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Owen Cooper (actor)

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Owen Cooper
Born2009 or 2010 (age 15–16)[1]
Warrington, Cheshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active2025–present
Known forAdolescence (2025)

Owen Cooper (born 2009 or 2010) is an English actor. He gained recognition as a result of his breakthrough with the role of Jamie Miller, a child accused of murder, in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence (2025). He is scheduled to appear in Wuthering Heights (2026) as young Heathcliff,[2] and as Callum in the upcoming BBC series Film Club.[3]

Early life

Cooper was born in Warrington, England.[4][5] His mother is a carer and his father works in IT.[6] He has two older brothers, who are not actors.[7] A member of the Warrington Rylands U15 squad, he originally wanted to be a footballer before taking weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob in Manchester.[2][8] He stated that he had been inspired to pursue acting after seeing Tom Holland's performance in The Impossible (2012).[4]

Career

Cooper attended The Drama Mob, a drama school co–created by Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien and Esther Morgan. His family was supportive yet "not pushy" during his early interest in drama and acting.[9]

In March 2025, Cooper made his acting debut as Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of murder, in the Netflix miniseries Adolescence.[10][11] Series co-creator Stephen Graham had sought to cast an unknown actor from northern England for the role.[2][12] 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.[9] He had been selected from a pool of over 500 auditions,[13][14] and he filmed the series from July 2024 to October 2024.[15][16]

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".[17][18][19] In June 2025, Cooper won the Gotham TV Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series.[20][21] It was also reported that Cooper had become a favourite in the Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the upcoming Emmy Awards. If Cooper were to be nominated, he would become the youngest person to be nominated in the supporting actor category.[22]

He will appear in the upcoming BBC Three series Film Club.[13] He has also been selected to play young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, set to be released in 2026.[23][24] Following the conclusion of the filming schedule for Wuthering Heights, Cooper returned to school.[4] In May 2025, he was featured in the music video for "Little Bit Closer" by English musician Sam Fender.[25]

Personal life

As of April 2025, Cooper resides in Orford, a suburb of Warrington.[26] He is a fan of Liverpool F.C.[6] He delivered the match ball at a Super League match between Warrington Wolves and Hull F.C. on 12 April 2025.[27] In an interview with i-D, Cooper said that his classmates had shown him a great deal of support, much to his surprise, as following his breakthrough performance in Adolescence, he stated that he believed his classmates "would take the mick", but confirmed that they have been supportive. In his spare time, Cooper enjoys playing the PlayStation, particularly Grand Theft Auto.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2026 Wuthering Heights Young Heathcliff Post-production [28]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2025 Adolescence Jamie Miller Main role [29]
Film Club Callum Upcoming series [3]

Music videos

Year Title Artist Ref.
2025 "Little Bit Closer" Sam Fender [30]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Astra TV Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie Adolescence Won [31]
Gotham TV Awards 2025 Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series Won [32]
IndieWire Honors 2025 Breakthrough Award Won [33]

References

  1. ^ Fox, Hilary (13 March 2025). "The one-take wonder of 'Adolescence,' a family drama about knife crime". AP News. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Ritman, Alex (11 March 2025). "'Adolescence' Breakout Owen Cooper on Leading Netflix's One-Shot Drama With No Acting Experience and Nabbing a Role in Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights'". Variety. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Film Club first look pictures show Aimee Lou Wood, Nabhaan Rizwan and Suranne Jones in new romantic comedy-drama" (Press release). BBC. 18 February 2025. Archived from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Greenwood, Douglas (17 March 2025). "Playing a Teenage Murderer Made Him a Star". i-D. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  5. ^ Wilcox, Ella (16 March 2025). "Talented Warrington teen is breakout star of new smash hit Netflix series". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Palmer, Katie (13 March 2025). "Adolescence star Owen Cooper's life off-screen as he opens up on family". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  7. ^ Hall, Alice (13 March 2025). "Meet Owen Cooper, The Star Of Netflix's Adolescence". Grazia UK. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  8. ^ Wilcox, Ella (19 March 2025). "'Destined for greatness' – world raves about Warrington actor after Netflix debut". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  9. ^ a b Black, Kaya; Gawne, Ewan (10 April 2025). "Adolescence star's drama school 'were just drawn to him'". BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  10. ^ Whittock, Jesse (28 November 2024). "'Adolescence': First Look At Netflix's Stephen Graham Crime Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  11. ^ Nannar, Nina (13 March 2025). "'Holding a mirror to society': Stephen Graham on his new series". ITV News. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  12. ^ Butt, Maira (18 March 2025). "Stephen Graham names Adolescence's 'biggest achievement' as show becomes Netflix hit". The Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  13. ^ a b Frizzell, Nell (22 March 2025). "Owen Cooper on What's Next After His Star-Making Turn in 'Adolescence'". Vogue. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  14. ^ Pond, Steve (4 June 2025). "Meet 'Adolescence' Star Owen Cooper, the First-Time Actor Who Gives the Year's Most Haunting Performance". TheWrap. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  15. ^ Calnan, Ellie (20 December 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  16. ^ Turner, Laura Jane (22 July 2024). "Stephen Graham in first look at new UK-set Netflix crime drama". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  17. ^ Robinson, Martin (18 March 2025). "Owen Cooper in Adolescence: is this the best child acting debut ever?". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  18. ^ Mangan, Lucy (13 March 2025). "Adolescence review – the closest thing to TV perfection in decades". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  19. ^ Balial, Nandini (13 March 2025). "Adolescence movie review & film summary (2025)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  20. ^ Spencer-Elliott, Lydia (3 June 2025). "Adolescence star reacts to winning first big award for hit show". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  21. ^ Shanfeld, EthaN; Otterson, Joe (3 June 2025). "'Adolescence' Leads Gotham TV Awards as Parker Posey Thanks Mike White for 'Believing in a Middle-Aged Woman and Believing in a Legend'". Variety. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  22. ^ Davis, Clayton (23 April 2025). "Netflix's 'Adolescence' Sets Emmy Acting Campaigns for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and More (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  23. ^ Ritman, Alex (7 March 2025). "Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Find Its Young Heathcliff and Cathy in 'Adolescence' Breakout Owen Cooper and 'Matilda' Stage Star Charlotte Mellington (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  24. ^ Campbell, Tina (14 April 2025). "Jacob Elordi: Working with Adolescence's Owen Cooper was 'intimidating'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  25. ^ De Brun, Liam De (4 May 2025). "Adolescence star Owen Cooper to star in major UK musician's music video". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  26. ^ Wilcox, Ella (30 April 2025). "Warrington's Owen Cooper nominated for first award following breakthrough performance". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  27. ^ Parsons, Mike; Wilcox, Ella (13 April 2025). "The role Adolescence teen actor Owen Cooper played in Wire v Hull Super League match". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  28. ^ Campbell, Tina (14 April 2025). "Jacob Elordi: Working with Adolescence's Owen Cooper was 'intimidating'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  29. ^ Heritage, Stuart (28 February 2025). "Is this the most terrifying TV show of our times? Adolescence, the drama that will horrify all parents". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  30. ^ Cormack, Morgan (4 May 2025). "Adolescence star makes surprise appearance in Sam Fender music video". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  31. ^ Davidson, Denton (15 May 2025). "'The Studio' leads 2025 Astra TV Awards nominations with 14, followed by 'Severance' and 'The Last of Us' with 13 each". GoldDerby. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  32. ^ Lewis, Hilary (3 June 2025). "Gotham TV Awards: 'Adolescence' Sweeps Limited Series Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  33. ^ Jones, Marcus (7 May 2025). "Kathy Bates, Mara Brock Akil, Natasha Lyonne, and More to Receive Awards at IndieWire Honors". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
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