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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000252

Youngest Academy Award Winner for Best Actress

Record holder

Marlee MatlinPerson

Record value

21 years and 218 days

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Los Angeles, California, United StatesAchievement date: 30 March 1987Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Marlee Matlin photographed in Arizona in 1989, two years after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress

Marlee Matlin, 13 August 1989. She won Best Actress at age 21 in 1987.Ithaka Darin Pappas / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Official record definition

The youngest person to win the competitive Academy Award for Best Actress, measured by age on the official award date.

Measurement methodology

Guinness World Records age calculation using Matlin's birth date and the 59th Academy Awards date.

Measurement point: winner age at award

Record story

Marlee Matlin holds the record as the Youngest Oscar Winner for Best Actress, an achievement she secured on 30 March 1987 in Los Angeles, California. At the 59th Academy Awards, Matlin was officially 21 years and 218 days old when she won the competitive Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Children of a Lesser God. Her win was notable not only for her age but also because she became the first deaf woman to win an acting Oscar.

The record is defined by the age of the recipient on the official award date. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially confirms Matlin's win in the Best Actress category. The achievement is also documented by Guinness World Records, which maintains an active category identifying Matlin as the youngest-ever winner of this award, validating her age as 21 years and 218 days at the time.

Media

Official Oscars video of Matlin receiving the 1987 Best Actress award.

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
27 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Guinness records Matlin at age 21 years 218 days; the Academy confirms the Best Actress win.

Superiority evidence

The active Guinness category identifies Matlin as the youngest Best Actress Oscar winner.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Marlee Matlin reveling in unique Spring Awakening revival — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Youngest Oscar winner for Best Actress — Guinness World Records
  • 59th Academy Awards — Best Actress — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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