Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham, known professionally as Kat Graham, is a multifaceted American talent. Born on September 5, 1989, she has excelled as an actress, singer, dancer, and activist.
Graham is widely recognized for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama series *The Vampire Diaries* (2009-2017). Her film credits include *The Parent Trap* (1998), *17 Again* (2009), *The Roommate* (2011), *Honey 2* (2011), *Addicted* (2014), and *All Eyez on Me* (2017).
Kat Graham
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham was born on September 5, 1989, in Geneva, Switzerland, and raised in Los Angeles, California, United States. Her father, Joseph, is of Americo-Liberian descent, and her mother, Natasha, was Jewish (from a family from Poland and Russia). Graham's father was a music executive and the godfather of two of producer Quincy Jones' children.
Graham began her career in the entertainment industry at age 6. Within the following eight years, she appeared in numerous television commercials, including advertisements for Barbie, Edison, K-Mart, and Pop-Tarts. At age 15, Graham caught the eye of choreographer Fatima Robinson, and was asked to perform at the BET Awards as a background dancer for hip-hop rapper Bow Wow. Graham followed her BET Awards appearance with work as a background dancer for Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, and choreographers Hi-Hat and Michael Rooney. At age 17, Graham participated in a national marketing campaign to advertise Coca-Cola's soda brand Fanta. In 1998, Graham made her film debut in the remake of *The Parent Trap* alongside Lindsay Lohan. Graham plays the role of Jackie, a Camp Walden camper.
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Acting Career
In 2002, Graham made her television debut on the Disney Channel teen comedy series *Lizzie McGuire*. Graham went on to appear on various television series, including *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, *The O.C.*, *Malcolm in the Middle*, *Joan of Arcadia*, *Grounded For Life*, and *Greek*. In 2008, she appeared in the musical comedy series *Hannah Montana* playing the role of a girlfriend to Jason Earles's character Jackson Stewart as a guest appearance for three episodes.
In December 2008, Graham began filming sci-fi/dance film *Boogie Town* in Los Angeles. However, shooting the film was put on hold that same month due to payroll issues with background performers. In April 2009, principal photography was stopped due to schedule conflicts with some of her co-stars and other projects. The film is a retelling of the tragedy *Romeo and Juliet* and is set in a futuristic New York City where dance battles are permanently banned. Graham plays the role of Ingrid.
In March 2009, Graham was cast in The CW supernatural drama series *The Vampire Diaries* based on the book series of the same name. Graham plays the role of Bonnie Bennett, a young witch, which is considered her breakout role. The series premiered on September 10, 2009, to 4.91 million viewers and received mixed reviews for its progression from critics. In May 2012, the series was renewed for the show's fourth season. She took over as the female lead in 2015 after the Canadian actress Nina Dobrev departed for the seventh season.
In August 2010, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Graham was cast in the Universal Pictures dance drama film *Honey 2*. The film is a sequel to the 2003 film *Honey*. The film follows a troubled girl and aspiring dancer who joins a dance crew. The film was released theatrically in selected countries for a limited release and went on to make over US$8 million worldwide. In June 2011, the film was released direct-to-DVD in North America to negative reviews from critics though Graham's performance and dancing was praised.
In 2022, Graham competed in season eight of *The Masked Singer* as "Robo-Girl".
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Music Career
Graham found her break in 2007 when she was featured on "The Donque Song" and "I Got It From My Mama" on singer/rapper will.i.am's third studio album Songs About Girls. The move saw Graham embark on a world tour with The Black Eyed Peas as a supporting act for the Black Blue & You Tour.
In April 2010, the song "My Boyfriends Back" released on YouTube and got over 1 million views. In October 2010, Graham released her debut single "Sassy". A music video for the song premiered that same month, but the track performed poorly and it failed to chart. She then went on to release covers of artists such as Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul which garnered Graham the attention of Paula who praised her cover. Graham contributed a cover of the Garbage song "Only Happy When It Rains" to The Vampire Diaries soundtrack.
In March 2011, Graham released another single titled "I Want It All". In February 2012, Graham signed a recording contract with A&M/Octone Records, her first major label signing. In March 2012, Graham released "Put Your Graffiti On Me". The song itself received positive reviews from critics. In the same month, the music video premiered and as of October 19, 2012, had reached 4,843,458 views on YouTube. The song peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
On May 29, Graham performed the track on *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*. This was marked as her first televised musical performance ever. On that same day Graham released her first EP *Against The Wall* which debuted at #54 on the iTunes Music Album Chart. The music video for her second single "Wanna Say" was directed by Benny Boom and produced by London Alley.
On September 25, 2015, Graham released her first studio album *Roxbury Drive*. Her second studio album was *Love Music Funk Magic*, released on June 2, 2017. Graham released her debut as Toro Gato, a new identity embracing her West African culture and ancestry, the EP *Toro Gato* on September 10, 2021, as a part of her NFT collection. A music video of her first single, "Swim," from the album was uploaded onto a separate YouTube channel under the same name as her EP a month prior.
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She released *Toro Gato Pt. II* on January 28, 2022; only a day following the upload of the music video for "White Flag," her second single from the project. The full album *Toro Gato: Part II (Deluxe Edition)* was released the same day in 3 versions, and includes unreleased songs and short films, as well as vinyls, cassettes, and exclusive merchandise. Both albums are exclusively available on the YellowHeart NFT platform for a limited time as a part of the Toro Gato collection. On June 3, 2022, she released her fourth album titled *Long Hot Summer*, and announced her first solo world tour in partnership with GLAAD.
In 2002, she wrote a song titled "Derailed", which was featured in the Jean-Claude Van Damme film of the same title.
Kat Graham - Sometimes
Wellness Company
In collaboration with Frank Elaridi and Bryant Wood, Kat Graham founded the wellness company Modern Nirvana in 2019.
Musical Influences
Graham cites Destiny's Child, The Beatles, Janet Jackson, M.I.A., Gwen Stefani, Spice Girls, Madonna, Grace Jones, and Prince as musical influences.
Personal Life
Graham began dating actor Cottrell Guidry in 2008; they became engaged in October 2012.
Kat Graham's Astrological Profile
Born on September 5th, Kat Graham falls under the zodiac sign of Virgo. Here's a glimpse into how this zodiac sign might influence her personality:
- Organized and Detail-Oriented: Virgos are known for their meticulous nature. Kat's diverse career, spanning acting, singing, and dancing, suggests a structured approach to her work.
- Modest and Distant: Virgos often maintain a level of modesty, preferring to master their skills rather than venturing into uncertain territories.
- Analytical: With methods that you probably devised yourself, you clarify, you purify and you work by a process of elimination, up to the point where only the essential remains.
Additionally, here are some astrological facts related to the day of Kat Graham's birth:
- Celebrities born the same day: Freddie Mercury, Louis XIV of France, Rose McGowan, Raquel Welch, Michael Keaton, Pierre Casiraghi, Werner Herzog, Jesse James (outlaw), Skandar Keynes.
The Moon represents instinctive reaction, unconscious predestination, everyday mood, sensitivity, emotions, the feminine side of the personality, intuition, imagination. On the day and at the time of your birth, the Moon was in the sign of Scorpio. Your instincts deeply influence your thinking process and your actions. There is a lot of impulsiveness and violence in you. But they are only the other side of the coin of your direct and innate receptivity that gives you the amazing ability to perceive what is really at stake in any given situation. You also have extraordinary psychological skills. You are impervious to prevailing trends and tastes and you prefer to create a unique lifestyle for yourself alone.
Mercury represents communication, logical and rational mind, intellectual skills. In your chart, Mercury is in Libra. Communication is one of your assets. You assimilate very rapidly the characteristics of your environment. The flexibility you display in your judgments and your human exchanges gives you the reputation of being sociable. You strive to balance your opinions and to thoroughly weigh up information before dismissing or accepting them. You are fond of nuances and alternatives.
Venus represents the way one loves, relationships, sharing, affectivity, seductive ability. On the day of your birth, she is found in Libra. She feels great natural harmony in this sign. You relate to the world in a strong, instinctive and sensual way. You strive to establish a form of smooth understanding and harmony around you. Art, love and aesthetics form the whole of your sensitivity. You have a strong desire to charm and to seduce your entourage.
Astrological Table
| Planet | Sign | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Virgo | Vitality, individuality, will-power and creative energy. |
| Moon | Scorpio | Instinctive reaction, unconscious predestination, everyday mood, sensitivity, emotions, the feminine side of the personality, intuition, imagination. |
| Mercury | Libra | Communication, logical and rational mind, intellectual skills. |
| Venus | Libra | The way one loves, relationships, sharing, affectivity, seductive ability. |
