Atticus Shaffer (born June 19, 1998) is an American actor and

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

. He is known for playing Brick Heck on the ABC sitcom '' The Middle'' (2009–2018), as well for voicing Edgar in the movie '' Frankenweenie'' (2012) and Ono on the

Disney Junior Disney Jr. (formerly Disney Junior) is an American pay television network owned by the Disney Branded Television sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. Aimed mainly at children two to seven year ...

series '' The Lion Guard'' (2016–2019), and for his brief appearance in '' Hancock'' (2008).

Early life

Shaffer was born in

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...

, to Ron and Debbie Shaffer.

Career

''The Middle''

Shaffer is most known for his role as Brick Heck in ''The Middle'', which he played throughout the series' entire nine-season run, from 2009 to 2018. Brick is the youngest of the three Heck children, and is highly intelligent and smarter than most people at his age. He loves to read and has an ongoing fascination with

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s. Brick is socially awkward, and repeatedly overlooked by the members of his family. The series and its cast were nominated for awards dozens of times and won over a dozen collectively. In a ''

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'' magazine interview published in January 2013, Shaffer said his role as Brick was similar to his own life, as he is also a "big reader" and "nerd out over the weirdest stuff". In May 2011, a ''

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'' article had reported the closeness as well. Brick's characterization, including his idiosyncratic palilalian repetition of words and phrases at the end of sentences, is based on Justin Heisler, the son of ''The Middle'' co-creator Eileen Heisler.

Personal life

Shaffer was named after Atticus Finch, the father in ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' ...

.'' He lives in

Acton, California Acton () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2020 census, Acton had a population of 7,431. Acton is a small residential community located between th ...

. Shaffer has type four

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, a condition involving a defect in

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that causes fragile bones and short stature. He is tall. Shaffer is a Christian and as of 2018 had a daily Bible study with his mother, alternating between the Old and New Testaments. As of 2015, the year he was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

, he was a fan of contemporary

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music and identified several Christian bands among his favorites. Shaffer has official

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and Twitch video gaming pages, titled "AtticusShafferVlog", the latter of which he announced in December 2019. He plays '' The Long Dark'' and '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare'', among other video games.

Filmography

Television

Film

Radio

Self

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Atticus Shaffer Vlog on YoutubeAtticus Shaffer Vlog on Twitch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffer, Atticus 1998 births 21st-century American male actors American Christians American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Christians from California Living people Male actors from Santa Clarita, California People with osteogenesis imperfecta 21st-century Christians