Tatum O’Neal is the youngest person to win a competitive acting Oscar. She was 10 years and 148 days old when she received the supporting actress award for Paper Moon at the 1974 ceremony. The youngest winner changes by category, however: Timothy Hutton, Marlee Matlin and Adrien Brody hold the other three records.
Youngest Oscar winner overall
At 10 years, 148 days, Tatum O’Neal is the youngest winner across the Academy’s four competitive acting categories. She won supporting actress for Paper Moon on April 2, 1974. The Academy’s statistics record her birth date as November 5, 1963, and calculate age on the day of the ceremony.
Anna Paquin is the next-youngest supporting actress winner in the Academy’s record: she was 11 years, 240 days old when she won for The Piano. The next name listed is Patty Duke, who was 16 years, 115 days old when she won for The Miracle Worker. The Academy’s statistics provide the dates and award records.
Youngest winner in each acting category
| Category | Youngest winner | Film | Age at ceremony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting actress | Tatum O’Neal | Paper Moon | 10 years, 148 days |
| Supporting actor | Timothy Hutton | Ordinary People | 20 years, 227 days |
| Leading actress | Marlee Matlin | Children of a Lesser God | 21 years, 218 days |
| Leading actor | Adrien Brody | The Pianist | 29 years, 343 days |
The ages and category records come from the Academy’s acting statistics. Guinness World Records independently identifies Matlin as the youngest leading actress winner at 21 years, 218 days and Brody as the youngest leading actor winner at 29 years, 343 days.
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How the ages are counted
The Academy measures a winner’s age on the date of the awards ceremony, not on the date nominations are announced. That distinction matters when comparing records: nomination-age lists use the announcement date, while winner-age records use ceremony day. Rounded descriptions such as “10,” “21” or “29” are shorthand; the day counts above follow the Academy’s method.
What counts as an acting Oscar?
This ranking covers competitive wins in the four current acting categories: leading actor, supporting actor, leading actress and supporting actress. It does not mix in honorary awards. The Academy tracks honorary acting recipients separately from winners of its competitive category awards, so including them would answer a different question.
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How current are these records?
The Academy’s statistics index states that its coverage runs through the 2024 awards, presented on March 2, 2025. Brody retained the youngest leading actor distinction after the 2025 results, according to TIME’s March 3, 2025 coverage. The category ages above reflect the Academy statistics index’s stated coverage; the later check confirms Brody’s record after that ceremony.
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