Hayden Byerly (born October 11, 2000) is an American actor. Beginning his professional career as a child actor at the age of ten, Byerly is best known for his role as Jude Adams Foster on the Freeform drama series The Fosters, a role he reprised in the spinoff series, Good Trouble.
Hayden Byerly | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 2000 Lakewood, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
Early life
editByerly was born on October 11, 2000, in Lakewood, Colorado.[1][2][3] He grew up in Littleton, Colorado before eventually relocating with his family to Los Angeles, California at the age of ten to pursue an acting career. He first began to develop an interest in acting by imitating his favorite film and television characters and reciting their lines along with them. He has one younger brother.[3][4]
Career
editByerly began his acting career after winning first place in a national talent competition in Orlando, Florida.[5] Shortly thereafter, he booked his very first audition, making his television debut in 2011 with a guest-starring role as Skunk, the scrappy leader of a misfit basketball team on the Disney XD comedy series Zeke and Luther.[3][5] That same year, he made his feature film debut with a starring role as Nathan Vales in the supernatural horror film 11/11/11.[3]
In 2012, Byerly began a recurring role on the NBC comedy-drama series Parenthood portraying Micah Watson, a boy with spina bifida who becomes the best friend of Max Braverman (portrayed by Max Burkholder). That same year, he transitioned to work as a voice actor, voicing various roles in the video games Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, as well as voicing the role of Prince Gustav on the Disney Channel animated series, Sofia the First.[3]
In 2013, Byerly became one of the principal ensemble cast members on the ABC Family drama series The Fosters.[3] On the series, Byerly portrays Jude Adams-Foster, an abused and sensitive 12-year-old foster child who is subsequently adopted into a large blended family where he begins questioning his sexuality and the nature of his feelings for his best friend Connor (portrayed by Gavin MacIntosh).[6] In March 2014, Hollywood.com named Byerly's "heartwarming" portrayal of Jude to its list of "Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV."[7]
On March 2, 2015, ABC Family aired an episode of The Fosters ("Now Hear This") that featured Byerly's character and MacIntosh's character sharing a kiss, that is believed to be the youngest LGBT kiss ever in U.S. television history.[8]
Personal life
editByerly's personal interests include reading mysteries and action-adventure books and solving advanced math problems, as well as playing basketball and video games.[3][4] Alongside his former Fosters co-star Gavin MacIntosh, Byerly has been an outspoken advocate against school bullying, encouraging young people to embrace their differences and lending his support to the "Be Good to Each Other" campaign.[4][9]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11/11/11 | Nathan 'Nat' Vales |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Zeke and Luther | Skunk Wetzel | Episode: "Luther Turns Four" |
| 2012–2014 | Parenthood | Micah Watson | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Sofia the First | Prince Gustav (voice) | Episode: "Just One of the Princes" |
| 2013–2018 | The Fosters | Jude Adams Foster | 104 episodes |
| 2019–2023 | Good Trouble | 6 episodes | |
| 2019 | The 11th Commandment | Parker |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Young David Mason | |
| 2013 | Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | Additional Voices | English dub |
| 2016 | Lego Marvel's Avengers | Harley Keener |
References
edit- ^ The Fosters [@TheFostersTV] (October 11, 2013). "It's @haydenbyerly's 13th birthday today!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2014 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bradley Bredeweg [@BradleyBredeweg] (October 12, 2013). "Yesterday = great day! Happy Birthday @haydenbyerly" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2014 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jude played by Hayden Byerly – The Fosters – ABCFamily.com". ABC Family. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Be Good To Each Other – Hayden Byerly & Gavin MacIntosh Fundraiser". Booster.com. 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ a b "Is This The Next Hollywood Star?". KMGH ABC Denver. June 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ Lee Hernandez (March 24, 2014). "'The Fosters' Season Finale Recap". Hollywood Life. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ Christian Clinton (March 14, 2014). "Our Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- ^ James Michael Nichols (March 3, 2015). "'The Fosters' Features Same-Sex Kiss Between 13-Year-Olds". HuffPost.
- ^ "The Fosters S:1 – The Honeymoon E:11 – AfterBuzz TV AfterShow". AfterBuzzTV. January 13, 2014. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
