂs fantasy action TV show Spooksville in 2013, but it only lasted one season. Douglas starred as Young Irisa on the science fiction action TV series Defiance: The Lost Ones which premiered on SyFy in March 2014. At the age of 15, Douglas was nominated for Outstanding Performer in a ChildrenâÂÂs Series at the 41st Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards held in Los Angeles in 2014, for her role as Sally Wilcox in Spooksville.
Douglas starred as Naomi Malik from 2017 to 2019 in the Global Network Canadian comedy and drama TV series Mary Kills People, working alongside Caroline Dhavernas. Douglas played a lead role as Vivien in Danishka Esterhazy's 2018 thriller film Level 16. For her work on Level 16, she won a Bloodie Award for Best Actress.
In 2019, Douglas was the protagonist in the drama film ', which recounts the true story of Lisa McVey. McVey was 17 years old and suicidal in 1984 when she was abducted, and raped for 26 hours, by serial killer Bobby Joe Long, before talking her way to freedom. Douglas received an ACTRA Award nomination for her performance, eventually losing out to Amybeth McNulty.
In 2021, she starred as Abby, a friend of Ginny and part of the MANG group (Max, Abby, Norah and Ginny), in the Netflix comedy series Ginny and Georgia, alongside Brianne Howey, Antonia Gentry, Sara Waisglass, and Chelsea Clark. After the Season 2 release, Ginny & GeorgiaÃÂ was the most-watched title from January to June 2023 on Netflix, with a combined 967.2M hours viewed between Seasons 1 and 2. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a third and fourth season, the former of which was released on June 5, 2025.
Douglas starred in a main role as 18-year-old Jackie Sullivan, in the first two seasons of the CBC Television female police comedy-drama television series Pretty Hard Cases from 2021 to 2022.
In 2022, Douglas stars as Kate Coughlin, in the Daniel Adams-directed police protection film The Walk, among a cast which includes Justin Chatwin, Terrence Howard and Malcolm McDowell.
In 2023, she was the titular role in the film The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, which portrays the true story of how a 15 year-old girl survived the trauma of abduction, incarceration and sexual assault for over 18 hours until an opportunity to escape arose.
In 2024, Douglas starred in the thriller film by Alec Tibaldi titled Lazareth opposite Ashley Judd and Sarah Pidgeon, which was released on May 10, 2024. Her performance in the 2025 film adaptation of the 2020 horror novel Clown in a Cornfield was met with positive reviews, with a writer from Slashershack writing that she possesses "scream queen potential".