Mckenna Grace Biography: Age, Net Worth, Movies & Facts 2026

Mckenna Grace Burge was born on June 25, 2006, in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. She grew up in a close, supportive household and, like many young Texans, tried a lot of activities early on. She trained in cheerleading, gymnastics, tap and ballet, and even took part in pageants as a small child. Her love for acting started around the age of four, when she received a collection of classic films starring child actress Shirley Temple. She was so inspired that she told her family she wanted to become an actress, and her first commercial role came at the age of five.

After she began booking professional work, her family relocated to Los Angeles, California, so she could pursue acting seriously. Mckenna has never attended a traditional school. She has been homeschooled since childhood, which gave her the flexibility to balance long shooting schedules, auditions and travel with her studies. She has also talked about attending creative writing workshops with other homeschooled students, an early sign of the writing and songwriting talent that would later shape her career as a singer and producer.

1. Early Career and Child Acting Roles

Mckenna Grace made her name as one of Hollywood’s most reliable young performers. Her first steady work came on the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014), where she played Jasmine Bernstein, followed by a recurring role as Faith Newman on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless (2013–2015). She also made her film debut in Goodbye World in 2013 and appeared in television shows such as The Vampire Diaries, CSI: Cyber and Once Upon a Time, where she played the young version of Emma Swan.

These early roles showed a rare skill: she could play a younger version of an adult character so convincingly that audiences believed it. That talent became her trademark. She played the young Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, the young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel and the young version of Madison Lake in Malignant, proving that she could hold her own opposite major stars.

2. Mckenna Grace Career Journey

• 2012–2015: Started with Crash & Bernstein and The Young and the Restless, learning the craft on set from a very young age.
• 2016–2017: Appeared as Penny Kirkman in Designated Survivor, joined the film Mr. Church and broke through as Mary Adler in Gifted opposite Chris Evans, a performance that earned a Critics’ Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Young Performer.
• 2017–2019: Played the young Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, the young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, Judy Warren in Annabelle Comes Home and starred in Troop Zero. She also became a fan favorite as Paige on Young Sheldon.
• 2021–2022: Delivered a powerful performance as Esther Keyes in The Handmaid’s Tale, leading to a Primetime Emmy nomination, and portrayed Phoebe Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
• 2022: Wrote, executive produced and starred in The Bad Seed Returns and played Jan Broberg in the limited series A Friend of the Family.
• 2024–2026: Returned in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, then starred in Regretting You and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025) and in Scream 7 (2026).

3. Top 5 Movies and TV Shows

• Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – As Phoebe Spengler, the science-loving granddaughter of Egon Spengler, Mckenna became the heart of the revived franchise. The role earned her a Critics’ Choice Super Award nomination and introduced her to a whole new generation of fans.
• Gifted (2017) – Her breakout lead performance as a math prodigy caught the attention of critics and audiences worldwide. She even used songwriting to help remember the complex math her character solves.
• The Handmaid’s Tale (2021–2022) – Playing Esther Keyes, a young girl in an abusive marriage, she gave one of the most talked-about guest performances on television and earned an Emmy nomination.
• I, Tonya (2017) – As the young Tonya Harding, she appeared in an awards-season favorite and showed how much emotion she could bring to a supporting role.
• Scream 7 (2026) – Playing Hannah Thurman, she joined one of horror’s biggest franchises and confirmed her place as a leading young star of the genre.

4. Music Career and Songwriting

Alongside acting, Mckenna has built a real music career. In 2020 she signed with Photo Finish Records and in 2021 released her debut single, “Haunted House”, for the Ghostbusters: Afterlife soundtrack. In 2023 she followed up with two EPs, Bittersweet 16 and Autumn Leaves, which explored pop rock and folk styles. She writes much of her own material and has said she hopes to keep releasing music, which makes her a true multi-hyphenate artist rather than an actress who occasionally sings.

5. Producer, Writer and Global Influence

Mckenna does not only work in front of the camera. Through her production company, Beautiful Ghosts Productions, she developed The Bad Seed Returns, writing the story and serving as an executive producer while also starring in the lead role. She has also lent her voice to animated projects, including the young Daphne Blake in Scoob! and a role in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which reaches younger audiences and their families.

Because she has grown up in public, many young fans see her as relatable. She is open about her love for horror movies, her passion for music and her ambition to keep growing as a filmmaker. According to recent 2026 profiles, she is juggling several major franchises at once, which shows how widely she is trusted by studios. For fans searching for the best young actresses of her generation, her name now appears at the very top of that conversation.

One of the best ways to understand Mckenna Grace’s rise is to look at the films she has appeared in. She started with small parts and quickly moved into meaningful supporting roles and then leading roles. Her film work covers family drama, superhero action, supernatural comedy, romance, animation and horror, which is unusual for an actress who is still in her early twenties. The table below shows her best-known movies and the characters she played, based on information from Wikipedia’s list of Mckenna Grace performances and her IMDb profile.

Television gave Mckenna Grace her first real training as an actress. Working on weekly shows taught her to memorize lines quickly, take direction from many different directors and stay professional during long days. Because she appeared in both comedy and drama series, she built a wide range early. Some of her best-known television work is listed below.

Many fans first learn about Mckenna Grace through her acting, but music is just as important to her. After signing with Photo Finish Records in 2020, she moved from writing songs as a hobby to sharing them with the world. Her music is personal and story-driven, which fits the way she approaches acting. She has said in interviews that she loves songwriting and hopes to keep releasing new music in the future.

Her first release, “Haunted House”, was connected to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so it reached a huge audience right away. In 2023 she followed with two EPs. Bittersweet 16 leaned toward pop rock and reflected the mixed feelings of turning sixteen, while Autumn Leaves showed a quieter folk style. Together they proved that her singing is more than a side project, and they gave fans another way to connect with her.

Directors and critics often praise Mckenna Grace for her emotional honesty. Many child actors are asked to be cute, but she has repeatedly been cast in serious, complicated roles, from a genius child in Gifted to an abused teenager in The Handmaid’s Tale. Her ability to play sadness, fear and humor in the same project is a big reason why she is hired again and again.

Another reason she stands out is consistency. Since childhood she has worked in film, television, voice acting and music without long gaps, and her performances have stayed strong as she has grown older. Moving from child roles to teen and young adult roles is one of the hardest steps in Hollywood, yet she has managed it smoothly through projects like Regretting You and Scream 7.

Her range is also unusually wide. In one career she has appeared in a superhero blockbuster, a beloved comedy franchise, a prestige drama, animated family films and several horror series. That mix keeps audiences from putting her in one box, and it gives her more choices as she looks for future projects.

Finally, she is known for being professional and humble on set. Interviews with co-stars and directors often describe her as prepared, curious and kind, and that reputation helps her career last. Together, these qualities explain why so many people search for her biography, age, net worth and latest movies every day.

Away from the set, Mckenna Grace enjoys a creative lifestyle built around music, movies and time with family and friends. She trained in gymnastics, dance and cheerleading as a child, and she still enjoys staying active. She loves writing songs, and many fans have noticed that she also enjoys horror movies, which fits with the genre roles she has chosen.

She is active on social media, where she shares photos from premieres, behind-the-scenes moments and updates about new projects. You can follow her on Instagram and X for official news. Her online presence is friendly and positive, which is one reason she has a loyal fan base among teenagers and young adults.

Because she started working so young, she has learned to protect her personal life. She shares her work openly but keeps many private details to herself, and that balance has helped her grow up in the spotlight without losing her grounded personality.

The future looks bright for Mckenna Grace. After Scream 7 she is linked in recent profiles to big projects such as The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and Scooby-Doo: Origins. She has also said she wants to keep making music and to continue writing and producing through her own company. If she continues at this pace, she may soon be leading major films and shaping her own stories.

For fans, the best way to stay updated is to follow her official social media pages and check trusted entertainment sources before each release. Since dates and casting details can change, official studio announcements are always the safest source. We will keep updating this biography whenever new information about Mckenna Grace becomes available, so bookmark this page and return often.

Fans who want to know Mckenna Grace better will enjoy these useful facts about her life and career. Each one helps explain why she has become such a respected young talent in Hollywood.

• Inspired by a classic star: Her dream of acting began after she watched films starring Shirley Temple as a small child, and she decided at just four years old that she wanted to be an actress.
• Emmy history: She is the first child actor to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, a milestone widely reported by Wikipedia and entertainment media.
• Master of playing “younger versions”: She has played the young versions of characters linked to Brie Larson, Margot Robbie and other major stars, which made her one of Hollywood’s most trusted young actresses.
• Music helps her act: While preparing for Gifted, she used songwriting to remember the complicated math problems her character solves on screen.
• Homeschooled star: She learned at home instead of a regular school, which let her balance acting, travel and education.
• Multi-talented creator: She writes, produces, acts and sings, and she wants to keep growing behind the camera as well as in front of it.
• Horror favorite: With Annabelle Comes Home, Malignant, The Haunting of Hill House, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Scream 7, she has become one of the most recognizable young faces in modern horror.

These facts show a young artist who takes her craft seriously. She has stayed active across film, television, animation and music, and she keeps choosing roles that challenge her instead of repeating the same type of character. That variety is a big reason why casting directors, critics and fans continue to follow her career closely.

Mckenna Grace has grown from a five-year-old commercial actress in Texas into one of the most respected young stars in Hollywood. From Gifted and The Handmaid’s Tale to Ghostbusters and Scream 7, she has proved that she can handle comedy, drama and horror with the same confidence. Her music, her production work and her honest, down-to-earth personality make her more than just a talented actress. At only 20 years old, with several major projects still ahead, her career shows no sign of slowing down, and fans have every reason to expect even bigger achievements in the coming years.