Young Sheldon is full of fun characters played by talented actors, young and old. How do the actor's ages compare to the characters they play?
One of the many things that fans enjoyed about The Big Bang Theory was the phenomenal performances of the cast, which brought Sheldon and co. to life. This made the shoes that needed to be filled by the cast of Young Sheldon rather large. Sheldon himself is a character that can easily become annoying, but the performances of both Jim Parsons and Iain Armitage ensure that audiences find him endearing, while still understanding how his simultaneous genius and cluelessness affect those around him.
As a child, Sheldon is surrounded by his family, neighbors, and friends, whose actors also needed to be able to demonstrate their character's frustrations with the child prodigy, while still showing him adequate affection. These roles are no picnic, and the actors do a great job, especially when one considers their ages.
George Cooper Jr. - Montana Jordan
George Jr. (Georgie) is the oldest child in the Cooper family. He is different from Sheldon in every way, behaving like a typical, slightly rebellious, teenage boy. As of season 5, Georgie is 17-years-old and has a slightly cocky and lazy attitude. While he can be a little mean to Sheldon, he has a good heart and would ultimately do anything to protect him.
Georgie is played perfectly by 19-year-old Montana Jordan. He is a couple of years older than the character he portrays, which may give him an edge in doing Georgie's complexities justice. Of the cast, he is the only natural-born Texan (via Watch), so his accent is completely genuine.
Missy Cooper - Raegan Revord
Missy is Sheldon's twin sister, who is 12 at the start of season 5. Despite having shared a womb, Missy and Sheldon are complete opposites. She has no interest in academics and struggles through school, but she has a social intelligence that Sheldon could only dream of. Her snarky personality and undeniable street smarts make her one of the funniest characters on Young Sheldon.
14-year-old Raegan Revord is a California-born actress who has spent her life performing (via National Today). Missy is her first major role, but she handles it with maturity beyond her years. Her performance as the snarky Missy just shows that she has a great career ahead of her.
Constance Tucker - Annie Potts
Constance (also known as Connie or Meemaw) is Sheldon's maternal grandmother and a very special figure in his life. As an adult, Sheldon has criticisms for every member of his family, but in his eyes, Meemaw is perfect. She would be 69 in season 5.
70-year-old actress Annie Potts has had an impressive acting career, with roles in Ghost Busters and Pretty in Pink. Her very first role on the screen was back in 1977, alongside Dick O'Neill in Hollywood High.
Mary Cooper - Zoe Perry
Mary Cooper is Sheldon's 42-year-old (in season 5) mother, who does her very best to raise such a precocious child. She is often at a loss about what to do with him, but it is clear in every episode that she adores her son very much.
Mary is portrayed by actress Zoe Perry, who is currently four years younger than her character. She does a remarkable job at imitating the speech and behaviors of the actress who played Mary in TBBT, likely because that actress is none other than her mother, Jackie Harris.
George Cooper Sr. - Lance Barber
George Sr. is a well-meaning father who often misses the mark. He faces a lot of pressure to take care of his family and support his wife, who takes on too much pressure herself. George is 48 in season 5, which is only two years shy of the age that audiences know he will pass away (another serious issue that Young Sheldon will soon explore).
George is played by Lance Barber, who is currently the same age as the character. This could potentially make leading up to George's death even more emotional, with the actor able to truly understand the tragedy it would be to pass at such a young age.
Dr. John Sturgis - Wallace Shawn
John Sturgis is a 71-year-old college professor and fellow genius. He is often regarded as the old version of Sheldon, as they both lack common social skills. He is an important friend to Sheldon and was even in a relationship with Meemaw. Sturgis is also considerably sweeter and more bubbly than Sheldon, referred to by Meemaw as a "teddy bear."
Dr. Sturgis is played by Wallace Shawn, who is nine years older than his character. He started acting late in life, but quickly gained traction, earning fame for his roles in films like The Princess Bride. He also does a lot of voice work, with the actor becoming notorious for voicing Rex in the Toy Story franchise.
Tam Nguyen - Ryan Phuong
Tam is Sheldon's first friend in high school, most likely to the fact that he has an equally difficult time making friends. He is much older than Sheldon, at 18-years-old. His family emigrated to America from Vietnam, and he has witnessed a great deal of trauma in his life, which sometimes results in outbursts.
Tam is played by Ryan Phuong, who is two years older than his character. If fans take a look at his Instagram page, they will also be able to see that he is an avid dancer as well.
Brenda Sparks - Melissa Peterman
Brenda is the blunt and down-to-earth neighbor to the Coopers. At the start of the series, she is rough around the edges and will often mock Mary and her family. However, as time goes on, she shows more signs of compassion. She has developed an attraction to George, who has returned those feelings, leading to the infamous affair that audiences knew about before the start of the show.
It is unclear how old Brenda is, but she is likely close in age to the actress that plays her, Melissa Peterman. Peterman is 51-years-old and is best known for her role as Barbra Jean in the popular sitcom, Reba.
Billy Sparks - Wyatt McClure
Billy is Brenda's 12-year-old son. He is a constant bully to Sheldon, who even talked about Billy in his adulthood on TBBT. While Billy loves to torture Sheldon, he has expressed feelings for Missy. Fans have theorized that Billy could end up being Missy's infamous ex-husband.
Billy may not seem as intelligent as the other characters on the show, but the same cannot be said for 13-year-old Wyatt McClure, who portrays him. If fans of the show take a look on YouTube, they'll see that McClure has a talent for stand-up comedy and has done a number of shows. He has also appeared in a few other roles, such as in the films Psychos, Glass Jaw, and Terror of Hallow's Eve.
Sheldon Cooper - Iain Armitage
Sheldon is the titular character of Young Sheldon that audiences had already gotten to know and love from TBBT. Sheldon is one of the smartest child geniuses on TV, and the search to find a young actor to follow up Jim Parsons' portrayal could not have been easy.
Iain Armitage is 14-years-old, which makes his fantastic performance even more impressive. He also grew up in a theatre-loving family, and showed skill as an actor from an even younger age.
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