Winning an Oscar is often a lifelong pursuit for many actors. However, a select few have managed to achieve this remarkable feat before even reaching the age of 30. In this article, I’ll shine a spotlight on 18 exceptional actors who claimed an Oscar early in their careers:
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody was already 29 years old and a few weeks to clocking 30 when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The award was won for his performance in the Holocaust movie The Pianist, and it made Brody the youngest winner in the Best Actor category.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin appeared in the Oscar-nominated film The Irishman (2019), though famously saying only seven words throughout the movie. However, prior to this, Paquin had won an Oscar as an 11-year-old for her performance in Jane Campion’s The Piano, where she starred alongside Holly Hunter.
Timothy Hutton
Having had some TV roles, Timothy Hutton made his film debut with Ordinary People. He played the role of Conrad Jarrett, a teenager who is tortured by guilt over the death of his older brother. Hutton’s portrayal of Conrad Jarrett won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at just 20 years of age.
Patty Duke
Patty Duke was 15 years old when she was cast to portray the Deaf writer Helen Keller in the 1962 film adaptation of The Miracle Worker. Duke would stun in this role, launching her illustrious career that would span several decades, and earning her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress the following year.
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin lost most of her hearing as a child, but this hasn’t stopped her from building a trailblazing career. The actress made her mark on Hollywood right from her debut role in Children of a Lesser God (1986), becoming the first Deaf person to win an Oscar as well as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category.
Tatum O’Neal
Tatum O’Neal’s historic win of an Oscar Award at the age of just 10 might be responsible for her tumultuous relationship with her father, who shared a lead role in the actress’s first movie. When she won the award for her role as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon (1973), she became the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award. Speaking on how this win strained relations with her dad, O’Neal said: “He loved me, but then hated me, because I won the Academy Award.”
Jennifer Lawrence
The 2010s was a great period for Jennifer Lawrence. Not only did she star as the lead in The Hunger Games trilogy, which gained her international prominence, but she also became one of the youngest Oscar winners. She clinched the award for Best Actress at 22 years old for her performance in the rom-com Silver Linings Playbook.
Jodie Foster
Before clocking 30, Jodie Foster had already won two Academy Awards for Best Actress. Her first win came when she was 26 years old for her performance as a rape survivor in The Accused (1988). She would win the award again three years later for her role in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
Charlize Theron
Previously restricted to diva-type roles, Charlize Theron made a point to show her acting range with her deglamorized role in Monster (2003). Portraying the serial killer Aileen Wournos, a 28-year-old Theron delivered an outstanding performance and went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress.
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers appeared in lots of musicals and was mostly known for her singing and dancing talents. However, Rogers was also an incredible actress outside of musicals. She showed this with her role as the title character in Kitty Foyle (1940), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Julie Andrews
When Julie Andrews was snubbed for the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964) for reportedly not being famous enough, she couldn’t have anticipated what followed. The snub made her available for Mary Poppins (1964). Her role as the title character in the movie would then win her the Oscar for Best Actress at 29 years old.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s most prolific actresses. She is known for various hit films, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Maleficent (2014). However, before Jolie starred in any of these, she had already clinched an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at 24 years old with Girl, Interrupted (1999).
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson’s exceptional vocal talent and acting skills were celebrated with a Best Supporting Actress award for her powerful performance in Dreamgirls (2006). Her win marked a triumphant leap from her beginnings on the talent show American Idol.
Teresa Wright
At 23 years old, Teresa Wright got a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress with her debut film, The Little Foxes (1941). While Wright couldn’t win it that year, she didn’t have to wait too long. Wright was nominated in the same category for her role in Mrs. Miniver (1942) the following year, and this time, there was no denying the actress the award.
Miyoshi Umeki
Miyoshi Umeki was in her late twenties when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress with her performance in the 1957 drama film Sayonara. Umeki’s win was notable not just because she was one of the youngest Oscar winners but also because she was the first East-Asian American woman to win an Oscar for acting.
Heath Ledger
Before his tragic death at 28 years old, Ledger had appeared in a total of 20 movies. The clear highlight of the Australian actor’s career, however, was his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). His incredible portrayal of the villain earned him a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2009 Oscars.
Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander only started to gain Hollywood recognition in the early 2010s, but the actress hasn’t wasted any time in establishing herself in the industry. In 2015, Vikander starred in The Danish Girl as a 27-year-old, and would go on to win the Best Supporting Actress award at the Oscars.
George Chakiris
George Chakiris’s casting as Bernardo Nuñez in West Side Story (1961) is a bit controversial, considering he was a Greek actor playing a Puerto Rican character. Chakiris nonetheless delivered a quality performance and took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
