Who is Atticus Shaffer?

Named after Atticus Finch, the lawyer in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the young actor Atticus Shaffer is also something of a national hero, like his namesake. Despite his rare condition, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Atticus Shaffer has managed to become a ‘perfect’ comedian. He’s fulfilled his childhood dream, and become one of the most popular comedy actors. Atticus is perhaps known best for his role as Brick Heck in the sitcom “The Middle”, however, he’s also the voice behind Ono in the Disney Junior series “The Lion Guard”.

More about his life, his career, and how he became a comedy sensation, you’ll find in this article.

Image source

Early life, family, and education

Born Atticus Ronald Shaffer under the zodiac sign of Gemini on 19 June 1998, he recently celebrated his 25th birthday. A native of Santa Clarita, California USA, he holds American nationality and comes from a family of Polish, German, Swiss, French and English descent.

Atticus was raised by his parents, Ron and Debbie, as their only child. His mother also has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, type I and Atticus inherited this genetic condition from her. However, he has type IV, which causes fragile bones and short stature. Atticus is 4ft 8ins (1.42m) tall.

His rare condition, as he put it, is just a small part of who he is. When he was younger, Atticus enjoyed being a boy scout and going on camping trips. He also liked to read and watch History Channel. He’s still a big fan of “Star Wars”, Lego, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Atticus was home-schooled.

Roles in series

In 2006, Atticus was discovered by a talent agent, who later became his manager. In the following year, he landed a guest role as Jonah in an episode of the series “The Class”, followed later that year by his appearance as an Irish Boy in “Days of Our Lives”.

In 2009, he was cast to play his most significant role to date, as Brick Heck in “The Middle”. The character he played was the youngest in the family, a highly intelligent boy, often overlooked by his family members. Between 2009 and 2018, Atticus was seen in all 215 episodes of this comedy series, which followed the story of the semi-dysfunctional family from Orson, Indiana, and their daily mishaps. Co-starring with Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Eden Sher and Charlie McDermott, the show had 37 award nominations, including one Primetime Emmy, and won 14. Atticus, Charlie, and Eden share the Young Artist Award nomination for Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series.

Concurrently, Atticus guest-starred in numerous series, heard as Albert Glass in 29 episodes of the animated comedy “Fish Hooks”, between 2010 and 2013. He also voiced Ono in the 2016 mini-series “Lion Guard: It’s Unbungalievable”, followed by his voice role as the same character in the series “The Lion”, from 2016 through 2019. Atticus was heard in 74 episodes, and his performance brought him a nomination for the Behind the Voice Actor (BTVA) Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series, which he shares with the rest of the crew.

Atticus was next heard as Melvin in “Harvey Girls Forever” (2018-2020), concurrently voicing Grumpy in “Pete the Cat” (2017-2022), and most recently, he was heard as Wayne Riley in “Firebuds” (2022-2023).

Roles in movies

Atticus made his big-screen debut as a Little Boy on a Bus in the 2008 drama “Leaving Barstow”. Later that year, he was seen as a Boy at Bus Bench in “Hancock”, an action comedy starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman. The movie followed the story of a superhero, Hancock, whose behavior often causes damage. However, he saves the life of a Public Relations (PR) expert who believes that Hancock can restore his image as a true superhero. Atticus appeared in a scene with Will Smith, which, as he put it, was a great experience.

Also in 2008, Atticus was seen as Timmy in “An American Carol”, followed by his role as Matty Newton in the 2009 horror “The Unborn”, starring Odette Annable and Gary Oldman. Later that year, Atticus was cast to play Kid Detective in “Opposite Day”, an hilarious comedy in which when the world goes backward, adults become children, and the kids are adults.

Two years later, Atticus was heard as Tommy in the romantic drama “Subject: I Love You”, written and directed by Francis dela Torre, followed by his voice role as Edgar ‘E’ Gore in the 2012 animated movie “Frankenweenie”, the story of a boy who through a science experiment tries to bring back to life his dog that passed away. Starring Winona Ryder, Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara, it had 50 award nominations, including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and won 11.

Atticus won the BTVA Award for Best Male Vocal Performance by a Child and was nominated for the Annie Award – Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.

In 2015, he reprised his voice role as Ono in the animated TV movie “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar”, he and the rest of the crew won a nomination for the BTVA Special Award- Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short.

In the following year, Atticus was heard as Mooner in “Monkey Up”, followed by his voice role as Fox in the 2017 animated TV movie “Home: For the Holidays”. Most recently, he was seen as Archie in the 2018 family comedy “I’ll Be Next Door for Christmas”, written and directed by David Jay Willis, but which was poorly rated by the audience.

What is he doing now?

Atticus’ fans can keep track of his life and career via his Instagram account, which has been followed by nearly 35,000 people. He’s also active on Twitch, and he often streams videos of him playing video games, such as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”.

Atticus has a YouTube channel under the name ‘AtticusShafferVlog’, established on 3 July 2013, which has gained nearly 10,000 subscribers, and all of his videos have amassed over 500,000 views. Atticus mostly uploads videos featuring him playing games, but there are also some videos about his everyday life. He’s a devoted Christian and often reads Psalms in his videos.

How rich is Atticus Shaffer?

Atticus has been in the entertainment industry for more than 15 years, and reportedly, in 2009, his salary for playing Brick Heck in “The Middle” was $12,000 per episode. According to sources as of June 2023, his net worth has been estimated at over $4 million.

Author

As a Freelance Writer at Biography Pedia, I manage every aspect of our content creation, from rigorous research to narrative excellence, ensuring precision and integrity in our work. Our comprehensive editorial management includes deep investigation, narrative development, and maintaining high standards of quality.

Write A Comment

Pin It