Lucas Hedges is an American actor known for emotionally complex performances in films including Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back, Honey Boy and Waves. Born on December 12, 1996, in New York City, he began acting at a young age and developed a career across independent films, major productions and theatre. His breakthrough came with Manchester by the Sea, in which he played Patrick Chandler and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Since then, Hedges has built a varied filmography rather than being defined by one role. He has worked with filmmakers such as Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, Kenneth Lonergan and Martin McDonagh, taking on characters dealing with family, relationships, grief, addiction and personal identity. His family background is also notable because his father, Peter Hedges, is a screenwriter and director. In August 2026, Focus Features announced Old Friends New Friends, a new comedy starring Hedges, and the film is currently listed as in production.
Who Is Lucas Hedges?
Lucas Hedges is an American actor whose career became widely recognised after his performance in Manchester by the Sea. He played Patrick Chandler, a teenager dealing with major changes in his family, and the role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 89th Academy Awards. The official Oscars records list Hedges among the nominees in that category, making the nomination one of the most significant milestones of his early career.
Rather than following his Oscar nomination with only mainstream projects, he continued choosing a mixture of independent films, dramas and theatre productions. His later credits include Lady Bird, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back, Honey Boy, Waves, French Exit, Let Them All Talk, Shirley and Sorry, Baby. His work has therefore developed across different genres and formats.
Lucas Hedges Age and Early Life
Hedges was born on December 12, 1996, in Brooklyn Heights, New York. He is 29 years old as of October 2026. He grew up in a creative family, with his father, Peter Hedges, working as a screenwriter, director and novelist and his mother, Susan Bruce, working as a poet and actress. His older brother is Simon Hedges.
He attended St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn and later studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His professional acting career began while he was still young, with an appearance in Dan in Real Life, directed by his father. He subsequently worked with filmmakers outside his family, including Wes Anderson and Kenneth Lonergan, giving him early experience in professionally produced films.
Lucas Hedges Young: Childhood and Education
When Hedges was young, acting was already familiar to him because of his family’s involvement in the arts. After appearing in Dan in Real Life, he took roles in films such as Moonrise Kingdom, Arthur Newman, Labor Day, The Zero Theorem and The Grand Budapest Hotel. These projects gave him the opportunity to work with established directors and experienced casts while he was still developing as an actor.
His education also became an important part of his early career. He attended St. Ann’s before moving to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He later expanded his experience into theatre, including Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. His transition between school, film and stage work helped establish a broader foundation for his acting career before his major breakthrough.
Who Is Lucas Hedges’ Father?
His father is Peter Hedges, an American screenwriter, director and novelist. Peter Hedges has worked on films including Dan in Real Life and Ben Is Back, both of which feature his son. This connection gave the younger Hedges an early introduction to professional filmmaking and the environment in which films are developed and produced.
However, his career soon extended far beyond projects connected to his family. He went on to work with directors including Wes Anderson, Kenneth Lonergan, Greta Gerwig, Martin McDonagh and Trey Edward Shults. His Oscar nomination came for Manchester by the Sea, a project directed by Lonergan, demonstrating how his professional filmography developed through collaborations with a wide range of filmmakers.
Lucas Hedges Family
Hedges comes from a family with strong connections to writing, acting and filmmaking. His father, Peter Hedges, is a filmmaker and writer, while his mother, Susan Bruce, is a poet and actress. He also has an older brother, Simon Hedges. His childhood environment exposed him to creative work from an early age and helped make the entertainment industry familiar to him.
His family background is an important part of his biography, but it does not define the full scope of his career. After his earliest appearances, he developed professional relationships with many directors and actors who were not connected to his family. His filmography, theatre work and choice of character-driven projects have since become the main features of his professional identity.
Lucas Hedges Movies and Career
The film career of Hedges includes both supporting and leading performances. His early credits included Moonrise Kingdom, Labor Day and The Grand Budapest Hotel, but Manchester by the Sea became his defining early breakthrough. His performance as Patrick Chandler earned an Academy Award nomination and brought him international attention while he was still in his teens. He followed that success with prominent roles in Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
His subsequent filmography demonstrates considerable range. He played Jared Eamons in Boy Erased, Ben Burns in Ben Is Back, Otis in Honey Boy and Luke in Waves. Other credits include Mid90s, French Exit, Let Them All Talk, Shirley and Sorry, Baby. His recent and upcoming work shows that he has continued to pursue different types of characters rather than repeating the role that first made him widely known.
Lucas Hedges Partner and Dating History
The best-documented public relationship associated with Hedges is his past relationship with actress Taylor Russell. The pair worked together on Waves, and their professional relationship developed into a romance. In a 2019 interview with the Evening Standard, Hedges openly discussed Russell as his girlfriend and spoke about falling in love with her around the beginning of their work on the film.
Their relationship was therefore more than an online rumour or speculation based on photographs. However, those comments date from 2019 and should not be treated as evidence of their current relationship status. There is no reliable current information establishing that Russell is still his partner, so it is more accurate to describe her as part of his publicly documented dating history.
Did Lucas Hedges and Taylor Russell Date?
Yes, Hedges and Taylor Russell dated. They became romantically involved around the period when they worked together on Waves. In his 2019 Evening Standard interview, he discussed Russell as his girlfriend and described falling in love with her before they began filming.
Their relationship should be understood as a past relationship rather than a confirmed current partnership. Because older celebrity interviews and photographs can remain online for years, searches may sometimes make a past relationship appear current. There is no reliable evidence establishing that the two actors are currently together.
Does Lucas Hedges Have a Wife?
There is no reliable public evidence that Hedges has a wife. His relationship with Taylor Russell was publicly discussed, but there is no established public record indicating that the two married. He has generally kept much of his personal life away from the spotlight, so substantially more information is available about his acting career than about his current romantic life.
It is important to distinguish between confirmed information and speculation when discussing a celebrity’s private life. Online biographies can sometimes repeat outdated or unsupported relationship claims, but there is no reliable basis for identifying him as married. Unless he or another authoritative source confirms a marriage, the accurate description is that no publicly confirmed wife is known.
What Is Lucas Hedges Doing Now?
Hedges remains active in acting and continues to work on film projects. His recent credits include Sorry, Baby, while his career has continued to combine independent productions with larger studio projects. Rather than disappearing after the attention surrounding Manchester by the Sea, he has maintained a presence in film and theatre.
His next major project currently listed by Focus Features is Old Friends New Friends. Focus Features announced the film on August 24, 2026, with Hedges starring alongside Patrick Schwarzenegger, Geraldine Viswanathan and Dylan Gelula. The film is written and directed by Mike Birbiglia and is currently listed as In Production, so it should not be described as a released film.
(FAQs)
What happened to Lucas Hedges?
Hedges continued his acting career after his Academy Award-nominated performance in Manchester by the Sea. He appeared in films including Lady Bird, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back, Honey Boy, Waves, French Exit and Sorry, Baby. He has also continued working in theatre and has an upcoming project, Old Friends New Friends, which is currently in production.
What is Lucas Hedges doing now?
He remains active as an actor. His recent work includes Sorry, Baby, and Focus Features announced Old Friends New Friends in August 2026 with Hedges among its starring cast. The film is written and directed by Mike Birbiglia and is currently listed as in production.
Who is Lucas Hedges’ father?
His father is Peter Hedges, a screenwriter, director and novelist. Peter Hedges worked on projects including Dan in Real Life and Ben Is Back, both of which feature Lucas. His son later established his own career through collaborations with many other filmmakers.
Did Lucas Hedges and Taylor Russell date?
Yes. Hedges and Taylor Russell dated around the period when they worked together on Waves. He discussed Russell as his girlfriend in a 2019 Evening Standard interview. There is no reliable current evidence that they are still together.
How old is Lucas Hedges?
Hedges was born on December 12, 1996, making him 29 years old as of October 2026. He was born in New York and began acting while he was still young.
Conclusion
Lucas Hedges has built a diverse acting career that extends well beyond his Academy Award-nominated performance in Manchester by the Sea. His work in Lady Bird, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back, Honey Boy, Waves and other films has established a filmography centred on varied characters and emotionally demanding stories. His theatre work has further expanded his experience as a performer.
His connection to filmmaker Peter Hedges is an important part of his early story, but his professional career has developed through collaborations with many other filmmakers and productions. His recent work also shows that he remains active in the industry. In August 2026, Focus Features announced Old Friends New Friends, with Hedges among the starring cast, and the project is currently listed as in production. For readers searching for his age, movies, family, father, partner, wife, height or current career, the available information presents a clear picture of an actor who continues to develop his work while keeping much of his private life relatively out of the public spotlight.
