Actors Who Won an Oscar in Their Debut Role

New Jersey-born Eva Marie Saint played Edie Doyle, the girlfriend of Hoboken longshoreman Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) who pushes him to stand up against corruption in “On the Waterfront.” The role won her an Oscar, and her demure, vulnerable persona earned her roles in other films such as “North by Northwest,” “Raintree County,” and “Exodus.”

Jo Van Fleet was an honored stage actress before she turned to the big screen, winning a Tony Award in 1954 for role in “A Trip to Bountiful.” The following year, she won the Best Supporting Actress statue as James Dean’s estranged mother in “East of Eden.” Van Fleet has 56 acting credits and was busy doing television series in the 1950s and 1960s, such as “Naked City,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” and “The Virginian.”

The daughter of vaudeville performers, Julia Andrews captivated audiences with her voice and charm and became one of the most beloved actresses in movie history. She won the Best Actress Oscar as the title character in “Mary Poppins,” an English nanny with magical talents. Andrews was later nominated for Best Actress in “The Sound of Music” and “Victor Victoria.”

The often-honored Barbra Streisand has been nominated for five Academy Awards and won twice. Of her two Best Actress nominations, the first was for her screen debut for “Funny Girl,” for which she won an Oscar. She was also nominated for Best Actress in the film “The Way We Were.” Her other film credits include “The Owl and the Pussycat,” “Little Fockers,” and “Yentl.”

Tatum O’Neal became the youngest person to win a competitive Academy Award at 10 years old. She played Addie Loggins, a young con artist who swindles people during the Depression along with her adult partner, played by her actual father, Ryan O’Neal. She followed up that success with “The Bad News Bears” and “Little Darlings.” She has 37 acting credits and has done much of her later work on television.