Owen Cooper | |
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![]() Cooper in 2025 | |
Born | Warrington, England | 5 December 2009
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2025–present |
Known for | Adolescence (2025) |
Owen Cooper (born 5 December 2009) is an English actor. He gained recognition for playing Jamie Miller in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence (2025), a breakout role which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He is scheduled to appear as young Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (2026) and as Callum in the upcoming BBC series Film Club .
Cooper was born on 5 December 2009, [1] in Warrington, England. [2] [3] His mother is a carer and his father works in IT. [4] He has two brothers. [5] A member of the Warrington Rylands U15 squad, he originally wanted to be a footballer before taking weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob, a drama school co–created by Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien and Esther Morgan, in Manchester. [6] [7] He stated that he had been inspired to pursue acting after seeing Tom Holland's performance in The Impossible , and that his family was supportive yet "not pushy" during his early interest in drama and acting. [2] [8]
In March 2025, Cooper made his screen debut as Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of murder, in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence . [9] [10] Series co-creator Stephen Graham had sought to cast an unknown actor from northern England for the role. [6] [11] The production team for Adolescence approached Cooper's drama school and asked to view tapes of their strongest northern actors; teachers at the school later stated that they believed that Cooper "just had something" and that the series' production team revisited the school on numerous occasions until he was eventually offered the role. [8] He had been selected from a pool of over 500 auditions. [12] [13] He filmed the series from July to October 2024. [14] [15]
The role earned him widespread critical acclaim, with the Evening Standard writing that "his is a performance that may be the best debut ever seen by a child actor". [16] [17] [18] He won the Gotham TV Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series. [19] [20] He was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the upcoming 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, making him the youngest actor to ever be nominated in the category. [21] [22]
In May 2025, he was featured in the music video for "Little Bit Closer" by English musician Sam Fender. [23] He will appear in the upcoming BBC Three series Film Club . [12] He has also been selected to play young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights , set to be released in 2026. [24] [25]
As of April 2025, Cooper resides in Orford, a suburb of Warrington. [26] He is a fan of Liverpool F.C., and delivered the match ball at a Super League match between Warrington Wolves and Hull F.C. on 12 April 2025. [4] [27] In his spare time, he enjoys playing the PlayStation, particularly Grand Theft Auto . [2]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2026 | Wuthering Heights | Young Heathcliff | Post-production | [28] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | Adolescence | Jamie Miller | Main role | [29] |
Film Club | Callum | Upcoming series | [30] |
Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | "Little Bit Closer" | Sam Fender | [31] |
Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Astra TV Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Adolescence | Won | [32] |
Edinburgh International Television Festival | 2025 | Best TV Actor - Drama | Nominated | [33] [34] | |
Breakthrough Performance | Won | ||||
Gotham TV Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series | Won | [35] | |
IndieWire Honors | 2025 | Breakthrough Award | Won | [36] | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Pending | [37] | |
Seoul International Drama Awards | 2025 | Best Actor | Pending | [38] | |
TCA Awards | 2025 | Individual Achievement in Drama | Nominated | [39] |