Joe Keery Biography

Following his graduation, Joe Keery auditioned for a hundred different roles. Initially, he was cast in various commercials for brands like KFC, Domino's, and Amiibo. In 2015, he made his debut screen appearance in USA Network’s ‘Sirens’, the American comedy show loosely based on the British comedy of the same name. In episode two of the season six, ‘Screw the One Percent’, Keery portrayed a character named Scenestar.

He landed his first cinematic role in the 2015 drama ‘Henry Gamble's Birthday Party’. The following year, he appeared in the horror-thriller ‘The Charnel House’. Keery got the chance to work with Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Brian d'Arcy James, and Chris O'Dowd in Aaron Sorkin’s 2017 crime-drama ‘Molly Game’. Portraying a character named Cole, Keery made the full use of the limited time he was allocated on the screen.

In late 2015, Keery originally auditioned for ‘Stranger Things’ to play the character of Jonathan Byers, a role that ultimately went to Charlie Heaton. The producers, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, felt that Kerry was more suitable to play Steve Harrington, a character who was modelled after the typical fictional 1980s’ jocks. The Duffer brothers felt that Keery was “incredibly likeable and had this charisma about him”. Keery’s Harington was a recurring character in the first season. He became one of the central characters in the second.

Besides acting, Keery is also working on a parallel career in the music industry. He was a guitarist and part of the Chicago-based garage and psych-rock band ‘Post Animal’. The other members of the group were Dalton Allison (bass), Jake Hirshland (guitar/keyboard), Javi Reyes (guitar), Wesley Toledo (drums), and Matt Williams (guitar).

While Keery was a former member of the group. He was not able to tour with the group due to his schedule as an actor. The group had put out an extended play, ‘Post Animal Perform The Most Curious Water Activities’ (2015), and one collection of singles, ‘The Garden Series’ (2016), to date. Their first full-length album ‘When I Think of You in a Castle’ is set to release in April 2018. Keery has also made music under the pseudonym “Cool Cool Cool”.

Having a deep interest in the performing arts since an early age, he enrolled in Theatre in the Open, which is a famous performing arts camp held at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. The time he spent in the camp solidified his love for performance and after one of his sisters insisted, he continued acting in high school. He went on to attend The Theatre School at DePaul University, graduating in 2014.

Keery began dating actress and professional kiteboarder Maika Monroe in May 2017. She accompanied him to the premiere of ‘Stranger Things 2’.