BAFTA TV Awards 2026: Owen Cooper Scripts History With Supporting Actor Win for ‘Adolescence’, Netflix Show Takes Home Four Trophies
Owen Cooper has created history by becoming the youngest actor to win the BAFTA TV Actor Award for the Best Supporting Actor for his breakout role in the Netflix series 'Adolescence'. The 16-year-old won high praises for his standout performance in the series, which earned many major awards this year.
Adolescence breakout star Owen Cooper has won the BAFTA TV Award for supporting actor, a win that completes an astonishing full set of major awards for the 16-year-old's first-ever screen role, reported Variety. Golden Globes 2026: Owen Cooper Makes History As the Youngest TV Supporting Actor Winner for ‘Adolescence’ at 16 (Watch Video).
The win on Sunday night has cemented Cooper's place in TV history, with him already having become the youngest actor to win the four major US TV awards, Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Actor Award and Critics' Choice for his performance in Adolescence.
BAFTA TV Awards 2026: Adolescence's Owen Cooper Wins Big
View this post on Instagram
Almost 14 months to the day that Adolescence launched, it has scooped up a near-perfect clean sweep of wins, also including at the Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Royal Television Society Awards, its astonishing awards run has now been completed at the BAFTAs. "Wow, it's heavy, that's to be fair. A year ago this time last year, I was presenting an award, and now I'm collecting one, so this is a bit mad," added Cooper as quoted by Variety.
"Thank you to BAFTA. Thank you to the Adolescence family and they are family now. In the words of John Lennon, you won't get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it," added Cooper as quoted by Variety. Cooper also went on to list the three things you need to succeed in life: "One, an obsession. Two, a dream. And three, the Beatles."
A record-breaking cultural behemoth, Netflix's four-part limited Adolescence, co-created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, saw Cooper play Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of murdering a female classmate.
Cast when he was just 13-years-old himself and with no previous professional acting experience, Cooper, who appears in three of the four episodes, became its immediate breakaway star. His central episode, filmed in a single, continuous, hour-long take opposite Erin Doherty as clinical psychologist Briony Ariston, earned the two actors particular critical recognition and was nominated for the BAFTA TV's Memorable Moment Award. ‘Adolescence’ Review: Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper’s Harrowing Netflix Mini-Series Is a Masterclass of Acting, Blocking and Cinematography (LatestLY Exclusive).
Cooper was nominated with Ashley Walters in Adolescence, Fehinti Balogun in Down Cemetery Road, Joshua McGuire in The Gold, Paddy Considine in 'Mobland' and Rafael Mathe in The Death of Bunny Munro, reported Variety.
Cooper's co-star Christine Tremarco, who played his mother in the show, also won the BAFTA TV award for best supporting actress on Sunday night.
