The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not deliver oscar to all the world. It is a sign of prestige to receive one of the golden statues and the recognition from the Academy and fellow filmmakers that come with it. So when someone wins who is still coming of age, or in the infancy of his career as a young adult, 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 a Youth Honorary Award winner at the tender age of six, making her one of Hollywood’s most impressive young talents. Adrien Brody, for his part, 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 in their 20s, and many more nominees who were even younger, from Abigail Breslin at 10 to Saoirse Ronan at 13. Here, though, are the older winners. young people in 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 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 skills, including Joy, Don’t Look Up, Causeway and The Hunger Games and X-Men movies. He will next appear in the dramatic comedy No Hard Feelings.
streaming Silver Linings Playbook at Starz.
Marlee Matlin – Children of a Lesser God, 1986 (21 years old)
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, as well as the first deaf artist to win an Academy Award, period. 36 years later, she was joined by Troy Kotsur, who she won in 2022 for her role in CODE, a film in which Matlin also appears (and advocated ensuring that other deaf actors were cast). coda made history for Apple TV+, making it the first streaming service to win Best Picture.
Transmit Children of a Lesser God on HBO Max.
Timothy Hutton – Common People, 1980 (age 20)
Today, most people recognize Timothy Hutton for 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 stunned Hollywood by earning him an Academy Award nomination and win. 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 guilt and PTSD for his survivor. Hutton won for the emotionally charged portrayal of him, ranking him not only among the youngest winners, but also among the youngest winners in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Hutton can most recently be seen in the ABC drama series Women of the Movement and as Senator John Lyons in the Apple TV+ movie emancipation.
Transmit Common 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 he grew into adulthood, including in Valley of the Dolls and me, natalie. For several years in the ’80s, 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 after suffering from bipolar disorder. The Patty Duke Mental Health Initiative was created by Astin on behalf of her mother after her death in 2016.
Transmit The Miracle Worker on HBO Max.
Anna Paquin – The piano, 1993 (11 years old)
As a preteen, Anna Paquin became the second-youngest actress to win an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film. The Piano, a designation it still has 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 a voice and translator for 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 Blood and most recently in the title role of Robyn in the British comedy-drama flack.
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 performance as Addie Loggins in the movie papermoon. She starred with her father Ryan O’Neal in the comedy-drama about a con man who ends up traveling with an orphaned girl. At first he is reluctant, believing that transporting her will be an easy job. But she quickly proves to be much smarter than he could have imagined.
O’Neal won the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Actress 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 Not To Forgetwhich was done to raise awareness and money for the fight against Alzheimer’s.
Transmit papermoon on Amazon Prime Video
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