Nathan Kress

Nathan Karl Kress (born November 18, 1992) is an American actor. He began his career at the age of three, appearing in television commercials and providing the voices of Easy and Tough Pup in the comedy-drama film Babe: Pig in the City. 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) and the voice of JJ Jameson in the Netflix animated series Pinky Malinky (2019).

Early life Nathan Karl Kress was born on November 18, 1992, in Glendale, California to Allison (née Shows) and Steven Kress. He has two brothers, Andrew and Kevin, neither of whom are involved in show business. 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.

Career 1992–2005: Modeling career and early roles 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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". 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. 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). 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. Kress' performance on the show has been characterized by one reviewer for Variety as "sweetly nerdy". 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.

2010–present: Directorial debut and current work

In March 2010, Kress guest-starred in the CBS television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in season 10: episode 15 titled "Neverland". 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. 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." 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.

Personal life 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. They married on November 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. On July 12, 2017, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their first child, a daughter, was born on December 21, 2017. On October 21, 2020, Kress announced that he was expecting his second child with his wife. On March 22, 2021, Kress announced the birth of his second daughter. On June 27, 2023, Kress and his wife announced the birth of their third child, a son.

Kress is a devout evangelical Christian.

Philanthropy Kress works with various charitable causes including The Big Green Help, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Starlight Children's Foundation. 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). 2025 A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Chuck E. Cheese, Elf #1 Voice role

Television

Video games

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2014 Video Game High School New Law/The Law Main role; season 3 2026 Chuck E. Cheese Minisodes Chuck E. Cheese Voice, music videos "Robot Banana Christmas" and "What Would We Do Without Christmas?" from "A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas" (2025)

Director Year Title Notes 2015–2019 Henry Danger TV series, 11 episodes 2016–2019 Game Shakers TV series, 6 episodes 2021–2023 iCarly TV series, 5 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Refs 2008 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actor iCarly 2009Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor iCarly Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series (shared with ensemble) iCarly Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series (shared with ensemble) iCarly 2012 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Sidekick iCarly 2015 Streamy Awards Best Ensemble Cast (shared with ensemble) Video Game High School 2022 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male TV Star (Family) iCarly