How old is Katniss Everdeen and the rest of the Hunger Games crew — really?
How old is Katniss Everdeen? In the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old when the story begins, volunteering in place of her 12-year-old sister Prim. Her co-victor, Peeta Mellark, is the same age, while their friend Gale Hawthorne is 18.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old during the first Hunger Games.
- Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne are the same age as Katniss.
- Primrose Everdeen, Katniss’s younger sister, is 12 years old when the story begins.
- Older characters like Haymitch Abernathy and Effie Trinket are in their 30s to 40s, while President Snow is 82 years.
- Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue, was the same age as her character.
How old is Katniss Everdeen and the rest of The Hunger Games stars?
The actors in The Hunger Games were mostly close in age to the characters they played, with Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) being just a few years older than their roles. Below is an overview of the main Hunger Games characters and their ages during the events of the first book/movie.
Role | Played by | Age in The Hunger Games |
Katniss Everdeen | Jennifer Lawrence | 16 |
Peeta Mellark | Josh Hutcherson | 16 |
Gale Hawthorne | Liam Hemsworth | 18 |
Primrose Everdeen | Willow Shields | 12 |
Haymitch Abernathy | Woody Harrelson | 40 |
Effie Trinket | Elizabeth Banks | Mid-late 40s |
President Snow | Donald Sutherland | 82 |
Finnick Odair | Sam Claflin | 24 |
Johanna Mason | Jena Malone | About 21 |
Rue | Amandla Stenberg | 12 |
Cato | Alexander Ludwig | 18 |
Clove | Isabelle Fuhrman | 15 |
Cinna | Lenny Kravitz | Early 30s |
Caesar Flickerman | Stanley Tucci | 65-67 |
Claudius Templesmith | Toby Jones | 46 |
Seneca Crane | Wes Bentley | Early 30s |
1. Katniss Everdeen
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Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old when she is first selected as a tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. She turns 17 during the events of Catching Fire and is around 18 years old by the end of Mockingjay. Jennifer Lawrence, who played the role, was 20 years old when she was cast, just a few months before her 21st birthday.
Jennifer was already a well-known actress in Hollywood before she got the role of Katniss. A year before The Hunger Games came out, Jennifer Lawrence played Mystique, the shape-shifting mutant, in X-Men: First Class. Before that, she received her first Oscar nomination for her role in the 2010 movie Winter’s Bone.
2. Peeta Mellark
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According to The Mary Sue, Peeta Mellark is 16 years old when he competes in the first Hunger Games, making him the same age as the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. He turns 17 during Catching Fire and the beginning of Mockingjay. His age advances to 18 by the conclusion of the war in Mockingjay, and he is in his late thirties in the final epilogue.
Josh Hutcherson was 18 years old when he started filming the first Hunger Games movie in 2011. He was 19 years old when the film was released in theatres in March 2012. Hutcherson was a child star and starred in numerous movies and shows in the early 2000s, including The Polar Express, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Bridge to Terabithia, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
3. Gale Hawthorne
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Gale Hawthorne is 18 years old at the start of The Hunger Games series, and his age progresses to 19 by the end of the series. Liam Hemsworth, who played the role, was 21 years old when he filmed the first Hunger Games movie and had turned 22 by its release.
Before appearing in The Hunger Games, Liam Hemsworth had starred in Neighbours, The Elephant Princess and The Last Song alongside his ex-wife, Miley Cyrus.
4. Primrose Everdeen (Prim)
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Primrose Everdeen is 12 years old when she is reaped for the 74th Hunger Games at the beginning of the series. She is 13 to 14 years old in Catching Fire and Mockingjay, and dies at the age of 14 during an explosion in Mockingjay.
Willow Shields, who played Prim, was 10 during filming and 11 by the time the film was released, making her one of the youngest cast members. Her role in The Hunger Games was her third professional acting project, coming after appearances on the TV series In Plain Sight and the television movie Beyond the Blackboard.
5. Haymitch Abernathy
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Haymitch Abernathy was 40 years old during the events of the first Hunger Games novel and film when he mentored Katniss and Peeta. He is 41-42 years old during Catching Fire and Mockingjay, as the events of the trilogy span a couple of years.
The role of Haymitch was played by Woody Harrelson, who was about 50 years old when he starred in the first movie. Harrelson was already an established actor with roles in films like Zombieland, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Cheers before taking on the role of Katniss and Peeta’s mentor.
6. Effie Trinket
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Effie Trinket's exact age is not specified, but she is generally portrayed as being in her mid-to-late 40s during the 74th Hunger Games. Her age in the prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, is estimated to be in her 20s, and her age at the time of the epilogue is 47.
The role of Effie was portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, who was 38 years old when she starred in the first movie. Banks was already well-known for roles in Catch Me If You Can, The Hunger Games prequel appearances, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and the Pitch Perfect series before appearing in The Hunger Games.
7. President Snow
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As documented by Screenrant, President Coriolanus Snow was 82 years old during the events of the first Hunger Games novel and film, which covered the 74th Hunger Games. The role of President Snow was played by Donald Sutherland, who was approximately 76 years old at the time the movie was released.
Before playing President Snow, Sutherland was already a popular actor with decades of experience in films like The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Ordinary People (1980), Space Cowboys (2000), The Italian Job (2003) and Pride & Prejudice (2005). He passed away on 20 June 2024, at the age of 88, in Miami, Florida.
8. Finnick Odair
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Finnick Odair is about 24 years old during the events of Catching Fire and the 75th Hunger Games. He became famous at 14 when he won the 65th Hunger Games, making him one of the youngest victors ever.
The role of Finnick was played by Sam Claflin, who was approximately 26 years old at the time he starred in the movies. Claflin had appeared in films like Snow White and the Huntsman and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides before taking on the role of Finnick Odair.
9. Johanna Mason
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According to 34th Hunger Games Fandom, Johanna Mason is 17 years old when she wins the 71st Hunger Games, 21 years old when she is reaped for the 75th Hunger Games (the Quarter Quell), and 21-22 years old during the events of Mockingjay. The role of Johanna was played by Jena Malone, who was approximately 27 years old at the time of filming.
Malone had already acted in films like Sucker Punch, Pride & Prejudice, and Into the Wild before taking on the role of the fierce victor.
10. Rue
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Rue is 12 years old in The Hunger Games, as she is the 12-year-old female tribute from District 11 chosen for the 74th Hunger Games. She was the youngest tribute in the arena at the time, the same age as Primrose Everdeen, Katniss's sister.
The role of Rue was played by Amandla Stenberg, who was 12 years old at the time of filming. She was the same age as her character. Stenberg was new to Hollywood when she was cast in The Hunger Games. Before that, she had appeared in the action film Colombiana and the TV movie A Taste of Romance.
11. Cato
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Cato is 18 years old in the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, while he is 16 years old in the book series. Alexander Ludwig, who played the character, was 19 years old when the film was released in 2012, and he was born on 7 May 1992. Ludwig had appeared in films like Race to Witch Mountain before playing the fierce District 2 tribute.
12. Clove
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Clove was 15 years old in The Hunger Games and was a tribute from District 2. She was 14 years old in the original novel of The Hunger Games, but her age was changed to 15 years old for the film adaptation. Clove was killed by Thresh, the District 11 tribute, near the end of the competition.
The role of Clove was played by Isabelle Fuhrman, who was 14 years old during principal photography for The Hunger Games and turned 15 by the time the film was released in March 2012. The brunette actress had previously appeared in the movie Orphan before taking on the role of Clove.
13. Cinna
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Cinna was reportedly in his early 30s in The Hunger Games and was Katniss Everdeen’s stylist for the Games. Although the books and movies never mention his exact age, different sources show that he is a young stylist compared to the older and more dramatic ones in the Capitol.
One unofficial source suggests he was around 31 during the 74th Hunger Games and about 32 during the 75th Hunger Games (the Third Quarter Quell). Cinna was portrayed by the musician and actor Lenny Kravitz in the film adaptations, who was 47 years old during the filming of the first movie in 2011.
14. Caesar Flickerman
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Caesar Flickerman was approximately between 65 and 67 years old during the events of The Hunger Games trilogy (the 74th and 75th Hunger Games). In the first book, Katniss Everdeen notes that Caesar had been hosting the interviews for over 40 years and appeared to have never aged due to extensive Capitol plastic surgery.
The role of Caesar was played by Stanley Tucci, who was 51 years old when he first appeared in The Hunger Games. Tucci had already acted in many films, including The Devil Wears Prada and The Lovely Bones, before appearing in The Hunger Games franchise.
15. Claudius Templesmith
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Claudius Templesmith is 46 years old during the events of the first Hunger Games film and 47 years old in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
The actor who portrayed him, Toby Jones, was approximately 45 years old during the filming and release of the first movie in 2012. Before The Hunger Games, Jones had been featured in many films, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Captain America: The First Avenger.
16. Seneca Crane
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Seneca Crane's exact age is never specified in The Hunger Games, but he is generally considered to be in his early thirties. In the 2012 film adaptation of The Hunger Games, the character was portrayed by actor Wes Bentley, who was 32 years old at the time of filming.
Seneca Crane was the Head Gamemaker for the 72nd, 73rd, and 74th Hunger Games. Before The Hunger Games, Bentley was known for his role as Ricky Fitts in the 1999 American Beauty.
Who is Katniss Everdeen?
Katniss Everdeen is the main character in The Hunger Games series. She is a brave girl from District 12 who volunteers to take her sister Prim’s place in the deadly Hunger Games.
How old are Katniss and Peeta?
Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen are the same age, starting the Hunger Games series at 16 years old and ending the series in their thirties.
How old was Katniss when she got pregnant?
Katniss Everdeen was about 33 years old when she got pregnant with her first child.
How old was Katniss when she died?
Katniss Everdeen does not die in the Hunger Games book or movie series. She is alive at the end of the final book, Mockingjay.
Is Katniss deaf in one ear?
Katniss Everdeen lost hearing in her left ear after an explosion in the first Hunger Games. The Capitol later repaired it with surgery, restoring her hearing.
In the Hunger Games book and film series, the core characters are generally teenagers throughout the main events. Katniss Everdeen is 16 years old at the start and 17 by the end of the series. Peeta Mellark is also 16, Gale Hawthorne is 18, and Primrose Everdeen is only 12.
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