Owen Cooper is busy making history in Hollywood. He became the youngest male Primetime Emmy Award winner last year at just 15 years old after his breakout performance in the thrilling miniseries, Adolescence.
And he's made history again just days into 2026 as the youngest ever Critics Choice winner at 16 after taking home the Best Supporting Actor award. While his career has launched him into the spotlight and put him in the same rooms as some of Hollywood's biggest names, Owen's life away from the screen in North West England is worlds apart.
His family aren't in acting
"This past year has been a complete whirlwind for me and my family, honestly. It's changed our lives forever. We're forever grateful. We cherish every single moment of it," Owen humbly said to a sea of A-listers when accepting his Critics Choice win on 4 January.
© Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty ImagesWhile Hollywood is stacked with rising stars with famous family connections, Owen grew up at home in Warrington, Cheshire with two brothers, a mum who is a carer and a dad who works in IT. In fact, he once said he has "no clue" where he got the acting gene from.
Growing up, Owen had dreamed of being a footballer like many young lads. He started taking weekly acting classes a few years before his first on-screen role in Adolescence. And what an incredible introduction to the screen.
Owen's parents would support him and alternate visiting on set during Adolescence filming. "They would swap over sometimes because at the time my mum had an operation so she had to stay home for most of episode three," Owen told Express.
© NetflixHe's graduating school soon
While some young stars like The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping lead Joseph Zada left school to focus on full-time acting, Owen has stuck with his studies. The 16-year-old juggled his schoolwork while filming Adolescence, getting tutoring on set to prepare for his GCSEs.
Owen attends school in his hometown where he plans to complete his GCSEs in 2026, which tend to kick off in May and run until late June. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Owen admitted his first day back at school after his Emmy win, "was a bit weird, but I’ve still got my GCSEs to do."
“I’ve only got about six months left and then I am gone – and then hopefully I am going to be an actor."
His friends still treat him normally
© Variety via Getty ImagesWhile A-listers like his Wuthering Heights co-star Margot Robbie have praised him as "extremely talented", as per Access Hollywood, Owen's friends have kept him grounded. Back at home, his school life remained much unchanged after his launch to fame.
"My friends aren’t really bothered," Owen told Dazed about the reception at school after taking home the Emmy last year.
"They messaged me saying ‘well done‘, but they don’t really care. The teachers cared, obviously – they were going mad about it."
He continued: "But my friends don’t really look at stuff about me on the internet. And I’m actually glad that they don’t – when I was filming the show, I did think, ‘What if everyone changes? What if all my friends change?’
"But I still get shouted at by the teachers in school. I still get the mick taken out of me. It’s all good. I’m glad they haven’t changed."
One star made him starstuck
Owen has been around some majorly big names in his short time in the industry. While attending the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, the actor proved he's still a relatable teen by taking the opportunity to pose with and post photos of him and Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet and Adam Sandler - who he referred to as "my man" - to his Instagram Stories.
The teen has also worked with the likes of Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi and Stephen Graham. But in a previous interview, he revealed there's just one acting giant who really made him starstruck.
"I met Robert De Niro on a show a couple of months ago, and I didn’t know what to say. I was shaking. I think that’s the only time I’ve been starstruck. So far!" he told W Magazine back in June 2025, so there may be more stars who've made it to the list since then.
