Mason Thames is an American actor best known for playing Finney Blake in the horror hit The Black Phone and Hiccup in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Born on July 10, 2007, in Texas, Mason Thames is 19 years old as of October 2026, and his rise from child dancer to Hollywood leading young actor has made him one of the most-watched teen stars of his generation.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Mason Thames |
| Date of Birth | July 10, 2007 |
| Age | 19 (as of October 2026) |
| Birthplace | Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actor |
| Breakthrough Role | Finney Blake in The Black Phone (2021) |
| Notable Roles | Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon; Sheridan Kimberley in Idiots |
| Awards | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards win (2023); 2 Saturn Award nominations |
| Net Worth | ~$2 million (estimated, per WhoFame) |
| Years Active | 2017–present |
Who Is Mason Thames
Mason Thames is an American actor who broke through as a child performer and quickly became a leading young actor in Hollywood. He was born on July 10, 2007, in Dallas, Texas, and raised in the North Texas area with his parents and his older sister, Brooke-Madison.
Before acting, Thames trained as a ballet dancer for several years. He performed in productions of The Nutcracker and was reported to be the youngest member of an international touring ballet company. The discipline and physical awareness he learned in dance later shaped his screen presence, particularly in his breakout horror role.
Career
Thames began acting in 2017. His first major television credit was a guest role in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind in 2019, followed by an appearance on the CW series Walker.
His career-defining role came in 2021, when he starred as Finney Blake in The Black Phone, the Blumhouse horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and co-starring Ethan Hawke. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $160 million worldwide, and Thames's performance as the brave young protagonist earned him widespread praise and award attention.
In 2024, he appeared in the Netflix teen comedy Incoming and the adventure horror film Monster Summer. The following year brought three major releases: The Black Phone 2, in which he reprised his role as Finney; Regretting You, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel, in which he played the romantic lead opposite McKenna Grace; and the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, where he played Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the central role in Universal's big-screen fantasy release.
How to Train Your Dragon: Reception and Box Office
The 2025 live-action How to Train Your Dragon became the defining blockbuster of Thames's career so far. According to Box Office Mojo figures reported by ScreenRant and ComingSoon, the film grossed approximately $636.5 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing entry in the entire How to Train Your Dragon franchise, per The Direct.
Critics largely embraced the remake. ScreenRant called it a rare live-action remake that worked, and the film drew strong audience reception as well. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 77% critics' score — the lowest of the franchise's entries per MovieWeb (the animated films sit at 99%, 92% and 90%), but still comfortably fresh.
The box-office run fast-tracked a sequel. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was greenlit before the first remake even reached theaters, with writer-director Dean DeBlois returning and filming scheduled to begin November 1, 2025, per Thames's interview with The Direct. The sequel is slated for June 11, 2027, with Nico Parker, Nick Frost and Gerard Butler reprising their roles and Cate Blanchett joining as Valka. Speaking to ScreenRant in August 2026, Thames said he was already "very proud" of the sequel, teasing that the creative team "took what we did with the first movie and brought it to a new level."
Idiots and Nimrods: 2026 Releases
Thames spent 2026 stretching into comedy. In Idiots, the dark comedy written, produced and directed by Macon Blair, he plays Sheridan Kimberley, a wealthy troubled teen whom two down-on-their-luck drivers are hired to transport to a rehab facility — a job that spirals into dangerous mayhem. The ensemble includes Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun and Peter Dinklage, per Wikipedia. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026 under its original title The Shitheads, was retitled Idiots in April 2026, and opened in US theaters on August 28, 2026 via the Independent Film Company.
That same month, Thames appeared in Nimrods, a Green Day-themed drama that arrived in August 2026, further widening a filmography that already spans horror, teen comedy and fantasy.
Upcoming Projects
Thames's upcoming slate points toward an even bigger stretch ahead. Deadline reported that he signed with Sony Pictures for Narcs, a coming-of-age comedy from Good Boys and No Hard Feelings writer John Phillips, who makes his directorial debut on the project, with Jordan and Justin Shipley handling the script and plot details kept under wraps.
He is also set to appear in Caine, Donnie Yen's spinoff set in the John Wick universe — his first step into a major action franchise (see our Keanu Reeves biography).
He also returns as Hiccup in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2, due June 11, 2027, with production having kicked off in late 2025.
Awards and Recognition
Industry recognition has tracked Thames since The Black Phone. In 2023 he won at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, per his official fan site. He earned a Saturn Award nomination for Younger Actor in a Film for The Black Phone (per the 2022 nominations reported by Gizmodo), and in 2026 he was nominated again — this time for Best Younger Performer in a Film for How to Train Your Dragon — appearing on the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' official nominee list.
Commentators have also flagged his momentum: outlets covering Black Phone 2 credited the live-action How to Train Your Dragon with giving Thames a major career boost, per Joblo.
Acting Style and Avoiding Typecasting
Thames has spoken openly about not wanting to be boxed in by any single role. After The Black Phone set him on a serious path and How to Train Your Dragon made him globally recognizable as Hiccup, he told Teen Vogue he did not want to get typecast, aiming instead to take on diverse roles, show range, and check off bucket-list movies along the way (reported by FemaleFirst and BangPremier).
His years of ballet training give his performances a distinctive physical discipline and control, qualities commentators tie to his natural screen presence. As one profile put it, his emotional intelligence on screen and his ability to deliver nuanced performances without overacting set him apart among young actors (Scorpion Magazine). He is regularly named on young-Hollywood watchlists alongside peers like Millie Bobby Brown, and from horror to teen comedy, fantasy to dark comedy, his filmography reads as a deliberate spread across genres — one he is still only beginning to explore.
Mason Thames Net Worth
Thames's net worth is estimated at approximately $2 million, according to celebrity-finance site WhoFame — an estimate, not an official figure. His earnings come from leading roles in studio films, including The Black Phone films, Regretting You, Idiots and the How to Train Your Dragon movies. With How to Train Your Dragon 2 due in 2027 and a franchise role in the John Wick universe ahead, his earning potential is expected to keep climbing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Mason Thames? Mason Thames was born on July 10, 2007, which makes him 19 years old as of October 2026.
What is Mason Thames best known for? He is best known for playing Finney Blake in The Black Phone (2021) and its 2025 sequel, and for starring as Hiccup in the 2025 live-action How to Train Your Dragon.
Where is Mason Thames from? He was born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in North Texas before his family relocated for his acting career.
What movies has Mason Thames been in? His film credits include The Black Phone and its 2025 sequel, Incoming, Monster Summer, Regretting You, How to Train Your Dragon, and the 2026 releases Idiots and Nimrods. Upcoming projects include the John Wick-universe film Caine and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2027). He has also appeared on television in For All Mankind and Walker.
Did Mason Thames train as a dancer? Yes. Before acting, he trained in ballet for several years and performed in productions of The Nutcracker.