Kendall Schmidt

A talented and charming entertainer, Kendall Schmidt had all the makings of a teen heartthrob. After spending years honing his craft with supporting roles on television, Schmidt landed his breakout role on the Nickelodeon live-action series "Big Time Rush" (2009-13). The show followed four hockey-playing best friends from Minnesota who move to Los Angeles and trade in their hockey gear for a chance at music stardom. On the hit show, Schmidt played one of the four ordinary teens whose lives change dramatically on the way to becoming pop stars.

In real life, Schmidt was a humble and charismatic star who captivated the hearts of millions of teens, while establishing himself as a promising talent, both as an actor and recording artist.

Kendall Francis Schmidt was born on Nov. 2, 1990 in Wichita, KS. The youngest of three, Schmidt's older brothers Kevin and Kenneth were also in the acting business. The future star began singing at the age of five and appeared in a television advertisement for Chex cereal the following year. One of Schmidt's first onscreen jobs was working as a stand-in and body double for Haley Joel Osment in the Steven Spielberg-directed feature "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001).

The young actor eventually showcased his talent with a supporting role opposite George Wendt in the made-for-television film "Robertson's Greatest Hits" (Nickelodeon, 2001). Schmidt further padded his résumé with appearances on primetime television series, from a short recurring role on "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 2002-12), to guest starring on the dramas "Ghost Whisperer" (CBS, 2005-2010) and "Without a Trace" (CBS, 2002-09).

In 2009, Schmidt was cast in the Nickelodeon live-action series "Big Time Rush." He played Kendall Knight, a hockey-playing teen from Minnesota who ends up moving to Los Angeles with his three best friends (James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson) and forming the pop group Big Time Rush. However, the boys discover that their road to stardom is filled with hilarious misadventures, girl troubles and internal conflicts.

The show's debut episode drew in a record-breaking 7.1 million viewers, which made it the network's highest rated premiere in history. "Big Time Rush" also featured guest appearances from other celebrities, including rapper Snoop Dogg and Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger. The series received mixed reviews initially, with some critics describing it as a poor attempt at recreating Disney's success with the Jonas Brothers.

However, the boy-next-door charm of the cast as well as original songs featured made "Big Time Rush" a hit with tween viewers. Besides acting on the hit series, Schmidt was also in the alternative pop band Heffron Drive along with fellow actor and singer Dustin Belt.