During his nearly 50-year career, English actor David Threlfall has received a single Primetime Emmy nomination for his supporting performance on the 1982 limited series “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.” He appeared in all four parts of this filmed stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1839 book as Smike, a simple young man who the titular hero takes on as a traveling companion. The program was nominated for a total of seven Emmys in 1983 and ultimately won the top prize of Best Limited Series.
Threlfall was 10 weeks away from turning 30 when he picked up his Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor bid. This made him the fourth youngest man to ever contend for the award, and he now ranks 10th on the list almost four decades later. Four of the nine younger actors were added to the group after 2015, and three earned their nominations before turning 18. The one who has sat atop the list for half a century is the youngest male acting winner in any category.
The television academy has recognized the work of supporting actors on non-continuing programs since the eighth Emmys ceremony in 1956. The award’s inaugural recipient was Albert Paulsen (“One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”), while the most recent was Evan Peters (“Mare of Easttown”).
Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who ranks ahead of Threlfall on the list of 10 youngest Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor Emmy nominees.
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10. David Threlfall (‘The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby,’ 1983)
Image Credit: Channel 4 Age: 29
Role: Smike
Decades later, Threlfall starred for 11 seasons as Frank Gallagher on the British version of “Shameless.”
Other nominees:
Ralph Bellamy (“The Winds of War”)
Bryan Brown (“The Thorn Birds”)
Richard Kiley (“The Thorn Birds”) – WINNER
Christopher Plummer (“The Thorn Birds”) -
9. Anthony Ramos (‘Hamilton,’ 2021)
Image Credit: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nevis Productions Age: 29
Role: John Laurens and Philip Hamilton
Ramos was nominated along with six of his castmates for this filmed version of the stage musical’s original 2016 Broadway run. He was one of four main cast members to play a dual role, first appearing as Alexander Hamilton‘s compatriot and then as his son.
Other nominees:
Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”)
Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You”)
Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton”)
Evan Peters (“Mare of Easttown”) -
8. Will Poulter (‘Dopesick,’ 2022)
Image Credit: Hulu Age: 29
Role: Billy Cutler
Poulter made his TV acting debut as a teenager on a 2007 episode of “Comedy: Shuffle.”
Other nominees:
Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”)
Jake Lacy (“The White Lotus”)
Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”)
Peter Sarsgaard (“Dopesick”)
Michael Stuhlbarg (“Dopesick”)
Steve Zahn (“The White Lotus”) -
7. Jesse Plemons (‘Fargo,’ 2016)
Image Credit: FX Age: 28
Role: Ed Blumquist
Set in 1979, the second season of this anthology series features Plemons as a butcher’s apprentice whose wife sparks the ire of a criminal enterprise when she accidentally strikes a pedestrian with her car. Two years later, Plemons earned his second nomination for starring on the “USS Callister” episode of “Black Mirror.”
Other nominees:
Sterling K. Brown (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) – WINNER
Hugh Laurie (“The Night Manager”)
David Schwimmer (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”)
John Travolta (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”)
Bokeem Woodbine (“Fargo”) -
6. Robert Redford (‘The Voice of Charlie Pont,’ 1963)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Age: 26
Role: George Laurents
Redford earned his only acting nomination for playing a secondary role on the “Alcoa Premiere” production. He had made his acting debut two years earlier on an episode of the western series “Maverick.”
Other nominees:
Tim Conway (“McHale’s Navy”)
Paul Ford (“The Teahouse of the August Moon”)
Hurd Hatfield (“Invincible Mr. Disraeli”)
Don Knotts (“The Andy Griffith Show”) – WINNER -
5. Mark Harmon (‘Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years,’ 1977)
Image Credit: ABC Age: 25
Role: Robert Hugo Dunlap
Harmon appeared on this limited series about the 32nd U.S. president and his wife as a World War II soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. This was a sequel series to “Eleanor and Franklin,” which aired one year earlier.
Other nominees:
Martin Balsam (“Raid on Entebbe”)
Yaphet Kotto (“Raid on Entebbe”)
Walter McGinn (“Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years”)
Burgess Meredith (“Tail Gunner Joe”) – WINNER -
4. Michael A. Goorjian (‘David’s Mother,’ 1994)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 23
Role: David Goodson
Goorjian won this award for playing a teenager with autism whose development is stunted by the overprotectiveness of his single mother, played by Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress winner Kirstie Alley.
Other nominees:
Alan Alda (“And the Band Played On”)
Matthew Broderick (“A Life in the Theatre”)
Richard Gere (“And the Band Played On”)
Ian McKellen (“And the Band Played On”) -
3. Corin Nemec (‘I Know My First Name is Steven,’ 1989)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 17
Role: Steven Stayner
Nemec received this nomination for his portrayal of a real-life kidnapping victim who escaped from his captor at age 14 after being held for seven years.
Other nominees:
Armand Assante (“Jack the Ripper”)
James Garner (“My Name Is Bill W.”)
Danny Glover (“Lonesome Dove”)
Derek Jacobi (“The Tenth Man”) -
2. Asante Blackk (‘When They See Us,’ 2019)
Image Credit: Netflix Age: 17
Role: Kevin Richardson
Blackk was the youngest of this limited series’ eight nominated actors by four years. The oldest were his direct competitors, John Leguizamo (44) and Michael K. Williams (42). 21-year-old Jharrel Jerome won the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor award for his work on the series.
Other nominees:
Paul Dano (“Escape at Dannemora”)
John Leguizamo (“When They See Us”)
Stellan Skarsgård (“Chernobyl”)
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”) – WINNER
Michael K. Williams (“When They See Us”) -
1. Scott Jacoby (‘That Certain Summer,’ 1973)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 16
Role: Nick Salter
Four years after his acting debut, Jacoby bagged this prize for his role as a teenager struggling to come to terms with his father’s homosexuality. He continued to act for 18 more years, with his last TV role being that of Dorothy Zbornak’s son on three episodes of “The Golden Girls.”
Other nominees:
James Brolin (“Marcus Welby, M.D.”)
Will Geer (“The Waltons”)
