# Adam Hicks
**Adam Hicks** (full name Adam Paul Nielson Hicks) is an American actor, rapper, singer, and songwriter born in 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada, best known for playing Luther in the [Disney XD](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-xd) sitcom *Zeke and Luther* and Wendell "Wen" Gifford in the 2011 Disney Channel Original Movie *Lemonade Mouth*[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-hicks/bio/3030582493/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/). He also co-wrote three songs for the *[Lemonade Mouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/lemonade-mouth-film)* soundtrack and has continued acting into adulthood, most recently in the 2025 thriller *Stone Creek Killer*[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks) |
| Signature roles | Luther in *Zeke and Luther* (2009–2012, 76 episodes); Wen in *Lemonade Mouth* (2011)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/) |
| Other Disney roles | DZ in season 2 of *JONAS*; King Boz in the third and final season of *Pair of Kings* (22 episodes)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/) |
| Songwriting | Co-wrote "Determinate", "Breakthrough", and "Livin' On a High Wire" for *Lemonade Mouth*; sang the *Mighty Med* theme song "You Never Know"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/) |
| Award | 2007 Young Artist Award, Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film, for *How to Eat Fried Worms*[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-hicks/bio/3030582493/) |
| Later career | Diesel in *Freakish* (2016–2017, 20 episodes); Jeremy Williamson in *Shifting Gears* (2018); Adam Stone in *Stone Creek Killer* (2025)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks) |
| Legal case | Arrested January 2018 for armed robberies in Burbank, California; sentenced in July 2021 to five years in state prison and released after time served[4](https://legalclarity.org/adam-hicks-jail-what-happened-and-where-is-he-now/) |
## Early start in acting
Hicks entered acting as a child in Las Vegas. In interviews he described joining school drama classes, and at about age 7 or 8 attending a five-second commercial audition at the MGM Grand, where several local agents offered him representation[5](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni15885536/). [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) records that he made his screen acting debut in a recurring role on the Fox sitcom *Titus* in 2000, playing young Dave, and that he decided to pursue acting after watching *Home Alone* at age 5[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-hicks/bio/3030582493/). His first leading role, at age nine, was in the Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley pilot *The Funkhousers*, followed by the ABC series *That Was Then*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/).
His early film work came in family comedies: *Down and Derby* (2005), *The 12 Dogs of Christmas* (2005), *How to Eat Fried Worms* (2006), Disney's remake of *The Shaggy Dog* (2006) with [Tim Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-allen), and R.L. Stine's *Mostly Ghostly* (2008)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks). In *How to Eat Fried Worms*, an adaptation of the children's book, he played Joe, the schoolyard tormentor whose worm-eating wager drives the plot[6](https://www.girl.com.au/adam-hicks-lemonade-mouth-interview2.htm). The film's young cast won a 2007 [Young Artist Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-artist-award) for best young ensemble in a feature film[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-hicks/bio/3030582493/).
## Disney Channel and Disney XD years
**Sitcom lead.** From 2009 to 2012 Hicks played Luther Waffles, one of two skateboarding best friends, in *Zeke and Luther* on Disney XD, appearing in 76 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/). During the same period he had a recurring role as Dennis "DZ" Zimmerman in the second season of the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) series *JONAS*, and later took over the role of King Boz in the third and final season of Disney XD's *[Pair of Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/pair-of-kings)*, appearing in 22 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/).
**Lemonade Mouth.** In 2011 Hicks played keyboardist Wen Gifford in *Lemonade Mouth*, a Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Patricia Riggen about five students who form a band after meeting in detention, alongside [Bridgit Mendler](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridgit-mendler), Hayley Kiyoko, Naomi Scott, and [Blake Michael](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-michael)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lemonade_mouth_2011). The part grew out of his music: Disney first asked whether he could write songs for the film, and at his audition, rather than singing an existing song, he performed a rap he had written about his character and the band. The script was rewritten afterward so that Wen became a rapper[8](https://www.tribute.ca/news/adam-hicks-raps-his-way-through-disneys-lemonade-mouth/2011/05/13/).
He co-wrote the rap verses for three soundtrack songs, "Determinate", "Breakthrough", and "Livin' On a High Wire"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/). The soundtrack reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in its second week of release[9](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/varioussoundtrack-lemonademouth/). On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 83% Tomatometer score and a 79% audience score, and it remains the highest-rated screen credit on Hicks's filmography there[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks).
## Music career
Hicks writes and performs his own material, describing his style as a hybrid of electro, hip hop, and rap, and he introduces himself as "A Plus" in most of his songs[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/) • [6](https://www.girl.com.au/adam-hicks-lemonade-mouth-interview2.htm). His recorded output spans Disney-era and independent releases: a remake of [MC Hammer](https://www.edgepedia.org/mc-hammer)'s "U Can't Touch This" with Disney costar [Daniel Curtis Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-curtis-lee), a remix of [Mungo Jerry](https://www.edgepedia.org/mungo-jerry)'s "In The Summertime", "Happy Universal Holidays" with Ryan Newman, "Dance For Life" with Drew Seeley for *Shake It Up*, and the *Mighty Med* theme song "You Never Know"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/). Apple Music lists his singles as including "We Burnin' Up", "Chosen One", and "I Don't Need 'Em", with releases continuing into the mid-2020s[10](https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/adam-hicks/326396264).
## Later acting work
After his Disney years Hicks moved into teen and adult roles. He played Truett Fincham in the 2015 miniseries *Texas Rising*, Jason Zimmer in the 2015 thriller *[The Boy Next Door](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-boy-next-door-film)* with [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez), Diesel in the Hulu horror series *Freakish* (2016–2017, 20 episodes), and Jeremy Williamson in the 2018 film *Shifting Gears*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/). On Rotten Tomatoes, *The Boy Next Door* is his lowest-rated film at 12% with critics, while *Shifting Gears* sits at 84%[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks). In 2025 he played Adam Stone in *Stone Creek Killer*, a thriller about a small-town police chief pursuing a serial killer with a psychic's help[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks) • [11](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/stone-creek-killer/umc.cmc.3br2s4uovabn3czpdmzwehvzj).
## Legal case
In January 2018 Hicks was arrested for a series of armed robberies in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california). He was initially deemed incompetent to stand trial and sent to a state psychiatric hospital, where he was placed on court-ordered medication. In July 2021 he was sentenced to five years in state prison; after returning from the hospital and spending further time in custody, he served roughly three additional months in state prison following sentencing before his release[4](https://legalclarity.org/adam-hicks-jail-what-happened-and-where-is-he-now/). His acting credits resume with the 2025 *Stone Creek Killer*[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks).
## References
1. [Adam Hicks Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-hicks/bio/3030582493/)
2. [Adam Hicks (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382791/)
3. [Adam Hicks Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_hicks)
4. [Adam Hicks Jail: What Happened and Where Is He Now?, LegalClarity](https://legalclarity.org/adam-hicks-jail-what-happened-and-where-is-he-now/)
5. [Exclusive Interview: Adam Hicks Star Of Disney's Lemonade Mouth and Zeke & Luther, IMDb News / I Am Entertainment Magazine](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni15885536/)
6. [Adam Hicks Lemonade Mouth Interview, Girl.com.au](https://www.girl.com.au/adam-hicks-lemonade-mouth-interview2.htm)
7. [Lemonade Mouth (2011), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lemonade_mouth_2011)
8. [Adam Hicks raps his way through Disney's Lemonade Mouth, Tribute](https://www.tribute.ca/news/adam-hicks-raps-his-way-through-disneys-lemonade-mouth/2011/05/13/)
9. [Lemonade Mouth soundtrack album review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/varioussoundtrack-lemonademouth/)
10. [Adam Hicks, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/adam-hicks/326396264)
11. [Stone Creek Killer, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/stone-creek-killer/umc.cmc.3br2s4uovabn3czpdmzwehvzj)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames He to Hs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license