Raised in Hamburg and Madrid, Lukas Darnstädt studied physics before training as an actor at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin (2012–2016). During his studies, he performed at the Volksbühne Berlin.
From 2016–2020, he was an ensemble member at the Luzerner Theater, later moving to the Münchner Volkstheater (2020/21 season), collaborating with Lucia Bihler and Christina Tscharyiski. In 2018, he was nominated as "Young Actor of the Year" by Theater heute. He also composes music for radio, film, and theater (e.g., the radio play Nachts im Ozean for Deutschlandfunk Kultur and films Odyssee and Ms. Lunaris Krx XXIII, screened at festivals like the Hofer Filmtage). He co-founded the collective CIAONOW, producing interdisciplinary works.
Starting in the 2025/26 season, he returns to Switzerland as an ensemble member at the Schauspielhaus Zürich.