Nathan Kress | |
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Born | Nathan Karl Kress November 18, 1992 Glendale, California, U.S. |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1995–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Nathan Karl Kress (born November 18, 1992) is an American actor and television director. Kress began his career at the age of three, notably appearing in several television commercials and providing the voices of Easy and Tough Pup in the comedy-drama film Babe: Pig in the City (1998). He resumed acting seven years later on the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2005), and thereafter had regular appearances on several Nickelodeon productions, including Toplin on the sitcom Drake & Josh (2007). Kress rose to prominence for portraying Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012), which earned him five Young Artist Award nominations. He reprised his role in the revival series of the same name (2021–2023). He also subsequently voiced Wedge Antilles in the Disney XD animated series Star Wars Rebels (2016–2017).
Kress was born on November 18, 1992, in Glendale, California. [1] [2] He has two brothers, Andrew and Kevin, neither of whom are involved in show business. [3] [4] He began his professional career at the age of four when he displayed a natural talent for memorizing and re-enacting the shows he saw on television, prompting his mother to take him to an open "cattle call" showcase where he was quickly signed with a talent agent. [3] [4] [5]
Throughout the 1990s, Kress modeled for various print advertisements, as well as performing in numerous commercials and voice-over roles; the most notable of which was his dual role as the voices of "Easy" and "Tough Pup" in the 1998 feature film Babe: Pig in the City . [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] At the age of six, he decided to take a break from acting and return to regular school, where he led a relatively "normal" life for the next five years until deciding to return to acting professionally at the age of eleven. [4] [5] [6]
At the age of 11, Kress was cast in the lead role as "The Emperor" in a school production of The Emperor's New Clothes . [4] The role rekindled his interest in performing, and at the end of his fifth grade school year, he asked his parents if he could be home-schooled so he could return to acting. [4] [6] A mutual friend of Kress from school put him in touch with an agent, and after attending a summer acting "boot camp", Kress was soon going on real professional auditions once again. [4] [5] [6]
In April 2005, Kress made his first live television appearance since returning to acting in a comedy sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where he played a young Simon Cowell of American Idol , and would continue to appear in various comedy sketches on the show a total of 5 times over the next year. [2] [8] Kress continued to land steady work over the next two years, appearing in guest-starring roles on dramatic series such as House , Standoff , and Without a Trace as well as the Disney Channel comedy series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody . [2] [3] [8] [9] Kress also appeared in several short films including Pickled, Magnus, Inc., and Bag, for which he was awarded a 168 Film Festival Jury Award for his portrayal of a small-fry drug dealer with a conscience. [4] [8] [10] In addition to live-action roles, Kress continued to work as a voice-actor, lending his voice to various characters in the animated feature film Chicken Little and on the Nickelodeon animated series Shuriken School . [8]
In February 2006, Kress landed a small role on the popular Nickelodeon family series Drake & Josh . [2] [3] [4] [5] [11] He played the role of Toplin, a "geeky" kid at a birthday party with a crush on Drake and Josh's younger sister Megan Parker (played by Miranda Cosgrove) in the episode "Battle of Panthatar". [3] [5] [8] Kress did not know it at the time, but this small role would lead to an opportunity that would catapult him to stardom. [3] [4] [5] [12] While filming his scenes for Drake & Josh, television show creator and executive producer Dan Schneider took an interest in him and called him over to talk with him and to introduce him to some network executives. [2] [4] [5] At the time, Schneider was developing a new series for Nickelodeon, and was on the lookout for someone to play one of the lead roles in the untitled project, which would later become known as iCarly . [4] [5] [11]
The role of Toplin was similar to a character named Freddie that Schneider was looking to cast on iCarly. [3] [4] [5] Schneider had been so impressed with Kress' performance that he remembered him, and about 6 months after filming his small role on Drake & Josh, Kress was called in to audition for the role of "Freddie" shortly after his fourteenth birthday. [3] [4] [5] After several rounds of auditions, Kress was invited back for a screen test with Miranda Cosgrove and Jennette McCurdy and a couple of days later he was notified that he had landed the role of "Freddie". [4] [5] [11] Although iCarly would not premiere until the fall of 2007, the decision was made to cut Kress' scenes with Miranda Cosgrove out of the Drake & Josh episode that had started it all, in order to avoid any potential confusion among the young Nickelodeon viewing audience. [3] [5]
On September 8, 2007, iCarly debuted on Nickelodeon and quickly became a fan favorite. [13] [14] On the show, Kress plays Fredward "Freddie" Benson, the technical producer for the fictional web-show iCarly, which stars his character's two best friends, Carly Shay (Cosgrove) and Samantha "Sam" Puckett (McCurdy). [4] [5] [15] His character has a crush on the main character Carly, and a feuding, bitter-sweet, love/hate relationship with Carly's best friend and web-show co-star, Sam. [4] [5] [12] The show became Nickelodeon's most-watched show aimed at tweens, and catapulted Kress to international fame among adolescents. [2] [5] [12] [16] [17] Kress' performance on the show has been characterized by one reviewer for Variety as "sweetly nerdy". [13]
In 2008, Kress starred in the Nickelodeon television movie Gym Teacher: The Movie . [1] [4] [8] In the movie, Kress played "Roland", a decidedly uncoordinated student who transfers to a new school and must be whipped into shape by his ambitious gym teacher, Dave Stewie (Christopher Meloni). [1] [4] Later that same year, he starred as Freddie Benson in the television movie iCarly: iGo to Japan , the show's first TV movie. [11] [16] [18] Throughout 2009, Kress continued to play the role of Freddie on iCarly, but was unable to take on other projects due to the network's decision to film both seasons two and three of the show back-to-back without the usual hiatus between filming seasons, in order to make up for the time lost during the 2008 writers strike. [5] [11] [12] [19]
In March 2010, Kress guest-starred in the CBS television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in season 10: episode 15 titled "Neverland". [2] [8] [9] [20] Kress played Mason Ward, one of two best friends of a fourteen-year-old victim with traces of blood of an inmate under his fingernails. [20] Kress told Fanlala.com of his CSI role "It was a great opportunity to try my hand at something different. I had done scenes in dramas in the past, but other than a few semi-serious scenes on iCarly, it had been a long time since I've had the opportunity to do anything other than comedy." [20] Later that same year, Kress returned to comedic roles, guest-starring as Prince Gabriel on the Nickelodeon comedy series True Jackson, VP , and as the voice of Ronald on the Nickelodeon animated series The Penguins of Madagascar . [8]
In 2011, Kress continued to appear in the role of Freddie Benson on the fourth season of iCarly, and in January 2011, Miranda Cosgrove began telling news sources that she was looking forward to returning to Hollywood to begin filming the fifth season of the main character of the Nickelodeon show. [21] [22] [23] On January 27, 2011, Cosgrove told Cleveland Live News "We're getting ready to start the next season, right after the (Dancing Crazy) tour. I would be willing to do the show as long as people like it and as long as it works." [21] On January 29, 2011, Reuters also reported that Cosgrove was preparing to begin filming season 5, [22] and on February 3, 2011, Cosgrove told The Middletown Press, when speaking of the show and her co-stars, Kress and Jennette McCurdy: "I've known them since I was little. I can't wait to get back. I'm really comfortable doing [iCarly]. It's like my home away from home." [23] The show was later renewed for a sixth and final season, with the series finale "iGoodbye" airing on November 23, 2012.
Kress would eventually reprise the role of Freddie Benson in one episode of the show's spin-off series Sam & Cat which aired in January 2014. Also in 2014, Kress co-starred in his first major film, Into the Storm , and had a major role in the web show Video Game High School as "The New Law". In 2015, he debuted as a director on Henry Danger . [24] In 2019, Kress started a podcast called RadioActive Dads with Brett Davern. In March 2021, it was announced that iCarly was being revived. The revival series premiered on Paramount+ on June 17, 2021, with Kress reprising his role as Freddie Benson.
While filming iCarly , Kress was tutored on the set with his co-stars Miranda Cosgrove and Jennette McCurdy, and was home-schooled on the weekends or when on hiatus from filming the show. [4] [5] As of February 2011 [update] , Kress hoped to attend UCLA, his father's alma mater. [3] [12]
On May 29, 2015, Kress became engaged to his girlfriend, actress, stunt performer, and Into the Storm castmate London Elise Moore. [25] They married on November 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. [26] Their first child, a daughter, was born on December 21, 2017. [27] On October 21, 2020, Kress announced that he is expecting his second child with his wife. [28] On March 22, 2021, Kress announced the birth of his second daughter. [29] On June 27, 2023, Kress and his wife announced the birth of their third child, a son. [30] [31]
Kress works with various charitable causes including The Big Green Help, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Starlight Children's Foundation. [2] [32] [33] [34] In the summer of 2003, before returning to his acting career, Kress and his family traveled to Lithuania with the Christian missionary organization, YWAM (Youth With A Mission). [4]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Babe: Pig in the City | Tough Pup | Voice role |
2005 | Pickled | Younger brother | Short film |
Chicken Little | Male Dog | ||
2007 | Magnus, Inc. | Jacob | Short film |
Bag | Albert | ||
NimBlingDit | Alan | ||
2011 | Snowflake, the White Gorilla | Elvis | Voice role; released in U.S. in 2013 |
2014 | Into the Storm | Trey | |
2016 | Tell Me How I Die | Den | |
2017 | Alexander IRL | EJ | |
Breaking Brooklyn | Albee Davis | ||
8 Bodies | Cop | Short film [35] | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005–2006 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Sketch characters | 5 episodes |
2005 | House | Scott | Episode: "Spin" |
2006–2007 | Shuriken School | Eizan Kaburagi | 8 episodes |
2007 | Without a Trace | Young Barry | Episode: "Eating Away" |
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Jamie | Episode: "Back in the Game" | |
Drake & Josh | Toplin | Episode: "Battle of Panthatar"; uncredited | |
Notes from the Underbelly | Young Andrew | Episode: "Surprise" | |
2007–2012 | iCarly | Freddie Benson | Main role; 94 episodes |
2008 | Gym Teacher: The Movie | Roland Waffle | Television film |
2009-2011 | BrainSurge | Self | 5 Episodes |
2010 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Don | Episode: "Exchange Student" |
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mason Ward | Episode: "Neverland" | |
True Jackson, VP | Prince Gabriel | Episode: "True Royal" | |
The Penguins of Madagascar | Ronald | Voice role; episode: "Field Tripped" | |
2011 | Victorious | Audience Member | Episode: "Who Did It to Trina?"; uncredited cameo |
Game of Your Life | Phillip Reese | Television film | |
2012 | Figure It Out | Himself | Panelist; 2 episodes |
2013 | Mr. Young | Pete | 2 episodes |
2014 | Major Crimes | Tyler Lang | Episode: "Return to Sender Part 2" |
Sam & Cat | Freddie Benson | Episode: "#TheKillerTunaJump: #Freddie #Jade #Robbie" | |
Growing Up Fisher | Hunter | 2 episodes | |
Hawaii Five-0 | Jake | Episode: "Ka Hana Malu" | |
Henry Danger | Himself | Episode: "Birthday Girl Down" | |
2016–2017 | Star Wars Rebels | Wedge Antilles | Voice; 5 episodes |
2017 | Game Shakers | Himself | Episode: "Game Shippers" |
2018 | LA to Vegas | Ryan | Episode: "Pilot" |
2019 | Pinky Malinky | JJ Jameson | 16 episodes |
2021–2023 | iCarly | Freddie Benson [36] | Main role; also producer (season 3) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | iCarly | Freddie Benson | Voice |
2010 | iCarly 2: iJoin the Click | ||
2016 | Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Wedge Antilles |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Video Game High School | New Law/The Law | Main role; season 3 |
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2015–2019 | Henry Danger | TV series, 11 episodes |
2016–2019 | Game Shakers | TV series, 6 episodes |
2021–2023 | iCarly | TV series, 4 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actor | iCarly | Nominated | [37] |
2009 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor | iCarly | Nominated | [38] |
Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series (shared with ensemble) | iCarly | Nominated | [38] | ||
2010 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actor | iCarly | Nominated | [39] |
Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series (shared with ensemble) | iCarly | Nominated | [39] | ||
Australian Kids' Choice Awards | LOL Award (shared with ensemble) | iCarly | Won | [40] | |
2012 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Sidekick | iCarly | Nominated | [41] |
2015 | Streamy Awards | Best Ensemble Cast (shared with ensemble) | Video Game High School | Won | [42] |
2022 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male TV Star (Family) | iCarly | Nominated | [43] |
Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy is an American writer, filmmaker, former actress, and singer. McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) won her four Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She reprised the character in the iCarly spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014) before leaving Nickelodeon. She also appeared in the television series Malcolm in the Middle (2003–2005), Zoey 101 (2005), Lincoln Heights (2007), True Jackson, VP (2009–2010), and Victorious (2012). She produced, wrote, and starred in her own webseries, What's Next for Sarah? (2014), and led the science-fiction series Between (2015–2016).
iCarly is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay, a teenager who creates and hosts her own web show called iCarly with her best friends, Sam and Freddie in the apartment loft that she and her older brother, Spencer live in. As the web show quickly becomes an internet phenomenon, the characters are tasked with balancing their normal teenage lives with the wacky situations their newfound fame lands them in. By the fourth season, their school friend, Gibby also works with them on the web show.
Gerald William "Jerry" Trainor is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as "Crazy" Steve in Drake & Josh and Spencer Shay in the teen sitcom iCarly and its revival series of the same name, winning three Kids' Choice Awards for his performances. He also appeared in T.U.F.F. Puppy as Dudley Puppy, for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Since 2004, Trainor has worked primarily on the Nickelodeon network. Outside of this, he has had recurring and guest roles on young adult-oriented shows on the Disney Channel and Netflix as well as in the more mature shows Crossing Jordan and 2 Broke Girls.
The 22nd Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 28, 2009, on the Nell and John Wooden Court of Pauley Pavilion, with Dwayne Johnson as host. Voting commenced on March 2, 2009. Performers and presenters have been listed at the official site. The show marks the last time that the Nickelodeon Orange Blimp was used on the Kids' Choice Awards logo for 4 years. The blimp was not used on the Kids' Choice Awards logo again until the 2013 show.
The first season of iCarly aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to July 25, 2008. The season introduces Carly Shay, Sam Puckett, Freddie Benson, and Spencer Shay. This is notably the only season without a 1-hour special.
The second season of iCarly aired on Nickelodeon from September 27, 2008 to August 8, 2009. The season continues the stories of Carly Shay, Sam Puckett, and Freddie Benson as they produce their own web show called "iCarly." Jerry Trainor co-stars as Carly's big brother Spencer. This season is the first to have a major plot twist, as it sees Sam and Freddie sharing their first kiss, just to avoid the frustration of not having a first kiss. This is followed by them becoming somewhat closer. This season contained the special "iChristmas". The second season consisted of 45 episodes, with 25 of them airing as part of the second season before the remaining 20 were marketed as the third season. This season has specials "iGo to Japan", "iChristmas", "iKiss", "iReunite with Missy", "iMake Sam Girlier", "iDate a Bad Boy", and "iFight Shelby Marx"
The 30th Young Artist Awards ceremony, presented by the Young Artist Association, honored excellence of young performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film, television and theater for the 2008 season, and took place on March 29, 2009, at Universal Studios' Globe Theatre in Universal City, California. Special guest performers for the ceremony that year included Russian musical artists, "Street Magic" and Las Vegas father and son acrobat team, "The Kalinins".
iGo to Japan is a 2008 television film, serving as the fifth episode of the second season of Nickelodeon TV series iCarly. It premiered on November 8, 2008, on Nickelodeon, and November 21 on YTV. The television movie stars Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress, Jerry Trainor, and Mary Scheer. The film was directed by Steve Hoefer. Production began in early 2008 and lasted 4 to 5 weeks.
The 23rd Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 27, 2010, on the Nell and John Wooden Court of Pauley Pavilion, on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California with Kevin James as host. With the launch of Nickelodeon Canada in late 2009, Canada broadcast the awards live as it aired in the Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones of the United States and the awards was rebroadcast on YTV on April 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. ET. As a result, Canadian kids were able to vote on candidates for the first time. Nickelodeon's sister channels TeenNick and Nicktoons suspended regular programming during the 90-minute duration of the award show to allow viewers to see the awards.
The 31st Young Artist Awards ceremony, presented by the Young Artist Association, honored excellence of young performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film, television, theatre and music for the year 2009, and took place on April 11, 2010 at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn Hotel in North Hollywood, California.
The third season of iCarly aired on Nickelodeon from September 12, 2009, to June 26, 2010. The season features Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson as they continue their own Web Show called iCarly. Jerry Trainor co-stars as Carly's big brother, Spencer Shay. This season was the result of split within the second season production of 45 episodes whereas 20 remaining episodes were marketed as the show's third season.
iParty with Victorious is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series iCarly and Victorious. It premiered on Nickelodeon on June 11, 2011, and serves as the tenth episode and season finale of iCarly's fourth season.
The fourth season of iCarly began airing on Nickelodeon July 30, 2010, and ended on June 11, 2011. The season features Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson as their own Web Show iCarly is becoming more popular worldwide. Jerry Trainor co-stars as Carly's big brother Spencer. Noah Munck joins the main cast this season as Gibby Gibson. The specials of the season include "iGot a Hot Room", "iSam's Mom", "iDo", "iStart a Fan War", "iOMG", and "iParty with Victorious".
The fifth season of iCarly began airing on Nickelodeon on August 13, 2011, and finished its run on January 21, 2012.
The sixth and final season of iCarly began airing on Nickelodeon on March 24, 2012. This season features Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson, as their web show, iCarly, is becoming more popular worldwide. iCarly aired its 100th produced episode in this season, making it the first Nickelodeon live-action sitcom to reach that number. Nickelodeon shows like Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and others usually lasted around 65 episodes. As of 2019, only Nickelodeon's sketch comedy series All That and Henry Danger had reached a similar number of episodes.
Sam & Cat is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from June 8, 2013, to July 17, 2014. It is a spin-off of iCarly and Victorious, two TV shows that Schneider also created. The series stars Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett from iCarly, and Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine from Victorious. The girls meet by chance during a bizarre adventure and become roommates, then start a babysitting business to earn extra money.
"iGoodbye" is the series finale of the American television sitcom iCarly. The episode, which aired as an hour-long special on Nickelodeon on November 23, 2012, guest starred David Chisum as Colonel Steven Shay, Carly and Spencer's father.
The 9th annual Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards was held on Friday 7 October 2011 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The show was hosted by Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress, known for starring in the hit Nickelodeon teen sitcom iCarly. It was the final installment of the Kids' Choice Awards in Australia before being replaced by Nickelodeon Slimefest in 2012.
iCarly is an American comedy television revival of the 2007 Nickelodeon series of the same name. The series stars Miranda Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, Nathan Kress, Laci Mosley, and Jaidyn Triplett, with Cosgrove, Trainor and Kress reprising their roles from the original run. It premiered on Paramount+ on June 17, 2021, to positive reviews. The second season premiered on April 8, 2022, while the third season premiered on June 1, 2023. In October 2023, the series was cancelled after three seasons.