8 of the Youngest Oscar Winners and Nominees of All Time

6. Justin Henry, Kramer vs. Kramer

The youngest nominee in any acting category is Justin Henry, for his nomination for Best Supporting Actor which he earned for his performance in Kramer vs. Kramer at age 8. Henry is the only actor ever to be nominated for an Academy Award in the same decade as his or her birth. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as a married couple going through a divorce and how that divorce impacts the people around them, including their young son played by Henry. Streep and Hoffman both earned Oscars for their performances as well. The 1979 movie was praised for realistically portraying changing cultural views on parenthood as a large shift had occurred during the 1970s and parenting was less expected to be solely the responsibility of the mother. The film was lauded for showing both the mother and the father’s perspectives. Kramer vs. Kramer was Henry’s first ever film role.