Key Takeaways:
- Actor Owen Cooper had his breakout role in the Netflix show Adolescence.
- He became the youngest Golden Globe winner to take home the trophy for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series in 2026.
- Adolescence was Cooper’s first professional acting role. Next, he’s lined up to appear in a movie with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
Newcomer Owen Cooper captivated audiences with his breakout role in Netflix’s crime drama Adolescence, released in 2025, and now he’s a history-making Golden Globe winner.
On Sunday, January 11, the up-and-coming British actor took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series for his gripping performance as Adolescence’s Jamie Miller, a teenage boy arrested for the murder of his female classmate. The award makes the 16-year-old the youngest person to win the category.
In his acceptance speech, Cooper revealed that his historic win felt unreal. “What started out as what I thought I might be okay at, I might be awful at, I never know, so I took a risk and I went to drama classes,” he said. “But I’m still very much an apprentice. I’m still learning every day. I’m still learning from the people that stand in front of you and stand in front of me, who’ve inspired me.”
Cooper also made history in 2025 when he became the youngest ever male Emmy-winning actor, nabbing the trophy for Outstanding Support Actor in a Limited Series.
Here’s what you should know about Owen Cooper and what to expect from the young actor next.
Adolescence is Cooper’s first acting gig
Adolescence isn’t just Cooper’s first onscreen credit—it’s his first ever professional acting gig. The teenager, having only taken weekly acting classes, had no prior acting experience before he was cast in the series. “I was just doing it for a hobby and didn’t expect much from it,” he told Variety in March 2025. “And then when Adolescence came, I obviously took it a lot more seriously.”
He originally wanted to play professional soccer
Despite his raw talent, Cooper wasn’t focused on becoming an actor. “It wasn’t really in my DNA,” he told i-D magazine. Born and raised in Warrington, an English city between Liverpool and Manchester, Cooper grew up wanting to play professional soccer. While he no longer sees a future as a footballer, he still roots for Liverpool FC and his favorite player, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Tom Holland inspired him to take up acting
Cooper took an interest in acting after watching Tom Holland in the 2012 film The Impossible a few years ago. The fellow Brit’s compelling performance made Cooper want to follow in the actor’s footsteps. From there, Cooper joined a local drama club and was later signed to a talent agency. While he’s now inspired by a range of movies, there is one role of Holland’s that he wants to take on. “I want to play Spider-Man,” he said in his i-D magazine interview.
His co-star Stephen Graham helped him get into character
New to acting and one-shot takes, Cooper needed a little help getting into character on the set of Adolescence. His co-star Stephen Graham, who plays his father, Eddie Miller, on the show, jumped to the rescue.
“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,” Cooper told Variety. “Before then, I’d been frustrated because I hadn’t been getting emotional. But after that point, I was emotional in every take.”
Cooper already has his next role lined up
You can see Cooper next in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie. In his film debut, the actor will portray a young Heathcliff, as Saltburn star Jacob Elordi tackles an older version of the enduring character. Cooper can’t yet reveal much about the movie, which is set to premiere in February 2026, but he did tell i-D: “It’s fun. I like it.”
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
