Joe Keery bio, age, height, girlfriend, family, career path 2025

Biography of Joe Keery

Joe Keery is an American actor best known for his breakout role in the hit series "Stranger Things" and a musician who performs with the band Post Animal.

Childhood and Early Life

Joseph David Keery was born on April 24, 1992. He grew up with four sisters, maintaining close relationships with all of them. The young boy was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he spent his entire childhood. He attended River Valley Charter School, which used the Montessori method, before moving on to Newburyport High School.

From a young age, he dreamed of becoming an actor. He drew inspiration from the celebrities he saw on screen. Joe felt acting was his calling and began developing his skills through amateur theater productions during high school.

Committed to his acting dreams, Keery pursued his passion at the Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. He graduated with a degree in acting in 2014.

Acting Career

Like countless actors before him, Joe kicked off his career in commercials. Audiences could see him in advertisements for Domino's Pizza and KFC. During this time, he attended numerous auditions and simultaneously worked as a pizza delivery driver. Joe looks back on this time with a laugh, admitting that food delivery definitely wasn't his calling – he constantly found himself in ridiculous situations.

Like any aspiring actor, Keery was dying to land that breakthrough role, and eventually, his dream started coming together. At first, Joe only landed small on-screen parts. In 2015, he secured a small role in the film "Sirens," as well as in projects like "Chicago Fire" and "Empire."

Joe Keery on Chicago Fire

But by the end of 2015, Joe's luck completely turned around: he was invited to join the cast of "Stranger Things," one of Netflix's most buzzworthy projects, which perfectly tapped into audiences' love for supernatural thrills and '80s nostalgia.

Initially, Keery was considered for the role of Jonathan, one of the project's main characters; however, ultimately, he was cast as Steve Harrington. Although his character began as a supporting role, it soon evolved into one of the series' central figures. Plus, Joe himself said that Steve's look – complete with sailor hat and "AHOY" shirt – was a much better fit for him than Jonathan would've been.

Fun fact: Keery's character is supposed to be around 18-19, but by season three, the actor himself was already 27. Regardless, Steve became one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in the project. So it's no shock that whenever Keery does interviews, he's always asked about "Stranger Things."

Joe Keery Didn't Think He Would Make It Past Stranger Things

The actor is often questioned about his thick hair as well. In one interview, a TV host brought up how publications keep asking to "talk about Steve Harrington's hair again," which cracked Joe up. The actor admitted he's always had thick hair, and his dad would constantly say things like, "You've got this crazy thick mane – can't we tame it somehow? It's so wild!" Actually, when Joe got a haircut once, fans were totally bummed to see him without his signature thick locks.

"Stranger Things" was promptly renewed for a second season, and Joe began receiving invitations to participate in other projects. In 2016, he appeared in the film "The Charnel House," followed by the dramatic feature "Molly's Game" in 2017, and three years later, he starred in the movie "Spree."

In 2021, Keery appeared in the science fiction action film "Free Guy" alongside Ryan Reynolds. The movie was a massive hit and even scored an Oscar nomination. Keery snagged a major role as Walter "Keys" McKey, a programmer at the company behind the online game Free City who's got it bad for his former colleague, Millie Rusk (Jodie Comer).

Joe says working with Ryan was an absolute gift. In one interview, he admitted he was initially starstruck and could barely believe his luck. "When I met him the first few times, it was like, 'Hey, Ryan Reynolds. Are you really Ryan Reynolds?'" Joe joked, recounting his impressions.

Free Guy | «Blue Shirt Guy» Clip

Music

Beyond his acting chops, Keery's also a musician. He performs with the band Post Animal. The group's debut album was released in the fall of 2015. The actor has also performed under the name Cool Cool Cool. In 2019, he also released an album titled Twenty Twenty, adopting the moniker DJo.

Djo – Change

In the late 2010s, Keery started dating Maika Monroe, the actress known for her roles in the 2014 film "It Follows" and "Labor Day." Sources suggested the couple might be heading toward an engagement, but the stars weren't rushing things. In November 2022, rumors circulated about the couple's breakup. The celebrity gossip Instagram account Deuxmoi broke the news. However, neither Joe nor Maika confirmed the breakup.

Joe Keery Now

In 2022, the fourth season of "Stranger Things" was released, and it appears that the fifth season will be the last. Joe Keery straight-up warned his fans: "This will be the craziest season. Fans are not prepared for this."

He also starred in the drama "Marmalade" alongside Camila Morrone.

Joe hasn't neglected his music career either – he still works on new songs and shoots music videos.

Interesting Facts

Keery admits he's had plenty of weird moments in his life, but one childhood incident still sticks with him. On his way home from school, he stepped on broken glass. He figured it was no big deal, but as he got closer to home, a sharp shard went right through his shoe and into his leg. Doctors patched him up, but Keery says a tiny piece of glass is still buried under his skin because they couldn't get it out.