Lucas Cruikshank

Lucas Cruikshank is an American comedic actor. Living in Columbus, Nebraska, he created the character Fred Figglehorn, and the associated Fred series for his channel, on the video-sharing website YouTube. These videos are centered on Fred, a fictional 6-year-old boy who has a dysfunctional home life and anger management issues.

Cruikshank was raised in Columbus, Nebraska, and attended Lakeview High School. Cruikshank is openly gay. He came out in a YouTube video in which he said, "I'm gay. I feel so weird saying it on camera. But my family and friends have known for like three years. I just haven't felt the need to announce it on the Internet."

Cruikshank, while testing character ideas, created the Fred character in a Halloween video, and uploaded it to a YouTube channel that he had started with his two cousins. Upon the success of Fred, he started a video series and set up the Fred channel in April 2008. By April 2009, the channel had over one million subscribers, making it the first YouTube channel to do so, and the most subscribed channel at the time. In December 2009, Cruikshank filmed Fred: The Movie, which aired on Nickelodeon in September 2010. Nickelodeon has created a franchise surrounding the character and began producing the sequel in March 2011.

In the Fred series, Cruikshank promotes various products and movies. He is seen using a Zipit, his own products and T-shirts. In addition to promoting his own movies and albums, Cruikshank has also promoted the movies City of Ember, Year One, Adventures of Power and the artist Kev Blaze.

He has made a cameo appearance as both "Fred" and himself on Nickelodeon's iCarly in "iMeet Fred," which originally aired in 2009.

Cruikshank has appeared on The Tyra Banks Show, as well as the Hannah Montana episode "Come Fail Away." He appeared at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards and the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards, presenting awards to winners off-stage. In 2011, he appeared on the Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards and in an episode of "Supah Ninjas." In 2012 and 2013 he starred as the lead in the Nickelodeon television show Marvin Marvin as an alien teenage boy adjusting to human life.

Cruikshank was originally a part of JKL Productions, a group comprising twins Jon and Katie Smet and Lucas Cruikshank, their cousin. He left in 2009 to set up his own channel, called "lucas," in which he appears as himself.

Since May 2013, Cruikshank has regularly released vlogs on his "lucas" channel with friend, and fellow actor, Jennifer Veal.