The Youngest Oscar Winners Of All Time
Winning an Oscar is a career-defining moment, but some actors achieve this milestone at an incredibly young age. From child stars like Tatum O’Neal to young breakout talents like Adrien Brody, these winners proved that talent knows no age. Let’s take a look at the youngest Oscar winners of all time.
Janet Gaynor: Best Actress 1929
The Best Actress Oscar has had plenty of young winners, but even at just 22, Janet Gaynor was already the third youngest to take home the award. Her historic win dates back to the very first Academy Awards on May 16, 1929, recognizing films from 1927 and 1928. Unlike today, Oscars weren’t given for just one role—Gaynor won for her combined performances in 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise.
Twentieth Century, 7th Heaven (1927)
Lewis Milestone: Best Director 1929
At 33 years old, Lewis Milestone won an Oscar for directing Two Arabian Knights. His win came in the early days of the Academy Awards, showcasing his talent in filmmaking. This success helped pave the way for his legendary Hollywood career.
Norman Taurog: Best Director 1931
In 1931, at 32 years old, Norman Taurog made his big breakthrough by directing Skippy, which earned him an Oscar for Best Director. Decades later, in 2012, his Oscar statue was sold at an auction in Beverly Hills for $301,973.
Bette Davis: Best Actress 1939
Bette Davis had a long and sometimes dramatic career, but her talent was undeniable from the start. She won her first Best Actress Oscar in 1939 for Jezebel, just before turning 28. While many of her most famous roles came later in life, she was a powerhouse on screen from a young age.
Vivien Leigh: Best Actress 1940
At 26 years old, Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar in 1940 for her iconic role as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. The film remains a classic and, when adjusted for inflation, is still the highest-grossing movie of all time. Her performance made Hollywood history, cementing her place as one of cinema’s greatest stars.
MGM, Gone with the Wind (1939)
Joan Fontaine: Best Actress 1942
At just 24, Joan Fontaine won her first and only Oscar for Suspicion, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest suspense films. She had previously been nominated for Rebecca and later earned a third nomination for The Constant Nymph. To this day, she remains the only actress to win an Oscar for a Hitchcock film.
Teresa Wright: Best Actress 1943
Teresa Wright was 24 years old when she won her first Oscar for Mrs Miniver, making her one of the youngest winners ever. She had already been nominated the year before for The Little Foxes but didn’t take home the award. In 1943, she not only won Best Supporting Actress but was also nominated for Best Actress for The Pride of the Yankees, proving her incredible talent early in her career.
Jennifer Jones: Best Actress 1944
Jennifer Jones won her first Oscar for The Song of Bernadette, on her 25th birthday—March 2, 1944, an incredible way to celebrate! It was her first nomination, and just weeks earlier, she made history as the first-ever Best Actress in a Drama winner at the Golden Globes. She went on to become one of Hollywood’s greatest stars.
Twentieth Century, The Song of Bernadette (1943)
Judy Holliday: Best Actress 1951
Judy Holliday won the Best Actress Oscar in 1951 for her unforgettable performance in Born Yesterday. At 29 years old, she stole the show in the George Cukor dramedy, which remains her most famous work.
Columbia, Born Yesterday (1950)
Audrey Hepburn: Best Actress 1954
Roman Holiday remains a beloved romantic classic to this day. Audrey Hepburn shines as a princess who sneaks away from her entourage to explore Rome, leading to an unexpected romance with a reporter. Hepburn won her first and only Oscar when she was 24, marking the start of her legendary career.
Paramount, Roman Holiday (1953)
Grace Kelly: Best Actress 1955
Grace Kelly was the definition of Hollywood glamour before becoming a real-life princess by marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco. Before stepping away from acting, she won an Oscar in 1955 for The Country Girl at the age of 26 years old. Though her life was tragically cut short, she left behind a lasting legacy in both film and royalty.
Paramount, The Country Girl (1954)
Elizabeth Taylor: Best Actress 1961
Elizabeth Taylor was Hollywood royalty, known as much for her personal life as her acting. She won two Best Actress Oscars, with her first coming in 1961, at the age of 29, for Butterfield 8. Though drama often followed her off-screen, there was no denying her incredible talent on-screen.
Shirley Jones: Best Supporting Actress 1961
Shirley Jones is best known as the mom from The Partridge Family, but her career went far beyond TV musicals. She won an Oscar in 1961, when she was 27, for Elmer Gantry. It was a bold role that proved she could do more than just musicals.
United Artists, Elmer Gantry (1960)
George Chakiris: Best Supporting Actor 1962
George Chakiris won a Golden Globe at 27 for playing Bernardo in West Side Story, though casting back then wasn’t exactly perfect. Hollywood has had its issues, but his performance in the classic musical still stood out. His role earned him both a Golden Globe and an Oscar, cementing his place in movie history.
United Artists, West Side Story (1961)
Patty Duke: Best Supporting Actress 1963
At just 16, Patty Duke wowed audiences as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, a role she had already mastered on stage. At the 35th Academy Awards, Frank Sinatra introduced her category, and George Chakiris handed her the Oscar. Winning for such a powerful performance kickstarted a career that would last five decades.
United Artists, The Miracle Worker (1962)
Julie Christie: Best Actress 1966
Julie Christie was 25 years old when she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1966 for Darling, a film that may not be well-known today but was highly praised at the time. The movie even won Best Original Screenplay, adding to its success. Christie’s performance stood out, earning her the Academy Award and cementing her place in Hollywood history.
Barbra Streisand: Best Actress 1969
Barbra Streisand may have tied for Best Actress, but a win is a win. She took home the Oscar for Funny Girl in 1969, just before turning 27. Already on the brink of stardom, this award cemented her status as a Hollywood legend.
Goldie Hawn: Best Supporting Actress 1970
Goldie Hawn was 24 years old when she won her first and only Oscar for Cactus Flower. The comedy, starring Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman, earned just one nomination—Hawn’s, and she took home the win.
Columbia, Cactus Flower (1969)
Tatum O’Neal: Best Supporting Actress 1974
At just 10 years old, Tatum O’Neal made history as the youngest Oscar winner for her role in Paper Moon. Playing Addie Pray, a sharp-tongued con artist selling Bibles during the Great Depression, she stole the show, even alongside her real-life dad, Ryan O’Neal. But instead of celebrating together, her win reportedly created distance between them, possibly because he was jealous of her success.
Richard Dreyfuss: Best Actor 1977
Richard Dreyfuss starred in The Goodbye Girl, and it made him an Oscar record-breaker. At just 30 years old, he became the youngest-ever Best Actor winner, stealing the title from Marlon Brando. He held the record for nearly 25 years until Adrien Brody took it in 2002.
Warner Bros., The Goodbye Girl (1977)
Timothy Hutton: Best Supporting Actor 1981
Timothy Hutton landed the role of Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People, Robert Redford’s directorial debut. His raw and emotional performance as a grieving teenager made him the youngest-ever winner of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at just 20 years old. Jack Lemmon and Mary Tyler Moore, who played his mother in the film, presented him with the award at the 53rd Academy Awards.
Paramount, Ordinary People (1980)
Jodie Foster: Best Actress 1989
Jodie Foster won her first Oscar at 26 for The Accused, and she didn’t stop there. Just three years later, at 29, she won again for her iconic role as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. Winning two Best Actress Oscars before 30 is pretty impressive.
Gwyneth Paltrow: Best Actress 1999
Gwyneth Paltrow won the Best Actress Oscar in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love, though some questioned the film’s big night. It even beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture, sparking debate. Still, Paltrow took home the award, winning over big names like Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep. She was 27.
Universal, Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Anna Paquin: Best Supporting Actress 1994
Anna Paquin was just 11 when she won an Oscar for The Piano. It was her very first film, shot in her mother’s native land, New Zealand (though Paquin was born in Canada). Gene Hackman, who presented her award at the 66th Academy Awards, praised her “considerable talents”.
Mira Sorvino: Best Supporting Actress 1996
Mira Sorvino won her first Oscar in 1996 for Mighty Aphrodite, one of the few actors recognized for a Woody Allen film. While the movie isn’t considered one of his best, Sorvino’s performance stood out. Her win at a young age—27— helped launch her Hollywood career.
Miramax, Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Cuba Gooding Jr: Best Supporting Actor 1997
Cuba Gooding Jr became a Hollywood star at 29 with his unforgettable role in Jerry Maguire. His performance earned him an Oscar and gave us the iconic “Show me the money” moment. Though his career later took a turn into less successful comedies, his Oscar win remains a career highlight.
Boys Don’t Cry: Best Actress 2000
At just 25, Hilary Swank won her first Oscar for her powerful performance in Boys Don’t Cry. She later went on to win a second Best Actress Oscar, proving her incredible talent.
Searchlight Pictures, Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Angelina Jolie: Best Supporting Actress 2000
At just 24 years old, Angelina Jolie won her first and only Oscar for Girl, Interrupted. She played Lisa Rowe, a manipulative yet charismatic sociopath in a psychiatric hospital, forming a complex friendship with newcomer Susanna Kaysen, played by Winona Ryder. Jolie’s gripping performance stole the show, earning the film’s only Oscar nomination, and win.
Columbia, Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Sam Mendes: Best Director 2000
At 34, Sam Mendes won the Best Director Oscar for American Beauty. His debut film impressed audiences and critics alike, earning him one of Hollywood’s highest honors. This win launched a successful directing career, with Mendes later helming films like Skyfall and 1917.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Adrien Brody: Best Actor 2002
Adrien Brody made history at 29 as the youngest-ever Best Actor winner at the Oscars for The Pianist, but his surprise kiss with presenter Halle Berry nearly stole the spotlight. To this day, he’s the only actor under 30 to win the award.
Charlize Theron: Best Actress 2004
Charlize Theron won her first Oscar at 28 for Monster, shocking audiences with her dramatic transformation. While much of the buzz focused on her deglamorized look, her powerful performance was what truly stood out. Though she’s returned to her glamorous roots, Theron has proven time and again that she’s willing to commit to any role fully.
DEJ Productions, Monster (2003)
Reese Witherspoon: Best Actress 2006
Reese Witherspoon won her first Oscar for Walk the Line, where she played June Carter Cash alongside Joaquin Phoenix’s Johnny Cash. Her portrayal of the country music legend earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2006, when she was 30.
Twentieth Century, Walk the Line (2005)
Heath Ledger: Best Supporting Actor 2009
Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar in 2009 for his unforgettable performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. He was one of only four Best Supporting Actor winners under 30, a rarity in Hollywood. His win was bittersweet, but his legendary portrayal left a lasting impact on cinema.
Warner Bros., The Dark Knight (2008)
Natalie Portman: Best Actress 2011
Natalie Portman had been a celebrated actress since childhood, so her 2011 Oscar win for Black Swan felt well deserved. At 29, she delivered a gripping and physically demanding performance, even if she didn’t do all her ballet moves. Her role in the psychological thriller earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Searchlight Pictures, Black Swan (2010)
Jennifer Lawrence: Best Actress 2012
Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar win for Silver Linings Playbook was one of the most memorable of the 21st century—in part because she was only 22 years old. After starring in X-Men and The Hunger Games, she was already Hollywood’s rising star. Her powerful performance in Silver Linings Playbook proved she had the talent and charisma to dominate the industry.
Weinstein, Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Damien Chazelle: Best Director 2016
Damien Chazelle holds the record as the youngest person to win the Best Director Oscar. He won at just 32 years and 39 days old for La La Land.
Matteo Chinellato, Shutterstock
Brie Larson: Best Actress 2016
Brie Larson won her first Oscar in 2016, when she was 27, for her powerful performance in Room. While she didn’t win another before turning 30, she’s doing just fine. With an Academy Award and a major superhero role, her career is already a huge success.
Alicia Vikander: Best Supporting Actress 2016
Alicia Vikander won her first Oscar at 27 for The Danish Girl, though many consider her role in Ex Machina just as impressive. Still early in her career, she has plenty of exciting projects ahead. And let’s be honest, her Tomb Raider movie was actually pretty fun to watch.
Universal, The Danish Girl (2015)
Emma Stone: Best Actress 2017
Emma Stone won her first Oscar at 28 for La La Land, though some might have thought she was even younger. Her big win was overshadowed by the infamous mix-up when La La Land was mistakenly announced as Best Picture instead of Moonlight. Despite the chaos, Stone’s performance shined, and she took home the well-deserved award.
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