Noah Schnapp

Noah Schnapp
Schnapp in 2017
Born
Noah Cameron Schnapp[1]

(2004-10-03) October 3, 2004 (age 20)
New York City, U.S.[1]
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Canada
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania[2]
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present
Known forStranger Things
Signature

Noah Cameron Schnapp[3] (born October 3, 2004)[1] is an American actor. He is known for his role as Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things.[4] In addition to his work in television, Schnapp had a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's historical drama Bridge of Spies (2015)[5] and voiced Charlie Brown in the animated film The Peanuts Movie (2015).[6]

Early life

Schnapp was born in New York City to Mitchell and Karine Schnapp (née Perez). He was raised in Scarsdale, New York,[7][8] along with his twin sister.[9][10] He holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship.[7][11] Schnapp is Jewish and held his bar mitzvah in Israel.[12][13] His mother is of Moroccan Jewish descent.[14][15]

Schnapp was inspired to pursue acting at age 5 after seeing the Broadway production of Annie.[16] He performed acting roles in school and community plays.[8] When he was 8, his acting teacher suggested he attempt a professional career.[16] Schnapp's parents registered him for an acting program at Star Kidz in Westchester, where he was guided by coach Alyson Isbrandtsen. It was under her guidance that he was subsequently introduced to MKS&D Talent Management, which opened up avenues for his career.[8]

Acting career

Early career and breakthrough

Schnapp's professional acting career began when he voiced the lead character, Charlie Brown, in the animated film The Peanuts Movie in 2015.[16][17] That same year, he made his film debut in the historical drama Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg.[18] He played Roger Donovan, the son of character James B. Donovan.[5]

His breakthrough came in July 2016, when he began starring as Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror television series Stranger Things.[19] Schnapp initially auditioned for the role of Mike, another key character in the series.[20] However, during his time at a sleepaway camp, he was ultimately selected to play Will Byers.[20] The news of his successful casting reached him via one of his limited phone calls home.[20] Schnapp was promoted to series regular for the second season of the series, which premiered on October 27, 2017.[21][22] In 2022, prior to his own coming out, Schnapp revealed that his character identified as gay.[23] Schnapp's portrayal of Will has earned him critical acclaim.[24][25][26]

Other roles

In 2016, Schnapp was featured in the Panic! at the Disco's music video for their song "LA Devotee".[27][28] In March 2017, he appeared on stage at Madison Square Garden to perform the song with the band.[29]

In 2018, Schnapp played the son of a street artist in a short film called The Circle, set during the Great Depression.[30] Schnapp also participated in We Only Know So Much (2018), a film that follows a multigenerational family.[31] His voice acting continued in the animated film The Legend of Hallowaiian as the voice of Kai.[31][32]

Schnapp also starred in independent films like Abe (2019) and Waiting for Anya (2020).

Schnapp appeared in the 2020 Halloween comedy Hubie Halloween, a Netflix film where he played a character named Tommy.[33] In April 2022, Schnapp joined the cast of The Tutor.[34] The psychological thriller was released in 2023 and featured Schnapp as Jackson, a troubled teenager.[35]

Schnapp also voiced the character of Charlie Brown for the video game The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure.[36]

Other ventures

In 2019, Schnapp launched a YouTube channel under his own name.[37] Active for a year and a half, he primarily created vlogs and lifestyle videos. As of June 2022, the channel has 4.2 million subscribers and has gained 110 million views.[38]

In November 2021, he launched To Be Honest (TBH), a sustainability-focused snacking company he co-founded with Elena Guberman and Ba Minuzzi.[39][40][41] In November 2022, Schnapp announced a crowdfunding campaign for this venture on the Republic platform that aimed to raise a maximum amount of $1.235 million at a $15 million valuation cap.[42][43] In 2023, he launched TenderFix, a delivery-only virtual restaurant brand operated by IHOP with a menu of chicken tenders.[44][45]

Schnapp also worked as a lifeguard, a job he took on during his summer break before college.[46]

Personal life

As of 2023, Schnapp attends the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in entrepreneurship and innovation. He is scheduled to graduate in 2026.[46][47]

Schnapp publicly came out as gay in a video posted to his TikTok account on January 5, 2023.[48][49] The video saw him express relief that family and friends had accepted his coming out, and he quipped in the video's caption, "I guess I'm more similar to Will [Byers] than I thought", a reference to his statement about his Stranger Things character also being gay.[50]

In October 2023, Schnapp voiced support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war after the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[51][52] A month later, a video showed him sitting and smiling among people handing out "Zionism is sexy" and "Hamas is ISIS" stickers, leading some fans to demand he be dropped from the cast of Stranger Things and to threaten to boycott the show's fifth and final season.[53][54] In January 2024, he posted a TikTok video advocating for peace for both sides and asking for understanding and compassion, stating that his thoughts and beliefs on the war had been misconstrued.[55]

Beyond his professional endeavors, Schnapp has shown a commitment to philanthropy and social causes.[56] He has been involved in initiatives related to anti-bullying and environmental sustainability.[57][58]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Refs.
2015 Bridge of Spies Roger Donovan [59]
2015 The Peanuts Movie Charlie Brown Voice role [60]
2016 The Circle Lucas Short film [61]
2018 The Legend of Hallowaiian Kai Voice role [62]
2018 We Only Know So Much Otis Copeland [31]
2020 Abe Abe [63]
2020 Hubie Halloween Tommy [64]
2020 Waiting for Anya Jo [65]
2021 Who Are You, Charlie Brown? Himself Documentary [66]
2023 The Tutor Jackson [67]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Refs.
2016–present Stranger Things Will Byers Recurring role (season 1); main role (season 2–present)
2017 Lip Sync Battle Himself Episode: "The Cast of Stranger Things" [68]
2018 Liza on Demand Evan / Trevor 2 episodes [69]
2021 Stranger Sharks Himself TV special (Shark Week) [70]

Music videos

Year Title Artist Refs.
2016 "LA Devotee" Panic! at the Disco [71]
2018 "In My Feelings" Drake [72]
2020 "See You" Johnny Orlando [73]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Noah Schnapp
Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2018 Best Frightened Performance Stranger Things Won [74]
Best On-Screen Team Stranger Things Nominated [75]
People's Choice Awards 2022 Male TV Star of 2022 — Won [76]
Queerty Awards 2023 Closet Door Bustdown — Won [77]
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2017 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Stranger Things Won [78]
2018 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Stranger Things Nominated [79]
2020 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Stranger Things Nominated [80]
Teen Choice Awards 2019 Choice Summer TV Actor — Won [81]
Young Artist Awards 2017 Best Performance in a Digital TV Series or Film – Young Actor Stranger Things Nominated [82]

References

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  3. ^ The TikTok Live Archive (February 14, 2023). Noah Schnapp TikTok Live | 14th February 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Murphy, Chris (August 7, 2023). "Noah Schnapp Says He'd Still Be Closeted If Not for 'Stranger Things'". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "11-year-old actor Noah Schnapp reveals what it was like working with Spielberg, Hanks". aol.com. July 15, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
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  11. ^ Schnapp, Noah [@noah_schnapp] (July 23, 2016). "Thanks Caleb, I'm half Canadian, love the Habs @CanadiensMTL and prefer @MontrealBagel sad to see @PKSubban1 go 🙄 https://t.co/yAz4UldnSU" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
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  21. ^ Bradley, Laura (December 13, 2016). "What Millie Bobby Brown Really Wants from Stranger Things Season 2". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2016. All of the original Stranger Things kids will also return
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  29. ^ Kaufman, Gil (March 3, 2017). "Panic! at the Disco Joined by 'Stranger Things' Star During MSG Show". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "DJI premiered a short film by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda shot entirely on its new Inspire 2 professional drone and its professional-grade X5R camera. - DJI". DJI Official. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
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  72. ^ "Drake's In My Feelings Video: All the Celeb Cameos". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
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  82. ^ 2017 Young Artist Academy™ Awards - FULL SHOW on YouTube
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