Anna Cathcart Ethnicity: Chinese and Irish Roots, Parents and Biography
Anna Cathcart is of Chinese and Irish ethnicity. The Canadian actress, beloved as Kitty Song Covey in Netflix’s To All the Boys films and the spinoff series XO, Kitty, was born on June 16, 2003, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Chinese mother and an Irish father. She has described herself as half Chinese and half Irish, and has spoken warmly about growing up biracial in Vancouver’s large Asian community.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anna Cathcart |
| Date of birth | June 16, 2003 (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Ethnicity | Chinese (mother) and Irish (father) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Parents | Mamie Cathcart (mother), Jaime Cathcart (father) |
| Known for | Kitty in To All the Boys / XO, Kitty; Odd Squad; Descendants |
Who Is Anna Cathcart?
Anna Cathcart is a Canadian actress who began her career as a child star and grew into one of Gen Z’s most beloved screen presences. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, she was discovered at age 12 and cast as Agent Olympia in the PBS Kids/TVOKids educational series Odd Squad (2016–2019), a role that earned her a Canadian Screen Award and made her a familiar face to young audiences across North America.
Her career accelerated rapidly. At 13, she joined Disney’s Descendants 2 (2017) as Dizzy Tremaine, the quirky daughter of Drizella, reprising the role in Descendants 3 (2019). But it was Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) that made her a breakout star: as Kitty Song Covey, the meddling, brilliant younger sister of Lara Jean (Lana Condor), Cathcart stole nearly every scene, and audiences demanded more of her character.
Netflix listened. In 2023, Cathcart headlined her own spinoff series, XO, Kitty, following Kitty to Seoul, South Korea, on a journey of love, identity, and self-discovery. The show was a hit, cementing Cathcart’s transition from scene-stealing supporting player to leading lady. She also starred in the Brat web series Zoe Valentine (2019) and the Disney Channel Original Movie Spin (2021).
Remarkably, Cathcart balanced stardom with normalcy — attending public high school (graduating in 2021), doing homework in trailers between takes, and later enrolling at the University of British Columbia, where she has studied sociology and creative writing. She is known for her humility, humor, and intelligence, qualities that shine through in her many candid interviews.
What Is Anna Cathcart’s Ethnicity?
Anna Cathcart’s ethnicity is half Chinese and half Irish. Her mother comes from a Chinese background and her father is Irish, making her biracial. She was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia — a city with one of North America’s largest Asian communities — which profoundly shaped her experience of growing up mixed-race.
Cathcart has spoken thoughtfully about her biracial identity in interviews. Speaking about ethnicity, she told Teen Vogue that she felt very lucky to have always felt loved and accepted in Vancouver: “I know that isn’t the experience that a lot of biracial people get and I do not take that lightly. Especially where I lived, there’s a really large Asian community.” Her comments reflect both gratitude and awareness of how different the biracial experience can be depending on environment.
Her casting as Kitty Song Covey — a half-Korean character in the To All the Boys universe — added an interesting layer to her public identity. While Cathcart herself is Chinese-Irish rather than Korean, her own experience as a mixed-Asian young woman informed her portrayal of a character navigating dual cultural identities, a theme that deepened in XO, Kitty as Kitty explores her Korean heritage in Seoul.
Cathcart’s openness about being biracial has made her a relatable figure for mixed-heritage young people. In an entertainment landscape where mixed-Asian actors are increasingly visible but still underrepresented, her matter-of-fact pride in both sides of her background — and her refusal to be boxed into a single identity — resonates strongly with fans.
Anna Cathcart’s Parents and Family Background
Anna Cathcart’s parents are Mamie Cathcart and Jaime Cathcart. Her mother is of Chinese descent and her father is Irish. The family raised Anna and her older sister, Sara Cathcart — who is five years older — in Vancouver, in what Anna has described as a loving, supportive household.
Her older sister Sara played a pivotal role in Anna’s path to acting. Sara began acting first, appearing in commercials for brands like Crayola and Campbell’s Soup when Anna was just eight. Watching her sister — along with the Disney Channel and Netflix shows she loved — inspired Anna to pursue acting herself. The sisters remain close and supportive of each other, frequently appearing together in family social media posts.
Cathcart has shared glimpses of her warm family life publicly. On Father’s Day 2020, she posted a tribute to her dad, thanking him for morning notes, funny GIFs, and always being there when she needed him. Her mother, too, has been celebrated in Mother’s Day posts by both sisters. The family’s closeness provided a stable foundation as Anna navigated child stardom.
Growing up in Vancouver’s multicultural environment, with a large Asian community and a strong Irish-Canadian presence, gave Cathcart the rare gift of never feeling like an outsider because of her mixed background. She has acknowledged this as a privilege, noting that many biracial people face far harder experiences — a maturity and empathy that characterize her public persona.
Anna Cathcart’s Career Highlights
Cathcart’s professional debut as Agent Olympia on Odd Squad in 2016 — at age 12 — launched a career of unusual consistency. She played the role across 36 episodes through 2022, also appearing in Odd Squad: The Movie, and won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program for a guest appearance on Dino Dana.
The Disney chapter brought her Descendants 2 and Descendants 3 as Dizzy Tremaine, plus a voice role in the Descendants: The Royal Wedding special. But the To All the Boys trilogy (2018–2021) was the turning point: her Kitty became a cultural touchstone, the little sister everyone wished they had, and the obvious candidate for a spinoff.
XO, Kitty (2023–present) proved she could carry a series. As Kitty navigates the Korean Independent School of Seoul, first love, and her late mother’s homeland, Cathcart delivers a performance balancing comedy and genuine emotional depth. The show’s exploration of Kitty’s coming-out storyline in later seasons added further dimension, handled with the show’s characteristic warmth.
For more young-star heritage stories, see our profiles of Jalynn Elordi, model and creative artist, Carolin Bacic, and Natalie Oglesby Skalla.
Anna Cathcart on Growing Up Biracial
Among young stars, Anna Cathcart stands out for how thoughtfully she discusses her biracial identity. In interviews about her Chinese and Irish background, she has consistently expressed gratitude for growing up in Vancouver, where a large Asian community meant her mixed heritage was unremarkable — while acknowledging that many biracial people face far less accepting environments. “I know that isn’t the experience that a lot of biracial people get and I do not take that lightly,” she told Teen Vogue, a reflection notable for its empathy from someone who was still a teenager at the time.
That groundedness extends to how she navigated fame. While many child actors are homeschooled on set full-time, Cathcart attended public high school, juggling classes with filming schedules she described as “like having two full-time jobs at once.” She graduated in 2021 and went on to study sociology and creative writing at the University of British Columbia — academic interests that dovetail naturally with her curiosity about identity and culture. Her portrayal of Kitty Song Covey, a half-Korean character exploring her roots in Seoul in XO, Kitty, draws on her own lived experience of dual heritage, lending the performance an authenticity that fans have recognized and celebrated. In an industry quick to flatten mixed-race actors into a single marketable identity, Cathcart’s insistence on being fully both — Chinese and Irish, Canadian and global — feels quietly radical.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Anna Cathcart’s ethnicity?
Anna Cathcart is half Chinese and half Irish. Her mother is of Chinese descent and her father is Irish. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada.
Is Anna Cathcart Korean?
No — this is a common misconception because her famous character, Kitty Song Covey, is half-Korean. In real life, Cathcart is of Chinese and Irish descent, not Korean.
Who are Anna Cathcart’s parents?
Her parents are Mamie Cathcart (mother, of Chinese descent) and Jaime Cathcart (father, Irish). She has an older sister, Sara Cathcart, who is five years older and also acted in commercials as a child.
How old is Anna Cathcart?
Anna Cathcart was born on June 16, 2003, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, making her 23 years old.
What is Anna Cathcart famous for?
She is best known as Kitty Song Covey in Netflix’s To All the Boys film trilogy and the spinoff series XO, Kitty, as Agent Olympia in Odd Squad, and as Dizzy Tremaine in Disney’s Descendants 2 and 3. See her Wikipedia biography and this profile of her background for more.
She holds advanced qualifications in Sociology, Anthropology, and Ethnic Studies, fields that focus on human cultures, traditions, migration patterns, and identity development across the world. Her expertise allows her to break down complex cultural topics into easy-to-understand articles that readers genuinely enjoy.
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