Stranger Things‘ first season took place in November and December of 1983, kicking off with Will Byers’ disappearance on November 6th and ending around Christmastime. Stranger Things‘ fifth season takes place four years later, in the fall of 1987, making it pretty much a four-year gap even between Season 1 and Season 5. However, the gap between seasons is far less even in terms of real-world time. Season 1 debuted all the way back in July of 2016, meaning all of the actors have aged nine years and four months when their characters have only aged four. That’s a pretty large disparity, and it’s noticeable to anyone who has seen the trailer for the final year.
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How old were the members of “the Party” in Stranger Things Season 1? How old are they in the fifth and final season? For that matter, how old are their parents (at least the ones more prominently featured in the show)? Let’s find out. Note that, as far as the actors’ ages go, we’re going with the first and fifth seasons’ release dates, not when they were filmed, considering the first season was filmed over a five-month period and Season 5 took a whopping 11 months to shoot.
10) Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder)
As is pretty typical of Stranger Things‘ older characters (meaning anyone outside “the Party”), Joyce Byers’ exact age isn’t known. However, she was definitely born in the ’40s, and it’s estimated to be the early ’40s, making her about 41 or 42 when her son disappeared and 45 or 46 in Season 5.
Like the actors who play the members of “the Party,” Winona Ryder got her start in the industry at a young age, making her film debut in Lucas at the age of 15 (possibly 14). Ryder was 44 when she started playing Joyce and is 54 years old now.
9) Jim Hopper (David Harbour)
Like with Joyce, the exact date of birth of Jim Hopper is a bit of a mystery. However, it was somewhere between August 1939 and November 1943, making him upwards of 44 years old in Season 1 or somewhere down around exactly 40 (or almost 40, if he was born in late November 1943).
David Harbour was born in April 1975, so he was 41 when Stranger Things first aired, not too far off from Hopper’s age if he was born in November 1943 (not too far off in Season 1, anyway). Harbour is now 50 years old and will soon be reprising his role as Santa Claus in Violent Night 2.
8) Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo)
Dustin Henderson was born on May 29, 1971, meaning he was about 12 years and five months old when Will Byers went missing. That puts him at about 16 years and five months old when the events of Stranger Things 5 kick off.
Gaten Matarazzo was born on September 8, 2002. This puts him at 13 years and 10 months old when Stranger Things Season 1 first aired. So, about a year and five months older than the Season 1 version of Dustin. Matarazzo is now 23, or about 6 years and nine months older than his Season 5 counterpart.
7) Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer)
Nancy Wheeler was born somewhere in the area between August and November of 1967, so she was 16 in Season 1, just like the next entry on our list. And, considering it takes place four years later, she’s 20 in Season 5.
Born in January of 1995, Natalia Dyer was 21 when Stranger Things Season 1 hit Netflix, or five years older than her counterpart. At 30 years old, she is now 10 years older than Nancy.
6) Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton)
There is no available concrete date of birth for Jonathan Byers, but it was somewhere between August and November 1967. Meaning, he was 16 when his brother went missing, perhaps upwards of 16 years and three months. Thusly, he is 20 in Season 5.
Born February 6, 1994, Charlie Heaton was 22 when Stranger Things first aired. That put him at about six years older than Jonathan Byers. Now he’s 31, and 11 years older than Jonathan.
5) Steve Harrington (Joe Keery)
Steve Harrington’s exact date of birth also isn’t known, but it’s somewhere between August 1966 and July 1967. This puts him at either 16 or 17 when the events of Season 1 take place and either 20 or 21 when the events of Season 5 occur.
Joe Keery was born on April 24, 1992, so he was 24 years old at the onset of Stranger Things. Or, about seven or eight years older than his character. Keery is 33 now, so he’s about 12 or 13 years his character’s senior.
4) Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin)
Unlike the remainder of “the Party,” Lucas Sinclair’s exact date of birth is not known. It was somewhere between November 1970 and August 1971, so he was between 12 years and three months and 13 years old in Season 1. By extension, he’s between 16 years and 3 months and 17 years old in Season 5.
With an October 13, 2002 birthday, Caleb McLaughlin was 14 years and nine months old when fans were introduced to the Netflix show. In other words, he was at least a year older than Lucas. Now he’s 24, and about seven or eight years older than the character he plays.
3) Will Byers (Noah Schnapp)
Will Byers was born on March 22, 1971, which made him 12 years and seven months old when he was trapped in the Upside Down by the Demogorgon. Like his friends, he is 16 when the events of Season 5 transpire.
Born in October of 2004, Noah Schnapp was only 11 years and nine months old when Netflix subscribers first met him as Will Byers. At that point he was only about a year older than Will, whereas now he’s five years older.
2) Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard)
Finn Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler was born on April 7, 1971, which puts him at 12 years (and just shy of seven months) old in Season 1. He is 16 in Season 5.
Finn Wolfhard’s was born on December 23, 2002, which made him about 13 years and seven months when Stranger Things debuted. In other words, he was exactly a year older than his on-screen counterpart (exactly the same age if you’re looking at when the first season was filmed, as is the case with most of these young “the Party” cast members). Wolfhard is currently 22, or six years older than Mike.
1) Eleven / Jane Hopper (Millie Bobby Brown)
Eleven, eventually Jane Hopper, was born on June 7, 1971. This makes her 12 years and just shy of five months old during the events of the show’s first season and 16 in Season 5.
Millie Bobby Brown was 12 years and five months old when Stranger Things hit Netflix, so she was the exact same age as the character subscribers were getting to know. However, not that she’s 21, she’s five years older than the Eleven of Season 5.
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Courtesy of Netflix
