From Drama Class To History

The 2009-born Cooper originally wanted to be a professional footballer and played for Warrington Rylands U15 squad. His mother is a career, his father works in IT, and he has two brothers.

After watching Tom Holland in 2012's The Impossible, Cooper asked his parents if he could start drama classes. "I think they were a bit shocked by it because I've always wanted to become a footballer," he told Netflix's Tudum. He joined The Drama Mob, a Manchester-based drama school co-created by Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien.

He took weekly acting lessons as a hobby, never expecting it to lead anywhere. "I was just doing it for a hobby and didn't expect much from it," he told Variety in March 2025. Then came the self-tape for Adolescence.

Adolescence co-creator Stephen Graham wanted to cast an unknown actor from northern England for the role of Jamie Miller. The production team auditioned over 500 boys. Cooper's drama school submitted tapes of their strongest northern actors. Teachers later said Cooper "just had something," and the production team kept coming back until they eventually offered him the role.

He filmed from July to October 2024, when he was 14 years old. It was his first professional acting job.

The Performance

Adolescence is a four-part Netflix crime drama created by Graham and Jack Thorne. The series follows Jamie Miller, arrested on suspicion of murdering a female classmate. Filmed in long takes, the psychological thriller examines whether Jamie is capable of murder.

Cooper's first day on set was filming Episode 3, a conversation between Jamie and therapist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty). The scene took 11 takes. In it, Jamie appears to unmask himself and show how he might be capable of taking someone's life. Doherty called the performance "genuinely scary."

Graham helped Cooper unlock the emotional intensity. In one police cell scene with no cameras, Graham "scruffed me up and said 'You're never going to see your mum again,'" Cooper recalled. After that, "I was emotional in every take."

The Evening Standard wrote that Cooper's performance "may be the best debut ever seen by a child actor." The series became Netflix's second most-watched English-language series after its March 2025 premiere.

Awards Season Dominance

Cooper's awards season began at the September 2025 Emmys, where he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. At 15, he became the youngest male actor to win a Primetime Emmy and the youngest actor ever nominated in the category. (The youngest Emmy winner overall is Roxana Zal, who was 14 when she won in 1984.)

Adolescence won four Emmys that night: Limited Series, Actor (Stephen Graham), Supporting Actress (Erin Doherty), and Supporting Actor (Cooper).

At the January 2026 Golden Globes, Cooper won Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film. At 16, he became the youngest winner in that category, breaking Chris Colfer's record (Colfer was 20 when he won for Glee in 2010). Cooper is the second-youngest male Golden Globe winner overall; Ricky Schroder was 9 when he won New Star of the Year for The Champ in 1980.

Earlier in January, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. He also won the Gotham TV Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series and was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

Sunday's Actor Award win means Cooper has swept every major television acting prize for which he was eligible.

What's Next

Cooper has already filmed two more projects. He plays Callum in the BBC Three series Film Club, written by Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus), about sparks flying between two film club members.

In February 2026, he appeared as young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, starring opposite Jacob Elordi (older Heathcliff) and Margot Robbie (Catherine Earnshaw). Graham helped him land the role by recommending Cooper to his agent and sending Episode 1 of Adolescence as a reference. "I got Wuthering Heights from that!" Cooper told Variety.

He's also attached to Cry to Heaven, though details remain scarce.

Cooper appeared in Sam Fender's music video for "Little Bit Closer" in May 2025. He's a Liverpool F.C. fan and delivered the match ball at a Super League rugby match between Warrington Wolves and Hull F.C.

The Long Game

Despite his rapid success, Cooper remains focused on learning. At the Golden Globes, he said: "I'm still very much an apprentice. I'm still learning every day. I'm still learning from the people that stand in front of me, who've inspired me."

He's spoken about wanting to follow in the footsteps of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino. "I would love Leonardo DiCaprio's career," he told British Vogue. "And Robert De Niro's. And Al Pacino's."

When asked about his dream of becoming an EGOT winner, he playfully told the Associated Press: "Is that the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar and the Tony? I've got E, so I want it."

He's interested in stunts but has limits. "Probably not like Tom Cruise," he said. “I'm scared enough going on roller coasters, let alone hanging off the side of a plane. But jumping off the side of a cliff into the water? I could probably do that.”

For a 16-year-old who started taking drama classes as a hobby less than three years ago, Cooper has achieved what most actors spend decades chasing, Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, Gotham, and Actor Award wins; all for his first professional role.