Owen Cooper, the 16-year-old star of Netflix's 'Adolescence', has made history once again. After becoming the youngest winner at the Actor Awards, he has now been named the youngest participant ever in Soccer Aid, the charity football match. The 2026 line-up for the event was revealed this week, with Cooper set to take part.
Cooper, from Warrington, Cheshire, initially dreamed of being a footballer and played for Warrington Rylands under-15s before turning to acting. His big break came when he was cast as Jamie in 'Adolescence', a role that earned him international acclaim and a Golden Globe at age 15, making him the youngest male winner in that category's history.
At the Actor Awards, Cooper won 'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series', dethroning Kate Winslet, who had held the record since winning at age 20 for 'Sense and Sensibility'. The awards body recently rebranded from the Screen Actors Guild Awards to the Actor Awards.
Cooper's rise has been meteoric, with praise from Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis. He told Jimmy Fallon that DiCaprio sent a video message calling himself a big fan. His mother Noreen described his success as 'such a shock' but said the family is 'getting on with it'.
