Age ain’t nothin' when it comes to talent. Gifted young actors did the heavy lifting on memorable series and are the main reason their shows were embraced by audiences.
Skilled teenagers who are often handed “B” plot duties and surprisingly execute their scenes, making audiences forget about some of their adult counterparts. The Walking Dead and When They See Us are added to Netflix queues because of the performances of actors under 18.
The following article contains spoilers for the shows discussed.
10 Vincent Martella and Thomas Brodie-Sangster — 'Phineas and Ferb' (2007-)
Animation projects typically choose women to voice male child characters to avoid puberty interruptions in production. Vincent Martella and Thomas Brodie-Sangster provided the voices for the brilliant stepbrothers on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb.
Martella’s journey as Phineas began when he was fifteen and Brodie-Sangster was seventeen. A majority of the top 10 episodes ranked by IMDb were recorded while both characters were during their teenage years.
9 Wallace — 'The Wire' (2002-2008)
Before Michael B. Jordan was a household name, he made a name for himself on the HBO Drama The Wire. The fifteen-year-old actor exhibited one of the deepest storylines in the crime drama's first season as Wallace, a drug dealer who attempted to distance himself from a life of crime after bodies started piling up.
Jordan’s time on the series was cut short after he was killed off at the backend of the first season. Wallace’s reluctance towards pushing drugs and his death is a redeeming story that prompts empathy for the criminals on The Wire. The short-lived character is also one of the most unforgettable personalities in the series.
8 Alicent Hightower — 'House of Dragon' (2022-)
Emily Carey was seventeen years old while filming House of Dragon, making her the youngest member of the leading cast. The first season experiences time jumps through the narrative, placing a great deal of responsibility on Carey to set a strong foundation for her character, the future queen.
Alicent Hightower is a teenager when she’s betrothed to the elderly King Viserys. The young maiden sets up believable building blocks for her eventual turn to the dark side with help from her fractured relationship with Rhaenyra, her obsession with duty, and her manipulation from her father. Emily Carey’s work as Hightower is one of the casualties of the time jump that most fans regret.
7 Sally Draper — 'Mad Men' (2007-2015)
Usually, there’s no room for children in the workplace, but Mad Men makes an exception for Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper. The young Shipka cut her teeth on the set of the period drama, becoming the youngest series regular on the television program.
Sally Draper earns her stripes in Seasons 6 and 7 of Mad Men when her troubled character experiments with smoking and alcohol. The fourteen-year-old actress’ storyline in the last two seasons is some of the most interesting moments of the series as she effectively juggles tough subject matters like discovering her father’s sexually immoral behavior.
6 Kevin Richardson — 'When They See Us' (2019)
When They See Us chronicles the events surrounding the Central Park Five, a group of teenagers wrongfully convicted in 1989’s Central Park jogger assault case. The series has to swap out actors since the ground it covers spans from 1989 to the present day. The young performers provide the most heartfelt moments in the miniseries.
Asante Blackk’s portrayal of Kevin Richardson garnered an Emmy nomination. The then 17-year-old’s scenes in “Part One” and “Part Two” of the series justify the Emmy consideration and solidify him as one of the most captivating characters in the crime drama.
5 Ellie — 'The Last of Us' (2023)
Bella Ramsey is no stranger to scene-stealing as the young actress popularized “the North remembers” quote after her performance in Game of Throne’s Season 6 finale, “The Winds of Winter.” HBO’s The Last of Us is a return to form for the 19-year-old actress.
Starring as Ellie alongside Pedro Pascal in the post-apocalyptic drama, Ramsey is one of the main reasons the show is the recipient of high critic ratings. Many reputable reviewers have praised the child star for her dynamic range that brings humor and emotion to the role.
4 Joffrey Baratheon — 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
Jack Gleeson's rendering of Joffrey Baratheon makes a strong case for the top villain from the Game of Thrones television series. Some of Joffrey’s most cruel moments were orchestrated before Gleeson’s twentieth year.
The late king’s terror towards the Starks, his uncle Tyrion and the people of King’s Landing solicit hatred from fans that's second to only the Night King. The most unforgettable sequence in the first season is Joffrey’s treason charge against Ned Stark, which leaves the patriarch headless in the finale.
3 Carl Grimes — 'The Walking Dead' (2010-2022)
The Walking Dead pits an ensemble cast against walkers in a zombie apocalypse. Any notion that kids are a weak link during the catastrophe is quickly erased by the actions of Chandler Riggs’ character Carl Grimes. Riggs is one of the show's youngest and most significant lead characters.
Carl’s transformation in his eight seasons rivals the character arcs of his adult guardians. After gunshot wounds, battle scars, and watching his mother die, the battle-tested Carl is one of The Walking Dead’s toughest soldiers. The character says farewell to viewers with his Season 8 death in the “Honor” episode, concluding the 18-year-old’s compelling storyline.
2 Eleven — 'Stranger Things' (2016-2024)
Millie Bobby Brown’s breakthrough performance as Eleven in Stranger Things solidified the preteen as a child star. The science fiction horror drama is carried by a teenage cast, but Brown’s portrayal of Eleven leads the charge.
The young actress' performance garnered two Primetime Emmy nominations during the first two seasons of the show. The honor makes Brown one of the youngest actors ever to receive a nomination and proves it’s not just her powers but also her acting chops that justify the massive collection of viewers that stream the show for her character.
1 Arya Stark — 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
Maisie Williams began her acting career on Game of Thrones as Arya Stark. The rookie showed no signs of stage fright and quickly became one of the series' most fascinating characters.
The youngest sister from House Stark fights to distinguish herself among her older siblings, similar to Williams competing to stand out from her older cast mates. The actress successfully stood out by convincing a skeptical audience that a teenager could go toe to toe with some of the fiercest swordsmen in Westeros. The actress had slain three of the names on her kill list by the time she was nineteen years old.