11 Child Actors Under 12 Who Were Oscar Nominees and Winners

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Over the 98-year history of the Academy Awards, 11 children under the age of 12 have been nominated for competitive Oscars in the Lead and Supporting Actor/Actress categories. A few of them, including Tatum O'Neal and Anna Paquin, even won their respective awards, making them the youngest competitive Oscar winners ever.

Why it matters

The inclusion of child actors in major award show categories highlights the incredible talent and maturity of young performers, defying expectations about what children are capable of on the big screen. These nominations and wins also shed light on the film industry's willingness to recognize the contributions of actors of all ages, not just adults.

The details

The youngest Oscar nominee ever was 8-year-old Justin Henry, who was recognized for his supporting role in 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer." Other record-breaking nominees include 9-year-old Jackie Cooper for "Skippy" in 1931 and 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" in 2012. Tatum O'Neal remains the youngest competitive Oscar winner, taking home the Supporting Actress award at just 10 years old for her role in "Paper Moon." Anna Paquin was also 11 when she won Supporting Actress for "The Piano."

• Justin Henry was 8 years and 276 days old when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979.
• Jackie Cooper was 9 years and 20 days old when he was nominated for Best Actor for Skippy in 1931.
• Quvenzhané Wallis was 9 years and 135 days old when she was nominated for Best Actress for Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2012.
• Tatum O'Neal was 10 years and 106 days old when she won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon in 1973.
• Anna Paquin was 11 years and 200 days old when she won Best Supporting Actress for The Piano in 1993.

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