Congratulations, Owen Cooper! The Adolescence star just won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — and made Emmy Award history at the same time.
The 15-year-old Cooper, who played Jamie Miller, a teenage boy accused of killing his classmate, is now officially the youngest male acting winner in Emmy history. As noted by Deadline, Cooper's win breaks the record previously held by Scott Jacoby, who was 16 years old when he won in 1973 for the TV movie The Certain Summer. The youngest Emmy winner of all-time is Roxana Zal, who was just 14 when she won an Emmy in 1984 for Something About Amelia.
Cooper also holds the record as the youngest actor nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category, his winning bucket. The teen beat out some pretty big names, including Javier Bardem, Rob Delaney, Peter Sarsgaard, and his costar Ashley Walters, who played Detective Luke Bascombe.
“Standing up here is just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to even be in the United States, let alone here,” Cooper admitted during his acceptance speech. “But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life."
“I was nothing about three years ago. I’m here now,” he continued. "If you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone a little bit… who cares if you get embarrassed, you know?”
Adolescence's Jamie Miller was Cooper's first major role; we'll next see him as Young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
Adolescence, which aired on Netflix and is notable for its single-shot cinematography style, was nominated for 13 Emmys and has effectively swept the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards. Cooper's costar Erin Doherty, who played psychologist Briony Ariston in the limited series and was a frequent scene partner for Cooper, won the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress; Stephen Graham, who played Jamie's father and is also the co-creator, co-writer, and executive producer of Adolescence, won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor; and Christine Tremarco and Ashley Walters also both received acting nominations.
The show also scooped up the awards for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and the Big One: overall Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
“This was a huge collaboration,” Graham said while accepting the show's biggest award of the night on behalf of the cast and crew. “What we do, it’s not a game of footy. There is no winners and there is no losers. It’s all subjective. But what we managed to create was a beautiful family. And whether you was number one on the call sheet or number 101, we were treated equally and everyone was respected… We’re all the same, and I think that’s how you get the best work, and the best out of your people.”
Watch Owen Cooper's acceptance speech for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work in Adolescence for yourself below:
