Who is Kendall Schmidt? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Kendall Francis Schmidt

Age: 33 Years, 33 Year Old Males

Family:

father: Kent Schmidt

mother: Kathy Schmidt

siblings: Kenneth Schmidt, Kevin Schmidt

Born Country: United States

Actors Musicians

Height: 5'11" (180 cm), 5'11" Males

Ancestry: German American

U.S. State: Kansas

City: Wichita, Kansas

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Childhood & Early Life

Kendall Francis Schmidt was born on November 2, 1990, in Wichita, Kansas to Kent and Kathy Schmidt. He is the youngest of their three sons, and both his brothers, Kenneth and Kevin, are also actors.

As a child, he was inspired to become an actor after watching his elder brothers acting. While he started acting because it was fun, he soon became passionate about it.

When he was young, he and his mother used to shift between Kansas and Los Angeles for his brothers' acting schedules. When he was ten years old, the family permanently relocated to California.

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Career As Actor

Kendall Schmidt started his career as an actor at the age of 5, when he appeared in a Chex cereal commercial. He was cast along with his elder brothers, even though they auditioned separately.

At the age of 9, he became a part of the Steven Spielberg film, 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' (2001) as one of the three body doubles for Haley Joel Osment. On his tenth birthday, director Spielberg and the cast surprised him with a birthday cake decorated with Star Wars figures.

After the family relocated to Los Angeles, he started to appear on television. He soon bagged recurring roles on 'General Hospital', 'Titus', 'Raising Dad', 'Gilmore Girls', 'CSI: Miami', and 'Romeo!'.

During this time, he appeared as a guest actor in a number of TV shows including 'ER', 'MADtv', 'Frasier', 'Phil of the Future', 'Without a Trace' and 'Ghost Whisperer'. He also reunited with Steven Spielberg for a small role in the 2002 movie 'Minority Report' and appeared in the film 'According to Spencer'.

His big break came in 2009, when he was cast as one of the four leads in Nickelodeon's musical sitcom 'Big Time Rush'. He played the eponymous band’s calm and composed leader and vocalist, Kendall Knight. He was cast alongside James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr., and Logan Henderson.

In 2012, he and his band-mates from 'Big Time Rush' also appeared in a full-length film, 'Big Time Movie'. The TV show ran for four seasons and ended in 2013.

Post 'Big Time Rush', he made guest appearances in a number of shows including 'How to Rock' (2012), 'Hell's Kitchen' (2014) and 'The Penguins of Madagascar' (2015). Most recently, Schmidt appeared as a guest on Nickelodeon's new musical sitcom, 'School of Rock' (2016).

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Career As Singer

Kendall Schmidt, who is also a singer, formed a boy band in 2008, along with his friend Dustin Belt. The band was named 'Heffron Drive' after the street name on which they both lived and met for the first time. The band went on hiatus in 2009 after both of them joined the Nickelodeon show 'Big Time Rush'. While Schmidt was one of the lead vocalists, Belt joined as guitarist.

He sang the theme song, 'All That Really Matters', for his brother Kevin Schmidt's web show 'Poor Paul'. The song was written and performed by Kendall Schmidt and Sean Michael Beyer in June 2009.

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In 2009, he became a member of the boy band 'Big Time Rush' (BTR) that was formed during the time Nickelodeon's show 'Big Time Rush' was created. The band had all four lead casts of the show, Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan, as vocalists. The band was signed to Nick Records and Columbia Records, and released three studio albums, 'BTR' (2010), 'Elevate' (2011) and '24/Seven' (2013). BTR went on hiatus in 2014, even though Schmidt maintained that they have not officially split.

After the band 'Big Time Rush' disbanded, Schmidt and Belt revived their band 'Heffron Drive' and went on a winter tour around US in late 2013. They have so far released two studio albums, 'Happy Mistakes' (2014) and 'Slow Motion' (2017).

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Major Works

Kendall Schmidt got recognition on the Nickelodeon show 'Big Time Rush'. It was an instant hit when it premiered and became the highest rated premiere for a live action series in Nickelodeon's history, with a record breaking 6.8 million viewers.

All the three studio albums of the boy band 'Big Time Rush' have been successful commercially. Their first album 'BTR' debuted at number 3 on the 'Billboard' 200 and sold over half million sales. While their second album 'Elevate' could reach only number 12 on the same list, it sold more total copies.

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Awards & Achievements

Kendall Schmidt received his first award nomination back in 2002. For his role in 'Gilmore Girls', he was nominated for 'Young Artist Award' in the category 'Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Young Actor Age Ten or Under'.

In 2010 and 2011, he received two 'Kids' Choice Awards, Australia' nominations for his performance in the show 'Big Time Rush'. In 2011, he also received an Astra Award nomination. He shared these awards with his co-stars James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr., and Logan Henderson.

Personal Life & Legacy

Kendall Schmidt is currently in a relationship with Micaela Von Turkovich. The two reportedly started dating in mid-2015. She appeared in Heffron Drive‘s official music video for 'Living Room'. In June 2022, the couple got engaged.

He was the first BTR member to have tattoos and has eight tattoos on his body. His tattoos include a Scorpio zodiac sign, a heart on his sleeve, a peace sign surrounded by the elements, a sugar skull, and a tattoo of his dog, Sissy.

Trivia

Kendall Schmidt was the last of the lead members to be cast for 'Big Time Rush'. He was originally rejected for the part during his first audition, and his role was supposed to go to Curt Hansen who later played a guest role. However, Curt's appearance in the pilot was not what the producers wanted, which led them to ask Schmidt for another audition, after his friend Logan Henderson recommended him.

Kendall Schmidt Biography