By Isabella Torregiani
6:03pm PST, Mar 2, 2026
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Owen Cooper made history at the 2026 Actor Awards when the 16-year-old became the youngest winner of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series, breaking a long-standing record previously set by
Kate Winslet.
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Kate Winslet was just 20 when she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Marianne Dashwood in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's
Sense and Sensibility, in which she starred alongside
Emma Thompson,
Alan Rickman and
Hugh Grant.
The big win made her the youngest individual winner of a SAG Award, a record she held for three decades until 2026 — the same year the SAG Awards rebranded as the Actor Awards.
Owen Cooper now holds that record for his chilling performance as a 13-year-old schoolboy who commits murder in
Adolescence.
The young actor won over
Stephen Graham, who plays his on-screen father and co-created the series with
Jack Thorne.
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Owen Cooper, who was unable to attend the Actor Awards in Los Angeles in person, had Damson Idris accept the award on his behalf.
"I'll be taking this home, thank you," the F1: The Movie and Snowfall actor joked.
It's unclear why he missed the ceremony, but he is currently shooting Cry to Heaven, Tom Ford's latest project, according to IMDb.
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Owen Cooper's latest win adds to his record-breaking streak at awards shows, thanks to his role in the hit Netflix series, which he filmed at just 14.
In September 2025, he made history as the youngest male actor to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series.
Earlier this year, while studying for his GCSEs, he became the youngest recipient of the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor on Television.
He is now the second-youngest Golden Globe winner of all time, behind Ricky Schroder, who was 9 when he won New Star of the Year for The Champ in 1980.
