Buddy Handleson (born November 1, 1999) is an American actor,[3] best known for playing Henry Dillon in Disney Teen sitcom Shake It Up, Wendell Bassett in Nickelodeon comedy series Wendell & Vinnie, and Newt on Bella and the Bulldogs, also on Nickelodeon.[4] On June 25, 2017, he came out as gay. He first announced it in an Instagram post.

Buddy Handleson
Handleson in 2016
Born (1999-11-01) November 1, 1999 (age 25)[1]
Other namesBuddy Keaton
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present

Biography

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Buddy is the son of Jay and Athena Handleson.[5] At the age of 3, his parents tried to introduce him to modeling, but the young Buddy Handleson did not like it.[6] He was spotted by the talent agent Cathy Steele based in Orlando.[5]

He started auditioning for acting roles at the age of 7[6] and taking acting lessons with Romeo Marquez.[5] In 2010, he co-starred in an episode of 'Til Death, and guest-starred in an episode of Sons of Tucson[5] (role of Gabe AKA "Asskiss" in episode Kisses and Beads[7]). In February 2013, he landed the lead role of Wendell Bassett in Wendell and Vinnie.[6]

Filmography

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Television and film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Hannah Montana Boy Episode: "Jake... Another Little Piece of My Heart"
2009 Trauma Lost Boy Jonah Episode: "Masquerade"
2010 'Til Death Timmy Episode: "Dog Fight"
2010 Sons of Tucson Gabe Episodes: "Golden Ticket", "Kisses and Beads"
2010–2012 Shake It Up Henry Dillon Recurring role, 9 episodes
2011 Mr. Sunshine Timmy Episodes: "Lingerie Football", "Family Business"
2011 Coming & Going Christopher Crump Film
2012 Doc McStuffins Luca Voice role
2012 Bad Fairy Rocco DiRizzo TV movie
2013 Wendell & Vinnie Wendell Bassett Lead role
2014 Little Savages Vinny Film
2015–2016 Bella and the Bulldogs Newt Main role
2017–2018 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn Wally Episodes: "Quadpendence Day", "We'll Always Have Parasites"
2019 Sydney to the Max Gerald Episode: "The Parent Track"

Personal life

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Handleson lived in Burbank with his mom from 2012–2014 and then moved to Redondo Beach, California.

On June 25, 2017, Handleson came out as gay through a caption on an Instagram photo depicting him in front of a pride flag. He wrote, "Over the past couple of years I've become more and more comfortable with my sexuality and I think I'm ready to share it with the world. I'm finally at a place in life where I can say 'I'm proud of who I am. I'm proud to be gay.'"[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Happy Birthday To The Super Talented Buddy Handleson! (@BUDSTER925)". Celebrity Haute Spot. November 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  2. ^ Barney, Chuck (February 14, 2013). "Young actor Buddy Handleson gets big break in Nickelodeon's 'Wendell & Vinnie'". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  3. ^ Ciardelli, Dolores Fox (March 25, 2010). "Child Actor Hails From Danville". The Danville Express. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Starr, Michael (February 9, 2013). "No couchin' it". New York Post. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Ciardelli, Dolores Fox (March 25, 2010). "Child actor hails from Danville". DanvilleSanRamon.com. Gina Channell-Allen. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Chuck Barney (13 February 2013). "Young actor Buddy Handleson gets big break in Nickelodeon's 'Wendell & Vinnie'". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Justin Berfield shares behind-the-scenes photos of Sons of Tucson". Malcolminthemiddle.co.uk. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Buddy Handleson on Instagram: "Being at #Pride in SF has made me feel so safe and loved, it's really been a fun and exciting weekend. Now, I gots something to tell..."". Archived from the original on 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
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