Movies

The 12 Youngest Actors to Ever Get an Oscar Nomination

The 12 Youngest Actors to Ever Get an Oscar Nomination
Image credit: Legion-Media

Sometimes it takes an actor a lifetime to get an Oscar nomination, because the prestige of the award prohibits academics from handing out golden statuettes to performers who haven't proven themselves in the past.

But sometimes a star is just so good that the Oscar voting committee has no choice but to nominate them for a top award, no matter how old they are or how many movies they have starred in.

Here are the 12 youngest stars to receive an Oscar nomination:

Yes, there were quite a lot of young stars getting nominated for an Oscar back in the day, and it's not hard to see why. There's something truly enchanting in seeing a child play on par with adult actors, using the same techniques and opening up to the world in front of the camera, which is not something a lot of children can do.

And even though all of the aforementioned actors, with the exception of Tatum O'Neal and Anna Paquin, failed to further their careers after their monumental Oscar successes, they will still be remembered by movie buffs and fans alike. Perhaps their early success was the reason their careers never really took off – after all, what could an actor aspire to when he or she has already earned an Oscar nomination, right?

The Oscars 2024 will be held Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The event is to start at 7 p.m. EST.