Nathan Karl Kress is an American actor and television director whose career began when he was still a young child. Although he appeared in commercials, films and television productions before becoming widely recognized, his breakthrough came with the Nickelodeon comedy series iCarly, where he played Freddie Benson.

For millions of viewers who grew up watching Nickelodeon, Freddie became one of the most memorable characters on the network. The character was intelligent, technically skilled, sometimes awkward and deeply loyal to his friends. Kress brought those qualities to life and became closely associated with the role.

However, Nathan Kress's career extends far beyond iCarly. He began working professionally as a child, explored voice acting, appeared in feature films, took on roles in other television productions and eventually expanded his career behind the camera as a director.

His journey is particularly interesting because it demonstrates how a child performer can transition into adulthood while continuing to develop professionally. Rather than remaining known only for one childhood role, Kress gradually built a broader career in acting and directing.

This biography explores Nathan Karl Kress's early life, education, acting career, iCarly breakthrough, film work, directing career, family life, achievements and lasting influence on young audiences.

Quick Facts About Nathan Karl Kress

Full name: Nathan Karl Kress
Date of birth: November 18, 1992
Place of birth: Glendale, California, United States
Nationality: American
Profession: Actor and television director
Years active: 1995–present
Best known for: Freddie Benson in iCarly
Spouse: London Elise Moore
Children: Three
Height: Approximately 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 metres)

Public biographical sources identify Nathan Karl Kress as the actor's birth name and confirm that he was born in Glendale, California, on November 18, 1992. He is primarily known for acting and television directing.

Early Life of Nathan Karl Kress

Nathan Karl Kress was born on November 18, 1992, in Glendale, California. From an unusually young age, he demonstrated an interest and talent for performance.

Unlike many children who discover acting much later, Kress began displaying his ability to memorize and imitate television performances when he was very young. His natural talent eventually attracted the attention of people working in the entertainment industry.

According to biographical accounts, his family recognized his potential and helped him pursue opportunities in acting. He was subsequently introduced to professional representation.

This early start was important because the entertainment industry can be difficult to enter, particularly for children. Kress was able to gain experience gradually, learning how television production, commercials and professional acting worked while he was still young.

His early experiences also helped prepare him for the demanding schedule that would later come with his success on iCarly.

Kress grew up with two brothers, Andrew and Kevin. His family environment provided an important foundation while he pursued entertainment.

Rather than immediately becoming a major television star, Kress spent several years building experience through smaller opportunities. That gradual development would eventually become one of the defining features of his career.

Nathan Kress Started Acting as a Child

Nathan Kress's professional entertainment career began when he was only a few years old.

His early work included television commercials and other acting opportunities. His ability to memorize material and perform naturally helped him stand out.

One of his earliest notable screen credits came through the 1998 film Babe: Pig in the City. Kress provided the voices of characters associated with the film, giving him early experience in voice performance.

After his early childhood work, Kress temporarily stepped away from professional acting. He later returned to the entertainment industry as a teenager.

His return included an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2005. This marked the beginning of a more sustained period of acting work that eventually led to his breakthrough.

His early career is significant because it shows that his success did not happen overnight. Before becoming famous as Freddie Benson, he had already spent years learning the fundamentals of performing.

Nathan Kress and Nickelodeon

Kress's relationship with Nickelodeon became one of the most important parts of his professional career.

Before landing his iconic role on iCarly, he appeared in several Nickelodeon productions. Among these was an appearance as Toplin on Drake & Josh.

These smaller roles allowed audiences and industry professionals to become familiar with his work.

Kress eventually received the opportunity that would transform his career.

In 2007, he joined the cast of iCarly.

Nathan Kress as Freddie Benson in iCarly

Nathan Kress became internationally recognized after being cast as Freddie Benson in iCarly.

The series, created by Dan Schneider, premiered on Nickelodeon in 2007. It followed Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson as they created and operated their own fictional web show.

Freddie served as the technical expert behind the group. His responsibilities included operating cameras and handling technical aspects of their online production.

The character was very different from the stereotypical television hero.

Freddie was intelligent, technically talented and often more reserved than his friends. His complicated friendship with Carly and Sam created many of the show's comedic and emotional moments.

Kress's performance made Freddie one of the most recognizable characters in the series.

The success of iCarly turned its young cast members into major Nickelodeon stars. For Kress, the show became the defining project of his early acting career.

The original series ran from 2007 until 2012 and gave Kress several years of experience working on a major television production.

His performance was also recognized by the Young Artist Awards, where he received multiple nominations during his iCarly years.

Why Freddie Benson Became So Popular

Freddie Benson's popularity was not based solely on comedy.

The character was relatable to many young viewers because he was often caught between his friends' personalities while trying to maintain his own identity.

Freddie was also portrayed as intelligent and technically gifted. At a time when technology and internet culture were rapidly becoming more important to young people, the character represented a generation growing up around computers, cameras and online entertainment.

Kress brought a believable combination of humor, awkwardness and loyalty to the character.

His chemistry with Miranda Cosgrove, who played Carly Shay, and Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam Puckett, was an important part of the show's appeal.

The friendship and rivalry between the three characters created many of the show's most memorable moments.

As a result, Freddie Benson became much more than a supporting role. He became an essential part of the identity of iCarly.

Life After iCarly

When the original iCarly ended in 2012, Kress faced a challenge familiar to many young actors.

Child stars can sometimes struggle to establish themselves outside the role that made them famous.

Kress, however, continued working.

He began exploring different types of projects and gradually expanded his professional identity beyond Nickelodeon.

One of his significant post-iCarly projects was the 2014 disaster film Into the Storm.

The movie gave Kress an opportunity to work in a different genre and reach audiences beyond the children's television market.

He also participated in online entertainment projects, including Video Game High School.

These projects demonstrated that Kress was interested in developing his career rather than simply repeating the same type of role.

Nathan Kress in Into the Storm

Into the Storm was an important step in Kress's transition from television child star toward broader film work.

Released in 2014, the film focused on a community experiencing a series of destructive tornadoes.

Kress played Trey, a teenager caught in the middle of the dangerous events.

The film was significantly different from the light comedy of iCarly. It required Kress to work within a dramatic disaster-film environment.

The project also helped demonstrate that he could participate in productions aimed at a wider audience.

For an actor attempting to move beyond a successful children's television role, opportunities such as Into the Storm were valuable.

Nathan Kress and Voice Acting

Kress has also worked as a voice actor.

His early voice work in Babe: Pig in the City gave him experience with the discipline required for voice performance.

Years later, he took on other voice roles, including Wedge Antilles in the animated series Star Wars Rebels.

Voice acting requires performers to communicate personality and emotion without relying on physical appearance or traditional on-camera acting.

Kress's ability to move between live-action and voice performances demonstrates the versatility he developed during his career.

Nathan Kress and Star Wars Rebels

One of Kress's notable voice roles came in Star Wars Rebels.

The Disney XD animated series expanded the Star Wars universe through an original animated story.

Kress voiced Wedge Antilles, a character familiar to longtime Star Wars fans.

Working on an established franchise provided Kress with another opportunity to participate in a major entertainment property.

It also illustrated how his career had expanded beyond the Nickelodeon world that initially made him famous.

Nathan Kress's Directing Career

One of the most interesting developments in Kress's career has been his transition behind the camera.

Instead of limiting himself to acting, he became interested in directing.

This was a natural progression for someone who had spent years working on television sets and observing how productions were created.

Kress made his directorial debut on Nickelodeon's Henry Danger.

Directing requires a very different set of skills from acting. An actor is primarily responsible for performing a character, while a director must help shape the overall production.

A director works with actors, camera departments, editors and other members of a production team.

Kress's move into directing therefore represented an important professional development.

It showed that he was interested not only in being in front of the camera but also in understanding the creative process behind television.

Nathan Kress's Work on Henry Danger

Henry Danger was another successful Nickelodeon production.

The series followed a teenager who secretly worked as a superhero's sidekick.

Kress's involvement as a director gave him the opportunity to apply his experience from years of television acting to the production side.

His familiarity with working as a young performer gave him an unusual perspective when directing other actors.

He understood the demands of television production from the perspective of someone who had spent much of his childhood in front of cameras.

This experience helped him develop a second professional identity in the entertainment industry.

Nathan Kress and the iCarly Revival

For many fans, one of the biggest moments of Kress's later career came when iCarly returned.

A revival series premiered in 2021, bringing several familiar characters back into the world of the original show.

Kress reprised his role as Freddie Benson.

Returning to a character after many years can be challenging. The actor has changed, the audience has changed and the story must evolve.

The revival therefore presented Kress with an opportunity to portray Freddie as an adult rather than as the teenager audiences remembered.

The revival continued until 2023 and introduced the characters to a new generation while also appealing to viewers who had grown up watching the original.

Kress's return helped preserve the connection between the original series and its revival.

Nathan Kress's Personal Life

Away from entertainment, Nathan Kress has built a family life of his own.

Kress married actress and stunt performer London Elise Moore in 2015.

Their relationship has remained an important part of his life away from the entertainment spotlight.

The couple have three children.

Although Kress became famous as a teenager, he has generally kept many aspects of his family life relatively private.

This is understandable given that his career began when he was a child and much of his public identity developed through television.

As an adult, Kress has balanced professional commitments with his responsibilities as a husband and father.

Nathan Kress's Family

Kress was born to Allison Shows and Steven Kress.

He has two brothers, Andrew and Kevin.

Unlike Nathan, his brothers did not pursue careers in the entertainment industry.

Growing up with siblings outside the spotlight may have provided Kress with an important sense of normal family life despite his unusual career.

Beginning an acting career at a very young age can make childhood different from that of other children.

For Kress, family remained an important part of his life while he navigated the entertainment industry.

Nathan Kress's Personality and Professional Development

One of the most notable aspects of Kress's career is his gradual development from child performer into a multifaceted entertainment professional.

He could have remained identified exclusively with Freddie Benson.

Instead, he explored films, voice acting, television appearances and directing.

That willingness to learn new skills has helped extend his career.

His story also highlights an important reality about entertainment: a successful role can open a door, but maintaining a long-term career often requires adaptation.

Kress adapted.

He moved from child acting to teenage television stardom, then into film and eventually into directing.

Nathan Kress's Movies and Television Work

Nathan Kress's career includes a variety of television and film appearances.

Some of the projects associated with him include:

Babe: Pig in the City
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Drake & Josh
iCarly
Into the Storm
Video Game High School
Star Wars Rebels
Pinky Malinky
Henry Danger
iCarly revival

His role in iCarly remains his most widely recognized acting credit, but his career demonstrates that he has worked across several areas of entertainment.

Nathan Kress's Awards and Recognition

Kress's performance as Freddie Benson received recognition through Young Artist Award nominations.

Awards and nominations are not the only way to measure an actor's success, but recognition from industry organizations can indicate the impact of a performance.

In Kress's case, the longevity of the Freddie Benson character is perhaps an even more significant achievement.

Years after the original show ended, audiences still remembered the character strongly enough for the role to return in the revival.

What Is Nathan Kress Best Known For?

Nathan Kress is best known for playing Freddie Benson on iCarly.

Freddie became closely associated with Kress's public identity.

The character was the technical-minded member of the group and one of the show's central characters.

However, describing Kress only as an iCarly actor would leave out an important part of his career.

He is also a director and voice actor who has worked on projects outside the franchise.

His career therefore represents more than one successful television role.

Nathan Kress's Age

Nathan Karl Kress was born on November 18, 1992.

That means his age changes depending on the year in which the biography is read.

As of 2026, he is 33 years old.

He began his professional career as a child and has now spent decades working in the entertainment industry.

His long career is notable because he successfully continued working after transitioning out of childhood acting.

Nathan Kress's Height

Nathan Kress is listed at approximately 5 feet 7 inches, or about 1.70 metres, by IMDb.

Height, however, has played little role in his professional identity.

His recognition has primarily come from his acting performances, particularly his portrayal of Freddie Benson.

Nathan Kress's Net Worth

Questions about Nathan Kress's net worth are common among fans.

However, there is no universally verified public figure that can confidently be presented as his exact current net worth.

Many entertainment websites publish estimates, but these figures can differ substantially and are often based on assumptions rather than publicly available financial records.

For that reason, it is more responsible to focus on Kress's career achievements rather than presenting an unsupported exact dollar amount.

His income over the years has likely come from several areas, including acting, directing, voice work and other entertainment activities.

Nathan Kress's Career Beyond Fame

The most interesting part of Nathan Kress's story may not be his early fame.

It may be what he did after achieving it.

Many actors who become famous as children find themselves permanently associated with their childhood characters.

Kress has worked to expand his professional abilities.

His transition into directing is particularly important because it gives him a career path that does not depend entirely on being cast as an actor.

This could allow him to remain involved in television and film production in different capacities.

Lessons From Nathan Kress's Career

Nathan Kress's career offers several useful lessons.

1. Start Where You Are

Kress began with small opportunities.

Commercials, voice work and minor television roles eventually led to larger opportunities.

A career does not always begin with a major breakthrough.

2. Continue Learning

Acting was only one skill Kress developed.

He later expanded into directing and other areas of entertainment.

Learning additional skills can make a professional career more sustainable.

3. Do Not Become Trapped by One Success

iCarly was enormously important to Kress's career.

But he continued exploring other projects rather than depending exclusively on Freddie Benson.

4. Adapt to Change

The entertainment industry changed significantly during Kress's career.

He experienced traditional television, film, online entertainment, streaming-era programming and the return of a major television franchise.

His career evolved alongside the industry.

5. Long-Term Success Requires Growth

Fame can be temporary.

A sustainable career requires continued development.

Kress's movement from child actor to adult actor and director illustrates this principle.

The Legacy of Freddie Benson

Even though Kress has taken on many other roles, Freddie Benson remains his signature character.

The character has become part of the childhood memories of millions of viewers.

For fans of the original iCarly, Freddie represented the technically skilled friend who was often caught between Carly and Sam.

The character's return in the revival demonstrated the lasting popularity of the original series.

Kress's performance helped make Freddie memorable and contributed to the show's long-term cultural impact.

Nathan Kress and a New Generation of Fans

The iCarly revival also introduced Kress's character to viewers who may not have watched the original series when it first aired.

This created an unusual situation.

Kress was able to portray a character remembered by an older generation while simultaneously becoming familiar to newer viewers.

Few child actors receive the opportunity to return to a defining role more than a decade later.

For Kress, the revival provided a chance to revisit one of the most important chapters of his career from an adult perspective.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nathan Karl Kress

Who is Nathan Karl Kress?

Nathan Karl Kress is an American actor and television director. He is best known for playing Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon television series iCarly.

When was Nathan Kress born?

Nathan Kress was born on November 18, 1992, in Glendale, California, United States.

How old is Nathan Kress?

Nathan Kress is 33 years old as of 2026.

What is Nathan Kress famous for?

He is most famous for playing Freddie Benson on iCarly.

Is Nathan Kress married?

Yes. Nathan Kress married London Elise Moore in 2015.

Does Nathan Kress have children?

Yes. Kress and his wife have three children.

What character did Nathan Kress play in iCarly?

He played Freddie Benson, the technically skilled cameraman and friend of Carly Shay and Sam Puckett.

Did Nathan Kress return for the iCarly revival?

Yes. Kress reprised his role as Freddie Benson in the iCarly revival that began in 2021.

Is Nathan Kress a director?

Yes. In addition to acting, Kress has worked as a television director.

What movies has Nathan Kress appeared in?

One of his notable feature-film appearances was Into the Storm, released in 2014.

Did Nathan Kress do voice acting?

Yes. His early career included voice work in Babe: Pig in the City, and he later voiced Wedge Antilles in Star Wars Rebels.

What is Nathan Kress's full name?

His full name is Nathan Karl Kress.

Conclusion

Nathan Karl Kress's biography is the story of a performer who started working at an unusually young age and successfully developed a career that extended beyond childhood fame.

From commercials and early voice acting to iCarly, feature films, animation and television directing, Kress has continuously added new experiences to his professional journey.

His portrayal of Freddie Benson remains the role for which he is best known. The character became one of the defining personalities of iCarly and helped establish Kress as a recognizable young television star.

But his career did not end when the original series ended.

Kress continued working, explored different forms of entertainment and eventually moved behind the camera as a director. His return as Freddie in the iCarly revival further demonstrated the lasting connection between the actor and the character that made him famous.

Today, Nathan Kress's career offers an example of how early success can become the foundation for long-term professional growth. His journey from child actor to established actor, voice performer and director shows the importance of adaptability, learning and continued development.

For fans who remember him from iCarly, Nathan Kress will always have a special place in Nickelodeon's history. For those discovering his work for the first time, his broader career reveals an entertainer who has continued to evolve long after his first major breakthrough.

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Nathan Karl Kress Biography: Age, Early Life, Career, Family and Rise to Fame