Cast Of Netflix Series 'Stranger Things'

Finn Wolfhard | Biography

Made His Television Debut as Zoran in 'The 100'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : November 28, 2021

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Finn Wolfhard is an actor best recognized for starring Mike Wheeler in the critically acclaimed Netflix series 'Stranger Things.'

Who is Finn Wolfhard?

Finn Wolfhard is a Canadian actor, musician, director, and screenwriter. He started his professional career at nine when he starred in the Facts band’s 2012 music video ‘Retro Oceans.’ He made his television debut in the 2013 short sci-fi film Aftermath. 

After playing small parts in a couple of TV series, including The 100 and Supernatural, Wolfhard received a breakout role as Mike Wheeler in Netflix’s hit original series Stranger Things in 2016. He played one of the main protagonists in the series for the three seasons. He will also be part of the next season of the series, which is expected to be released in 2022.

Early Life and Education

Finn Wolfhard, full name, Finn Michael Wolfhard, was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 23 December 2002. Born to Mary Jolivet and Eric Wolfhard, an aboriginal land claims researcher, his family was French, German, and Jewish descent. He has an older brother, Nick Wolfhard, who is also an actor.

Describing his name, Wolfhard explained, “It’s my given, full name. Finn’s not short for anything; it’s just Finn Wolfhard. And then Wolfhard means, I think, heart of the wolf in German.” He continued, “What’s funny is I’m German, but then I’m like French — I’m French and German and then Jewish. It’s really weird. I have really weird blood. And then I go to Catholic school, which is really weird.”

He was homeschooled for the seventh grade. He was scared to join the regular school as he didn’t have a great time going to his former schools. However, when he attended St. Patrick’s Open House, he immediately felt at home with all the teachers. He then graduated from St. Patrick Regional Secondary School in the class of 2020 in June of that year.

Early Career

Wolfhard grew up watching movies, and he got inspired to enter the show business because of his father and brother since they were involved in the entertainment sector. He explained, “My dad is a screenwriter, so he always used to watch movies for inspiration when I was a baby. I would watch movies with him, I guess, in the background. Probably movies that I definitely should not have watched. That’s probably more thanks to my brother. I just wound up getting inspired by all these movies I grew up watching. I just wanted to get into show business. I didn’t really care what it was, I just wanted to get into it.”

Before debuting as a professional actor, Wolfhard starred in a couple of music videos. He started his professional career at nine, starring in the 2012 music video ‘Retro Oceans,’ a song by the Facts band from the album Like a Living Being. He then appeared as Zombie Paper Boy in the title song of the rock band Hey Ocean! ’s album Change in 2013.

Acting Career

After featuring in two music videos, Wolfhard landed his first acting role in the 2013 short sci-fi film Aftermath, portraying the role of Young Charles. He then made his television debut in the 2014 post-apocalyptic sci-fi TV series The 100 as Zoran. His next television role was in the horror-mystery TV series Supernatural as Jordie Pinsky in 2015.

He then landed a breakout role as Mike Wheeler in the massively popular Netflix’s horror sci-fi mystery-thriller series Stranger Things in 2016. In 2017, Wolfhard was cast as Richie Tozier in the supernatural horror film It, which was based on the 1986 book written by Stephen King. He reprised his role as Young Richie Tozier in its sequel/second half of It Chapter Two in 2019. In 2018, he starred as Tyler in the romantic comedy film Dog Days and Young Gauss in the animated short Young Math Legends. 

He then appeared as Young Boris in the 2019 American drama film The Goldfinch. The movie was an adaption of Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling novel written by Donna Tartt. That year, he also voiced Pugsley Addams’s character in the animated supernatural black comedy film The Addams Family. He also voiced the character of Player in Netflix’s animated TV series Carmen Sandiego from 2019 and has completed four seasons.

In 2020, he starred in the role of Miles Fairchild in the supernatural horror film The Turning. It is a modern adaptation of the 1898 horror novella ‘The Turn of the Screw’ written by Henry James. That same year, he voiced Man Living in Wall/Bliblie in the animated comedy TV short Smiling Friends and Boypunzel/Manpunzel in the adult animated horror-comedy TV series JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales. 

In 2020, he also appeared as Inigo Montoya in the short fantasy-comedy mini-series Home Movie: The Princess Bride and starred as Bobert in the short fantasy drama film Rule For Werewolves. In 2021, he was cast as Ezra in the dramatic comedy film How It Ends. Furthermore, he will appear in the lead role of Trevor in the upcoming fantasy comedy film Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It is all set to be released on 11 November 2021 in the United States.

‘Stranger Things’

Wolfhard auditioned for Stranger Things through his agent. Recalling how he became a part of the series, he expressed, “I did an audition where I was sick in bed. Matt and Ross really liked it, and they invited me for a Skype call. We didn’t even talk about work; it wasn’t even about the part or anything. We were talking about movies the entire time, which was a good sign for me from the beginning. Then on the side, they were like, Oh yeah, by the way: Come to LA.” So I came to LA, and I did one audition before I met Millie [Bobby Brown], Caleb [McLaughlin], and Gaten [Matarazzo].” He continued, “Then they asked me again to come back, about a month later. Then I waited for about a month. I didn’t know if I got it or not. I was really on hold for it, and then finally I got the call from Matt — he was in the Atlanta airport, and he was trying to track me down because I was asleep upstairs. It was summer, it was 12 0’clock p.m. He was telling me to get out of bed — you’re going to be in a Netflix show.”

His Role

He then rose to fame as one of the main protagonists of Stranger Things. He played the role of Mike Wheeler, who, along with his friends Dustin and Lucas, goes on the mission to find his best friend Mike, who disappeared mysteriously. 

Wolfhard has been a part of Stranger Things since its first season since its premiere in July 2016. He starred in three seasons of the series and will also be a part of its fourth season. The filming of the fourth season had been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it will be released in 2022.

Musical Journey

In addition to acting, Wolfhard also has a musical career. He formed a Vancouver-based garage-rock band called Calpurnia in 2017. He was a lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter until the band was disbanded in November 2019. Calpurnia released its debut EP in June 2018. Their first single, ‘City Boy’ debuted at No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 playlist and reached No. 23 on Billboard’s Alternative Digital Song Chart. 

Wolfhard, along with his childhood friend who also was the drummer for his former band Calpurnia, Malcolm Craig, formed a music band called The Aubreys in the fall of 2019.

Wolfhard has used music to stay in touch with pals during the pandemic by writing and recording music. It's also a creative outlet that feels more personal and intimate than the big-budget film and television series he oversees.

Direction

Wolfhard made his directorial debut in 2020 with Night Shifts, which is a comedy short film.

Upcoming

Wolfhard has been confirmed to play Lampwick in the upcoming Pinocchio movie. Moreover, Ewan McGregor will play the Talking Cricket, Ron Perlman will play Mangiafuoco, Tilda Swinton will play the Fairy with Turquoise Hair, Cate Blanchett will play The Dove, and several other prominent actors will appear in the Pinocchio cast.

When You Finish Saving the World

When You Finish Saving the World is an American comedy-drama film based on Jesse Eisenberg's radio drama of the same name. Eisenberg, who is making his directorial debut, wrote and directed the film, which is produced by Emma Stone, Dave McCary, and Julianne Moore. Finn Wolfhard plays the role of the son of Moore.

New: Gen

Wolfhard has starred in several science fiction and horror films and television shows throughout the course of his career, and now he'll be seen in another: New-Gen, the upcoming animated adaptation of the Marvel Comics series, which debuted in 2008. When New-Gen was first announced in 2020, it was reported that the show will cater to a younger audience while also possessing traits that would appeal to older and more mature viewers.

Sharp Magazine

Wolfhard was also featured on the cover of the new issue of Sharp magazine.

Girlfriend

Finn is presently dating Elsie Richter, who started her career as an actress in 2015.

The young actress is best known for her roles in Doll & Em (2013) and Di Bibl (2019). She is the daughter of Dolly Wells and Mischa Richter.

Elsie shared a photo of herself cuddling close to Finn on her Instagram story.

One of the most widely circulated claims about Finn's love life is that he was dating his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown.

Millie, who portrays Finn's on-screen girlfriend Eleven, has repeatedly rejected any romantic emotions between the two.

Advocacy

Wolfhard has made several contributions to advocacy groups. He has sold products that have given 100% of the revenue to indigenous children while also raising autism awareness and acceptance. Wolfhard organized "Strange 80s," a benefit concert in May 2017 to collect funds for Sweet Relief, an organization that helps struggling musicians with medical treatment and healthcare, and performed three songs with his former band Calpurnia at the event. He was named an honoree at the 2017 Television Industry Advocacy Awards for his efforts with Sweet Relief.

Net Worth

Wolfhard has an estimated net worth of $3 million as of August 2021. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he earned $30,000 per episode during the second season of Stranger Things. His salary rose to $250,000 per episode in the third season of the series.