Who played Kate Austen on Lost?

Evangeline Lilly played Kate Austen on Lost. Kate is one of the central survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 and becomes a major figure in the show's island conflicts, investigations, and changing alliances. Lilly portrayed Kate throughout the series, which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2010.

Lilly was a relatively new actor when she auditioned. The casting process was unusually secretive: performers were given only limited material and knew little beyond the plane-crash premise. The producers were impressed by Lilly's combination of confidence and vulnerability, although a work-visa problem nearly prevented her from joining the production. She eventually arrived in Hawaii just one day late.

Kate's character is often associated with her fugitive past, survival skills, and complicated relationships with Jack Shephard and Sawyer. Lilly's performance earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series—Drama. Viewers sometimes confuse Kate's actor with Maggie Grace, who played Shannon Rutherford, or Yunjin Kim, who played Sun-Hwa Kwon.