Caleb Reginald McLaughlin (born October 13, 2001) is an American actor and model. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Young Simba in the musical The Lion King.
Since 2016, he has portrayed Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things. In 2017, McLaughlin appeared in the BET miniseries The New Edition Story as Ricky Bell.
Life and career[]
McLaughin grew up in Carmel, a small town in suburban New York. He attended Kent Primary School and later attended George Fischer Middle School for one year. After fifth grade, McLaughlin moved to New York City. He studied dance for a year at Happy Feet Dance School in Carmel, NY and then at The Harlem School of the Arts under Aubrey Lynch, former Lion King producer.
He began his career in theater, and then moved to make his television debut as a boy in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2012. He then moved to do other acting gigs, until landing a reoccurring role in Shades of Blue. Since 2016, he has portrayed Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things. In 2017, McLaughlin appeared in the BET miniseries The New Edition Story as Ricky Bell. He also plays Ricky Bell from the ages of 10 to 15 in The New Edition Story.
McLaughlin has also multiple child modeling deals. He currently models for American Eagle, Armani Children, H&M, and for his adoptive fathers line. He is one of the highest paid child actors and models, making as of 2016 his yearly compensation was US$1.1 million.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Noah Dreams of Origami Fortunes | Noah | Short film |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Boy | Episode: "Born Psychopath" |
| Unforgettable | Older Brother | Episode: "New Hundred" | |
| Forever | Alejandro | Episode: "The Pugilist Break" | |
| 2015 | What Would You Do? | Caleb | Episode 2 |
| 2016 | Shades of Blue | Jay-Jay | 3 episodes |
| Blue Bloods | Tone Lane | Episode: "For the Community" | |
| 2016–present | Stranger Things | Lucas Sinclair | Main role; 17 episodes |
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | Ricky Bell (age 10-15) | 3 episodes |
Stage[]
| Year | Title | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–14 | The Lion King | Young Simba | Minskoff Theatre, Broadway |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Stranger Things | Won |
| BET Awards | YoungStars Award | Stranger Things | Nominated |
See also[]
External links[]
- Caleb McLaughlin on IMDb
- Caleb McLaughlin at the Internet Broadway Database