Noah Schnapp
An actor who grew up on screen, capturing the anxiety and heart of a generation as the haunted center of a global television phenomenon.
Born 2004 (age 22)·American actor·Birthday: October 3·Generation Z
Biography
Noah Schnapp didn't just land a role; he was handed the emotional keystone of a cultural juggernaut. Cast as Will Byers in *Stranger Things* at just eleven years old, he became the face of childhood trauma and resilience in the show's eerie 1980s universe. His performance, often wordless and reliant on profound physical expression, grounded the series' supernatural chaos in palpable human fear. Schnapp navigated his entire adolescence in the public eye, balancing blockbuster fame with a relatively normal high school experience. He leveraged his platform to launch a food brand, TBH, and became an outspoken voice on social issues. As *Stranger Things* concluded, he stepped into young adulthood, choosing college and new film projects, having already defined an era of television with his portrayal of the boy who was, and always will be, connected to the Upside Down.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Noah was born in 2004, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Noah Was Born
The biggest hits of 2004
#1 Movie
Shrek 2
Best Picture
Million Dollar Baby
#1 TV Show
American Idol
Noah's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2004Born
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2009Started school
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2017Became a teenager
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Could drive
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2022Could vote
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2025Turned 21
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 22 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed Will Byers across all seasons of Netflix's globally successful series *Stranger Things*, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award.
- Voiced the lead character of Charlie Brown in the 2015 animated film *The Peanuts Movie*.
- Co-founded the nut butter and snack brand TBH (To Be Honest) in 2021.
- Nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Young Performer for his role in *Stranger Things*.
Did You Know?
He is trilingual, speaking English, French, and Hebrew.
He attended a regular public high school in New York while filming *Stranger Things* during breaks.
His first acting role was a small part in Steven Spielberg's *Bridge of Spies*.
He is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying entrepreneurship.
“I think the best part about playing Will is that I get to grow up with him.”
