Tatum ___, Youngest Ever Oscar Winner (At Age 10, For Best Supporting Actress) Crossword Clue

By: Five Letter Words | Last edited: Apr 27, 2025

Searching for the answer to the "Tatum ___, youngest-ever Oscar winner (at age 10, for Best Supporting Actress)" crossword clue from the April 27, 2025 New York Times Mini puzzle? We've identified the exact 5-letter solution you're seeking. To enhance your puzzle-solving journey, we've created interactive features that make the experience more engaging. Our letter-by-letter reveal function allows you to uncover the answer at your own pace, while our thoughtfully curated resources—including pattern recognition hints, alternative clues with identical answers, or comprehensive explanations—provide valuable guidance for your approach. We've also simplified navigation between related clues from the same puzzle, enabling you to solve multiple challenges with ease. Ready to discover this piece of Academy Awards history? Let's find the answer together!

Crossword Answer:

NEW YORK TIMES MINI, APRIL / 27 / 2025
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About This Clue

The April 27, 2025 New York Times Mini Crossword featured the clue "Tatum ___, youngest-ever Oscar winner (at age 10, for Best Supporting Actress)" with the answer ONEAL. This clue refers to Tatum O'Neal, who made film history when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1974 for her role in "Paper Moon," directed by Peter Bogdanovich. In the film, she starred alongside her father, Ryan O'Neal, playing a Depression-era con artist's daughter. At just 10 years old when she received the award, she became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Oscar in any category—a record she still holds today, over 50 years later. This type of clue relies on knowledge of film history and pop culture, but the additional information provided in the clue (the age at which she won and the category) offers enough context to help many solvers identify her last name even if they weren't previously familiar with this piece of Academy Awards trivia.

Film History Context

Tatum O'Neal's Oscar win for "Paper Moon" in 1974 represents a remarkable milestone in film history. Her performance as Addie Loggins, a resourceful and sharp-witted orphan who teams up with a con man (played by her real-life father Ryan O'Neal), garnered universal acclaim. What makes her achievement even more extraordinary is that "Paper Moon" was her film debut, making her one of the few actors to win an Academy Award for their first screen appearance. The black-and-white film, set during the Great Depression, showcased her remarkable talent and natural screen presence. O'Neal beat out established actresses for the award, including Linda Blair for "The Exorcist" and Candy Clark for "American Graffiti." Following her historic win, she appeared in several notable films in the 1970s, including "The Bad News Bears" (1976) and "Little Darlings" (1980). Her record as the youngest competitive Oscar winner has stood for five decades—the next youngest winner, Anna Paquin, was 11 when she won for "The Piano" in 1994. O'Neal's achievement remains a fascinating piece of Hollywood history, making her surname a perfect answer for this crossword clue.

NYT Mini Crossword Tips

When solving clues that reference famous people like "Tatum ___, youngest-ever Oscar winner" in the NYT Mini Crossword, several strategies can help. First, notice how specific facts in the clue—her age (10) and the award category (Best Supporting Actress)—provide context that can help identify the person even if you weren't familiar with her. These detailed clues often appear in crosswords because they offer multiple access points for different solvers. Second, for fill-in-the-blank clues with last names, consider common surnames that fit the letter count. With five letters, "ONEAL" (or O'Neal, without the apostrophe for crossword purposes) fits perfectly. Film and entertainment references are common in the NYT Mini, so developing a working knowledge of major award winners, especially those with unusual or record-setting distinctions, can be helpful. This clue also demonstrates how crosswords often compress proper names that contain apostrophes—while her name is properly spelled "O'Neal," crosswords typically omit punctuation, rendering it as "ONEAL." Being aware of these conventions can help you solve similar clues more quickly in the future.

Related Crossword Answers

ONEAL

Clue: "Ryan of 'Love Story'"

OSCAR

Clue: "Academy Award statuette"

PAPER

Clue: "First word in Tatum O'Neal's Oscar-winning film"

TATUM

Clue: "Actress O'Neal or jazz pianist Art"

More Clues & Answers For The New York Times Mini (April 27, 2025)

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