Madeleine McGraw is 17 years old in 2026 — and she’s already one of Hollywood’s most accomplished young actors. Born December 22, 2008, in San Jose, California, she began acting at age 4 with a debut in Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, became a horror standout as Gwen Blake in The Black Phone (2021), headlined its 2025 sequel, starred as Zoey Campbell in Disney’s shows, and built a voice-acting resumesney’s Secrets of Sulphur Springs, voiced characters in Toy Story 4 and The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and played a young Hope van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With two Saturn Award nominations for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, a “scream queen” reputation, an Astra “Star on the Rise” Award (January 2026), and films grossing $1.49 billion collectively, Madeleine McGraw’s age, career, and biography tell the story of a child actor who did everything right — choosing interesting roles, mastering her craft, and transitioning to leading-lady status before turning 18.
This guide covers Madeleine McGraw’s age and birthday, her early life and family (including sister Violet McGraw), her breakthrough in The Black Phone, her Disney Channel years, her voice acting, her Marvel roles, Black Phone 2, her awards, and answers to the most-searched questions.
Madeleine McGraw at a Glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Madeleine McGraw |
| Born | December 22, 2008, San Jose, California |
| Age in 2026 | 17 (turns 18 in December 2026) |
| Sister | Violet McGraw (actress) |
| Debut | American Sniper (age 4) |
| Breakthrough | Gwen Blake in The Black Phone (2021) |
| Disney role | Zoey Campbell, Secrets of Sulphur Springs (2021–2023) |
| Marvel role | Young Hope van Dyne (Ant-Man and the Wasp, What If…?) |
| Awards | 2× Saturn Award nominations; Astra Star on the Rise (2026) |
| Films’ total gross | $1.49 billion |
The McGraw Sisters
Hollywood sibling acts are common; sibling acts where both are genuinely talented are rare. Madeleine (born 2008) and Violet McGraw (born 2011) are the exception — two sisters, both drawn to horror, both exceptional. Violet broke out as the young Nell in The Haunting of Hill House (2018) — one of the most acclaimed child performances of the decade — then headlined M3GAN (2022) as Cady, the girl with the killer doll.
The sisters’ parallel careers are a fascinating case study. Both started young, both excel at horror’s emotional demands (fear, grief, vulnerability), both transitioned to leads. The Curse of the Necklace (2024) put them on screen together — a family affair that doubled as a statement: the McGraws aren’t competing; they’re collaborating. Growing up on sets together, they developed a shared language of craft that shows in their work.
For Madeleine, the older-sister dynamic adds depth to her Gwen performances — she’s literally played the protective older sibling on screen and off. The family’s San Jose roots (far from Hollywood’s chaos) likely helped: these are working actors, not stage kids, grounded by a normal-ish upbringing despite extraordinary careers.
Early Life and Family
Madeleine McGraw was born on December 22, 2008, in San Jose, California. Acting runs in the family: her younger sister Violet McGraw is also an actress (known for M3GAN and The Haunting of Hill House). The McGraw sisters represent one of Hollywood’s most talented sibling pairs — both drawn to horror, both preternaturally gifted.
Madeleine started at age 4, debuting in Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper (2014). Starting that young usually means a parent’s ambition; sustaining it for a decade means the kid’s talent. Madeleine had both the opportunity and the ability — and she kept working, building a résumé most adult actors would envy before she hit puberty.
The American Sniper debut is a remarkable footnote: a Clint Eastwood war drama, the biggest film of 2014, as a first credit at age 4. Eastwood is famous for his efficient, no-nonsense directing — he doesn’t coddle child actors. Surviving that set as a 4-year-old and wanting more says everything about the temperament. Most 4-year-olds would cry; Madeleine booked the next job. The San Jose childhood — normal schools, normal life between gigs — provided the grounding that kept the career healthy.
The Scream Queen Title
“Scream queen” was once a limiting label — the girl who screams in horror movies. For Madeleine McGraw, it’s a crown. She earned it the hard way: not by screaming loudest, but by acting best. Her horror performances share a quality rare in the genre — emotional truth. Gwen Blake isn’t scared at the audience; she’s scared with them.
The title also reflects a career strategy. Horror is Hollywood’s most reliable genre — low budgets, loyal audiences, franchise potential — and its young stars often parlay it into mainstream careers (see: half of Hollywood). McGraw didn’t stumble into horror; she conquered it, then used it as a launchpad. The scream queen era built her name; the post-horror era will define her legacy.
The Horror Years: Outcast to The Black Phone
McGraw’s horror apprenticeship began with Outcast (2016–2018), Robert Kirkman’s exorcism drama, where she played Amber — graduating from recurring to series regular. Then The Mandela Effect (2019) as Sam, and The Harbinger (2022) as Rosalie Snyder. She was becoming horror’s most reliable young actor — the kid who could scream, cry, and carry scenes with adult intensity.
Outcast is where the training happened. Kirkman’s Cinemax series — an exorcism drama in the prestige-TV mold — gave 8-year-old Madeleine her first sustained role: Amber, a possessed child, requiring her to play terror, malevolence, and vulnerability across episodes. Graduating from recurring to series regular meant the producers saw what the audience would later discover: this kid could act. The horror education continued with The Mandela Effect (a sci-fi thriller about alternate realities) and The Harbinger (2022), each adding layers — psychological horror, supernatural dread, the slow build. By the time Derrickson cast her in The Black Phone, she had five years of genre training. The “overnight” success was half a decade in the making.
Then came The Black Phone (2021). Directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Ethan Hawke as the Grabber, the film cast 12-year-old Madeleine as Gwen Blake — the protagonist’s foul-mouthed, fiercely loyal younger sister with psychic dreams. It was a star-making performance: funny, profane, heartbreaking, utterly real. Critics singled her out; audiences loved her. The film grossed $161 million worldwide, and McGraw earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
The production context matters. Derrickson — coming off Doctor Strange — adapted Joe Hill’s short story as a passion project, and he needed a Gwen who could hold the screen against Ethan Hawke’s masked menace. McGraw, at 12, did more than hold it — she stole scenes. The psychic-dream sequences required her to convey terror, confusion, and determination often without dialogue; the family scenes required the profane comedy that made Gwen iconic. (“Jesus Christ, Finney” — delivered by a 12-year-old — shouldn’t work, but it’s perfect.) The performance announced a generational talent: the rare child actor whose work improves the film around her.
Gwen Blake is the rare child character written — and played — without condescension. She’s scared but defiant, vulnerable but tough, and McGraw played every note. Elijah Wood similarly broke through as a child actor in intense material (The Good Son) before defining his adult career — the McGraw trajectory follows the same playbook: serious roles early, craft over fame.
Black Phone 2: Headlining the Sequel
In 2025, McGraw returned as Gwen in Black Phone 2 — this time as the lead. The sequel centers Gwen’s psychic abilities, putting the now-16-year-old actress at the center of the story. Once again, the performance earned widespread praise and a second Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
The sequel’s gamble was putting a teenager at the center of a studio horror film — and it paid off because McGraw had grown into the role. The 16-year-old Gwen is older, harder, more haunted; McGraw played the evolution without losing the character’s core (the loyalty, the profanity, the heart). Leading a film means carrying its emotional weight across two hours, not just stealing scenes — and she did it. The second Saturn nomination confirmed it wasn’t a fluke: Madeleine McGraw is a movie star, not just a scene-stealer.
Headlining a studio horror sequel at 16 is a milestone few achieve. It confirmed what The Black Phone suggested: Madeleine McGraw isn’t a child actor who got lucky — she’s a leading lady in training. The “scream queen” label, once a novelty, now describes a genuine box-office draw.
Disney Channel: Secrets of Sulphur Springs
Parallel to the horror career, McGraw starred as Zoey Campbell in Disney Channel’s mystery series Secrets of Sulphur Springs (2021–2023). The time-travel mystery gave her a completely different register: warm, adventurous, family-friendly — the Disney heroine rather than the horror survivor.
Sulphur Springs ran three seasons — a solid run for Disney Channel — and Zoey was its heart: the curious, brave kid unraveling the Tremont hotel’s mysteries across time periods. The role required a different skill set than horror: sustained character growth over episodes, chemistry with an ensemble of young actors, the Disney Channel tone (earnest, never cynical). McGraw handled it effortlessly, proving the range wasn’t a fluke. For casting directors, the message was clear: she can do anything.
The dual career is the smartest thing about her trajectory. Horror built her critical credibility; Disney built her young audience. Most child actors get trapped in one lane; McGraw drove in two simultaneously. TV veteran Paula Newsome built a career on similar versatility across genres — McGraw is doing it before 18.
Voice Acting and Marvel
McGraw’s voice work is a hidden superpower. She voiced Bonnie in Toy Story 4 (2019) — the $1.07 billion Pixar juggernaut, her biggest box-office hit — plus young Katie in The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021), one of the decade’s best-reviewed animated films, and work in Cars 3. Voice acting requires pure performance without physicality; excelling at it as a child signals serious craft.
Bonnie deserves emphasis. Taking over a key role in the Toy Story franchise — Pixar’s crown jewel, the series that defined computer animation — at age 10 is a massive responsibility. Bonnie is the emotional bridge between the old toys and the new generation; McGraw’s voice work had to convey childhood wonder without cloying. The film’s $1.07 billion gross makes it her biggest hit by an order of magnitude — and she earned it with just her voice. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (young Katie) showed the range: a different character, a different studio, the same excellence. Voice directors rehire actors who take direction well and deliver consistently; McGraw’s repeat bookings tell the story.
Then there’s Marvel: she played a young Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and returned for What If…? (2023). Small roles, massive franchise — the kind of credits that keep an actor in the industry’s consciousness between bigger parts.
The Marvel connection is strategically valuable beyond the credits themselves. The MCU is Hollywood’s biggest talent network — directors, producers, and casting executives cycle through it constantly. A young Hope van Dyne means McGraw is in the Marvel database, literally and figuratively: known to the casting directors who staff the industry’s biggest productions. The What If…? return (2023) kept the relationship warm. For a 17-year-old, having Marvel on the résumé is like having Harvard on a CV — it opens doors before you knock.
The Curse of the Necklace and Producing
In 2024, McGraw starred alongside sister Violet in The Curse of the Necklace (as Judith Davis) — and served as executive producer. Producing at 15 is the power move: it signals an actor thinking about her career as a business, not just a series of auditions. The McGraw sisters headlining together was also a family milestone — the San Jose kids, all grown up, running their own show.
The producing credit is the detail that separates McGraw from typical teen actors. Executive producer at 15 means she was in the room for casting, for creative decisions, for the business of the film — learning the machinery most actors never see. It’s the same instinct that drove her to voice work, to Disney, to Marvel: optionality. Every credit is a door; she’s collecting keys. When the adult career fully arrives, she won’t just be an actress waiting for offers — she’ll be a producer generating them.
Awards and Recognition
| Honor | Details |
|---|---|
| Saturn Award nomination | Best Performance by a Younger Actor — The Black Phone |
| Saturn Award nomination | Best Performance by a Younger Actor — Black Phone 2 |
| Astra Film Awards (Jan 2026) | Star on the Rise Award |
| Industry label | “Scream queen” — horror’s young leading lady |
The Astra “Star on the Rise” Award (January 2026) was the industry’s formal anointment — presented alongside honors for established stars, recognizing McGraw as one of Hollywood’s most exciting young actors. At 17, with two Saturn nominations and a studio franchise, the “rising” part is almost understatement.
The Astra ceremony context is telling: McGraw was honored alongside names like Dylan O’Brien, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Park Chan-wook — established artists at the peak of their powers. For a 17-year-old to share that stage is the industry saying “you belong here.” The Saturn nominations (the genre community’s highest honor for young performers) recognized the craft; the Astra recognized the trajectory. Together, they form the industry consensus: Madeleine McGraw isn’t just promising — she’s arrived.
What’s Next
Double Trouble (2026) is next on the slate, and the post-Black Phone 2 career is wide open. The classic child-actor transition — horror ingenue to adult leading lady — is hers to navigate. Her advantages: proven box-office, critical respect, voice-acting range, Disney audience, Marvel connection, and producing experience. Few 17-year-olds in Hollywood history have had a stronger hand.
The transition playbook is well-established: take one undeniable adult role, and the “former child star” label dissolves. McGraw’s horror credibility gives her options — prestige horror (the A24 route), mainstream thrillers, or a complete left turn into drama or comedy. Her comedy chops (the Gwen profanity was genuinely funny) suggest untapped range. The Astra award put her on every casting director’s radar; Double Trouble will show what she does with the attention. The smart bet: she’ll choose interesting over obvious, just as she always has.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Madeleine McGraw?
Madeleine McGraw is 17 years old in 2026. She was born on December 22, 2008, in San Jose, California, and turns 18 in December 2026.
Who is Madeleine McGraw’s sister?
Madeleine McGraw’s sister is Violet McGraw, also an actress known for M3GAN and The Haunting of Hill House. The sisters starred together in The Curse of the Necklace (2024).
What is Madeleine McGraw famous for?
Madeleine McGraw is famous for playing Gwen Blake in The Black Phone (2021) and its 2025 sequel, Zoey Campbell in Disney’s Secrets of Sulphur Springs, voicing Bonnie in Toy Story 4, and playing a young Hope van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Has Madeleine McGraw won any awards?
Madeleine McGraw has two Saturn Award nominations for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (The Black Phone, Black Phone 2) and received the Astra Film Awards’ Star on the Rise Award in January 2026.
What is Madeleine McGraw’s newest movie?
Madeleine McGraw’s most recent major film is Black Phone 2 (2025), where she headlined as Gwen Blake. Double Trouble (2026) is her next listed project.
Madeleine McGraw’s story is the child-actor success story done right: start at 4, work constantly, choose interesting roles, master the craft, and headline a franchise before 18. The $1.49 billion in box office, the two Saturn nominations, the Astra award, the scream-queen crown — they’re all earned, all before adulthood, all pointing toward a major career.
At 17, with Black Phone 2 behind her and the adult career ahead, Madeleine McGraw is Hollywood’s most promising young actress — the rare talent who was great as a kid and is becoming essential as a young adult. The phone rang; she answered. Hollywood should keep calling.
The numbers tell the final story: acting since 4, breakout at 12, franchise lead at 16, award-winner at 17. Two Saturn nominations, an Astra award, $1.49 billion in box office, a scream-queen crown, a Disney series, Pixar and Marvel credits, a producing credit. It’s a résumé most 40-year-olds would envy — built before she can vote. Whatever comes next, the foundation is unshakeable: Madeleine McGraw didn’t just survive child acting. She mastered it. The sequel proved the first film was no fluke — and Hollywood is watching what she does next. At 17, the best is almost certainly still ahead of her. Hollywood’s next scream queen may already have the crown. And at this pace, leading-lady status is a matter of when, not if.
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