Tatum O’Neal, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1973 film Paper Moon, remains the youngest competitive Oscar winner in history. At the age of 10, she beat out other nominees including Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Sylvia Sidney (Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams), Candy Clark (American Graffiti) and her Paper Moon co-star Madeline Kahn.
The daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal, Tatum was born in 1963 and made her acting debut at the age of five in the television movie The Loneliest Runner. She then went on to appear in a number of films and television shows, including The Bad News Bears, Little Darlings, and The Love Boat.
In 1973, she was cast in the role of Addie Loggins in Paper Moon, a comedy-drama directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film tells the story of a con man (Ryan O’Neal) and his daughter (Tatum O’Neal) who travel across the Midwest during the Great Depression. Tatum’s performance was praised by critics and she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 46th Academy Awards.
Tatum O’Neal’s win made her the youngest competitive Oscar winner in history. She was only 10 years old at the time of her win, beating out other nominees who were in their late teens and early twenties.
Since her Oscar win, Tatum has gone on to appear in a number of films and television shows, including The Bad News Bears, Little Darlings, and The Love Boat. She has also written two books, Found: A Daughter’s Journey Home and A Paper Life.
Tatum O’Neal’s Oscar win is a testament to her talent and hard work. At the age of 10, she beat out other nominees who were in their late teens and early twenties, proving that age is no barrier to success. She remains the youngest competitive Oscar winner in history, a record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.