Caleb Reginald McLaughlin[1] (born October 13, 2001)[2] is an American actor. He gained recognition for playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). McLaughlin began his career on the Broadway stage as Young Simba in the musical The Lion King followed by small roles in television. Following his breakthrough with Stranger Things, he appeared in the films High Flying Bird (2019) and Concrete Cowboy (2020), his first starring feature film role. His work also includes the miniseries The New Edition Story (2017) and various television voice acting roles.
Early life
McLaughlin grew up in Carmel, New York.[3] He attended Kent Primary School and later attended George Fischer Middle School for one year. He studied dance for a year at Happy Feet Dance School in Carmel, New York and then attended Seven Star School of Performing Arts in Brewster, New York for one year. He then studied at The Harlem School of the Arts under Aubrey Lynch, former Lion King producer.[4][5]
In December 2020, McLaughlin was included as an honoree in Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2021 list in the field of Hollywood and Entertainment.[9]
Advocacy
McLaughlin has spearheaded the social media campaigns #EmbraceYourFace and #BeYourBiggestFan, promoting healthy body image, positivity and self-esteem.[6] McLaughlin has stated: "Feeling good about yourself is healthy. It always starts with you first, before it goes to anyone else... You have to learn to love and appreciate yourself and take that time to do it."[6] In 2020, McLaughlin also encouraged people to vote in the 2020 US presidential election, posting a video on his official Instagram account with links to the non-profit organization Vote.org.[10]
