At just 15, Owen Cooper has made Emmy history. The “Adolescence” star became the youngest male acting winner ever at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, earning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
He beat out adult nominees Ashley Walters, Javier Bardem, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rob Delaney to claim the honor.
Owen Cooper Makes Emmy History at 15
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Cooper had already made headlines in July as the youngest-ever nominee in the Supporting Actor in a Limited Series category. His win on Emmy night now cements that achievement. For the young actor, who grew up outside Manchester, England, it’s an extraordinary rise. He had no acting experience before joining the Netflix limited series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham.
Copper said when he started drama classes, he didn’t expect to be in the US, “let alone here”.
“I was nothing about three years ago, I’m here now,” he says. “Step out of your comfort zone a little, who cares if you get embarrassed.”
From Breakthrough Nominee to Record-Setting Winner
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Before Cooper’s breakthrough, Jharrel Jerome held the record as the youngest winner in this category. Jerome was 21 when he won in 2019 for Netflix’s “When They See Us.”
Cooper doesn’t hold the title of youngest acting Emmy winner overall, however. That distinction belongs to Roxana Zal, who was 14 when she won Best Supporting Actress in 1984 for “Something About Amelia.”
Kristy McNichol also remains unique as the only person to win two Primetime Emmys before turning 18. She earned her first statuette in 1977 on her fifteenth birthday for “Family” and picked up another in 1979.
Past Young Emmy Winners & Trailblazers
Other notable youthful Emmy winners include Zendaya, who was 24 when she became the youngest Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner for “Euphoria” in 2020; Michael J. Fox, who was 25 when he won Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986 for “Family Ties”; Richard Thomas, who was 21 when he won in 1973 for “The Waltons”; Scott Jacoby, 16, Supporting Actor for the TV movie “That Certain Summer” in 1973; and Anthony Murphy, 17, Lead Actor for the PBS limited series “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” in 1973.
Several young performers have been nominated but have not won. Keshia Knight Pulliam remains the youngest-ever acting nominee at 6 years old for “The Cosby Show” in 1986. Fred Savage and Millie Bobby Brown were both nominated at age 13 for “The Wonder Years” and “Stranger Things,” respectively.
