Kieran Culkin has won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain, marking the culmination of an exceptional award season.
The 42-year-old actor, widely seen as the frontrunner, beat out nominees Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) to take home his first Oscar.
The victory follows a string of accolades for Culkin in recent months.
Since January 2024, he has won an Emmy for his performance in HBO’s Succession and multiple awards for A Real Pain, including a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
A Real Pain, directed by Eisenberg, tells the story of estranged cousins Benji (Culkin) and Dave (Eisenberg) as they embark on a heritage tour of Poland to learn about their grandmother’s past as a Holocaust survivor. Culkin’s portrayal of the free-spirited but troubled Benji has been praised for its balance of emotional depth and comedic spontaneity.
Born in New York on September 30, 1982, Culkin began acting as a child, appearing in Home Alone (1990) alongside his brother Macaulay Culkin. He later gained critical recognition for Igby Goes Down (2002) but stepped away from Hollywood for several years, taking stage roles before making a major comeback with Succession.
Now, with an Oscar win under his belt, Culkin is set to lend his voice to Squealer in Andy Serkis’ upcoming animated adaptation of Animal Farm.
Despite his recent success, Culkin remains grounded.
Speaking to The New York Times, he emphasised that his biggest joy comes from family life, saying, “Awards are nice, but the real stuff is being home with my kids. That’s the whole point of life.”
