Oscars 2026: Tatum O’Neal, Shirley Temple, Marlee Matlin - Meet the youngest Oscar winners ever
The Oscars 2026 are just a few days away. Before getting into the big award night, let's revisit the remarkable moments when very young performers achieved Hollywood’s highest honour and made history. From Shirley Temple to Tatum O'Neal, these stars have proved that talent has no age limit.
Youngest Oscar Winners Ever
The 98th Academy Awards are almost here. Hence, this is certainly the best time to look back at young performers who impressed the world with their prolific performances and have made headlines by winning Oscars. From Tatum O'Neal and Shirley Temple to Marlee Matlin and many more, scroll to check the list.
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple, a renowned American actress, gained popularity through being Hollywood's number-one box office star as a child actress. At the age of six, the actress became the youngest Academy Award recipient, receiving the prestigious gold-plated statuette for the film Bright Eyes. The actress passed away at the age of 84 in 2014.
Tatum O’Neal
Tatum O'Neal is an American actress, best known for her roles in several projects like The Bad News Bears, Nickelodeon, and Little Darlings. At the age of ten, the actress became one of the youngest to receive the Academy Award for her performance in Paper Moon, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, opposite her dad, Ryan O'Neal.
Anna Paquin
Anna Helene Paquin is a New Zealand actress. At the age of eleven, the actress began her acting debut in the romantic drama film The Piano, for which she achieved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, scripting her name in the list of young winners.
Markéta Irglová
Markéta Irglová is a Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter, musician, and actress who has earned multiple awards and accolades for her work on various projects. She won an Academy Award at the age of nineteen for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly."
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton is an American actor and director who earned widespread acclaim for notable works like The Falcon and the Snowman, Taps, The Ghost Writer, and Beautiful Girls. At the age of twenty, Hutton became the youngest person ever to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won for his esteemed performance in Ordinary People (1980), directed by Robert Redford.
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin is an American actress. Being a deaf actress, Matlin has showcased her versatility and charm in numerous iconic films and has become one of the youngest Oscar winners in the Best Actress category, earning the award at age twenty-one for her role in Children of a Lesser God.
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