Who Is Owen Cooper? 5 Things to Know About the Youngest Male Actor to Win an Emmy

Owen Cooper is already making a name for himself in Hollywood following his acting debut.

On September 14, the 15-year-old actor made history at the 77th Annual Emmy Awards after winning the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series trophy for his work on the Netflix show Adolescence. The recognition secured his place as the youngest male Emmy winner.

"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," he said in 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 bested his costar Ashley Walters and other nominees, including Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story), Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), Rob Delaney (Dying for Sex) and Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent).

Cooper rose to fame as one of the cast members of Adolescence, which premiered on Netflix on March 13. In the series, he played the role of a 13-year-old who is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl in his school.

In a March interview with Variety, Cooper said he took weekly acting classes before he was cast in the show.

"I was just doing it for a hobby and didn't expect much from it," he said. "And then when Adolescence came, I obviously took it a lot more seriously."

Although Adolescence was his first acting role, Cooper said his costar Stephen Graham helped him portray his character.

"There was a time in episode one, when it was just us two, with no camera, in the police cell, and he scruffed me up and said 'You're never going to see your mum again. You're never going to see your dad again' and was going on and on," he added. "Before then, I'd been frustrated because I hadn't been getting emotional. But after that point, I was emotional in every take."

Cooper previously revealed he originally wanted to play professional soccer. But after watching Tom Holland in the 2012 film The Impossible, he became interested in acting and eventually joined a drama club.

The award-winning young actor was born and raised in Warrington, England, but for years, he traveled back and forth to Manchester to take weekly acting classes.

"When I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn't expect to even be in the United States, never mind here," he told the Emmy Awards attendees about his early years. "I think tonight proves if you listen, and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life. Who cares if you get embarrassed? Anything can be possible. I was nothing about three years ago, I'm here now."

In May, Sam Fender released a music video for "Little Bit Closer," which featured Cooper. The singer had a connection with Adolescence director Philip Barantini after they worked together in the music video for "Spit Of You."

"It's so great to be working with Phil again, I had no doubt he was the right director for this piece, his video for 'Spit of You' was my favorite," said Fender. "Phil called to say he'd asked Owen if he'd like to be in the video, and that Owen was keen. I was elated that he could do it after seeing his incredible performance in Adolescence."

Cooper is set to make his film debut in the upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, where he plays the role of a young Heathcliff. The 2026 flick also stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

He is also set to appear in the BBC series Film Club.