Youngest writer to win Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay

[Writr]

I’m just curious, who is the youngest person to win an Oscar for best screenplay written directly for the screen? I thought it was either Matt Damon or Ben Affleck for Good Will Hunting who were in their 20’s but I can’t find any definite answers online.

If anyone knows, please share!

[JoeBanks]

Diablo Cody?

[Writr]

Originally Posted by JoeBanks

Diablo Cody?

She won in 2008 and IMDB says she was born in 1978. So she would have been 29 or 30. I think Matt Damon was around that age and Ben was about 27 or 28.

[RyanJackson]

I'm probably wrong, but wasn't Christopher McQuarrie like 24 or 25 when he won best screenplay for The Usual Suspects? I know he was at least around that age when he wrote it...

[Writr]

Originally Posted by RyanJackson

I'm probably wrong, but wasn't Christopher McQuarrie like 24 or 25 when he won best screenplay for The Usual Suspects? I know he was at least around that age when he wrote it...

According to IMDB the film was released in 1995, won an Oscar in 96 and was born in 1968. So that would have made him 27 or 28 when it got the award and right around Diablo Cody, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck's age.

There's gotta be a writer who won that was around 18, 19, 20-25 years old.

[ontologies]

"Ben Affleck was the youngest. He was 25 when he won the Oscar for Goodwill Hunting in 1997; he was born on Aug. 15th 1972 and the Oscar was awarded on March 24th 1998.

The next youngest was Orson Wells who was 26 when he won for Citizen Cane in 1941; his birthdate was May 6th 1915 and he was awarded the Oscar on February 26th 1942."

I haven't checked the dates but it sounds right.

[9Ball]

Originally Posted by ontologies

"Ben Affleck was the youngest. He was 25 when he won the Oscar for Goodwill Hunting in 1997; he was born on Aug. 15th 1972 and the Oscar was awarded on March 24th 1998.

Well there goes another thing i'll never achieve. Oldest it'll have to be...

[Writr]

Originally Posted by ontologies

"Ben Affleck was the youngest. He was 25 when he won the Oscar for Goodwill Hunting in 1997; he was born on Aug. 15th 1972 and the Oscar was awarded on March 24th 1998.

The next youngest was Orson Wells who was 26 when he won for Citizen Cane in 1941; his birthdate was May 6th 1915 and he was awarded the Oscar on February 26th 1942."

I haven't checked the dates but it sounds right.

Thanks for the info! I must have got my dates and ages wrong. I used the dates you gave and got 25 years old for Ben as well. So Ben beat out Orson Welles by a year. Both are really impressive feats but I would have thought someone under 25 had won by now. Perhaps many under 25 have been nominated though.

Just a quick question, I see you quoted another source for these dates and I was just curious where did you get the info from?

Thanks for your help!

[Arroway]

Depressing thread.

[JoeBanks]

who the **** cares? David Seidler is gonna win Best Original for King's Speech this year and he didn't sell it till he was 73