# Best performances by actors under 25 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844 "2010-02-05T20:42:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/1 "2010-02-05T20:42:02Z")
In no particular order. What are your personal favorite performances from actors who were under 25 at the time of shooting? Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause And an obscure one: Elisha Cuthbert in The Quiet ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/2 "2010-02-05T20:46:06Z")
Too bad this wasn’t “actors under 26”…otherwise I’d say Orson Welles in _Citizen Kane_ has this one locked up rather well. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/3 "2010-02-05T20:48:40Z")
- Leonardo DiCaprio in _This Boy’s Life_. I’m not even much of a fan of his later work but I thought he was quite good in this. - James Dean in _East of Eden_. - River Phoenix in _Stand by Me_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/4 "2010-02-05T20:52:01Z")
Marina Golbahari in **Osama** For the US, it’s Linda Manz in **Days of Heaven** ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/5 "2010-02-05T20:55:00Z")
Timothy Hutton in **Ordinary People**. He righteously won the Oscar for his performance. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/6 "2010-02-05T20:56:48Z")
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in **Mysterious Skin**. Amazing to think this was the same kid on “Third Rock from the Sun.” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/7 "2010-02-05T21:01:22Z")
Lina Leandersson, **Let The Right One In** ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/8 "2010-02-05T21:06:12Z")
Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant in “My Left Foot,” and I have no objection to him winning an Oscar. But you know, I thought Hugh O’Connor, who played the young Christie Brown, was at LEAST as good. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/9 "2010-02-05T21:12:40Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Too bad this wasn’t “actors under 26”…otherwise I’d say Orson Welles in _Citizen Kane_ has this one locked up rather well. Same for Heath Ledger who just turned 25 when Brokeback Mountain started filming. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/10 "2010-02-05T21:42:03Z")
Haley Joel Osmont in **The Sixth Sense**. Kid looked _haunted_. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/11 "2010-02-05T21:57:36Z")
Is Traci Lords eligible here? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/12 "2010-02-05T23:19:54Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > - Leonardo DiCaprio in _This Boy’s Life_. I’m not even much of a fan of his later work but I thought he was quite good in this. I was even more impressed with DiCaprio in _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?_ ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/13 "2010-02-05T23:31:43Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > Joseph Gordon-Levitt in **Mysterious Skin**. Amazing to think this was the same kid on “Third Rock from the Sun.” I also loved him in The Lookout. I think he was a bit older than 25 in that one, though. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/14 "2010-02-05T23:35:59Z")
I was very impressed Natalie Portman in Léon (AKA The Professional.) ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/15 "2010-02-06T06:06:04Z")
My dad always says the best child actor was Ron Howard and I’m inclined to agree with him. He was hired for the show at around 5 and he was great. I don’t think he hammed it up, didn’t have trouble with his lines (atleast not from the perspective of the audience) and he played it real believable. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/16 "2010-02-06T06:38:38Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I was very impressed Natalie Portman in Léon (AKA The Professional.) Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Exactly what I cam in here to say. She was simply amazing. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/17 "2010-02-06T08:27:01Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I was even more impressed with DiCaprio in _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?_ On the nosey! First one that came to my mind. He was terrific. IMO he was merely “ordinary” in, and since Titanic. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/18 "2010-02-06T08:33:52Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > - River Phoenix in _Stand by Me_. Nuh-uh: River Phoenix in **Dogfight**. Lili Taylor in the same film as well. And I hesitate to say this, because he was _ **such** _ an ass, even during filming, but Corey Haim in **Lucas**. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/19 "2010-02-06T08:37:13Z")
Judy Garland, **The Wizard of Oz**. What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844/20 "2010-02-06T12:51:11Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Judy Garland, **The Wizard of Oz**. What do I win? For that matter, how about **Shirley Temple**. . . in every single thing she was in? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performances-by-actors-under-25/527844.md?page=2)