At 15 years of age, Owen Cooper recently became the youngest ever Emmy nominee in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor. In honour of the Warrington-born actor’s achievement, we’ve compiled a list of the youngest Emmy nominations and wins throughout the years.
There are some big relevant names in the list, but also some older nominations. So if you were born after 1990, you might not know some of these, but it’s still good to know that young people can win such prestigious awards – if they can do it, you can do anything babe.
Millie Bobby Brown
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Nominated at: 13 and 14
Millie took over our screens in 2016 as Eleven, the bald-headed and gifted girl from Stranger Things. She earned her first nomination for the role in 2017 and her second in 2018 when she was 13 and 14 respectively. She didn’t win either time but the role launched her commercial career to greater heights, making her a household name.
Owen Cooper
via YouTube
Nominated at: 15
The inspiration behind this article, Owen captivated audiences this year with his portrayal of Jamie Miller in the drama series Adolescence. Each episode was filmed in one continuous shot which makes it all the more impressive that a 15-year-old could memorise such lengthy chunks of dialogue. I can barely remember what happened on Love Island last week…
Zendaya
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Nominated (and won) at: 14 and 26
Zendaya has not one Emmy, but two. She won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2020 and 2022 for her role in Euphoria. She has also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – drama.
America Ferrera
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Nominated (and won) at: 23
America was only 23 when she won her first Emmy for Ugly Betty.
made history as the first Latina woman to win an Emmy in this category. She won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007 and made history as the first Latina woman to win an Emmy in this category.
Barbra Streisand
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Nominated (and won) at: 22
If you don’t recognise her from films like Meet the Fockers and The Guilt Trip, you must remember that song about her by Duck Sauce. Barbra Streisand won an Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment in 1956 when she was just 22 years old.
Frankie Muniz
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Nominated at: 15
Frankie received a nomination for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Malcolm from the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. Nominated in 2001, he unfortunately didn’t win.
Keshia Knight Pulliam
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Nominated at: 6
Keshia was nominated for her role as Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show in 1986, making her the youngest ever Emmy award nominee, although she didn’t win. No one has broken her record yet so if there are any four year olds out there reading this, I’d call your agent and start working on next year’s awards cycle hunny x
Malcolm Jamal-Warner
Theo Huxtable via YouTube
Nominated at: 16
Another Cosby show nominee, Jamal-Warner was nominated for Supporting Actor in a comedy series for playing Theo Huxtable in the popular 80s sitcom. Nominated in 1986, he did not win.
Claire Danes
Angela Chase via YouTube
Nominated at: 16
Claire is best known for playing Juliet in Baz Luhrman’s iconic version of Romeo and Juliet that was released in 1996. However, Claire was recognised the year before for playing Angela Chase in My So-Called Life when she was nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She didn’t win the award in 1995, but she got to kiss young Leonardo DiCaprio a year later so she still won overall.
Asante Blackk
Kevin Richardson via YouTube
Nominated at: 17
Asante was nominated for outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his gripping portrayal of Kevin Richardson in Netflix’s When They See Us. Helping to tell the story of the Central Park Five, Asante’s performance was complex and nuanced but unfortunately failed to secure him an Emmy.
Featured image via YouTube and Instagram @zendaya and @milliebobbybrown
