Joel Courtney

Joel Courtney
Joel Courtney in January 2012
Born	Joel Courtney (1996-01-31) January 31, 1996 (age 21) Monterey, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2010–present
Website	http://joelcourtney.com/

Joel Courtney (born January 31, 1996) is an American actor, best known for his role of Joseph "Joe" Lamb in the 2011 Steven Spielberg/J. J. Abrams film Super 8, for which he received critical acclaim and a Saturn Award. He also played the lead role of Peter Moore on The CW's series The Messengers.

Courtney was born in Monterey, California, on January 31, 1996, and lives in Moscow, Idaho. While still living in Idaho, Courtney took a trip to Los Angeles during the first week of his summer school break in 2010, where he hoped to be in a commercial and make $100.

Casting director Patti Kalles advised Courtney to audition for Paramount Pictures' Super 8, co-produced, written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg and Bryan Burk. After 11 callbacks, Courtney landed the starring role of Joseph "Joe" Lamb in the film.

The movie was released on June 10, 2011 and centers around a group of kids who are forced to deal with strange happenings in their small town. On July 26, 2012 he won a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for his role in Super 8.

In August 2011, Courtney filmed Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn in Bulgaria, an adaptation of Mark Twain's classic. Courtney portrays Tom Sawyer alongside Val Kilmer as Mark Twain, Jake T. Austin as Huckleberry Finn, Katherine McNamara as Becky Thatcher, and Noah Munck as Ben Rogers. Written and directed by Jo Kastner, the film was produced by Weinhart and Kastner.