'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAIRAAAgEEAQUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFIRESFTFBU9L/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/8QAGREBAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIABCFR/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDHsrnbuHITWqyBysqdExUhkHG1Gzo8796FVHTIl2Pfrvz8F/VKUHsTMxCB08Mb16auxXj7n//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Veteran performers winning Emmys for their best performances is incredible to watch. But it's remarkable to see that young and gifted actors gain this kind of recognition for their outstanding performances. Owen Cooper won the Emmy at the age of 15 in the category of Best Supporting Actor. On September 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, he won an Emmy Award for his outstanding performance in the Netflix series Adolescence. At 15, he became the youngest male ever to win an Emmy in any acting category.
In Adolescence, he played the role of a teenager who descends into darkness and murders one of his classmates. He delivered a terrific performance that moved a large audience. The show gained immense popularity worldwide. Today, it ranks as the second-most-streamed show on Netflix, with over 540 million viewing hours. Owen broke a record that had stood for more than 50 years, securing his place among the youngest stars ever to win such a prestigious award. Apart from Owen, we will list out the 9 youngest winners in Emmy history.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the author's opinions. Reader discretion is advised.
Here is the list of the 9 youngest winners in Emmy history, as Owen Cooper bags an award at 15:
9. Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel Jerome is an American actor who won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Netflix limited series, When They See Us (2019), at the Primetime Emmys for playing his role as Korey Wise. Jerome took home the Emmy at the age of 21. Check out an Instagram post from the verified "usembassybahrain" page about Jerome winning the Emmy,
In the show, Jerome depicts a falsely convicted young man who is a part of the Central Park Five and shows his suffering in prison and trauma over a few years. One of his most popular scenes is from Season 1, Episode 4, in which he delivered an emotional speech about his innocence and anxiety in the courtroom. The scene reflects the difficult and lonely position of Korey in the adult prison system.
The moment revealed to us about Korey's great emotional depth and genuine truthfulness. This achievement made him one of the youngest Emmy show winners as a lead in a limited series. He also becomes the first Afro-Latino to get the prize. His emotional range and authenticity also cemented his reputation as one of the most promising young actors of his generation.
8. America Ferrara
America Ferrera is a US actress who was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series, Ugly Betty (2006), because of her role as Betty Suarez. Betty is portrayed in the show as a competent and eccentric assistant capable of working for a high-fashion magazine. In 2007, she was the first Latina to receive an Emmy for her performance.
One of her standout moments came when Betty challenged conventional beauty standards with humor and sincerity, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. She was 23 when she won the Emmy. This made her one of the Emmys' youngest candidates for lead actress in a comedy series.
7. Zendaya
Zendaya won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in HBO's Euphoria (2019) for playing Rue Bennett. In 2020, she became the youngest person to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series. She was 24 years old when she won the award. In the show, she portrayed a troubled teen with issues of drug use and mental illness. One of her best moments in Season 1, Episode 8 is a heartfelt monologue in a support group meeting that brings her to tears. The monologue goes like this,
"An adult bladder can hold two cups of urine, but if you're telling your bladder to hold off because,..........your bladder will eventually fill."
The monologue from Season 1, Episode 8, proved her fearless style and good emotive range. By 26, Zendaya became the first Black woman to win twice in the Lead Actress in a Drama category, and remains the youngest two-time winner.
6. Susan Saint James
Susan Saint James is an American actress who became the winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Supporting Actress in a drama series, The Name of the Game (1968), at NBC. In the series, she played Peggy Maxwell. During her career, she was nominated four times and won her first Emmy in 1969 at the age of 22.
We have seen Peggy as a newspaper researcher who works on detailed stories for a magazine publisher. You might have seen her using her wit and charm to navigate a press conference and win a key interview in Season 2, Episode 20. The moment highlighted her spunk and intelligence on screen. Her early Emmy win put her among the youngest winners in Emmy history for supporting actress in a drama series.
5. Barbara Anderson
Barbara Anderson is an American film and TV actress who won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in the NBC crime drama, Ironside (1967). In the series, Barbara played Eve Whitfield. At 22 years, she won the award in 1968. She played an officer in this TV series, which involves aiding a detective in a wheelchair to solve murders in San Francisco.
In the first season, episode 8, the audience has witnessed Eve handling a dramatic hostage and rescuing a prisoner with a consistent degree of courage. The role allowed her to command the screen with confidence and earned her widespread critical acclaim. Winning the Emmy at such a young age placed her among the youngest supporting actress winners in drama series history.
4. Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas is a long-time actor and has received the Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actor category in a family drama series, The Waltons (1972), portraying the character of John Boy Walton. At the age of 22, the actor won an award in 1973 for his portrayal of the eldest son in the family. We have also witnessed John Boy as an aspiring author who leaves home to wage war in World War II and comes back later to help the family.
One of his most memorable moments came in Season 1, Episode 5, when he read his first published article to his family by candlelight, as they listened with pride and tears in their eyes. His friendliness and honesty culminated in the moment. At the age of 22, he became one of the youngest Emmy winners in history for main actor in a drama series.
3. Anthony Murphy
Anthony Murphy is a British actor and artist who was a winner of a Primetime Emmy Award, in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor, in a BBC miniseries, Tom Brown, Schooldays (1971), as Tom Brown. In the series, Murphy played a character of a rebellious boy who goes against bullies and cannot do the right thing.
We have seen his remarkable performance in Season 1, Episode 3, when he confronts a head boy who is cruel in the dormitory and does not give in. His performance was courageous and dramatic. At the age of 15, Murphy was the youngest in the history of Emmy awards to win the prize as a main actor in a miniseries.
2. Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol is an American actress who received two Primetime Emmy awards because of her role as Letitia Lawrence in the family drama series Family (1976). In the series, she is the younger sister of a close-knit family that has to confront real-life issues. Her first Emmy award was the recognition of the best Continued performance by a Supporting Actress in "Family (1976)" when she was 15 years old. In 1979, she again received an Outstanding Supporting Actress award.
In Season 2, Episode 3, we have seen her crying in tears following a quarrel with her parents over her future. The moment was an expression of her crude directness and richness. At the age of 15, she became one of the youngest people in Emmy history to win for supporting actress in a drama series.
1. Roxana Zal
Roxana Zal is an American actress who became the winner of the Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress for her play she did in the film Something About Amelia (1984). At the age of 14, she won an Emmy in 1984 to play the role of a teenager whose family was traumatized.
She plays the role of a girl in the film who discovers a horrible family secret and has problems finding her voice. Her work as Amelia earned her acclaim from critics and became the youngest winner in history of an Emmy in the supporting actress category in a limited series or movie.
Trending
The above young Emmy winners proved that age doesn't restrict their ability to act effectively and sincerely. Owen Cooper is a current big name to join this list, succeeding at the age of 15. His fame reminded us that talent knows no age and that heartfelt stories are always worth sharing. Every actor in the list made his/her mark in a role and moved people all over the world. They played characters who suffered anguish, fear, and significant transformations in their lives.
Reply
