The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences doesn’t award Oscars to everyone. It is a sign of prestige to receive one of the golden statuettes and the recognition from the Academy and accompanying film peers. So when someone who is still in his majority, or in the infancy of his career as a young adult, wins, it’s a testament to the tremendous talent of him.
Shirley Temple, one of the earliest and most successful child actresses, never officially won an Academy Award. She became an Honorary Youth Award winner at the tender age of six, making her one of Hollywood’s most impressive young talents. Meanwhile, Adrien Brody made history when, at 29, he became the youngest actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2002 film. The pianist.
Even so, Brody still doesn’t come close to being one of the youngest to win an Academy Award. There are at least a dozen Academy Award winners who were 20 years old, and many more nominees who were even younger, from 10-year-old Abigail Breslin to 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan. Here, however, are the youngest winners of history, in any category.
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook, 2012 (age 22)
Named by Time magazine in 2013 as one of the most influential people in the world, one of the reasons Jennifer Lawrence received this distinction was because, at 22, she had just won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the romantic comedy. drama Silver Linings Playbook. The film is about a young man named Pat (Bradley Cooper) with bipolar disorder who, after being released from an institution, meets a young widow named Tiffany (Lawrence). Despite initial tensions between the two, they decide to enter a dance competition together as a means of therapy. It doesn’t take long for them to realize how much each has to offer the other in their moment of pain and reinvention.
Lawrence went on to act in several other roles that demonstrated her acting range and abilities, including Joy, don’t look up, Calzadaand the movies The Hunger Games and X-Men. She will next appear in the coming-of-age comedy-drama. No hard feelings.
Stream Silver Linings Playbook at Starz.
Marlee Matlin – Children of a Lesser God, 1986 (age 21)
When she was just 21 years old, Marlee Matlin turned heads in her first film acting role as Sarah Norman in Children of a lesser god, a former student and now a janitor at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing. She meets a new teacher, James (William Hurt), who takes an interest in her and her story. In fact, Sarah has a lot of issues that she’s pushed aside.
Matlin made history as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category and as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, period. She was joined 36 years later by Troy Kotsur, who won in 2022 for her role in codaa film in which Matlin also appears (and he advocated for making sure other deaf actors were cast). coda made history for Apple TV+, making it the first streaming service to win Best Picture.
Stream Children of a lesser god on HBO Max.
Timothy Hutton – Common People, 1980 (age 20)
Today, most people recognize Timothy Hutton from his roles in shows like jack ryan and american crime. But in the 1980s, Hutton was an up-and-coming actor whose first major movie role shocked Hollywood by earning him an Academy Award nomination and winning it. In Ordinary people, Hutton played Conrad, a young son whose suicide attempt after the accidental death of his brother lands him in a mental hospital. The story continues as Conrad deals with his survivor’s guilt and PTSD. Hutton won for his emotionally charged portrayal, ranking him not only among the youngest winners ever, but also the youngest winner ever in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Hutton can most recently be seen on the ABC drama series. Women of the Movement and as Senator John Lyons in the Apple TV+ movie Emancipation.
Stream Ordinary people on Paramount+.
Patty Duke – The Miracle Worker, 1962 (age 16)
Just 16 years old at the time, Patty Duke played Helen Keller in the film. the miracle worker, and his performance was so impressive that it earned him an Academy Award. Duke had also previously played the role on Broadway.
Duke continued to act, taking on more mature roles as she grew older, including in valley of the dolls and I, Natalia. For several years in the 1980s, she also served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Duke, who counts actor Sean Astin among her children, was a passionate advocate for mental health as she herself suffered from bipolar disorder. Astin created the Patty Duke Mental Health Initiative on behalf of her mother after her death in 2016.
Stream the miracle worker on HBO Max.
Anna Paquin – The piano, 1993 (11 years old)
As a pre-teen, Anna Paquin became the second-youngest actress to win an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film. The piano, a designation that it still retains today, 30 years later. Paquin’s character in the film, set in the mid-19th century, is Flora McGrath, daughter of Ada (Holly Hunter), an electively mute woman who speaks only by playing the piano and using a form of sign language that only Flora can interpret. . Faced with this situation, Flora becomes the voice and translator of her mother.
Paquin continued to be recognized for other child roles and maintained a successful acting career well into adulthood with roles such as Rogue in the X-Men franchise, Sookie Stackhouse in True Bloodand most recently in the starring role of Robyn in the British comedy-drama Skinny.
rent or buy The piano on Amazon.
Tatum O’Neal – Paper Moon, 1973 (age 10)
Fifty years later, Tatum O’Neal retains the title of youngest actor to win an Academy Award. He took home the statue when he was just 10 years old for his portrayal of Addie Loggins in the film. moon paper. She starred opposite her father Ryan O’Neal in the comedy-drama about a con man who ends up traveling with an orphaned girl. He is reluctant at first, believing that transporting her will be an easy job. But he quickly proves himself to be far more intelligent than he ever could have imagined.
O’Neal won the Golden Globe New Star Of The Year – Actress award the same year for her role. O’Neal continued acting well into adulthood, most recently appearing with other Academy Award winners in the 2021 film. Do not forgetwhich was made to raise awareness and funds for the fight against Alzheimer’s.
Stream moon paper on Amazon Prime Video
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