Adolescence actor Owen Cooper makes Golden Globe history as he breaks three records back-to-back

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Adolescence actor Owen Cooper makes Golden Globe history as he breaks three records back-to-back

The teen had a very touching acceptance speech during the Golden Globe Awards this evening (11 January)

British actor Owen Cooper has broken records tonight after taking home the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards.

Cooper, who is just 16 years old, became the youngest ever to win the category for his portrayal of Jamie Miller in Netflix's hit series Adolescence.

The teen played the role of 13-year-old Jamie Miller in the highly acclaimed TV show, which dominated the streamer's most-watched list earlier this year.

The British series, which was released in March of 2025, centres on the story of schoolboy Jamie, who was arrested for the murder of a classmate, a girl called Katie.

Inspired by tragic real-life events, once CCTV footage proves Jamie's guilt, the series delves into the heartbreaking questions of how a young boy could have committed such a crime, the effect it had on his family, as well as the impact of social media and toxic masculinity

Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 16, has bagged a Golden Globe award this evening (Rich Polk/2026GG / Contributor / Getty Images)
Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 16, has bagged a Golden Globe award this evening (Rich Polk/2026GG / Contributor / Getty Images)

Accepting the gong, Cooper beamed: "Wow, standing here with a Golden Globe, it does not feel real whatsoever.

"What an incredible journey me and my family have been put through. We are forever grateful for what these people have done for me and my family. What started off as, what I thought [was], 'I might be okay, I might be awful. I never know.' So I took a risk, and I went to drama classes."

Cooper continued: "I was the only boy there. It was embarrassing," he recalled. "But I got through it, and I’m still very much an apprentice. So still learning every day. I’m still learning from the people that I sat in front of, you sat in front of me, who’s inspired me."

The teen has bagged a Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics' Choice awards back-to-back in a full sweep (Amy Sussman / Staff / Getty Images)
The teen has bagged a Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics' Choice awards back-to-back in a full sweep (Amy Sussman / Staff / Getty Images)

He went on to thank Netflix and those who have supported him before concluding: "Bring on 2026. You’ll never walk alone."

Cooper's been picking up awards left, right and centre as he's now bagged a Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics' Choice awards back-to-back in a full sweep.

In his Emmy award speech back in September, told the crowd: "Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.

"But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life."

Golden Globes 2026 nominations/winners

Best director

  • Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
  • Ryan Coogler - Sinners
  • Guillermo del Toro - Frankenstein
  • Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident
  • Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
  • Chloe Zhao - Hamnet

Best screenplay

  • Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another (winner)
  • Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
  • Ryan Coogler - Sinners
  • Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident
  • Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
  • Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet

Best TV series - drama

  • The Diplomat
  • The Pitt
  • Pluribus
  • Severance
  • Slow Horses
  • The White Lotus

Best TV series - comedy or musical

  • Abbott Elementary
  • The Bear
  • Hacks
  • Nobody Wants This
  • Only Murders in the Building
  • The Studio

Best limited TV series

  • Adolescence
  • All Her Fault
  • The Beast In Me
  • Black Mirror
  • Dying for Sex
  • The Girlfriend

Best TV actress - drama

  • Kathy Bates - Matlock
  • Britt Lower - Severance
  • Helen Mirren - Mobland
  • Bella Ramsey - The Last of Us
  • Keri Russell - The Diplomat
  • Rhea Seehorn - Pluribus

Best TV actor - drama

  • Sterling K Brown - Paradise
  • Diego Luna - Andor
  • Gary Oldman - Slow Horses
  • Mark Ruffalo - Task
  • Adam Scott - Severance
  • Noah Wyle - The Pitt (winner)

Best supporting actor - TV

  • Owen Cooper - Adolescence (winner)
  • Billy Crudup - The Morning Show
  • Walton Goggins - The White Lotus
  • Jason Isaacs - The White Lotus
  • Tramell Tillman - Severance
  • Ashley Walters - Adolescence

Best supporting actress - TV

  • Carrie Coon - The White Lotus
  • Erin Doherty - Adolescence
  • Hannah Einbinder - Hacks
  • Catherine O'Hara - The Studio
  • Parker Posey - The White Lotus
  • Aimee-Lou Wood - The White Lotus

Best film - drama

  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • It Was Just an Accident
  • The Secret Agent
  • Sentimental Value
  • Sinners

Best film - musical or comedy

  • Blue Moon
  • Bugonia
  • Marty Supreme
  • No Other Choice
  • Nouvelle Vague
  • One Battle After Another

Best animated film

  • Arco
  • Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
  • Elio
  • KPop Demon Hunters
  • Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
  • Zootopia 2

Best actress - musical or comedy

  • Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (winner)
  • Cynthia Erivo - Wicked: For Good
  • Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
  • Chase Infiniti - One Battle After Another
  • Amanda Seyfried - The Testament of Ann Lee
  • Emma Stone - Bugonia

Best actor - musical or comedy

  • Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme (winner)
  • George Clooney - Jay Kelly
  • Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
  • Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
  • Lee Byung-Hun - No Other Choice
  • Jesse Plemons - Bugonia

Best supporting actress

  • Emily Blunt - The Smashing Machine
  • Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
  • Ariana Grande - Wicked: For Good
  • Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
  • Amy Madigan - Weapons
  • Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another (winner)

Best supporting actor

  • Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another
  • Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
  • Paul Mescal - Hamnet
  • Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
  • Adam Sandler - Jay Kelly
  • Stellan Skarsgård - Sentimental Value (winner)

Best actress - drama

  • Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
  • Jennifer Lawrence - Die, My Love
  • Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
  • Julia Roberts - After the Hunt
  • Tessa Thompson - Hedda
  • Eva Victor - Sorry, Baby

Best actor - drama

  • Joel Edgerton - Train Dreams
  • Oscar Isaac - Frankenstein
  • Dwayne Johnson - The Smashing Machine
  • Michael B Jordan - Sinners
  • Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent
  • Jeremy Allen White - Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Featured Image Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Topics: Golden Globes, TV And Film, Entertainment, Adolescence, Netflix, Celebrity, Social Media