Finn Michael Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002)
[ is a Canadian actor, musician, and film director. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the ]Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''Stranger Things
''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
'' (2016–present). He also played Richie Tozier in the horror film '' It'' (2017) and its sequel ''It Chapter Two
''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...
'' (2019), and Trevor Spengler in the supernatural comedy '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021) and its sequel '' Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' (2024).
Wolfhard has also directed the comedy short film '' Night Shifts'' (2020) as well as the feature '' Hell of a Summer'' (2023). As a musician, he was the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Calpurnia, and has been a member of The Aubreys since 2020.
Early life
Wolfhard was born on December 23, 2002, in Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia, to a family of French, German, and Jewish descent. He attended Catholic school
Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...
. His father, Eric Wolfhard, is a researcher on Indigenous land claims in Canada. He has an older brother, actor Nick Wolfhard.
Career
Wolfhard's first acting role was in the 2012 music video for the song "Retro Oceans" by Vancouver band Facts. In 2014, he made his television debut as Zoran in the second season of the post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
series '' The 100''. The following year, he appeared as Jordie Pinsky in the series ''Supernatural
Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
''.
In 2016, Wolfhard began portraying Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things
''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
''. 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
Noah Cameron Schnapp (born October 3, 2004) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things''. In addition to his work in television, Schnapp had a supporting role in ...
, Gaten Matarazzo
Gaetano John "Gaten" Matarazzo III ( , ; born September 8, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in '' Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (2011–12) and as Gavroche in ''Les Misérables'' (2014–15) ...
, and Caleb McLaughlin
Caleb Reginald McLaughlin (born October 13, 2001) is an American actor. He gained international recognition playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He began his career playing young Simba in the Broadw ...
competed against one another in a 2017 episode of Spike's ''Lip Sync Battle
''Lip Sync Battle'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John ...
''.
In July 2017, Wolfhard co-directed his first music video with Josh Ovalle for the band Spendtime Palace's song "Sonora".[ Wolfhard made his feature film debut playing Richie Tozier in the 2017 film adaptation of ]Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's '' It''. The casting of Wolfhard in both ''Stranger Things'' and ''It'', both set in the 1980s, 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 Muschietti
Andrés Walter Muschietti (; born 26 August 1973) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film ''Mama (2013 film), Mama''. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It (novel), '' ...
became attached to ''It'', Wolfhard had to re-audition for the role of Richie. In October 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. In January 2018, Wolfhard signed with Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency, LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. With 1,800 employees in March 2016, it is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous client ...
. He played Tyler, an altruistic and thoughtful pizza delivery boy, in the 2018 Ken Marino-directed ensemble comedy film, ''Dog Days
The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, ...
''.
In January 2019, Wolfhard starred in the Netflix animated series ''Carmen Sandiego
''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a Carmen Sandiego (video game series), series of computer video games created by the American software company Broderbund. Whi ...
'' as "Player", the title character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
's chief accomplice and friend. In May, he made his modeling debut in Saint Laurent's Fall/Winter '19 campaign. He reprised his role as young Richie in flashbacks for the sequel ''It Chapter Two
''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...
'' (2019), and co-starred in '' The Goldfinch'' (2019), the John Crowley-directed adaptation of Donna Tartt's novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
, playing Young Boris Pavlikovsky, a Ukrainian student and troublemaker. Wolfhard had not been Crowley's first choice as he wanted to cast an authentic Russian actor for Boris, but Wolfhard's near perfect Russian accent in his audition helped him get the role. Wolfhard also provided the voice of Pugsley Addams in an animated remake of ''The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...
''. From 2017 to 2019, he was listed in '' Variety''’s Hollywood Youth Impact Report. In 2018 and 2019, ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' named him as one of the top 30 stars under age 18.
In January 2020, Wolfhard portrayed Miles in the supernatural horror film '' The Turning'', an adaptation of Henry James
Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
' novella '' The Turn of the Screw'', and co-starred in the anthology film
An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...
'' Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia'' (2020). Wolfhard then starred in the Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux–directed short film, ''Rules for Werewolves'' (2020), 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. He lent his voice to two Adult Swim
Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
productions: the animated special, '' Smiling Friends'' and the animated series '' JJ Villard's Fairy Tales'' as Boypunzel, a gender-swapped version of Rapunzel. Wolfhard joined the Jason Reitman
Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian–American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007), ''Up in the Air (2009 film), Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young ...
–directed comedy miniseries '' Home Movie: The Princess Bride'', which raised money for World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that Food security, provides food relief. It was founded in 2010 by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, earthq ...
, and performed a live reading of '' The Princess Bride''s script, as the Grandson, for a Democratic Party of Wisconsin
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.
Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...
charity event in September 2020.
At the age of 17, Wolfhard made his directorial debut with the comedy short film, '' Night Shifts'' (2020). He released the film on YouTube the following year. Wolfhard co-starred in the Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or ru ...
Original, '' When You Finish Saving the World'' (2020), written by Jesse Eisenberg. He narrates Ziggy Katz, a 15-year-old boy recording audio sessions to a futuristic bot therapist. The audiobook was adapted by Eisenberg into the comedy-drama film '' When You Finish Saving the World'' (2022), with Julianne Moore
Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...
and Wolfhard starring as mother and son. In July 2020, it was announced that Wolfhard and his brother Nick would be headlining the voice cast of sci-fi animated series '' NEW-GEN'', playing twin brothers. Wolfhard was included in ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 class of 2020 in the field of Hollywood and entertainment.
Wolfhard co-starred with Carrie Coon in Jason Reitman's '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021), playing the son of Coon's single mother. He was cast alongside Willem Dafoe
William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...
, Emily Watson
Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of ''Twelfth Night'' and ''Uncle Vanya'' at the Donmar Ware ...
, and Helena Zengel in A24's fantasy epic '' The Legend of Ochi'', directed by Isaiah Saxon. In November 2021, he announced that he is working on directing a feature-length film, '' Hell of a Summer''. Wolfhard also joined Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
's stop-motion animated musical film ''Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
'' (2022).
In 2023, Wolfhard and his friend and frequent collaborator Billy Bryk released the theatrical feature film '' Hell of a Summer'', which they co-directed, co-wrote and co-starred in. The film debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named second runner-up for the People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness. That same year, he voiced a younger version of the titular character in '' Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'', released in November.
Music
Wolfhard was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for Vancouver-based rock band Calpurnia, until the band dissolved in November 2019. A few weeks later, it was announced that Wolfhard's new band, The Aubreys, with Calpurnia drummer Malcolm Craig, would debut on the soundtrack of his film, '' The Turning'' (2020). The Aubreys released their single, "Loved One" on March 10, 2020, and their debut EP, ''Soda & Pie'', through AWAL
AWAL (shortened from Artists Without A Label) is a global recording business that claims to serve as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists with the resources and expertise of a global label ...
, 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.
The Aubreys released their single "Karaoke Alone" on September 10, 2021, from the group's debut studio LP, ''Karaoke Alone'', which was released on November 5, 2021.
Wolfhard released his debut studio album, '' Happy Birthday'', on June 6, 2025, via AWAL
AWAL (shortened from Artists Without A Label) is a global recording business that claims to serve as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists with the resources and expertise of a global label ...
.
Advocacy
Wolfhard has been involved in advocacy for autism
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
and indigenous children.
In May 2017, Wolfhard hosted "Strange 80s", a benefit concert to raise funds for Sweet Relief, an organization that helps struggling musicians in need of medical care. He also performed three tracks with his former band Calpurnia at the event. For his work with Sweet Relief, he received an award at the 2017 Television Industry Advocacy Awards.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web series
Music videos
Podcasts
Audiobooks
Discography
Albums
With the Aubreys
Extended plays
With the Aubreys
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)
* "Karoke Alone" (2021)
* "Resale" (2021)
* "Kato" (2023)
* "Running" (2023)
By himself
* "Choose the latter" (2025)
Soundtrack
* When You Finish Saving the World (soundtrack), two songs as Ziggy
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfhard, Finn
Living people
21st-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian singers
Canadian people of French descent
Canadian people of German descent
Canadian people of Jewish descent
Canadian male child actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male voice actors
Canadian rock singers
Canadian folk-pop singers
Canadian rock guitarists
Male actors from Vancouver
Singers from Vancouver
2002 births
Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
American rhythm guitarists