Austin Butler was born on August 17, 1991 in Anaheim, California, the son of Lori Anne (née Howell) and David Butler. He has one sibling, an older sister named Ashley (born in 1986), who worked as a background-actor alongside him on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. When Butler was 13, he was approached by a representative from a background-acting management company at the Orange County Fair, who helped him get started in the entertainment industry. He found that he really enjoyed it, and soon began taking acting classes to develop his talent.