Finn Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor, musician, screenwriter, and director.
His acting roles include Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present), for which he has won Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series out of three nominations. His film roles include Richie Tozier in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel It (2017) and its sequel It: Chapter Two (2019), Boris Pavlikovsky in the drama film The Goldfinch (2019), the voice of Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family (2019), and Trevor in the upcoming supernatural film Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Wolfhard made his directorial debut with the comedy short film Night Shifts (2020).
He was the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Calpurnia and is currently a member of The Aubreys.
Early life
Wolfhard was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to a family of French, German, and Jewish descent. He attends Catholic school. His father, Eric Wolfhard, is a researcher on aboriginal land claims. He has an older brother, actor Nick Wolfhard.
Career
Acting
Wolfhard got his first acting job from Craigslist. He made his acting and television debut as Zoran in The 100, followed by a role as Jordie Pinsky in Supernatural.
In 2016, Wolfhard began portraying Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things. He auditioned for the role via video after seeing an open casting call. Wolfhard, along with his castmates, won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He and co-stars Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlincompeted against one another in a 2017 episode of Spike’s Lip Sync Battle.
He also currently stars in the Netflix animated series Carmen Sandiego as “Player”, the title character’s chief accomplice and friend. The series premiered on January 18, 2019.
Wolfhard made his feature film debut playing Richie Tozier in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which was released on September 8, 2017. The casting of Wolfhard in both Stranger Things and It, both set in the ’80s, had been a coincidence. According to Wolfhard, he had been initially cast as Richie when Cary Fukunaga was attached as director and co-writer, but when Fukunaga left the project over creative differences, the role fell through which allowed him to pursue Stranger Things. Once Andy Muschiettibecame attached to It, Wolfhard had to re-audition for the role of Richie.
On October 20, 2017, Wolfhard parted ways with his former agency, APA, and fired former agent Tyler Grasham following allegations that Grasham had sexually assaulted aspiring young male actors. Wolfhard himself had not been assaulted. On January 9, 2018, Wolfhard signed with talent agency, CAA.
In 2018, Wolfhard played Tyler, an altruistic and thoughtful pizza delivery boy, in the Ken Marino-directed ensemble comedy film, Dog Days.
In 2019, Wolfhard reprised his role as young Richie in flashbacks for the sequel It Chapter Two (2019). He also co-starred in The Goldfinch, the John Crowley-directed adaptation of the Donna Tartt’s novel, playing Young Boris Pavlikovsky, a Ukrainian student and troublemaker. Wolfhard had not been the director’s first choice. He had wanted to cast an authentic Russian actor for Boris, but Wolfhard’s near perfect Russian accent in his audition helped him get the role. Also that year, Wolfhard provided the voice of Pugsley Addams in an animated remake of The Addams Family, which premiered on October 11.
On May 27, 2019, Wolfhard made his modeling debut in Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter ’19 campaign.
In January 2020, Wolfhard portrayed Miles in Amblin’s haunted house film The Turning, an adaptation of Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw, while making his Sundance Film Festival debut with the Miami-set omnibus film, Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia, which also featured Robert Redford, masterminded by filmmaking collective Borscht Corp.. Wolfhard then made his SXSW Film Festival debut in March with the Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux directed and Film Boldly produced proof of concept short film, Rules for Werewolves, based on playwright and novelist Kirk Lynn’s adapted screenplay from his debut novel, which is set to become a feature-length film, with Wolfhard attached to star and production occurring late in 2020 or in early 2021. He lent his voice to two Adult Swim productions: the animated special, Smiling Friends by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, which premiered on April 1, 2020 and the animated series JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales as Boypunzel, a gender-swapped version of Rapunzel. Wolfhard joined the Jason Reitman directed Quibi television series adaptation Home Movie: The Princess Bride, to raise money for World Central Kitchen, which was released in July 2020, and then a live reading of The Princess Bride’s script, as the Grandson, for a Democratic Party of Wisconsin charity event in September 2020.
In August 2020, Wolfhard co-starred in the Audible Original, When You Finish Saving the World, written by Jesse Eisenberg. The story is told from the perspective of three family members, at different stages of their lives. Wolfhard narrates Ziggy Katz, a 15-year-old boy recording audio sessions to a futuristic bot therapist. Additionally, the audiobook will be adapted into a comedy-drama movie, A24’s When You Finish Saving the World, with Julianne Moore and Wolfhard set to star as mother and son, directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg and produced by Moore, Emma Stone and Dave McCary. On July 15, 2020, it was announced that Wolfhard and his brother, Nick Wolfhard, would be headlining the voice cast of sci-fi animation series NEW-GEN, playing twin brothers, alongside Anya Chalotra. Additionally, on August 19, 2020, it was announced that Wolfhard had joined director Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated musical feature, Pinocchio, in an undisclosed role.
In November 2021, Wolfhard will star with Carrie Coon in Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with Wolfhard playing the son of Coon’s single mother, and Mckenna Grace also starring as his younger sister.
Directing
At the age of 17, Wolfhard made his directorial debut in August 2020 with the comedy short film, Night Shifts. The next year, Wolfhard released Night Shifts on YouTube. In 2017, Wolfhard had co-directed his first music video with Josh Ovalle for the band, Spendtime Palace’s “Sonora”.
Music
Aside from acting, Wolfhard was the lead vocalist and guitarist, as well as songwriter, for Vancouver-based rock band, Calpurnia, until the band officially dissolved in November 2019. They were signed to Royal Mountain Records in the United States and Canada, and Transgressive Records and its imprint, paradYse, for Europe and the United Kingdom. A few weeks later it was announced that Wolfhard’s new band, The Aubreys, would debut on the soundtrack of his movie, The Turning.
The Aubreys released their single, “Loved One” on March 10, 2020 and their debut EP, Soda & Pie, through AWAL, on March 13, 2020. Their next single, “Smoke Bomb” was released on August 17, 2020. The Aubreys’ first collaboration single with Lunar Vacation, “No Offerings” was released on January 12, 2021. Their second single of 2021, “Sand in My Bed” was released on February 14.
Advocacy
Wolfhard has been involved in numerous advocacy contributions. He has sold merchandise that delivered all proceeds to children of indigenous communities, and spread awareness and acceptance for autism.
In May 2017, Wolfhard hosted “Strange 80s,” a benefit concert to raise funds for Sweet Relief, an organization which offered assistance to struggling musicians in need of medical care and healthcare, and performed three tracks with his former band Calpurnia at the fundraiser. For his work with Sweet Relief, he was awarded by the 2017 Television Industry Advocacy Awards as an honouree.
In the media
Wolfhard has been listed by Variety in their young Hollywood Youth Impact Report consecutively since 2017 to 2019. In 2018 and 2019, The Hollywood Reporter named him as one of the top 30 stars under age 18. He was also included in ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ class of 2020 in the field of Hollywood and entertainment.
Filmography
Film
As an Actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Aftermath | Young Charles | Short film |
| The Resurrection | Short film | ||
| 2017 | It | Richie Tozier | |
| 2018 | Dog Days | Tyler | |
| Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness | Herbert West (voice) | ||
| 2019 | It Chapter Two | Young Richie Tozier | |
| The Goldfinch | Young Boris Pavlikovsky | ||
| The Addams Family | Pugsley Addams (voice) | ||
| 2020 | The Turning | Miles Fairchild | |
| Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia | |||
| Rules for Werewolves | Bobert | Short film | |
| 2021 | How It Ends | Ezra | Cameo |
| Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Trevor | Completed | |
| Pinocchio | Lampwick (voice) | Filming | |
| When You Finish Saving the World | Ziggy | Post-Production |
As a Director
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Spendtime Palace | “Sonora” | Co-Directing and starring |
| 2020 | Night Shifts | Short film, also writer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The 100 | Zoran | Episode: “Many Happy Returns” |
| 2015 | Supernatural | Jordie Pinsky | Episode: “Thin Lizzie” |
| 2016–present | Stranger Things | Mike Wheeler | Main cast |
| 2017 | Young Math Legends | Young Gauss | Animated shorts by Flatland on VHX |
| Lip Sync Battle | Himself | Episode: “The Cast of Stranger Things“ | |
| 2019–2021 | Carmen Sandiego | Player (voice) | Main cast |
| 2020 | Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal | Interactive TV Special | |
| Smiling Friends | Man Living in Wall / Bliblie (voice) | TV Special | |
| JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales | Boypunzel / Manpunzel (voice) | Episode: “Boypunzel” | |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Inigo Montoya | Episode: “Chapter Four: Battle Of The Wits” | |
| 2021 | Duncanville | TBA (voice) | TBA |
| NEW-GEN | TBA (voice) | Main cast |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Guest Grumps | Himself | 2 episodes |
| SuperMega | Episode: “Cooking with Finn Wolfhard” | ||
| 2018 | Ten Minute Power Hour | Episode: “Yeti in my Spaghetti (ft. Finn Wolfhard & Jacksepticeye)” | |
| 2019 | Brawl with the Stars | Episode: “Brawl with the Stars (feat. Finn Wolfhard and Caleb McLaughlin)” | |
| 2020 | HeadGum | Episode: “Off Days: Games (w/Finn Wolfhard!)” |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Facts | “Retro Oceans” | |
| 2013 | Hey Ocean! | “Change” | |
| 2014 | PUP | “Guilt Trip” | as Young Stefan Babcock |
| 2016 | “Sleep In the Heat” | as Young Stefan Babcock | |
| 2017 | Spendtime Palace | “Sonora” | Co-Directing and starring |
| 2018 | Ninja Sex Party | “Danny Don’t You Know?” | as Young Danny Sexbang |
| 2019 | Weezer | “Take On Me” | as Young Rivers Cuomo (with Calpurnia) |
| Mike Tompkins | “The Addams Family Snap-Along” | as himself (and Pugsley Addams) | |
| 2020 | The Aubreys | “Getting Better (Otherwise)” | as Miles Fairchild and himself (with The Aubreys) |
| “Loved One” | as himself (with The Aubreys) | ||
| “Smoke Bomb” | as himself (with The Aubreys) |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SModcast | Himself | Episode: “426: The Stranger Thing About Finn” | |
| Review Revue | Himself | Trampoline Parks (w/ Finn Wolfhard!) | ||
| Elara Radio 25_25 | Himself (co-host) | 25_25 with Finn Wolfhard & Billy Bryk Ep 001 | ||
| If I Were You | Himself | Telling Time (w/Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk!) | ||
| Lackluster Video | Himself (co-host) | 10 Episodes | ||
| Review Revue | Himself | Mall Santas (w/ Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk!) | ||
| 2021 | The Headgum Podcast | Himself | Bombard Wolfhard (w/ Finn Wolfhard & Billy Bryk!) |
Audiobooks
| Year | Title | Role | Author | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | When You Finish Saving the World | Ziggy Katz | Jesse Eisenberg | An Audible Original |
Discography
Extended plays
With the Aubreys
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Soda & Pie | Release: 13 March 2020
Format: Digital download, streaming |
Singles
With the Aubreys
- “Getting Better (Otherwise)” (2020)
- “Loved One” (2020)
- “Smoke Bomb” (2020)
- “No Offerings” (2021) with Lunar Vacation
- “Sand in My Bed” (2021)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Digital TV Series or Film – Teen Actor | Stranger Things | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Star | Nominated | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | |||
| 2018 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Kiss (with Millie Bobby Brown) | Nominated | |||
| Best On-Screen Team (with Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Lieberher, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor andChosen Jacobs) | It | Won | |||
| Best On-Screen Team (with Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and Sadie Sink) | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Actor | Nominated | ||
| People’s Choice Awards | The Male TV Star of 2019 | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Atlanta Shortsfest | Best Director | Night Shifts | Won | ||
| 2021 | Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Male TV Star | Stranger Things | Nominated |