Ian Michael Harding (born September 16, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his role as

Ezra Fitz ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King for Freeform. It is based on Sara Shepard's novel series of the same name. Some of the characters appeared in the spin-off shows '' Ravenswood'' ...

in the Freeform mystery drama ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' from 2010 to 2017.

Early life

Harding was born in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

, to an American military family. His family moved to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

a few years later, where he joined the drama club at his high school,

Georgetown Preparatory School Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit boar ...

North Bethesda North Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighbor ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

. He later graduated with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Career

Harding was cast as

, the love interest of

Aria Montgomery Aria Marie Fitz (ńee Montgomery) is a fictional character in the ''Pretty Little Liars'' franchise created by American author Sara Shepard. Described as an “alternative” and artsy teen, the franchise revolves around Aria and her three best fri ...

(

Lucy Hale Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People ...

) on the Freeform mystery drama ''

'', based on

Sara Shepard Sara Shepard (born April 8, 1977) is an American author. She is known for the bestselling ''Pretty Little Liars'' and '' The Lying Game'' book series, both of which have been turned into television shows on Freeform. Early and personal lif ...

's book series of the same name. The series ran from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017.Stern, Claire (July 20, 2013
Ian Harding Interview – Ian Harding on Pretty Little Liars
''ELLE''. Retrieved on 2013-08-30. Harding won seven

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

for his role. Ian also played a character in Chicago med.

Charity work

Harding has been working with the

Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), founded in 1977, is a national voluntary health organization based in Washington, D.C., with a network of chapters, offices and support groups located in communities throughout the United States. The Found ...

to raise funds and awareness for

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

research and education to support his mother, who has been living with lupus for more than 20 years.

Personal life

Harding married Sophie Hart in 2019. Their first child was born in September 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Ian 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Virginia American male film actors American male television actors Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Living people 1986 births Georgetown Preparatory School alumni