18 Days Until Oscar. Nominations for Minors
Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 1:00PM 
Sal Mineo & Natalie Wood at the Oscars for REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) one of only two years wherein two minors were nominated. The other is 1973As Sunny Pawar (Lion) can attest this Oscar season, being a cute kid with a preternatural gift in front of the cameras can only get you so far. A little further if you're a girl but still, the point is: it's not easy to be Oscar nominated when you're a minor. Think of the famous or iconic minor performances that DIDN'T snag nominations: Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street, Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap, Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, Evan Rachel Wood in thirteen, Jacob Tremblay in Room and so on.
On this 18th day before the Oscars let's quickly survey all the actors who managed a nomination before their 18th birthday!
There are 21 of them in total ... and almost 2/3rd of that number come from the Supporting Actress category which won't shock anyone who knows the Oscars and their double standards for men and women. But a few other statistics revealed might be more of a surprise...
BEST ACTOR / BEST ACTRESS
Jackie Cooper in Skippy (1930) -- 9 years old. Youngest ever nominated for leading actor by a margin of 10 years
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) -- 9 years old
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider (2003) -- 13 years old
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Justin Henry in Kramer vs Kramer (1979) -- 8 years old. The youngest nominee in any category of all time
Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999) -- 11 years old
Brandon de Wilde in Shane (1953) -- 11 years old
He died very young (at only 30) but since he was also great in Hud (1963) when he was just 21 maybe a comeback could have eventually happened if he hadn't died.
Jack Wild in Oliver! (1968) -- 16 years old
Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) -- 17 years old
He was nominated again at 22 for Exodus (1960), the youngest man ever to receive two Oscar nominations (just ahead of Mickey Rooney who accomplished it by 23.) He also died young at 37.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973) -- 10 years old WINNER.
The youngest of all time in any category (not counting special "juvenile Oscars" of course). Of course she's a lead appearing in every scene but one in the movie.
Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) -- 10 years old.
She quit acting just a few years later.
Quinn Cummings in The Goodbye Girl (1977) -- 10 years old
Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine (2006) -- 10 years old
Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed (1956) -- 11 years old
Anna Paquin in The Piano (1993) -- 11 years old WINNER
The only minor to ever win a Supporting category while actually being supporting! She lost the Golden Globe for this performance but later won it as an adult for headlining HBO's True Blood.
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement (2007) -- 13 years old
Recently nominated again for Brooklyn (2015) she's one of only 6 teenage actors (including 18 and 19 year olds who aren't included in this list's criteria) to receive second nominations in their 20s -- the others are Natalie Wood, Jodie Foster, Sal Mineo, Angela Lansbury, and Mickey Rooney. She's in legendary company already!
Bonita Granville in These Three (1936) -- 14 years old
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit (2010) -- 14 years old
Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver (1976) -- 14 years old
The most successful child star of all time within the specific context of the Oscars as she was nominated as a child star and then won twice in her twentysomething years. No other teenage nominee has ever won the competitive Oscar as an adult.
Linda Blair in The Exorcist (1973) -- 15 years old
Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker (1962) -- 16 years old WINNER
Category fraud but that's always been more prevalent for child performances even before adults started doing it egregiously. She later won an Emmy for a television remake of the same film, but taking on the Anne Bancroft role instead
Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Case (1955) -- 17 years old
One of the rare child stars (along with Jodie Foster and Elizabeth Taylor) to be even more successful as an adult movie star. She was nominated twice more but sadly never won.
Are any of these among your favorites from their years?
And notice all the "bad girls" listed from demon possessed (Blair) to imps (Paquin) to liars who destroy people's lives (Ronan, Granville) to delinquents (O'Neal, Wood, Foster). Curious, right?
Reader Comments (46)
Just curious how many of these supporting nominees are supposed to be leads?
Peggy Ann Garner for A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945)...
Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) was miles better than Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules).
Among the guys, I think Sal Mineo is so handsome I can't really think about him right now, but Haley Joel Osment gave such an amazing performance in The Sixth Sense. I think I wanted him to win in the year his movie came out.
As a general rule, I'd say all of these actors were in very strong movies. It's unusual for a child performance to really break through unless the movie itself is also highly regarded. Only a couple of those movies are "lesser" like These Three and The Bad Seed.
I remember being pretty shocked when Anna Paquin won the Oscar because it seemed so well deserved, and so unlikely to actually happen.
No.1. Natalie Wood
Brandon de Wilde, Sal Monroe,Mary Badham have always been favs
At least in the 40s they had a special award for juvenile performances. I'd like to see them bring it back as a non-competitive honorary award. It's one thing for hardened show biz vets to handle disappointment, it's quite another to throw a kid into the arena.
Sunny Pawar for Lion would be my choice this year. Maybe even for best supporting actor overall. He was the best thing about that otherwise mediocre film (heaps better than Dev Patel, that's for sure). And don't get me started about Jacob Tremblay being passed over last year.
My all time favorite juvenile Oscar nominee is Justin Henry for Kramer vs. Kramer. Keisha Castle-Hughes and Jack Wild should also have won.
Also when we do the 1963 Supporting Actress smackdown, I'd like to note how things can change dramatically in one year. In 1962, it's the two juveniles, Mary Badham and Patty Duke who battle for my #1 choice. One year later, it's two septuagenarians Margaret Rutherford and Edith Evans I keep oscillating between.
The trailer of The Beguiled is out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JA0evif-mU
TOM: Tom Cruise was miles better than Michael Caine. Haley Joel Osment is CATEGORY FRAUD.
ken s: Pawar isn't actually supporting. Nat's right, he's lead in that movie. Better than Patel? No question, and if Patel HAD been nominated for Slumdog, I doubt his nomination for this would have even happened.
Volvagia. I admit the situation isn't clear at all but I felt Dev Patel was the lead and Sunny Pawar supporting. Either way, Patel was merely adequate, while Pawar was transcendent and would make my Top 5 in whatever category he was placed.
Paquin's my favorite by a mile of these that I've seen. I'm shocked she won considering there was actualy category fraud in that category to go after (Perez and Ryder).
I read ATONEMENT before seeing the film, and though Saoirse Ronan was spot-on as Briony. Some have commented that her portrayal of the character was too 'shrill', but that's exactly how she read on the page!
I love that she wore an emerald dress to the Oscars that year, a nice in-reference to Keira Knightley's iconic dress in the film.
Her, along with Osment and O'Neal, are my favourites of the nominated performances.
One of my all-time favourite female performances was Wei Minzhi (14 years old at he time) in Zhang Yimou's NOT ONE LESS. She nailed the hardship of growing up in rural China, and I think the fact that she wasn't a professional actor, but an everyday person plucked from the surroundings, instilled her with the life experience to give such an authentic, moving performance.
I also adored Jacob Tremblay's magnificent work in ROOM and preferred him to Larson in the film.
ken s: I watched the movie VERY closely. Patel doesn't appear on-screen at all until about 55 minutes in. Pawar leads the first half, Patel leads the second.
I'm pretty sure that Hayley Mills won a special juvenile Oscar for Pollyanna the same year The Parent Trap debuted. I'm betting the Academy felt that was enough reward.
I have seen all but three of these performances, and they range from solid to remarkable. Beyond sticking lead performances in supporting categories, I can't think of much to complain about. I will say that Jack Wild's performance surprised me the most. I was unprepared for how good he was.
Volvagia - as I said it's not at all clear. But just to point out that I'm not alone: In IndieWire's year-end poll (in which Nataniel participated!), Dev Patel was named 14 times, 8 as a Lead and 6 times as Supporting. Sunny Pawar was named 8 times, all in Supporting. But to muddy the waters even further I tend to just go by "feel" and not by actual timings. Not an exact science, the way I do it, by any means.
Blair's performance really holds up. What she's able to do under all that hideous makeup is remarkable. My favorite is probably Duke's. That performance will never age.
From a purely aesthetic point of view, Brandon de Wilde in Hud was so handsome. And that's some damn fine acting as well. His story is so sad.
brookesboy: Co-sign on Brandon de Wilde in Hud.
Nathaniel: This post has some especially wonderful and well-identified pieces of trivia in it - thanks!
I don't think Saoirse Ronan is particularly good in Atonement - I think she's a bit mannered, given the naturalistic settings and performances around her. Briony in the novel is a touch subtler. But Ronan is phenomenal in Brooklyn - my winner last year. Can't wait to see where he career goes from here.
Loads of good nominated child performances here. I think Anna Paquin's win was very well-deserved. But I do feel a bit uneasy about kids that young being given Oscars. How on earth do they cope? If I were to win one, I'd be beside myself, and I'm apparently an adult.
I'm not sure if I'm in the minority in this but still really like Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine. Charming, cute and in some instants defiant.
Also Haley should have won.
I'd be more than OK if they reinstate a non-competitive special Oscar for juvenile performers, but my true dream would be a competitive category, with 5 nominees (male or female).
Speaking of bad girls; how about Patty McCormack as a mass murderess - Now that's BAD!!!!
TheBoyFromBrazil: Just saw the trailer for The Beguiled. I loved the original film. The look and feel of the new version is identical. I doubt that Nicole Kidman will surpass the talent of the great Geraldine Page, but I am very excited.
Here’s my own list of favorite juvenile performances, each 16 or under when they filmed them:
Jackie Coogan “The Kid”(1921)
Tommy Bupp “It’s a Gift”(1934)
Marcia Mae Jones “These Three”(1936)
Donald O'Connor "Sing, You Sinners!"(1938)
Peggy Ann Garner “Jane Eyre”(1944)
Claude Jarman Jr. “The Yearling”(1946)
Natalie Wood “Miracle on 3th Street”(1947)
Michael Chapin “Under California Stars”(1948)
Gary Gray "Gun Smugglers"(1948)
Bobby Driscoll “Treasure Island”(1950)
Brandon de Wilde “The Member of the Wedding”(1952)
Mandy Miller “Mandy”(1952)
Jon Whiteley“Hunted”(1952)
Brandon de Wilde “Shane”(1953)
Rex Thompson “Young Bess’(1953)
Tommy Rettig “River of No Return”(1954)
Billy Chapin “The Night of the Hunter”(1955)
Tuesday Weld “Rock, Rock, Rock”(1956)
Tuesday Weld “Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys!”(1958)
Patty Duke “The Miracle Worker”(1962)
Jack Wild “Oliver!”(1968)
Tatum O’Neal “Paper Moon”(1973)
Billy Kay “L.I.E.”(2001)
Sooraj Balaji “Asoka”(2001)
Daniel Radcliffe “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”(2001)
Dakota Fanning “War of the Worlds”(2005)
Ed Sanders “Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street”(2007)
Laramie Eppler “The Tree of Life”(2011)
Hunter McCracken “The Tree of Life”(2011)
Elle Fanning “Ginger and Rosa”(2012)
Linda Darnell was only 15 when she made the romantic comedy “Day-Time Wife” in 1939. But she played Ty Power’s wife, a character probably 10 years older than her real age, deftly matching wits with both Power and perennial wolf in the henhouse Warren William. So I hesitate to include her on this list of child actors. But, boy, is she good in it – as she was a year later - at 16 - co-starring with Power in “Brigham Young” and “The Mark of Zorro”.
In one of the best Supporting Actor categories ever, Haley should have won. That film would not have had the emotional impact without his performance.
Totally agree with ken . Bring back the Juvenile Oscar. There's usually 3 or so worth performances per year.
Judy was 16 when she started shooting Oz btw.
That kid in A Monster Calls was pretty terrific, as are the Moonlight boys.
As far as juvenile performances go in general, I always loved Claudia Karvan in High Tide.
Of the nominated performances, my top 5 would be:
Duke
Osment
Mineo
Cummings
Henry
Not a fan of the wins by Paquin and O'Neal (Ryder and Kahn were robbed).
Ashton Sanders and Alex Hibbert (Moonlight) and Royalty Hightower (The Fits) deserved nominations this year. Bring back the Juvenile Oscar but make it a competitive category!
Other award worthy performances from young actors of color: Shareeka Epps (Half Nelson), Kevin Hooks (Sounder), Kyle Johnson (The Learning Tree), Meagan Good and Jurnee Smollett (Eve's Bayou).
Who is Bonita Granville and what is These Three? I think all the others are relatively known.
Another cosign on Brandon DeWilde.
The Children's Hour with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine was a remake of These Three
Bonita played the little girl who says the two women were lesbians. Both were good movies.
There is now a book on CATEGORY FRAUD (by Brian Lindsay) and there's a big section on all the children and juvenile performers nominated in the wrong category and the background to how/why it happened. A very interesting read.
Notable, non-nominated works:
Q'orianka Kilcher, The New World
Oksana Akinshina, Lilja 4-ever
Alexandra Dahlström & Rebecka Liljeberg, Show Me Love
Brandon Ratcliff, Me and You and Everyone We Know
Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Jean-Pierre Léaud, The 400 Blows
The actresses of We Are the Best!
Jacob Tremblay, Room
Natalie Portman, Léon: The Professional
Michael Barbieri, Little Men
Alex R. Hibbert, Moonlight
Roger, I agree with almost all of the notable, non-nominated works that you mentioned, and I would add some others as Roddy McDowall in "How Green was my Valley", Henry Thomas in "E.T.", Christian Bale in "Empire of the Sun", Kirsten Dunst in "Interview with the Vampire", Haley Joel Osment in "A.I," and Freddie Highmore in "Finding Neverland"...
an obscure film with great child performances is whistle down the wind (1961) - haley mills (at 15), an incredibly natural diane holgate as her little sister and a scene stealing alan barnes as their little brother "our charlie". holgate never acted again and barnes did one more film, but they are all all sensational in this - well worth seeking out
Steve G: I'm going to get that book on category fraud - thanks for the info.! But have you seen the front cover? It includes a glaring mistake that no Film Experience reader will fail to spot! (Won't stop me getting the book, though!)
Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) should be here, and so should Kirsten Dunst (Interview with a Vampire). I wonder if, in Kirsten's case, they weren't interested since they had just given it to Anna Paquin the year before.
I think Haley Joel Osment should've won tbh.
Also, shoutout to Drew Barrymore in ET. And guilty pleasure, the boy in Simon Birch lol.
Shoutout to Christina Ricci in the Adams Family.
Oh, and what's that french film with the four year old girl who's mother died?
I just know there are some great performances from kids that I'm forgetting right now
@ Edward L
Louise Fletcher would be (if anything) category fraud in the other direction, since she won for Lead...
Philip H. -- Ponette!
Pamelyn Ferdin in The Beguiled.
I was always impressed by the performance of Anna C. in 'My Girl.' I thought at the time that if the Academy still gave out 'Honorary Juvenile Awards,' she should've received one that year.
Not sure who was around at the time to get the 5 Supporting spots...
Paul Outlaw: Correct - that's the mistake on the book cover! (though personally I think it is a lead role and therefore in its correct category).
There were actually three years that two minors were nominated. In addition to 1955 and 1973 there was 1962 when Patty Duke and Mary Badham competed against each other for Supporting Actress.
@ Edward L & Paul Outlaw - Yes, the book discusses why Fletcher ended up in the Lead rather than Supporting Actress category.
But listing her on the front cover must be a mistake, since the heading refers to Lead performances in the Supporting category, not the other way around.
@ Edward L ... Thanks for pointing out the error on the cover of our book "Category Fraud" ... we hope to have copies on sale through Amazon to feature amended cover artwork in the next day or two.
@ Steve G ... thanks for the shout-out re our new book about category fraud ... we're excited that you found it interesting and worth recommending! Cheers!
No 17 Days Until Oscar?
@ Tranter Ward Books: No problem! Looking forward to reading the book. Category fraud is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Oscars, and I can't wait to read more about it!
It's not a secret that Anna Paquin's "The Piano" is my fave Supporting Actress performance of the 90's. And Christina Ricci should have been nom'd the same year, in the same category, for "Addams Family Values"... and the following year, Oscar should have gone to another girl, Kirsten Dunst in "Interview with the Vampire".
The last big snub to me, was Tom Holland in "The Impossible"... but as Lead.