Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper made Emmys history last year when he won a male acting award at just 15 years old. But his age record could now be shattered at the 2026 Emmys in a number of different ways.
Most notably, there’s 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays the lovable Prince Aegon “Egg” Targaryen on HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Ansell has been earning raves since the Game of Thrones prequel series kicked off in January. The well-reviewed project is created by Ira Parker and George R. R. Martin, and is based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas.
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 25: Jeffrey Dean Morgan poses in the IMDboat Exclusive Portrait Studio at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 25, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for IMDb)
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SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 27: Jessie T. Usher attends the Los Angeles screening of Paramount’s “Smile” at Aero Theatre on September 27, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 09: Park Sung-hoon attends the global premiere of “Squid Game Season 2” on December 09, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 09: Finn Bennett attends the Los Angeles premiere of Warner Bros.’ “True Detective: Night Country” at Paramount Theatre on January 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 24: Alex Lawther attends the “The French Dispatch” – Paris Gala Screening at Cinema UGC Normandie on October 24, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – APRIL 11: Rob Corddryattends the 2022 CMT Music Awards at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on April 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 13: Ashton Kutcher attends the 2025 Disney Upfront at Javits Center on May 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Jeremy Pope attends the “The Inspection” Premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 08, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 20: David Gyasi attends the Jameson Empire Awards 2016 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 23: Rory Kinnear attends the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 18: Actors Louisa Krause and Aaron Clifton Moten attend The 2013 Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards presented by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust at Lincoln Center Theater on November 18, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for The Harold And Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 12: James Norton attends Charles Finch x CHANEL – The Night Before BAFTA Dinner at Hertford Street Club on March 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 15: Fionn O’Shea arrives at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2023 at The Royal Opera House on November 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 12: Simon Baker attends the “Limbo” premiere during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival at Scotiabank Theatre on September 12, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Brian de Rivera Simon/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau poses backstage prior to the “Le Defile Walk Your Worth” By L’Oreal Paris Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images for L’Oréal Paris)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Actor Sam Anderson (left) arrives to the Season 5 premiere of FX’s “Justified” at DGA Theater on January 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 29: Michael Imperioli attends SCAD aTVfest 2020 – “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt For The Bone Collector” Press Junket on February 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2020)
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 08: Ren Watabe attends Apple TV+ New Series “Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters” Photo Call at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on December 08, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 12: Nestor Carbonell at PaleyFest LA 2024 – “The Morning Show” at Dolby Theatre on April 12, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 14: Boyd Holbrook attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on June 14, 2023. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
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Per the Gold Derby odds, Ansell has an 11% chance of receiving his first career Emmy nomination. He competes in the Best Drama Supporting Actor category, which is currently led by Patrick Ball (The Pitt), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Tom Pelphrey (Task), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), and Gerran Howell (The Pitt).
Ansell’s adult co-star, Peter Claffey as Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, is also earning Emmy buzz in the Best Drama Actor race. Claffey recently told Gold Derby, “I feel quite protective of him now, especially shooting this new season — it’s just his maturity level. I didn’t think he could get any more mature, but he’s done some really amazing stuff [for Season 2] that has really blown my mind.”
Elsewhere this year, there’s the first-ever TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies, written by Emmy winner Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and based on the 1954 novel by William Golding. With a cast made up of dozens of children, Netflix has opted to submit four for Emmy consideration: Winston Sawyers (age 14) as Ralph, Lox Pratt (age 14) as Jack, David McKenna (age 13) as Piggy, and Ike Talbut (age 14) as Simon.
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Sawyers is campaigning in Best Limited/Movie Actor, where the front-runners include big names like Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me), Oscar Isaac (Beef), Richard Gadd (Half Man), Paul Anthony Kelly (Love Story), and Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story). Sawyers currently places within the Top 15, with a 1% chance of scoring his first career nomination.
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The other three Lord of the Flies kids are trying their luck in Best Limited/Movie Supporting Actor. Between McKenna, Pratt, and Talbut, McKenna has the strongest chance at earning an Emmy bid with 3%. As of this writing, the contest is led by Charles Melton (Beef), Jamie Bell (Half Man), Alessandro Nivola (Love Story), Jonathan Banks (The Beast in Me), and Troy Kotsur (Black Rabbit).
Prior to Cooper — whose role as accused criminal Jamie Miller also earned him trophies at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, Actor Awards, and more — the previous record holder for male actor winners was Scott Jacoby, who was 16 when he prevailed as Nick Salter in That Certain Summer (1973).
Meanwhile, Fred Savage still holds the record as the youngest male nominee in Emmy history. He earned back-to-back nods at ages 13 and 14 for playing Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years.
Other young male nominees include Frankie Muniz (15) for playing the titular character on Malcolm in the Middle, Malcolm-Jamal Warner (16) as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, and Asante Blackk (17) as Kevin Richardson on When They See Us.
The 2026 Emmys will air Sept. 14, two days before Ansell turns 12.
