Does age help or hurt Oscar-nominated actors’ chances of winning a statuette?

Abstract

Using publicly available data from 97 Academy Awards ceremonies between 1929 and 2025, we analyze whether the chances of winning an Oscar for best actor in leading or supporting roles are associated with the age of the nominee relative to the pool of nominees in the same year and category. We find that among male nominees, age helps their chances of winning. Among female nominees, age neither helps nor hurts. Thus, among young nominees, women have better odds of winning than men, whereas among older nominees, men have better odds than women. We discuss potential causes and differences with other sectors. Lastly, we document other patterns among Oscar nominees: (i) the age gap across genders has been stable; (ii) the growth in average age matches US population trends; and (iii) having received an Oscar hurts the chances of winning another statuette.