Oscar nominated child performers: Boys vs. Girls

anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

I edited my post to add Natalie Wood in Rebel without a Cause. She was only 17 when get nommed for that.
Big Magilla
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Post by Big Magilla »

OK, considering she was also in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir the same year. It woud even the score at 12 each taking into consideration all those listed.
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Post by Penelope »

Big Magilla wrote:I can't think of any child actresses who weren't singled out either with an honorary award or an actual nomination.
How about Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?
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Big Magilla
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Post by Big Magilla »

Interesting question. It seems the Academy has always had a bias toward strong performances by child actresses as opposed to child actors.

In addition to nominations and wins in the regular acting cateogires there were, from 1934 through 1960, honorary awards given to child performers. While these were won equally by and girls at six each, there are at least as many more outstanding child actors who might also have been recognized, though I can't think of any child actresses who weren't singled out either with an honorary award or an actual nomination.

Honorary winners:

Girls
Shirley Temple (1934) the year she made 12 films including Little Miss Marker, Baby, Take a Bow and Stand Up and Cheer
Deanna Durbin (1938) the year of Mad About Music and That Certain Age
Judy Garland (1939) the year of The Wizard of Oz
Margaret O'Brien (1944) the year of Meet Me in St. Louis
Peggy Ann Garner (1945) the year of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Hayley Mills (1960) officially for Pollyanna

Boys
Mickey Rooney (1938) the year of Boys Town and Love Finds Andy Hardy
Claude Jarman, Jr. (1946) the year of The Yearling
Ivan Jandl (1948) officially for The Search
Bobby Driscoll (1949) the year of The Window
Vincent Winter and Jon Whiteley (1954) officially for The Little Kidnappers

Among the missing:
Feddie Bartholmew (1935) the year of David Copperfield
Roddy McDowall (1941) the year of How Green Was My Valley
Daryl Hickman (1945) the year of Leave Her to Heaven
Dean Stockwell (1946) the year of The Green Years or 1948 the year of The Boy With Green Hair
Bobby Henrey (1949) the year of The Fallen Idol
Christian Fourcade (1953) the year of Little Boy Lost
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Post by Damien »

anonymous wrote:Why does the Academy seem to strongly prefer girls over boys when it comes to nominated child performances?
Ummm, because there are more Humbert Humberts in the Academey than Horatio Algers?
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anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

Why does the Academy seem to strongly prefer girls over boys when it comes to nominated child performances? Is it because girls get better roles than boys? Or is it another reflection of the Academy's preference for awarding Oscars to younger women and older men? (This lists down performers under 18 nominated for competitive Oscars)

NOMINATED GIRLS:
Bonita Granville, These Three
Ann Blyth, Mildred Pierce
Patty McCormack, The Bad Seed
Mary Badham, To Kill a Mockingbird
Natalie Wood, Rebel Without a Cause
Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker*
Tatum O'Neal, Paper Moon*
Linda Blair, The Exorcist
Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver
Quinn Cummings, The Goodbye Girl
Anna Paquin, The Piano*
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine

13 nominations, 3 wins

NOMINATED BOYS:
Jackie Cooper, Skippy
Brandon De Wilde, Shane
Sal Mineo, Rebel Without a Cause
Jack Wild, Oliver!
Justin Henry, Kramer vs. Kramer
Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense

6 nominations, 0 wins.

Am I forgetting anyone?
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