Who is Owen Cooper? All About Youngest Ever Male Emmy Winner

Owen Cooper, 15, has made history as the youngest male to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Cooper earned the accolade for his role as Jamie Miller in the British TV drama Adolescence, which also brought home awards for co-stars Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, as well as director Philip Barantini.

The four-part mini-series, which topped Netflix’s most-watched list earlier this year, tells the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate. Praised for its intense subject matter and technical mastery, the show features each episode shot in one continuous take.

Cooper, who was only 14 when filming began and had no prior acting experience, competed against notable names including Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story), Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent), and Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters.

In his acceptance speech in Los Angeles, Cooper said, “I was nothing three years ago. It’s just so surreal. When I started drama classes a couple of years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here. Tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”

The show ignited important conversations about misogyny and online safety in the UK and beyond, with co-creator Jack Thorne joining Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a discussion on the topic in March. Stephen Graham, who also co-created the series, reflected on the achievement, saying, “It shows you that any dream is possible,” as he accepted his acting award.

Adolescence was named best overall anthology or limited series, collecting six awards in total, including honors for outstanding writing awarded to Thorne and Graham.

Surprise Visit from Jake Gyllenhaal

Before the ceremony, Cooper was unexpectedly joined by his acting idol Jake Gyllenhaal during a press interview. Gyllenhaal, nominated in the same best actor category for Presumed Innocent, embraced Cooper and gifted him a “lucky duck,” a token Gyllenhaal received before his own Academy Award nomination for Brokeback Mountain.

“It’s just a ‘Lucky Duck’ to keep in your pocket. To give you a little bit of luck,” Gyllenhaal explained.

Other Highlights from the Night

Seth Rogen’s The Studio dominated comedy categories, winning 13 awards including outstanding actor, directing, writing, and best overall comedy series, setting a new record for the most wins in a single season by a comedy, surpassing The Bear.

In drama, The Pitt won best drama series, with its stars Noah Wyle (best actor) and Katherine LaNasa (supporting actress) also receiving awards. Severance star Tramell Tillman made Emmy history as the first Black man to win Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while co-star Britt Lower won Outstanding Lead Actress.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver took home two awards for variety series and outstanding scripted variety series. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, despite its controversial cancellation earlier this year, won Outstanding Talk Series. Colbert emotionally remarked, “Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.”

In Memoriam and Speech Time Challenge

The ceremony honored recently lost stars including Dame Maggie Smith, Ozzy Osbourne, Quincy Jones, Michelle Trachtenberg, and David Lynch during its In Memoriam segment.

Host Nate Bargatze introduced a unique challenge to limit speech lengths: he pledged $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of America but would deduct $1,000 for every second speeches exceeded over 45 seconds, adding more for shorter speeches. Though speeches often ran long, resulting in a reduced total, CBS added $100,000 and Bargatze himself contributed $250,000, bringing the final donation to $350,000.

Bargatze admitted, “The number, I’ll be honest, it was embarrassing. It went way down,” as he wrapped up the ceremony.

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