20 of the Youngest Actors to Nab Oscar Nominations (Including One Record-Holder Who Was Nominated at Age 8!)
20 of the Youngest Actors to Nab Oscar Nominations (Including One Record-Holder Who Was Nominated at Age 8!)
Diana Pearl, Katie Labovitz, Carson BlackwelderSat, March 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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Leonardo DiCaprio; Quvenzhane Wallis in 2012; Jennifer Lawrence in 2011Credit: Barry King/WireImage; Rick Rowell Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty
Age really is just a number when it comes to selecting the nominees for the Academy Awards ballot.
Since films feature characters ranging from newborn babies to supernatural beings who have existed for hundreds or thousands of years, the actors playing them span from days to decades old — thanks to some help from the makeup and effects departments. Although prestige films often showcase themes aimed at adults, children are sometimes at the forefront of the story, resulting in powerful performances from young actors at varying stages of their careers.
The list below highlights former child stars who earned praise for film debuts alongside other actors who had already been in the industry trenches for years. (However, no one included is over the age of 20.)
Here are some of the youngest acting nominees in Oscars history.
01 of 20
Justin Henry
Justin Henry arrives to the 52nd Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on April 14, 1980Credit: Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Justin Henry earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 52nd Academy Awards when he was just 8 years old for playing Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman's son Billy in 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer, which marked his acting debut. The nomination made him the youngest Oscar acting nominee of all time, a record he still holds.
Henry has acted on and off since his nomination, with credits including 1984's Sixteen Candles, two episodes of ER in 1997 and a 2010 episode of Brothers & Sisters, among other films and TV appearances.
02 of 20
Quvenzhané Wallis
Quvenzhané Wallis attends the 85th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 24, 2013Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
When Quvenzhané Wallis was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her performance as Hushpuppy in 2012's Beasts of the Southern Wild when she was just 9 years old, she became the youngest-ever female actress to do so in the category. Initially cast in the part when she was just 5 years old, the Louisiana native lied and said she was 6 — the minimum age casting directors were looking at for the role.
Wallis earned her nomination the same year as the woman who now holds the record for being the oldest Best Actress nominee — Emmanuelle Riva. At age 85, the French actress was nominated in 2013 for Amour. Riva died in 2017 at age 89, per Entertainment Weekly.
Since her historic nomination, Wallis has continued to act, appearing in 2013's 12 Years a Slave, leading the 2014 remake of Annie as the titular character, appearing in Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade in 2016 and starring on the Apple TV basketball series Swagger from 2021 to 2023.
03 of 20
Mary Badham
Best Actor winner Gregory Peck and Mary Badham at the 35th Academy Awards at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 12, 1963Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty
Playing the iconic role of Scout in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird alongside Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch, Mary Badham picked up a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 35th Academy Awards at 10 years old. With no prior credits to her name, Badham earned an Oscar nod for her acting debut.
In addition to a few films over the years, she had a single episode appearance on both Dr. Kildare andThe Twilight Zone.
When To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted into a Broadway play, Badham attended a performance in 2019 and met with the cast.
04 of 20
Tatum O'Neal
Tatum O'Neal poses with her Best Supporting Actress Oscar during the 46th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on April 2, 1974Credit: Ron Galella/WireImage
Tatum O'Neal is the youngest Oscar winner of all time. She won Best Supporting Actress at age 10 at the 46th Academy Awards for her role in 1973's Paper Moon, which she starred in opposite her famous father, Ryan O'Neal.
Paper Moon was Tatum's first on-screen credit, while her dad had already been in the business for over a decade (with his own Best Actor Oscar nomination for Love Story in 1971).
Tatum went on to star in 1976's The Bad News Bears and 1978's International Velvet, transitioning from child roles to those of teen and later adult characters in her 50-plus-year acting career.
05 of 20
Quinn Cummings
Quinn Cummings attends the 50th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on April 3, 1978Credit: Alan Berliner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty
In her film debut, Quinn Cummings played Lucy, daughter of Marsha Mason's chorus girl and divorcee Paula, in the 1977 Neil Simon-penned romantic dramedy The Goodbye Girl. Cummings and Mason snagged Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress Oscar nominations.
Their costar, Richard Dreyfuss, walked away with the Best Actor Oscar, becoming the youngest male actor to do so at age 30. (Adrien Brody would later break that record, winning the Academy Award in 2003 for his performance in The Pianist when he was 29.)
Despite it being her first time on the silver screen, Cummings was an established child actor, having starred in commercials and some TV roles. She continued acting throughout the '80s and early '90s, with her last on-screen appearance being a 1992 episode of Evening Shade. Since retiring from acting in her mid-20s, Cummings has written a few books.
06 of 20
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin arrives to the 79th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 25, 2007Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty
It wasn't her first big-time role, but the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine made 10-year-old Abigail Breslin a household name with her character's empowering beauty pageant dance routine to "Super Freak" and earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 79th Academy Awards.
Breslin made her feature film debut in M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 sci-fi thriller Signs and has worked steadily in film and TV ever since, notably playing Little Rock in the Zombieland franchise and Chanel #5 on Scream Queens.
07 of 20
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin poses with her Best Supporting Actress Oscar during the 66th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on March 21, 1994Credit: Anna Luken/Fotos International/Getty
As a child growing up in New Zealand, Anna Paquin's sister saw an advertisement seeking a young actress for Jane Campion's 1993 film The Piano. They both auditioned and, while Paquin's sister didn't get the part, Paquin herself did. Despite having no professional acting experience, Paquin went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994.
Paquin continues to work in film and TV, playing Rogue in the original X-Men trilogy of the early and mid-aughts and starring as Sookie Stackhouse on HBO's True Blood during its seven-season run from 2008 to 2014.
08 of 20
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment arrives at the 70th Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. on March 26, 2000Credit: LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP/Getty
When Haley Joel Osment nabbed a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for 1999's The Sixth Sense at age 11, audiences took note.
Though it takes a special kind of kid to make "I see dead people" convincing, Osment was already an on-screen pro. He'd been acting for half his life already, with several credits before earning Academy recognition, including 1994's Forrest Gump and major roles on two sitcoms (Thunder Alley and The Jeff Foxworthy Show).
Osment hasn't slowed down since The Sixth Sense, also earning critical acclaim for playing a human-like robot child in 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence and appearing in Zoë Kravitz's 2024 directorial debut Blink Twice. On the small screen, he had a recurring role on The Kominsky Method and guest appearances on Wednesday and The 'Burbs.
09 of 20
Linda Blair
Linda Blair (center, right) arrives at the 46th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on April 2, 1974Credit: Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
The Academy rarely recognizes horror films. However, 1973's The Exorcist ended up with 10 nominations, including Best Picture (a first for the genre) and Best Supporting Actress for 15-year-old Linda Blair.
Based on the William Peter Blatty novel of the same name, the story centers on a possessed young girl named Regan (Blair) and the two Catholic priests who perform an exorcism to rid Regan of the demon that has taken over her body.
Weighty — and scary — subject matter for a tween, Blair got the role of Regan with just a couple of prior credits under her belt. She's continued acting ever since, popping up as a guest star on TV series and appearing in several films. She has also reprised the role of Regan in two Exorcist sequels: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023).
10 of 20
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Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes attends the 76th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 29, 2004Credit: SGranitz/WireImage
Nominated at age 13 for playing Paikea Apirana in 2002's Whale Rider, Keisha Castle-Hughes was, at one point, the youngest Best Actress nominee in history, holding that record from 2004 to 2013 when Wallis took the mantle.
In her acting debut, New Zealander Castle-Hughes was not only the youngest nominee ever in her category but also the first Māori actor of Tainui and Ngāpuhi descent to be nominated for an Oscar.
Castle-Hughes has continued acting, appearing in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Obara Sand on Game of Thrones from 2015 to 2017. She has starred as FBI Special Agent Hana Gibson on CBS' FBI: Most Wanted for six seasons between 2020 and 2025.
11 of 20
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan arrives at the 80th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 24, 2008Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Already a four-time Oscar nominee by 25, Saoirse Ronan's first nomination came at age 13 when she was up for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Briony Tallis in 2007's Atonement.
She followed that up with three nominations in the Best Actress category for Brooklyn (2015), Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019) — the latter two films both written and directed by Greta Gerwig.
Ronan is the second-youngest actor of all time to earn four nominations at such a young age, per The Hollywood Reporter. Edging her out by a few months is Jennifer Lawrence, who also has four nominations (including a win for 2012's Silver Linings Playbook).
12 of 20
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster attends the 49th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on March 28, 1977Credit: Ron Galella/WireImage
Jodie Foster played Iris, a teenage sex worker, in the Martin Scorsese-directed 1976 film Taxi Driver and earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for the part at just 14. Although she didn't win the star-turning role, it led to a shift in her career from child actor to more mature roles.
Foster has since earned two Best Actress Oscars — while under the age of 30 — for playing rape survivor Sarah Tobias in 1988's The Accused and FBI trainee Clarice Starling in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. She was nominated again for Best Actress in 1995 for playing the titular character in Nell and Best Supporting Actress in 2024 for portraying real-life athletic coach Bonnie Stoll in Nyad.
13 of 20
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 27, 2011Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage
Hailee Steinfeld nabbed the biggest role of her career when she was just 13 years old, as Mattie Ross in the Coen Brothers' 2010 film True Grit. At 14, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress — though her role, as a girl searching for her father's murderer in the Wild West, was arguably a lead part.
While True Grit wasn't her first on-screen acting gig, the Western marked Steinfeld's feature film debut. She's gone on to have a huge career, joining the Pitch Perfect franchise for the second and third installments.
Steinfeld also starred as Emily Dickinson on the Apple TV series Dickinson, voiced Gwen Stacy in the animated Spider-Verse films, played Kate Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), released two EPs as a music artist and led the cast of the acclaimed 2026 movie Sinners.
14 of 20
River Phoenix
Martha Plimpton and River Phoenix arrive at the 61st Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. on March 29, 1989Credit: Barry King/WireImage
River Phoenix began his career on a TV dramedy series adaptation of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Other TV roles led to his first feature in 1985's Explorers, followed by his breakout role in 1986's Stand by Me. He became a first-time Oscar nominee at 18 for the 1988 Sidney Lumet-directed Running on Empty, playing the oldest son in a fugitive family who wants a life of his own.
An acclaimed young actor from a family full of talent (his siblings include actor Joaquin Phoenix and musician Rain Phoenix), River tragically died from a drug overdose when he was 23.
15 of 20
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio arrives at the 66th Academy Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. on March 21, 1994Credit: Barry King/WireImage
The first of Leonardo DiCaprio's seven nominations for acting (he's got an eighth for producing) came when he was just a few years into what has since become a nearly four-decade career.
After double-digit episode arcs on early-'90s TV series Parenthood and Growing Pains, DiCaprio had a big year on the big screen in 1993 with This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. The latter film would bring him, at 19, his first Oscar nomination — and the only one for a supporting performance rather than a lead — playing Arnold "Arnie" Grape, the developmentally disabled younger brother of the title character (Johnny Depp).
DiCaprio wouldn't win an Oscar for acting until 2016 when he was named Best Actor for The Revenant, a career-high achievement for one of the biggest success stories for child actors who seamlessly transitioned into adult roles.
16 of 20
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley poses on the red carpet at the 78th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on March 5, 2006Credit: Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty
As the daughter of two actors, it's not surprising Keira Knightley followed her parents' footsteps into show business. She had already appeared in a Star Wars prequel (The Phantom Menace) and the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie (The Curse of the Black Pearl) by the time she earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination at age 20 for playing Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of the Jane Austen classic Pride & Prejudice.
Knightley was nominated again in 2015 for her supporting performance in The Imitation Game as real-life cryptanalyst and numismatist Joan Clarke.
17 of 20
Elliot Page
Elliot Page attends the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on March 27, 2022Credit: David Livingston/Getty
Canadian actor Elliot Page started his career at age 10 in the 1997 TV movie Pit Pony, which was later expanded into a TV series of the same name.
A feature film career soon blossomed for Page, leading indies (2005's Hard Candy and Mouth to Mouth) and becoming a superhero (Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand) before landing the titular role in 2007's Juno, for which he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actress at age 20.
Page came out as transgender in 2020, sharing that his preferred pronouns are "he/they." Since his Oscar nomination, Page's on-screen career has included a steady stream of big-budget blockbusters such as Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010), a return to the superhero universe with 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past and the popular Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.
18 of 20
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 27, 2011Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
After making her on-screen debut on a 2006 episode of Monk, Lawrence became a first-time Best Actress Oscar nominee in 2011 at age 20 for the gripping indie drama Winter's Bone. She'd be nominated in that same category twice more in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook (clinching a win) and in 2016 for Joy. Lawrence also earned a 2014 nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in American Hustle.
Though Lawrence didn't start acting on TV and in film until she was 16 — which is late compared to the other actors on this list — she has the distinction of being the youngest actor of all time to earn four acting Oscar nominations by age 25. She's also the second youngest actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, earning her statue when she was 22. (Marlee Matlin has held the record since 1987, winning for Children of a Lesser God at age 21.)
19 of 20
Lucas Hedges
Lucas Hedges attends the 89th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 26, 2017Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage
Another addition to the young Oscar nominee club, Lucas Hedges earned the honor by playing a teenager who lost his father in 2016's Manchester by the Sea. He was 20 years old when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Hedges made his feature film debut when he was 10 in 2007's Dan in Real Life, directed and co-written by his father, Peter Hedges (a 2003 Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy). The father-son duo paired up again for the 2018 family drama Ben Is Back.
20 of 20
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet attends the 90th Academy Awards nominee luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2018Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
Timothée Chalamet was just 22 when he earned his first Oscar nomination, a Best Actor nod for 2017's Call Me By Your Name — making him the third-youngest person to be nominated in the category.
He has since received two additional Best Actor nominations thanks to his work in A Complete Unknown (2024) and Marty Supreme (2025). With these three nods, he became the youngest person to earn three Best Actor Oscar nominations since Brando.
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