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OSCARS 2023

Who are the oldest and the youngest Oscar winners?

We took a look at Oscar winners at both ends of the age spectrum. Who are the oldest and youngest winners?

Update:
Atmosphere at the 95th Oscars Governors Ball Preview held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom on March 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Michael BucknerGetty

With the Oscars just days away we took a look back at the oldest and youngest winners, whose performances stood above the rest.

Best Lead and Supporting Actor and Actress

Marlee Matlin won her award for Best Actress at twenty-one for ‘Children of a Lesser God.

Jennifer Lawrence comes a close second with her 2012 win at age twenty-two for ‘Winter’s Bone.’ Three children have been nominated for an Oscar, and only one, Tatum O’Neal, took home the award. In 1974, O’Neal, at ten years old, won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ‘Paper Moon.’

On the other end of the spectrum, at eighty years old, Jessica Tandy won for her role as Miss Daisy in the 1989 classic ‘Driving Miss Daisy.’

As for Best Actor, Adrien Brody holds the title of youngest winner for his performance in ‘The Pianist,’ winning the accolade in 2002 at age twenty-nine. In the Supporting Actor category, Timothy Hutton won at age twenty for his work in the 1980 film ‘Ordinary People.’

More recently, Anthony Hopkins won the award for Best Actor at eighty-three for ‘The Father.’

Youngest nominees

Quvenzhané Wallis was nine years old when she was nominated for her role as Hushpuppy in ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild,’ and while she did not win, she still holds the record for the youngest person to be nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in Oscar history.

Justin Henry, nominated at eight for his performance in ‘Kramer vs. Kramer,’ did not take home the coveted award for Best Supporting Actor but still holds the record as the youngest person nominated to any Oscar category.

Directing

The youngest director to take home the Best Director award was Damien Chazelle, who was thirty-two years old when he won for ‘La La Land.’ Another film by Chanzelle, ‘Babylon,’ has delivered him another nomination in this category this year.

A seventy-four-year-old Clint Eastwood won the highest award of the night for directing for ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ in 2005. The film won the prize for Best Picture that year as well.