Katy O'Brian

Katy M. O'Brian (born February 12, 1989) is an American actress, writer and martial artist.

She is best known for her roles as imperial communications officer Elia Kane in the second and the third season of The Mandalorian, George in Syfy's zombie show Z Nation, Major Sara Grey in The CW's superhero series Black Lightning, Kimball in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Jentorra in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

O'Brian was born on February 12, 1989, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has three older brothers.

She is mixed race, of African-American and white ancestry.

O'Brian began studying martial arts at five years old, and at age nine earned her brown belt in Shorei Goju Ryu Karate.

Throughout her youth, she participated in numerous sports programs and also in music programs as a percussionist.

She attended Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in psychology and Germanic studies.

She was one of the first members of the university's short-form improv troupe Hoosonfirst, and received law enforcement certification through the university's Cadet Officer Program.

At university, she received her black belt in Hapkido through the US Hapkido Federation.

After graduation, she was a police officer for seven years at the Carmel Police Department in Carmel, Indiana, including the department’s Crisis Intervention Team, which specialized in helping individuals with various conditions such as psychosis, depression, Alzheimer’s, autism, etc. She obtained her personal trainer certification and began competing in bodybuilding figure competitions, and began training at the Indy Actors Academy.

In 2016, O'Brian moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.

While waiting to land a role, she worked with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Martial Arts Program, helping with self-defense classes, instructing the Hapkido program.

Through UCLA’s programs, and studying Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

O'Brian's first television role was as a Savior named Katy on AMC's The Walking Dead, quickly followed by co-star roles on Halt & Catch Fire, Tosh.O and How to Get Away with Murder.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 2016, O'Brian met her partner Kylie Chi on the set of a student film project.

In 2018, O'Brian booked her first series regular role on the comedy action series Z Nation where she played George, a budding leader of the apocalypse.

In 2019, she appeared in the CW series Black Lightning as an ASA antagonist, Major Sara Grey.

She appeared in season 3 of HBO's Westworld.

In 2020, O'Brian was cast as Elia Kane, a key recurring character in Seasons 2 and 3 of the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

She had been featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: in 2020 as Kimball in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; and in 2023, in a leading role as Jentorra, leader of the Freedom Fighters in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

She is one of the few actors who has appeared in both the Star Wars and Marvel franchises.

The couple live together in Los Angeles and married in July 2020.