Oakes Tonne Fegley (/ˌˈks ˈfɛˌɡl/; [1][2] born November 11, 2004)[3] is an American actor. He has starred in Pete's Dragon (2016), Wonderstruck (2017), The Goldfinch (2019), The War with Grandpa (2020), The Fabelmans (2022), and Adam the First (2024).

Oakes Fegley
Fegley in September 2019
Born
Oakes Tonne Fegley

(2004-11-11) November 11, 2004 (age 20)
OccupationActor
Years active2011–present
Notable workPete's Dragon (2016 film)
Person of Interest (2011 TV show)
The Goldfinch (2019 film)
The Fabelmans (2022 film)
RelativesWinslow Fegley (brother)

Early life and education

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Fegley was born November 11, 2004, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the son of actors Michael Fegley and Mercedes "Merce" (née Tonne).[4] He is the older brother of Winslow Fegley who is also an actor.[5]

Career

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In 2014, Fegley made his acting debut in the drama film Fort Bliss, along with Michelle Monaghan and Ron Livingston, in which he played Paul Swann.[6][7] The film, which premiered in 2014, was directed by Claudia Myers.[7] He played the young Judd Altman in the comedy-drama film This Is Where I Leave You, directed by Shawn Levy and released in September 2014 by Warner Bros. Pictures.[6][8] He later appeared as Young Elias "Eli" Thompson in the fifth season of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.[6] He also has appeared in CBS' Person of Interest as Gabriel Hayward.[9]

Fegley played the lead role of Pete in Walt Disney Pictures' fantasy comedy-drama film Pete's Dragon (a reimagining of Disney's 1977 film), opposite Oona Laurence, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Robert Redford.[6] The film was directed by David Lowery and released in August 2016.[10]

In 2019 he played the starring role of Theodore Decker in The Goldfinch, directed by John Crowley.

Fegley appeared in The Weinstein Company's comedy film The War with Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro, released in August 2020.[11]

In January 2021, Fegley entered early negotiations to play the role of Lampwick in Disney's live-action adaptation of Pinocchio.[12] Lewin Lloyd was eventually cast in the role.[13] The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in September 2022.[14][15]

In 2022, he played Chad Thomas in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, the character being based on a student who levied anti-Semitic abuse towards Spielberg during his high school years in real life.[16]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 Glass Boy Short film
2013 Children of the Moon Michael Short film, alongside his father
2014 Fort Bliss Paul Swann
This Is Where I Leave You Young Judd Altman
2015 Prism Young Bryan
2016 Pete's Dragon Pete[17]
2017 Wonderstruck Ben[18]
The Truth About Lies Boy
2019 The Goldfinch Young Theo Decker[19][20]
2020 The War with Grandpa Peter Decker[21]
2022 The Fabelmans Chad Thomas[22]
2024 Adam the First Adam[23]
TBA When the Moon Was Twice as Big Jeffrey Post-production[citation needed]
TBA Who Framed Tommy Callahan Tommy Callahan Post-production[citation needed]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Boardwalk Empire Young Elias "Eli" Thompson[24] 3 episodes
2014–16 Person of Interest Gabriel Hayward[25] 3 episodes
2023 Accused Devin Harmon[26] Episode: 'Scott's Story'
2024 Dark Matter Charlie Dessen[27] Main role

Nomination and awards

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Year Nomination Work Category Result
2017 Pete's Dragon (2016 film) 38th Young Artist Awards

Best performance in a Feature Film - leading Young Actor

Nominated
2018 Wonderstruck (film) 39th Young Artist Awards

Best performance in a Feature Film -leading Young Actor

Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Fegley". Facebook. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. ^ Sarah Paulson & Oakes Fegley Talk Character Transformation in The Goldfinch. IMDb (YouTube). September 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Oakes Fegley Young Allentown actor lands starring role in Disney's 'Pete's Dragon' feature film | Whitehall-Coplay Press". whitehallcoplay.thelehighvalleypress.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  4. ^ "How Allentown's Oakes Fegley became a Disney star". The Morning Call. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Lehigh Valley Movie Connection: Fegley brothers have family competition with 'dueling' feature films". www.mcall.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Kroll, Justin (September 19, 2014). "Disney Finds Its Pete For 'Pete's Dragon' Remake (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Dargis, Manohla (September 18, 2014). "At Home in War. In War at Home". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  8. ^ "This is Where I Leave You (2014)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  9. ^ "Allentown boy to appear in CBS "Person of Interest"". mcall.com. December 15, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  10. ^ Lesnick, Silas (January 13, 2015). "Pete's Dragon for Set for 2016, Ghost in the Shell for 2017". comingsoon.net. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Amanda, N'Duka. "Oakes Fegley To Co-Star In 'The War With Grandpa'". Deadline. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 26, 2021). "'Beauty And The Beast' Star Luke Evans Joins Disney+'s Tom Hanks 'Pinocchio' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Romano, Nick (May 31, 2022). "First live-action Pinocchio trailer teases Cynthia Erivo's 'When You Wish Upon a Star'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  14. ^ Jones, Tamera (May 31, 2022). "Disney Announces Official Date for Second Disney+ Day Event". Collider. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Spangler, Todd (May 31, 2022). "'Pinocchio' Live-Action Remake Premiere Date Set on Disney+". Variety. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Chloe East, Oakes Fegley and Isabelle Kusman join Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans". Cinema Express.
  17. ^ "On the set of 'Pete's Dragon' with Allentown's Oakes Fegley". mcall.com.
  18. ^ "Gorgeous New Wonderstruck Clip With Millicent Simmonds & Oakes Fegley Exploring New York". awardsdaily.com.
  19. ^ "Oakes Fegley Interview The Goldfinch TIFF 2019". youtube.com.
  20. ^ "Sarah Paulson & Oakes Fegley Talk 'The Goldfinch,' Puppies, and Ice Cream at TIFF 2019". collider.com.
  21. ^ "Don't enlist for "The War With Grandpa"". thespool.net.
  22. ^ "Chloe East, Oakes Fegley and Isabelle Kusman join Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans". Cinema Express.
  23. ^ "Adam the First". Film Threat. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  24. ^ "16-Year-Old Allentown Native Oakes Fegley is Making a Name for Himself". lehighvalleystyle.com.
  25. ^ "Oakes Fegley Signs With Verve". Deadline Hollywood.
  26. ^ "'Accused': Oakes Fegley, Robert Wisdom Join Cast Of Fox Anthology Drama". Deadline Hollywood.
  27. ^ "'Dark Matter': Oakes Fegley & Dayo Okeniyi Join Joel Edgerton & Jennifer Connelly In Apple TV+ Series". Deadline Hollywood.
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