Win one Academy Award It's one of Hollywood's highest honors, and it often takes a lifetime of work for actors, directors, filmmakers or writers to finally get one. However, there have been rare cases where actors have managed to skip the line and go straight to awards and accolades at extraordinarily young ages. While in many non-acting categories it's common for performers to work in Hollywood for decades before even being nominated, it's surprising how young some of the winners are.
While some extraordinary actors have yet to win an Oscar, occasionally a winner's work is so impressive that the Academy took notice early on and gave Oscars to incredibly young people. Sometimes these victories were so unprecedented that the actor held the title of youngest in his category for decades. As youngest Oscar winners of all timeMany of these performers are among the best actors of all time, and each of the winners made Hollywood history.
10
Richard Dreyfuss
Second best youngest actor at age 30 for The Goodbye Girl (1977)
Having gotten his big break in Steven Spielberg films like Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third KindRichard Dreyfuss made Oscar history by becoming the youngest Best Actor winner ever when he was just 30 years old. Taking the record from Marlon Brando's iconic performance in By the seaDreyfuss won this award for the romantic comedy-drama The goodbye girl. Dreyfuss would hold this record for nearly a quarter of a century before finally being taken from him in 2002.
The goodbye girl was one of the most successful romantic comedies of its time and was released during a time when the Oscars viewed the genre quite favorably. Remarkably, this was the same year that Anne Hall to knock Star Wars for Best Film, showing the biggest moment of prominence of the genre. As a truly esteemed actor, Dreyfuss has continued to act to this day and earned a second Best Actor nomination in 1995 for Mr. Holland's opus.
9
Adrian Brody
Best Actor at age 29 for The Pianist (2002)
The Oscar for Best Actor is usually a distinction that artists earn after a long career in Hollywood, having built their name with acclaimed roles over years and decades. The emotional weight and intensity of a performance required to win this Oscar should not be underestimated, and it is no surprise that only one man under 30 has achieved this distinction. This was Adrien Brody for his incredible portrayal of Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's film The pianist.
Brody truly gave his all in this role as he captured the torturous pain and survival of Szpilman's story, a man who lost everything he loved in the genocidal conflict. The pianist was a moving work that not only captured the gigantic loss that was the Holocaust, but also the individual pain of those who were forced to endure it. Surprisingly, although Brody became the youngest Best Actor winner in Oscar historyhe has never been nominated for an Oscar again in the more than two decades since.
8
Marlee Matlin
Best actress at age 21 for Children of a Lesser God (1986)
At 21 years old, Marlee Matlin won not one, but two historic distinctions in Oscar history. First, she became the youngest Best Actress winner, and second, she became the first deaf performer to win an Oscar in any category. Matlin took home the award for his leading performance opposite William Hurt in Children of a Lesser God, where she played a deaf janitor at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing in New England. This insightful and challenging film was filled with fantastic performances and highlighted rarely explored issues surrounding people with hearing impairment.
Matlin's Oscar win and outstanding performance in Children of a Lesser God opened the door to her acting career, although she consistently faced a lack of roles for deaf women. With notable television roles in series such as Seinfeld, The West Wing, and The L wordMatlin was an important deaf activist and a notable member of the National Association of the Deaf. Matlin once again contributed to Oscar success after playing Jackie Rossi in the Best Picture-winning coming-of-age dramedy CODEwhich told the story of a hearing daughter from a deaf family.
7
Timothy Hutton
Best Supporting Actor at age 20 for Ordinary People (1980)
1980 drama by Robert Redford Ordinary people won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. With this, Timothy Hutton made history as the youngest winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Conrad Jarrett, a sensitive and suicidal son recovering from the accidental death of his only brother, Buck. This emotionally tense performance showed the sad reality of a divided family, as Hutton imbued his performances with raw vulnerability.
Hutton was by far the youngest recipient of this award, with the second youngest Best Supporting Actor going to 29-year-old Cuba Gooding Jr. for his role in Jerry Maguire. Heath Ledger also received an Oscar posthumously at the age of 29 for his iconic portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan's film. The Dark Knight. Although Hutton has continued to act consistently to this dayHis role as Conrad Jarrett remains his most acclaimed performance.
6
Janet Gaynor
Third youngest best actress at age 22 for 7th Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise
The Best Actress Oscar has many young Oscar winners, meaning that even though she was only 22 at the time, Janet Gaynor was only the third youngest to receive this award. This win dates back to the first Academy Awards, held on May 16, 1929, and considered films from 1927 and 1928. Rather than awarding Oscars for a single performance, this initial ceremony considered multiple films, meaning Gaynor won for her collective roles. . in 7th Heaven, Street angeland Sunrise.
7th Heaven was a romantic drama with synchronized sound where Gaynor played Diane, a young woman who fell in love with the street cleaner who saved her life. Street angel was a drama by Frank Borzage where Gaynor portrayed a young woman on the run from the law. The most notable of Gaynor's three Oscar-winning performances was Sunrisean iconic romantic drama known for its picturesque cinematography and as one of the greatest films of the silent era.
5
Jennifer Lawrence
Second youngest actress at age 22 by Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
One of the most notable Oscar wins of the 21st century went to Jennifer Lawrence for her astonishing performance in Silver linings Playbook. After great performances in series such as X-Men and The Hunger GamesLawrence was Hollywood's most promising actress during the early 2010s. She once teamed up with director David O'Russell for a more dramatic turn Silver linings PlaybookIt was clear that she had the talent and charisma to truly conquer Hollywood.
Adding to all this, Lawrence seemed so likable during this period that movie audiences were delighted to see her achieve such surprising success at just 22 years old. Lawrence won the award for the role of Tiffany Maxwella young widow who connected with a bipolar man played by Bradley Cooper in this eccentric romance that was a hit with audiences and critics alike. Lawrence had already been nominated for an Oscar for her role in Winter Bone and has since earned two more nominations for O'Rusell's American Hustle and Happiness.
4
Patty Duque
Third youngest best supporting actress at age 16 for The Miracle Worker (1962)
Patty Duke was a child actress who began in the late 1950s on soap operas such as The brightest day and, as a teenager, originated her role as Helen Keller in The miracle worker on Broadway. Duke managed to keep the role in the film adaptation in 1962, when she became the youngest competitive Oscar winner at the time. The role of Keller was challenging, as Duke had to portray a real woman who was blind and deaf due to an illness from a young age.
The miracle worker it was a powerful drama whose effectiveness was largely due to Duke's incredible performance. Duke captured the trials of Keller's existence and her perseverance in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties to make herself understood by those around her. The real Kelly not only achieved this goal, but also became a noted disability rights activist and even detailed her struggles in her autobiography. The story of my lifewhich served as an important source of inspiration for The miracle worker.
3
Anna Paquin
Second youngest supporting actress at age 11 for The Piano (1993)
The piano was a powerful and evocative film by New Zealand director Jane Campion that won 11-year-old Anna Paquin an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. A historical drama about a Scottish mute mother who moves to New Zealand with her daughter, The piano showed Paquin's incredible ability for emotional acting at such a surprisingly young age. With Paquin acting as her mother's (Holly Hunter) interpreter, it was incredible to see how a life of needing to be her mother's voice led her to acquire wisdom far beyond her years.
Although Paquin has yet to receive any further Oscar nominations, she has carved out an impressive career in Hollywood. With films in everything from X-Men franchise for The IrishPaquin balanced conventional entertainment with serious performances for auteur directors. Viewers may also recognize Paquin from her starring role as Sookie Stackhouse on the HBO vampire drama. True Blood.
2
Tatum O'Neal
Best Supporting Actress at age ten for Paper Moon (1973)
At just ten years old, Tatum O'Neil became the youngest person to win a competitive Oscar for his extraordinary performance in paper moon. With an excellent script by Alvin Sargent, Tatum excelled in his role alongside his real-life fatherRyan O'Neal, where his father played globe-trotting conman Moses Pray, and Tatum played sympathetic child, accomplice, and potential daughter Addie Loggins. Although the older O'Neal did a great job, Tatum really stole the show, and it's no surprise that she made Oscar history with this performance.
Tatum had stiff competition for this Oscar, as his teenage rival was 14-year-old Linda Blair, who gave an iconic performance that same year in The Exorcist. Blair actually took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress that same year, although, at that ceremony, Tatum was nominated in the Best Actress category and lost to Glenda Jackson in A touch of class. It's truly a testament to the power of Tatum's mesmerizing performance that no one has been able to surpass his achievements over the past five decades.
1
Shirley Temple
Honorary Youth Award at six
The honor of being the youngest Oscar winner in any category in Oscar history goes to none other than Shirley Temple. Like a child star so iconic they named the quintessential non-alcoholic drink after her, Temple received an Honorary Youth Academy Award when he was just six years old in 1934. Most impressively, by the end of that year, Temple already boasted a career that would put many a lifetime of actors to shame, as she had already appeared in 13 films, many of which she was cast as the lead star of.
Temple was truly one of the most prolific child stars to ever exist, as her singing, dancing, and curly blonde hair made her a worldwide phenomenon. Although she continued acting until her teens, before retiring and pursuing a successful diplomatic career at the United Nations, Temple's best films came when she was still a child. Temple maintained its record as the youngest Oscar winner since 1934, and it would take a child actor of unprecedented talent to take that achievement away from her at this stage.