Louis McCartney

Louis McCartney is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who originated the role of Henry Creel in the stage production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, performing the role in both the West End and on Broadway. He is the son of screenwriter Michael McCartney, and his mother works as a holistic therapist. He has an older brother who works as an ocean explorer. McCartney trained at Bow Street Academy in Dublin.

Before his stage career, McCartney built a screen résumé in British and Irish television and film. He appeared in an episode of Channel 4's Comedy Blaps, William of Orangedale, in 2022, and had small roles in The Tourist and Game of Thrones. He held a recurring role as Shay O'Hare in the Northern Ireland crime drama Hope Street. In 2023, he took the lead role in the British film Silent Roar, for which Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian offered praise, describing the performance as intelligent and sympathetic.

McCartney made his West End debut in December 2023 when Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened in London, with McCartney, then 20 years old, having had no prior West End experience before his casting. David Benedict, writing in Variety, credited the production's success in part to McCartney's ability to hold focus amid the show's theatrical spectacle. His work in the production earned him the Best Performer in a Play prize at the Stage Debut Awards in 2024.

He reprised the role of Henry Creel when the production transferred to Broadway, where it began performances in April 2025 at the Marquis Theatre in New York. His Broadway debut brought him a Theatre World Award in 2025, as well as a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play.