Jordan Nagai

Jordan Nagai (born February 5, 2000) is an American former child voice actor best known for his role as Russell in the 2009 Pixar movie Up.

Life and career
Nagai, a Japanese American, was born in Los Angeles. His older brother Hunter originally auditioned for Russell. Director Pete Docter has said, "[a]s soon as Jordan's voice came on we started smiling because he is appealing and innocent and cute and different from what I was initially thinking." About 400 children had shown up for the auditions, but Nagai stood out because he would not stop talking the whole time. Nevertheless, he was sometimes very shy and Docter found it difficult getting him to say all of his lines.

His character in Up is the first Asian-American figure in a Pixar movie. He also lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons entitled "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" as the voice of Charlie, an orphan who befriends Bart in his quest for a baby brother. The program aired on December 13, 2009. Nagai has not acted in anything since.

Personal life
Nagai has studied judo since the age of 5, and in 2017, at the age of 17, he achieved a Black Belt.

He attends Washington University in St. Louis and is in the Class of 2022.

Filmography

 * Up (2009) – Russell (voice)
 * The Simpsons (episode "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?") (2009) – Charlie (voice)

Awards
2010 Breakout Performance Award