Noah Schnapp | Biography

Actor in Movies like 'Abe,' and 'Bridge of Spies'

Noah Schnapp landed a breakout role in the award-winning hit Netflix series 'Stranger Things.' In the series, he portrays Will Byers, who was abducted by a monster into a parallel dimension filled with dark forces called “The Upside Down” world. His disappearance becomes the obsession of his family and friends that leads to a monstrous chain of events. He has been a part of all three seasons of Stranger Things since 2016, and he will also appear in its fourth season, releasing in 2022.

By Reena Chikanbanjar
Update : September 07, 2021

Noah Schnapp is an actor who rose to fame after portraying Will Byers in Netflix’s hit horror sci-fi series ‘Stranger Things.’

Who Is Noah Schnapp?

Noah Schnapp is a Canadian-American actor. After performing in several theater productions at school from age six, Noah Schnapp began his professional acting journey at 10 when he debuted in the film Bridge of Spies (2015). In the film, the actor landed the role of Roger Donovan as the on-screen son of the Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks. He then voiced the animated character Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie that same year. In 2016, he began starring his breakout role as Will Byers in the Netflix horror sci-fi series Stranger Things.

Early Bio

Noah Schnapp, full name, Noah Cameron Schnapp, was born in New York City, New York, USA, on 3 October 2004. He has a twin sister named Chloe, four minutes younger than him. He was born to Karine Schnapp, a senior vice president of marketing and communication at Hugo Boss, and Mitchell, a private equity manager. His parents were of Moroccan Jewish and Russian Jewish descent, and they both were from Montréal, Québec, Canada.

He attended Scarsdale Middle School. His passion for performing sparked at age five when he saw the production of Annie. “I came out crying because I wanted to be on that stage,” he recalled. Then his parents enrolled him in an acting program at Westchester’s Star Kidz, and he started performing at school and community theater from the age of six. His acting coach Alyson Isbrandtsen soon recommended he pursue acting professionally. His coach referred him to MKS&D Talent Management, which led him to a professional acting career.

Career

After auditioning multiple times in a year, Schnapp landed a role in the historical thriller film Bridge of Spies in the summer of 2014. He spent a month working on location in Brooklyn, portraying the role of Roger Donovan in the film. He debuted on the big screen after the release of the movie in 2015. In the film, he portrayed the on-screen son of his industry role model and the celebrated actor Tom Hanks.

That same year, he voiced the character Charlie Brown in the animated movie The Peanuts Movie. The movie was based on Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip ‘Peanuts.’ He would later voice the character in the video game version titled The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure. It was released in the same year. In 2016, he starred in the horror musical video ‘La Devotee,’ a song by rock band Panic! at the Disco.

He then landed a breakout role in the award-winning hit Netflix series Stranger Things. In the series, he portrays Will Byers, who was abducted by a monster into a parallel dimension filled with dark forces called “The Upside Down” world. His disappearance becomes the obsession of his family and friends that leads to a monstrous chain of events. He has been a part of all three seasons of Stranger Things since 2016, and he will also appear in its fourth season, releasing in 2022.

Describing his role in the series, he said, “When they filmed the scene, it’s not like they are going to put a fake monster in the sky. I had to imagine there was this big terrifying monster coming at me. It was so hard to wrap my mind around that. This was Will’s moment of the season to stand up for himself. And this is not like Will. Will’s usually the quiet kid. It was a big scene for Will, and me as well. I had to make it up a little by myself.”

In 2018, Schnapp starred as Lucas in the short film The Circle. That same year, he also featured in the indie feature film Watch We Only Know So Much, based on the novel written by Elizabeth Crane, and the comedy TV short Asesinato en el Hormiguero Express. In 2018, he also voiced the character Kai in the animated fantasy film The Legend of Hallowaiian. The following year, he landed the title role in the indie drama film Abe. It is a story about a 12-year-old boy who aspired to become a chef, but his family never had a meal together without a fight.

In 2020, he starred as the lead character Jo in the thriller war drama film Waiting for Anya. He also appeared as Tommy in the Netflix comedy-horror film Hubie Halloween in 2020.

Awards and Recognitions

For his breakthrough performance in Stranger Things, Schnapp won several awards and nominations. He was the recipient of the ‘MTV Movie + TV Award’ for Most Frightened Performance in 2018. The actor was also the recipient of the ‘Teen Choice Award’ for Choice Summer TV Star: Male in 2019. Previously, he received the ‘Young Entertainer Award’ for Best Young Ensemble Cast - Television Series shared with co-stars in 2017. That same year, he also bagged the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series’ shared with his fellow cast members.

Furthermore, his voice acting in The Peanuts Movie (2015) earned him the ‘Young Entertainer Award’ for Best Young Ensemble Cast -Voice Over, shared with his fellow cast members in 2016. In addition, Schnapp was listed in the ‘Variety Youth Impact Report 2015.’

YouTube Channel and TikTok

In addition to his acting career, Schnapp started a YouTube channel in December 2016. He did not post videos regularly back then. However, after a few years, he became active. He created a wide range of videos, including the best friend challenge with Millie Bobby Brown and learning TikTok dances from Charli D’Amelio. On his channel’s description, he wrote, “I’m Noah! When I’m not acting in stuff or in the upside down, I make videos about the fun stuff I do and the places I go!”

His YouTube channel currently has 4.07 million subscribers as of August 2021. In addition, he made his first TikTok video in November 2019. His TikTok account has 19.3 million followers, and he has accumulated over 308 million likes on the platform as of August 2021.

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Stranger Things star Schnapp has an estimated net worth of $3 million. His salary was $10,000 per episode in the first season, $30,000 per episode for the second season, and $250,000 per episode in the third season of Stranger Things.

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