Nell Fisher is a British-New Zealand actress, best known for playing Kassie in Evil Dead Rise and Holly Wheeler in the final season of Stranger Things. She is 14 years old, born November 2, 2011, in London, England. Despite her young age, she has already appeared in major studio films and one of Netflix's biggest series.
Fisher's career has moved quickly from independent New Zealand film to global studio projects. She made her on-screen debut in 2022 at age 11, broke through with Evil Dead Rise in 2023, led the family adventure film Bookworm in 2024, and joined Stranger Things as a series regular for its fifth and final season in 2025. In 2026 she was named one of Variety's Brits to Watch, and she is set to reunite with Stranger Things co-star Maya Hawke in Netflix's upcoming series The God of the Woods.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Nell Fisher |
| Date of Birth | November 2, 2011 |
| Age | 14 |
| Birthplace | London, England |
| Nationality | British–New Zealander |
| Profession | Actress |
| Years Active | 2022–present |
| Known For | Evil Dead Rise, Bookworm, Stranger Things (final season) |
| Notable Honor | Variety 2026 Brit to Watch |
Who Is Nell Fisher
Nell Fisher is a young actress who began her on-screen career as a child and quickly moved from independent film to major studio productions. Born in London and raised between the UK and New Zealand, she holds British and New Zealand connections and has spoken publicly about balancing schoolwork with acting.
Fisher spent four years of her childhood in Wellington, New Zealand, where her acting career began. As of late 2025 she resides in London, and published profiles note she studies several languages, including Russian, Ancient Greek, and Latin.
Because she is a minor, her family has kept most personal details private. Published profiles report her father is environmental lawyer Toby Fisher and her mother is former British diplomat Laura Clarke, though the family rarely discusses private life publicly.
Career
Early Roles
Fisher made her on-screen debut in the independent film Northspur (as Tia), filmed in New Zealand when she was around 11. The post-apocalyptic feature, directed by Aaron Falvey, introduced her to professional film sets and earned praise for her focus and emotional conviction in a demanding genre role.
Evil Dead Rise
Her breakthrough came as Kassie Bixler in Evil Dead Rise, the 2023 horror film from New Line Cinema directed by Lee Cronin. Playing the youngest daughter in a family terrorized in a Los Angeles apartment building, her performance drew praise from horror audiences and critics, who noted a mix of vulnerability and steel rare in an actor her age.
Fisher was too young to see the R-rated film in cinemas when it released, so a slightly edited version was screened for her privately. Her performance put her on the radar of major casting directors — the Duffer Brothers reportedly first noticed her in the Evil Dead Rise trailer before she was brought in to audition for Stranger Things.
My Life Is Murder
In 2022, the same year as her film debut, Fisher appeared as Olive Crowe in two episodes of the Australian–New Zealand crime series My Life Is Murder, acting opposite Lucy Lawless. The role — the niece of Lawless's investigator character Alexa Crowe — gave her early experience in episodic television production, a different discipline from film work, with tighter schedules and faster preparation between scenes.
Choose Love
Fisher played Luisa in Choose Love, Netflix's interactive romantic comedy directed by Stuart McDonald and starring Laura Marano. The film, which lets viewers make choices that shape the story, showed her range beyond horror and drama and marked her first major Netflix credit.
Bookworm
She starred as Mildred in Bookworm, a New Zealand adventure comedy opposite Elijah Wood and Michael Smiley, directed by Ant Timpson. Mildred's world is turned upside down when her estranged father takes her on a camping trip into the wilderness to find the mythical Canterbury Panther, and Fisher performs the role in a Kiwi accent.
Stranger Things
Fisher joined the fifth and final season of Netflix's Stranger Things as Holly Wheeler, Mike and Nancy's younger sister — a recast of the role previously played by twins in earlier seasons, with the character given a much larger storyline. The Duffer Brothers aged Holly up for the final season, turning her into one of the season's protagonists with a storyline that echoes Will Byers's disappearance in season one.
She auditioned for the role in February 2023 at age 11 and began filming in January 2024, when she was 12 — she later described walking onto the set as "daunting," noting the main cast had known each other for nearly a decade. On set she performed stunts including an underwater sequence with Cara Buono, and she has credited co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Jamie Campbell Bower with guiding her on acting technique. She has cited the novel A Wrinkle in Time as a literary influence on her development of Holly and her connection to the season's supernatural elements.
Upcoming: The God of the Woods
Fisher's next major project is The God of the Woods, Netflix's adaptation of Liz Moore's bestselling 2024 novel. She plays Barbara Van Laar, a 13-year-old whose disappearance from her family's Adirondack summer camp drives the series' central mystery. Barbara is described as an artistic, headstrong teen with a punk sensibility — a demanding dramatic role at the center of a multigenerational ensemble.
The casting reunites her with Stranger Things co-star Maya Hawke, who plays investigator Judy Luptack, the woman assigned to find Barbara. The ensemble also includes Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon as Barbara's mother Alice, plus Damon Gupton, Ella Rubin, Susannah Perkins, and Benjamin Walker. Author Liz Moore serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer alongside Liz Hannah. Netflix announced the cast in May 2026; no release date has been set.
Recognition
In 2026 Fisher was named one of Variety's Brits to Watch, the trade publication's annual spotlight on emerging UK talent. She is represented by United Agents. As a young performer early in her career, she has not yet accumulated major individual acting awards — the Variety honor and her rapid progression from indie film to leading Netflix roles mark her as one of the most closely watched young British actresses working today.
Acting Style and Approach
Across her roles, Fisher has shown unusual range for a young actor — moving from horror (Evil Dead Rise) to interactive romantic comedy (Choose Love), family adventure (Bookworm), episodic crime drama (My Life Is Murder), and the ensemble intensity of Stranger Things. Directors and co-stars have noted her preparation: she studies multiple languages, draws on literature when building a character, and has sought technique guidance from veteran co-stars on major sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Nell Fisher?
Nell Fisher is 14 years old. She was born on November 2, 2011, in London, England.
Who does Nell Fisher play in Stranger Things?
She plays Holly Wheeler, the younger sister of Mike and Nancy Wheeler, in the fifth and final season.
What was Nell Fisher's first movie?
Her on-screen debut was Northspur, an independent New Zealand film in which she played Tia.
What is Nell Fisher known for?
Her best-known roles are Kassie in Evil Dead Rise, Mildred in Bookworm, and Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things.
Where is Nell Fisher from?
She was born in London, England, and is described as British–New Zealander, having spent time in New Zealand as well as the UK.
What movies has Nell Fisher been in?
Nell Fisher's film credits include Northspur (2022) as Tia, Evil Dead Rise (2023) as Kassie Bixler, Choose Love (2023) as Luisa, and Bookworm (2024) as Mildred. On television she has appeared in My Life Is Murder (2022) as Olive Crowe and in Stranger Things season 5 (2025) as Holly Wheeler.
What is Nell Fisher's next project?
Fisher is set to star as Barbara Van Laar in Netflix's The God of the Woods, an adaptation of Liz Moore's bestselling novel, reuniting her with Stranger Things co-star Maya Hawke. She was also named one of Variety's 2026 Brits to Watch.