About
Texas, New York, Hawkins, then back to the stage and into Marvel.
Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born 16 April 2002 in Brenham, Texas) is an American actress. Most people met her as Max Mayfield in Netflix’s Stranger Things; before that she had already played Annie and young Elizabeth II on Broadway.
Early life
She is one of five children of Casey and Lori Sink: brothers Caleb, Spencer, and Mitchell, and a younger sister, Jacey. The household leaned toward sports; she and Mitchell fell for musical theatre instead, staging numbers at home.
At seven she appeared in a Brenham community production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The next year she played Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden for Houston’s A.D. Players, a job she later credited with making her want to act professionally. She trained at TUTS’s Humphreys School and a Houston Family Arts Center summer program.
In 2012 the family moved to New York so she and Mitchell could work. Schooling mixed homeschooling, remote study, and public school; she attended public school in eighth grade and part of early high school, then finished the last two years remotely.
Career
2011–2016 Broadway and early screen work
After White Christmas and Annie in Houston, she joined Broadway’s Annie at ten, first as standby, then alternating the title role. Television began with The Americans, then Blue Bloods and a regular role on NBC’s American Odyssey. In 2015 she returned to Broadway as young Elizabeth II in The Audience; in 2016 she debuted on film in Chuck.
2016–2022 Breakthrough with Stranger Things
Max was not an easy booking, and then she had to learn to skateboard. Stranger Things became the signature. In the same years she made The Glass Castle and Eli, led Fear Street and Swift’s All Too Well short, and saw season 4 put her at the center of the conversation.
2022–2025 The Whale and a Broadway return
The Whale, premiered at Venice, is the film she has described as leaving the child-actor self behind; it brought a Critics Choice nomination. Dear Zoe, A Sacrifice, and O’Dessa followed. In 2025 she returned to Broadway in John Proctor Is the Villain and was Tony-nominated. She also appeared on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Time 100 Next.
2026– West End and the MCU
In March 2026 she makes her West End debut as Juliet at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The same period brings the MCU: Jean Grey from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, then Avengers: Secret Wars and an untitled X-Men film. An FX adaptation of The Marriage Plot is also in the works.
Timeline
Brenham to the MCU, in one line.
2002
Born in Brenham, Texas
Born 16 April. Full name Sadie Elizabeth Sink, one of five children.
2009–2011
Community theatre and training
Stage debut around age seven, then The Secret Garden in Houston and training at TUTS’s Humphreys School.
2012
Move to New York and Broadway’s Annie
The family relocated so she and her brother Mitchell could work professionally. At ten she joined Broadway’s Annie.
2015
The Audience and a series regular role
She played young Elizabeth II with Helen Mirren and became a series regular on NBC’s American Odyssey.
2016–2017
Film debut and Stranger Things
Chuck marked her feature debut. Casting directors first thought her too old for Max; she asked for more material and booked the breakthrough role.
2021–2022
Fear Street, All Too Well, The Whale
A run of genre leads, Swift’s short film, and Aronofsky’s Venice drama, alongside a widely praised fourth season of Stranger Things.
2025
Broadway return and a Tony nomination
She starred in John Proctor Is the Villain and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
2026–2028
West End, Marvel, and a new series
Juliet in London, Jean Grey in the MCU, and a lead in FX’s The Marriage Plot.
What she has said publicly
She keeps her private life quiet, arguing that less public knowledge helps audiences separate the actor from the part. This site follows that line and does not collect dating rumors or addresses.
She has identified as a feminist. She became vegetarian at 13 after Food, Inc., and vegan the next year after time with Woody Harrelson’s family on The Glass Castle.