Top 20 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers on TV

Born April 14, 1975

Many know him for his starring role as Worm alongside Samuel L. Jackson in the 2005 film “Coach Carter.” That wasn’t the only basketball player Antwon Tanner portrayed during the 2000s. Tanner also played a key role in the television series “One Tree Hill,” which originally came out in 2003. Tanner was 28 years old when the term drama first came out. His character is commonly referred to as “Skills,” due to his exceptional ability on the basketball court. For the first few seasons, he’s a high school peer and teammate of the main characters, Lucas and Nathan.

Born October 3, 1973

Rory Gilmore’s good friend and high school classmate, Lane Kim, exemplifies the youthful process of self-discovery, while balancing personal interests with parental approval. She often struggles to assert her own decisions in contrast to her strict mother’s expectations. Although, the actress portraying Lane in “Gilmore Girls” was more than old enough to make her own choices at the time of the series premiere. Keiko Agena turned 27 just two days prior. Yet, her character Lane is 16 at the start of the show. She navigates typical high school experiences, including academics, friendships, and her love for music.

Born July 23, 1970

Cast alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar to lead Joss Whedon’s series about a demon-slaying cheerleader, Charisma Carpenter plays Buffy’s sidekick Cordelia Chase. She had an even bigger role in the spin-off “Angel”. But Carpenter was more than a few years removed from high school. She was 27 when “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” first aired, but her fresh face presented the ideal look for the would-be transformative show. Before then, Carpenter had only a few credits to her name, including “Baywatch” and “Boy Meets World.” But it was on “Buffy” where she was able to show off more than just her good looks.

Born January 18, 1988

The lead singer of Josie and the Pussycats has got vocals for days. Josie McCoy is just a high schooler when she puts her musical talent on display in the hit CW series “Riverdale.” In the first few seasons, she’s a teen at Riverdale High alongside Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and the rest of the crew. Actress Ashleigh Murray, who plays Josie, turned 28 just over a week before the comic-book-inspired TV series came out. And let’s not forget Charles Melton–who was 26 years old when he made his series debut as Reggie Mantle– another classmate of the core four. Of course, Murray earns the spot here as her age gap with her character was bigger.

Born June 24, 1980

Before melting the hearts of both men and women alike in the NBC hit TV series, the daughter of former Aerosmith-er Rick Dufay was relatively unknown. When the first episode of “Friday Night Lights” premiered in 2006, however, Kelly beautifully captured the essence of high school drama when she starred as Lyla Garrity, despite already having 26 years under her belt. Kelly's looks may attract a certain demographic, but her graceful beauty emits a sweetheart vibe as well. She wasn’t the only one on the show who pulled off a significantly younger character either; her co-star Taylor Kitsch was also born in the early 1980s.

Born September 16, 1992

He may only be a teenager, but John B. in the Netflix series “Outer Banks” has treasure on his mind, no matter what dangers get in the way. He and his Pogue friends are all about 16 years old when their journey to find the Royal Merchant begins. Chase Stokes takes the crown for oldest actor to portray one of the teen characters in the show. He was 27 years old when the series debuted in April, 2020. By the time Season 3 of “Outer Banks” was released, Chase Stokes had already turned 30, while his character John B. remained a teenager.

Born April 27, 1991

Have you ever wondered how old Paxton in the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever” actually is? He can’t truly be a junior in high school, can he? Correct. Darren Barnet, who portrays the popular teenage boy at school, turned 29 on the same day that the “Never I Have I Ever” pilot dropped. Now that must be a nice birthday present! Co-creator of the show, Lang Fisher, claimed that she didn’t even know how old Barnet was when he was cast as Paxton. Although the series was generally a hit, the age discrepancy certainly sparked conversation on social media.

Born January 20, 1967

After the massive success of Amy Heckerling’s 1995 film “Clueless,” ABC quickly developed a sitcom version for their TGIF lineup. While Stacey Dash beautifully displayed how Dionne Davenport got down at Bronson Alcott High, she was close to reaching the big 3-0 by the time the premiere episode aired. That is, like, way too old to be in high school. Dash was one of the few cast members to return to the series in her original role, and she continued to play the part perfectly, despite being 32 by the time the series wrapped.

Born April 26, 1977

For those who are interested in the life of Superman before he became Superman, “Smallville” is a good place to go. People jumped at the opportunity to see the pilot episode in 2001, to such an extent that it had record-breaking ratings for a WB Television Network debut. At the time of the pilot, though, actor Tom Welling was already a young man. He was 24 years old when he began portraying a young Clark Kent in the years leading up to and following his discovery of his otherworldly abilities. In Season 1, Clark is portrayed as a 14-to-15-year-old boy. That’s about 10 years younger than Welling was.

Born May 11, 1982

As one of the more heartbreaking examples of celebrities who suffered from substance use disorder, Cory Monteith went Hollywood in the mid-2000s and sustained a working career in both TV and film. It's Monteith's role as Finn Hudson on the FOX sensation “Glee” that gained not only earned critical acclaim, but also stunned viewers once they learned that Cory had recently turned 27 years old when the series premiered in May of 2009. For 4 seasons, he delivered time and time again. But unfortunately Cory passed away in 2013, at only 31 years old.

Born October 23, 1986

Believe it or not, our dear Khaleesi was actually supposed to be 15 years old in the first season of “Game of Thrones.” But considering Emilia Clarke’s chops, HBO didn’t seem bothered by stats from the source material in this case. Despite appearing to be in her late teens in the first season, Clarke was actually 24 years old. The youthful presence made Daenerys a polarizing figure long before her controversial heel turn in the final season. Natalie Dormer is another “Game of Thrones” actress with a significantly greater number of years under her belt than her young character, Margaery Tyrell. It’s just not to the same extent as Clarke, though, which is why Clarke gets the spot here.

Born August 22, 1988

The actress who plays McAfee Westbrook, a student campaign strategist in “The Politician,” was old enough to be a U.S. Senator when the show first aired. That’s right; Laura Dreyfuss was 31 when her teenage character reached audiences. In the US, the minimum age requirement to be a Senator is 30. McAfee’s advice for her friend Payton Hobart certainly suggests she knows what she’s doing when it comes to strategy and insight for a student government campaign. When it comes to age, McAfee’s professional outfits throughout the series make her look more mature.

Born December 30, 1969

Season 2 marks the first appearance of 16-year-old Andie McPhee in Capeside, Massachusetts. This bright, driven, and friendly teenager in the WB series “Dawson’s Creek” is portrayed by Meredith Monroe. The actress was 29 years old– 13 or so years older than her character– when she first appeared on screen as Andie. The character is a sophomore in high school in Season 2, a junior in Season 3, and a senior in Season 4. This means that Monroe portrayed a high school teenager on the TV screen after turning 30.

Born March 23, 1987

Jasmine Flores doesn’t always behave like just a kid in the Netflix teen dramedy “On My Block.” There are instances where she displays a maturity beyond her years. But, after all, she is still a kid. However, the same can’t be said for the actress who plays her. Jessica Marie Garcia turned 31 a week after “On My Block” premiered and was 33 during the filming of the fourth and final season, while still portraying the teenage character. As it wrapped up, Garcia posted on social media about the impact that the role of Jasmine had on her life.

Born September 9, 1986

The school scoundrel Monty de la Cruz does some brutal things in the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” His presence often entails fights, controversy, and lies. This persona is established early on in his Season 1 appearances. Monty is 16 at the beginning of the show. However, Timothy Granaderos, the actor who plays him, was much older at the time of the Season 1 debut. In fact, he was 30 years old when the show appeared on users’ Netflix homepages. He stuck around for the next couple seasons, too, continuing to portray the troublesome teenage boy.

Born January 2, 1961

Unfortunately for Gabrielle Carteris, it’s likely that no other performance in her career will outweigh the 147-episode run of “Beverly Hills, 90210”. Sure, Andrea Zuckerman wasn’t the most popular of the bunch, as viewers adored the likes of Luke Perry and Ian Ziering even more – both of whom were in their early to mid-20s while playing teenagers on screen – but the general public always seemed to wonder the true age of Gabrielle Carteris. Sure, she’s wasn’t quite an old lady, but she was nearly 30 when the first episode aired, as was Trevor Donovan when he played “Teddy” on the show’s reboot that aired in 2008.

Born August 16, 1985

This isn't just your typical new girl at school. Arden Cho’s character Kira Yukimura in the MTV supernatural teen drama “Teen Wolf” is a kitsune. This Japanese folklore figure is linked to foxes and possesses supernatural powers. The teenage Kira first appears in Season 3, getting a fresh start in a new town and at a new school. At this time, Cho was nearly 12 years older than her character. Actress Crystal Reed should also be mentioned here, as she was 26 at the time of her debut as high school sophomore Allison Argent. Cho gets the spot here, however, for the slightly larger age gap.

Born April 26, 1977

At one point this guy was primarily known for being the ancestor of Nicolas Cage in the 2004 film “National Treasure.” It wasn’t too long after that when Jason Earles appeared in the sensation known as “Hannah Montana”, taking the part as Miley’s 16-year-old brother Jackson at 29 years of age. With the help of a blossoming superstar, he found his groove in the form of a goofy, teenage brother. By the end of the show’s five-year run, nobody really seemed to appreciate the inexplicable, Benjamin Button-type appearance of the real-life Jackson Stewart, mainly because he doesn’t seem to age whatsoever.

Born January 9, 1987

Not once, but twice did Nicola Coughlan show us that she can effectively portray a teenage girl, despite being in her 30s. Not only that, she brought her much younger characters in “Derry Girls” and “Bridgerton” to life in two completely different time periods. When her 16-year-old character Clare Devlin hit the screen in the teen sitcom “Derry Girls,” Coughlan was about to turn 31 years old. She continued to play the smart, neurotic teenager for all three series. As for her character Penelope in the historical romance series “Bridgerton,” Coughlan was similarly nearly double her character’s age at the time of the premiere. She was 33 playing a 17 year old.

Born March 20, 1979

This actress has been playing a teenager for the past 20 years. Bianca Lawson fittingly made her TV debut at age 14 on “Saved by the Bell: The New Class”. She then had many roles on both sitcoms and dramas throughout the ‘90s and 2000s. So, once Lawson joined “Pretty Little Liars” in 2010, she was already a veteran of the business. The name Maya St. Germain became popular among millennial viewers and beyond, but her Rosewood journey began when Lawson was already 31 years old. Tammin Sursok is another “Pretty Little Liars” actress with a 10-plus year age gap over her teen character at the time of the series premiere. But it doesn’t quite reach the level of Lawson.