Adolescence star Owen Cooper made history when he won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series at the Actor Awards, which were known as the SAG Awards until they were rechristened this year.
The 16-year-old became the youngest individual winner in the history of the ceremony, breaking the record previously held by Kate Winslet.
Winslet was 20 when she won her first gong for her portrayal of Marianne Dashwood in Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, which also starred Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant.
Now her crown has been snatched by Cooper for his chilling turn in Adolescence as a 13-year-old schoolboy who murders a female classmate.
He beat out a category that included Stephen Graham, who played his character’s father on the miniseries and also co-created it with Jack Thorne.
Cooper was unable to appear in person in Los Angeles, so presenter Damson Idris accepted the prize on his behalf, quipping that ‘I’ll be taking this home, thank you.’
Adolescence star Owen Cooper made history when he won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series at the Actor Awards; pictured on the series
His record as youngest winner ever was previously held by Kate Winslet for her triumph in 1996; she was not at the SAG Awards that year but is pictured at the same season’s BAFTAs
His absence went unexplained, but his movie Cry to Heaven – the next directorial effort from fashion designer Tom Ford – is currently being filmed, per IMDb.
Based on a 1982 novel by Anne Rice, the upcoming motion picture centers a castrated nobleman in 18th century Italy who becomes an opera soprano.
Adele is making her acting debut in the project, amid a star-studded cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Hoult, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Bettany, Ciaran Hinds, Hunter Schafer and Pedro Pascal’s trans sister Lux.
It emerged this past November that principal photography on the picture would take place in Italy and the UK, via Screen Daily – which would make sense of Cooper’s inability to be in Los Angeles for this Sunday’s awards show.
Incidentally, Kate Winslet was also unable to be present for her Sense and Sensibility win at the 1996 SAG Awards, which took place during the production of Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet movie, in which she played Ophelia.
Owen Cooper’s triumph marked the continuation of a history-making awards show streak thanks to Adolescence, which he filmed when he was 14.
Last September, aged 15, he became the youngest male actor ever to win a Primetime Emmy, earning the gong for a supporting role in a limited series or anthology.
He remarked to reporters backstage that the honor ‘means so much to me’ and to ‘my family, people back home,’ according to E! News.
Winslet was 20 when she won for her portrayal of Marianne Dashwood in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, in which she is pictured with Greg Wise
Last September, aged 15, Cooper became the youngest male actor ever to win a Primetime Emmy, earning the gong for a supporting role in a limited series or anthology
Cooper noted that his friends in the UK were ‘probably not even awake’ at that point, inasmuch as it was ‘about four in the morning at home,’ but added that the would ‘be over the moon’ and that he ‘can’t wait to tell them.’
Then in January, while studying for his GCSEs, he became the youngest ever recipient of the Golden Globe best supporting actor on television.
That honor made him the second-youngest Golden Globe winner in history, after The Champ star Ricky Schroder, who was nine when he won new star of the year in 1980.
In his acceptance speech, Cooper recalled: ”What started off as what I thought I might be okay at, I might be awful at – I took a risk and I went to drama classes. I was the only boy there. It was embarrassing but I got through it.’
He added that he was ‘still very much an apprentice, I’m still learning every day, I’m still every day learning from the people sat in front of me who have inspired me. I wouldn’t be here without you guys. This is mad. What is going on?’
Adolescence has been showered with glory during awards season, not just for Cooper but also Graham and their co-star Erin Doherty.
Actor Awards 2026 winners
FILM
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme (A24)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Sinners (Warner Bros) – WINNER
Michael B. Jordan led Sinners to two of the biggest wins of the night
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet – WINNER
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Chase Infinity – One Battle After Another
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Jessie Buckley was recognized for her work in Hamnet
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners – WINNER
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Miles Caton – Sinners
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another – WINNER
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Amy Madigan – Weapons – WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Amy Madigan was honored for her work in thriller Weapons
OUTSTANDING STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
F1 (Apple Original Films)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount) – WINNER
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Sinners (Warner Bros)
TELEVISION
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Landman (Paramount+)
The Pitt (HBO Max) – WINNER
Severance (Apple TV)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Noah Wyle and The Pitt were massive winners on the television drama side
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – Paradise
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Walton Goggins – The White Lotus
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses
Noah Wyle – The Pitt – WINNER
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Britt Lower – Severance
Parker Posey – The White Lotus
Keri Russell – The Diplomat – WINNER
Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Aimee Lou Wood – The White Lotus
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX/Hulu)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Studio (Apple TV) – WINNER
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ike Barinholtz – The Studio
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson – Inside Man
Seth Rogen – The Studio – WINNER
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building
Seth Rogen’s The Studio swept the television comedy portion
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kathryn Hahn – The Studio
Catherine O’Hara – The Studio – WINNER
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday
Jean Smart – Hacks
Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Jason Bateman – Black Rabbit
Owen Cooper – Adolescence – WINNER
Stephen Graham – Adolescence
Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Matthew Rhys – The Beast In Me
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Claire Danes – The Beast In Me
Erin Doherty – Adolescence
Sarah Snook – All Her Fault
Christine Tremarco – Adolescence
Michelle Williams – Dying For Sex – WINNER
OUTSTANDING STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
Andor (Disney+)
Landman (Paramount+)
The Last of Us (HBO) – WINNER
Squid Game (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
