Child prodigies
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
and children who have exceptional talents frequently figure in entertainment media. This article indicates some examples of characters cited as child prodigies in such media.
In comics
*
Adhemar, son of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unt ...
in the eponymous Belgian comic strip series ''
The Adventures of Nero
''The Adventures of Nero'' or ''Nero'' was a Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of its main character. The original title ranged from ''De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam'' in 1947 to ''De Avonturen van Nero en zijn Hoed ...
'' is a five year old who is so intelligent
that he teaches at both the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
and
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. He has his own laboratory in
Kobbegem
Kobbegem is a village that is now part of the municipality of Asse, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by ...
and invents numerous new inventions, including rockets, medicines, robots, and atomic formulae.
*
Dilton Doiley
Dilton Donald Doiley is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe, where he is considered the smartest teenager in Riverdale High School.
History
Characters resembling Dilton (in appearance and personality) appeared quite early in A ...
from the Archie comic book series is the smartest teenager in Riverdale and is an amateur inventor.
*
Génial Olivier
Génial Olivier (''Brilliant Olivier'') is a humorous Belgian comic series about a child prodigy. Written and drawn by Jacques Devos, it first appeared in '' Spirou'' magazine in 1963 and lasted a quarter of a century, ending with Devos' retirem ...
, the main protagonist of the eponymous Belgian comic strip series by
Jacques Devos
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...
is a boy genius whose inventions drive the plot of many of his stories.
*
Itachi Uchiha
is a character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Itachi is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha, and is responsible for killing all the members of their clan, sparing only Sasuke. He appears working as a ter ...
, Sasuke's older brother and character in the manga and anime series ''
Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. ...
'', is considered a genius by the Uchiha Clan.
*
Kakashi Hatake
is a fictional character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the story, Kakashi is the teacher of Team 7, consisting of the series' primary characters, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sak ...
, introduced as the trainer of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, was a child prodigy who graduated the ninja academy at age 5, becoming a full-fledged ninja at age 12.
*
Minato Namikaze
The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use superhuman abilities in combat. The ...
, Naruto's father and the
Fourth Hokage
The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use superhuman abilities in combat. The s ...
was recognised as a prodigy.
*
Chiyo Mihama
This is a list of characters from the manga series ''Azumanga Daioh'' by Kiyohiko Azuma, later adapted to anime.
The main cast consists of six schoolgirls and two teachers, along with a few secondary characters, the latter including Kimura-se ...
, a character in the manga and anime series ''
Azumanga Daioh
is a Japanese '' yonkoma'' comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized from February 1999 to May 2002 in the monthly magazine '' Dengeki Daioh'' by MediaWorks; three additional chapters were publishe ...
'', is a prodigy who is allowed to skip several grades and attend high school at age 10.
*
Urumi Kanzaki, a character in the manga and anime series ''
Great Teacher Onizuka
''Great Teacher Onizuka'', officially abbreviated as ''GTO'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January 1997 to February 2 ...
'', is a prodigy with an IQ over 200, can speak 5 languages, and was able to do differential calculus in elementary school.
*In the manga and anime ''
Fullmetal Alchemist
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected the ...
'', both
Edward Elric
is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa. Edward, titled the , is the youngest State Alchemist in the history of the fictional country of Amestris. His left leg was ...
and
Winry Rockbell
is a fictional character from Hiromu Arakawa's ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations. Winry is a teenage mechanic who often spends time with the central characters, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are childhood friends ...
are noted as being child prodigies, Edward for performing advanced alchemy at age 11, and Winry for becoming a skilled automail (cybernetic prosthetics) mechanic at the same age. Edward's brother
Alphonse Alphonse may refer to:
* Alphonse (given name)
* Alphonse (surname)
* Alphonse Atoll
Alphonse Atoll is one of two atolls of the Alphonse Group, the other being St. François Atoll — both in the Outer Islands (Coralline Seychelles) coral arch ...
also performed the same alchemy with Ed at age 10, but most people who don't know him well don't realize that he's a child.
*In the manga and both anime series of ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine '' Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The s ...
'', fifteen-year-old Hotaru Tomoe shows signs of a girl prodigy at the young age of four, being the lookalike
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...
of
Sailor Saturn
is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Her spirit resides deep within , a twelve-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who is her lookalike reincarnation, which makes Sailor Saturn her alter ego; entirely a ...
herself, who has transferred some of her powers to her host since their
rebirth
Rebirth may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Film
* ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film
* ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film
* ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth
* ''The R ...
.
*In the manga and anime series ''
Nichijou
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi. The manga began serialization in the December 2006 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's manga magazine '' Shōnen Ace'', and was also serialized in '' Comptiq'' between the March 2 ...
'', the character Hakase Shinonome (literally "Professor Shinonome") is a child genius who created a robot (Nano Shinonome) at age 7, but otherwise acts like any other child.
*In the Brazilian comic franchise ''
Monica's Gang
''Monica's Gang'' or ''Monica and Friends'' ( Portuguese: ''Turma da Mônica''; British English: ''Monica & Friends'') is a Brazilian comic book series and media franchise created by Mauricio de Sousa.
The series originated in a newspaper com ...
'', Franklin (Franjinha) is a 10-year-old child scientist who owns his own laboratory and is frequently creating new machines and formulas that almost always fall into the hands of his friends causing trouble.
In literature
* In the 1988 novel ''
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
'' by
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has b ...
, the eponymous Matilda Wormwood, is, according to the
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, "a child prodigy who
sunloved by her parents."
* In ''
Evil Genius'', ''
Genius Squad
Catherine Jinks (born 1963) is an Australian writer of fiction books for all age groups. She has won many awards including the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award four times, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the Au ...
'', and ''
Genius Wars
Catherine Jinks (born 1963) is an Australian writer of fiction books for all age groups. She has won many awards including the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award four times, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the Au ...
'' by
Catherine Jinks
Catherine Jinks (born 1963) is an Australian writer of fiction books for all age groups. She has won many awards including the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award four times, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the ...
, Cadel Piggot is a child genius who enrolls in a "University of Evil".
* In the 1985 novel ''
Ender's Game
''Ender's Game'' is a 1985 military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. Set at an unspecified date in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind after two conflicts with an insectoid alien species they d ...
'',
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a fictional character from Orson Scott Card's 1985 science fiction novel ''Ender's Game'' and its sequels (''Speaker for the Dead'', ''Xenocide'', ''Children of the Mind'', ''Ender in Exile''), as well as in the first p ...
, Bean, Petra Arkanian, and a group of also exceptionally talented child geniuses known as "
Ender's jeesh" are recruited by an organization known as the International Fleet in order to unknowingly command fleets against an alien species to save the Earth.
* In the series ''
Artemis Fowl
''The Fowl Adventures'' is a series of eleven fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer revolving around various members of the Fowl family. The first cycle, ''Artemis Fowl'', follows elf LEP recon officer Holly Short as she faces th ...
'' of books by
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the ''Artemis Fowl'' series. In September 2008, Colf ...
,
Artemis Fowl II
Dr. Artemis Fowl II is the eponymous character of the '' Artemis Fowl'' series by Eoin Colfer.
Fictional character biography Origins
Colfer has said that he based Artemis on his younger brother Donal, who as a child was "a mischievous master ...
starts as a 12-year-old child prodigy and ages throughout the series.
* In the works of
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in ''S ...
(''
Nine Stories'', ''
Franny and Zooey
''Franny ''and'' Zooey'' is a book by American author J. D. Salinger which comprises his short story "Franny" and novella ''Zooey'' . The two works were published together as a book in 1961, having originally appeared in ''The New Yorker'' in 19 ...
'', ''
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction''), the children in the Glass family are considered to be child prodigies. All seven children appeared on the radio quiz show "''
It's a Wise Child''."
* In ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
'',
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. He is an exceptionally skilled wizard whose sarcastic, controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraf ...
is described as a former child prodigy who, as a bullied teenager, briefly sides with series antagonist
Voldemort
Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Ston ...
.
*
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a Character (arts), character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in ''Harry Potter and the Ph ...
, the most powerful sorcerer in the
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
universe, second to
Albus Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is ...
. He was the most brilliant student who ever went to
Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scottish boarding school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series and serves as a maj ...
.
* In the ''
Legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
'' trilogy written by
Marie Lu
Marie Lu (born 陸希未) is a Chinese-American young adult author. She is best known for the ''Legend'' series, novels set in a dystopian and militarized future, as well as the Young Elites series, the Warcross series, and ''Batman: Nightwalker' ...
, June Iparis is described as a child prodigy, having scored full on her Republic's Trial.
* In ''Genius: The Game'', Rex, a genius programmer and hacker, Tunde, engineer who created his small Nigerian village's solar power tower, and Cai, a blogger who is a master of disguise, set to expose underhand Chinese government deals, are all kids under eighteen invited to participate in 'THE GAME', where 200 of the world's brightest minds will face challenges set by Kiran Biswes, the young CEO of a company named "OndScan".
*In the series ''
The Mysterious Benedict Society
''The Mysterious Benedict Society'' is a quartet of children's books by Trenton Lee Stewart chronicling the adventures of four children, initially gathered together by the eccentric Mr. Benedict. The first children's novels written by Stewart, ...
'', the main characters Reynie Muldoon, George "Sticky" Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire have been described as child prodigies.
*In ''The School for Gifted Potentials'' series, Everett is identified as highly gifted despite purposely scoring low on the entrance test. Students either enroll in the school from birth by gifted parents or are invited by “Observers”.
*''
High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World'' is light novel also developed into a manga and an anime, about seven child prodigies sent to a fantasy world.
In films
* Will from ''
Good Will Hunting
''Good Will Hunting'' is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver.
The film received positiv ...
'' played by Matt Damon.
* Billy Elliot in ''
Billy Elliot
''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...
'' (2000), a dance prodigy.
*
Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the ...
, in ''
The Phantom Menace
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' (1999), features the 9-year-old boy who is a brilliant pilot, technician, mechanic and engineer. He later becomes a member of the elite
Jedi Knights, but clashes with authority and falls to the
dark side of the Force, eventually becoming Darth Vader in ''
Revenge of the Sith
Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
''.
* Harold Wormser, ''
Revenge of the Nerds
''Revenge of the Nerds'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. The film's plot chronicles a group of nerds at the fictional Adams College trying ...
'' (1984). A twelve-year-old child prodigy in the first film, reluctantly went into college by his parents at first, but was accepted among his fellow misfits and was helpful in many of their capers against the rival campus jocks that bullied them in the film series.
*Dade Murphy, ''
Hackers
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
'' (1995). He hacked and crashed exactly 1,507 systems of the New York Stock Exchange at the age of 11.
*
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The char ...
, ''
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
'' (2008). He built his first circuit board at age 6, his first engine (a V8) at 8 and graduated summa cum laude from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...
(MIT) at 17.
* Fred Tate, ''
Little Man Tate
''Little Man Tate'' is a 1991 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Jodie Foster (in her List of directorial debuts, directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Scott Frank. The film stars Adam Hann-Byrd as Fred Tate, ...
'' (1991). A particularly clever young boy suffers from burnout.
* Stanley Spector, ''
Magnolia
''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...
'' (1999). The character is an eminent contestant on the quiz show ''What Do Kids Know?'' His greedy father capitalizes off of his son's success and constantly pressures him to win. The emotional distress that this pressure, along with alienation from society caused by being perceived as an amusing object, eventually becomes evident.
* ''
The Royal Tenenbaums
''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. It stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson ...
'' (2001) concerns "a family composed of three child prodigies".
* Jamal Wallace, ''
Finding Forrester
''Finding Forrester'' is a 2000 American drama film written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. In the film, a black teenager, Jamal Wallace ( Rob Brown), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chance, Jamal befriend ...
'' (2000), is a genius teenager.
* August in ''
August Rush
''August Rush'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. The screenplay is by Nick Castle and James V. Hart, with a story by Paul Castro and Castle. A co-production between the United Stat ...
'' (2007) possesses a deep understanding of the concept of music and a musical talent far exceeding his adult peers, including his parents. In the film, he is capable of creating, mastering, and performing his own symphony in front of thousands.
* Nathan in ''
A Brilliant Young Mind
''X+Y'', released in the US as ''A Brilliant Young Mind'', is a 2014 British drama film directed by Morgan Matthews and starring Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins.
The film, inspired by the 2007 documentary ''Beautiful Young ...
'' (2014) is a mathematical prodigy. Comprehending to love as imaginary, he ignores initially his mother's caring behaviour. When he falls in love, he understands that love is not bound to any formula.
*
Hiro Hamada
Hiro Takachiho is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in ''Sunfire & Big Hero 6'' #1 and was created by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau.
The character is known as Hiro ...
in ''
Big Hero 6'' (2014) is a robotics genius that graduated from high school early, and was admitted to university at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology at the age of 14.
*Mary Adler (played by
Mckenna Grace
Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress. She began acting professionally at the age of six, with her earliest roles including Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom ''Crash & Bernstein'' (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in t ...
) in ''
Gifted
Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming. It is thought to persist as a trait into adult life, wit ...
'' (2017) is a mathematical prodigy whose late mother was a mathematician. She expressed an interest in solving the
Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem which her mother was working on.
* Lynn in ''
Bad Genius
''Bad Genius'', known in Thai as ''Chalard Games Goeng'' (), is a 2017 Thai heist thriller film produced by Jor Kwang Films and distributed by GDH 559. It was directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, and stars Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying in her f ...
'' (2017) is a straight-A student who accepted into a prestigious school, was devises an exams-cheating scheme which eventually rises to international levels.
In television
* In ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures
''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BB ...
'', Sarah Jane's adopted son Luke is a child prodigy with the ability to remember numbers with over 20 digits after only a glance beforehand.
*In ''
Code Lyoko
''Code Lyoko'' () is a French animated television series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo and produced by Antefilms Production (season 1) and MoonScoop Group (seasons 2-4) for France 3 and Canal J, with the participation of Conseil Gén ...
'',
Jeremy Belpois
''Code Lyoko'' () is a French animated television series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo and produced by Antefilms Production (season 1) and MoonScoop Group (seasons 2-4) for France 3 and Canal J, with the participation of Conseil G� ...
is a child genius and an expert in quantum physics and science. At 11, he builds a time machine and could create a materialization program that teleports humans into a virtual plane. It is also shown that he can easily create a clone of himself and his friends, and knows Morse code. Aelita, who was believed to be a humanoid virtual being, is exceptionally gifted due to being the daughter of computer scientist Franz Hopper, the creator of the quantum supercomputer, the virtual world Lyoko, and X.A.N.A. himself.
*In ''
Code Lyoko: Evolution'', Jeremie Belpois seems to have met his match with the appearance of girl-genius
Laura Gauthier.
* In ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ...
'',
Stewie Griffin
Stewart "Stewie" Gilligan Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy''. He was born in 1998 and is voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Gr ...
is portrayed as a child prodigy already as a baby.
* In ''
Smart Guy
''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson ( Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, att ...
'', T.J Henderson (played by
Tahj Mowry
Tahj Dayton Mowry (; born May 17, 1986) is an American actor. He is the brother of identical twin actresses Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry and is known for his role on the show ''Smart Guy'' as the main character TJ on The WB, though the show gaine ...
) skips 6 grades and goes straight from 4th grade to 10th grade. T.J deals with the trial and tribulations of a kid in high school. He joins his 16-year-old brother Marcus (played by
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom ''Smart Guy,'' Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom ''Thea'' from 1993 to 1994, and the pre-teenaged M ...
) and his friend Mo (played by
Omar Gooding
Omar Miles Gooding Sr., also known by his stage name, Big O[The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...](_blank)
'',
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Lee Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D., is a fictional character in the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'' and its spinoff series ''Young Sheldon'', portrayed by actors Jim Parsons and Iain Armitage respectively (with Parsons as the latt ...
(played by
Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lea ...
) has an IQ of 187 and an
eidetic memory
Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...
. He went to college when he was 11 and received his Ph.D. when he was 16. When he was 14, Sheldon tested out lasers and the college teacher who saw was shushed by the government. Also, in the episode "The Jerusalem Duality",
Dennis Kim, a 15-year-old physics child prodigy appears and clashes with Sheldon when the former excels the latter in every way. In the prequel spin-off series, ''
Young Sheldon
''Young Sheldon'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro for CBS. The series, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is a spin-off prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'' and begins with the ...
,'' Sheldon Cooper (
Iain Armitage
Iain Armitage (; born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor. He is known for starring as Sheldon Cooper in '' Young Sheldon'', a prequel to '' The Big Bang Theory'', and Ziggy Chapman in '' Big Little Lies''. In 2018, Armitage received the ...
) met another precocious but troubled child named
Paige Swanson (
Mckenna Grace
Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress. She began acting professionally at the age of six, with her earliest roles including Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom ''Crash & Bernstein'' (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in t ...
). Sheldon also got admitted into the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
.
* In ''
CSI'', there are two episodes (The Unusual Suspect and Goodbye and Good Luck) where the character of Hannah West, a 12-year-old child prodigy, appears. In the first episode, she was in senior year in high school, and in the second (two years later), she was already a teacher's assistant in college.
* In ''
Breakout Kings
''Breakout Kings'' is an American drama television series that aired on the A&E network. It is a production of Fox 21. The series was created, written, and executive-produced by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, who previously worked together o ...
'',
Lloyd Lowery
The following is a list of characters in the A&E drama series ''Breakout Kings''.
The Team
Charlie Duchamp
Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso), a Deputy U.S. Marshal and head of the task force. He came from the Department of Criminal Program Analysis ...
(
Jimmi Simpson
Jimmi Simpson (born November 21, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his work on television, which includes recurring roles as Liam McPoyle on ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' (2005–2013), Lyle the Intern on ''The Late Show ...
) is a former child prodigy who graduated high school at 12, college at 16, and medical school at 20. He has an IQ of 210.
* In ''
Doogie Howser, M.D.
''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' is an American medical sitcom that ran for four seasons on ABC from September 19, 1989, to March 24, 1993, totaling 97 episodes. Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, the show stars Neil Patrick Harris in the titl ...
'', the title character is a child prodigy who has graduated from medical school and practices medicine.
* In the television show ''
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
'', the character of
River Tam
River Tam is a fictional character of the ''Firefly'' franchise.
River is portrayed by actress Summer Glau in the 2002 TV series ''Firefly'' and the 2005 film ''Serenity''. The nature of the character and her role in the franchise has garnered ...
(played by
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau (; born July 24, 1981) is an American actress best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy television series: as River Tam in ''Firefly'' (2002) and its continuation film ''Serenity'' (2005), as Tess Doerner in ''The ...
) is shown as a prodigy throughout the show, having started to correct her elder brother's spelling at an early age, as well as seeing flaws and "fallacious conclusions" in one of his textbooks. She is also able of feats such as calculating in her head a course for the show's spaceship destination.
* In the television show ''
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
'',
Micah Sanders
This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'', the List of Heroes graphic novels, ''Heroes'' graphic novels, and the ''Heroes'' webisodes.
Main characters
Character duration
In i ...
is a computer hacker who is a child prodigy.
* In the television show ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'', one of the main characters, the socially awkward
Spencer Reid
Dr. Spencer Reid is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'', portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler. Reid is a genius with an IQ of 187 and can read 20,000 words per minute with an eidetic memory. He is the youngest member of t ...
(played by
Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler (, ; born March 9, 1980) is an American actor, filmmaker, fashion model, painter, illustrator, director, and author. He is best known for his role as criminal profiler Dr. Spencer Reid in the CBS television show ''Criminal Mi ...
) is a former child prodigy who has an IQ of 187, an
eidetic memory
Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...
, and can read 20,000 words per minute. He graduated from high school at the age of 12, and between the ages of 16 and 21, he received three doctorates (mathematics, chemistry, and engineering), and two bachelor's degrees (psychology, and sociology). He joined the
BAU at 22, and currently works on a team who catch criminals through behavioral profiling. He has shown hints of
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wi ...
, and is speculated of having
Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavi ...
.
* In the television show ''
'',
Elyes Gabel
Elyes Cherif Gabel (; born 8 May 1983) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Dr Gurpreet "Guppy" Sandhu in the BBC medical drama '' Casualty'' (2004–2007), computer genius Walter O'Brien in the CBS series ''Scorpion ...
plays wunderkind and boy genius,
Walter O'Brien
Walter O'Brien (born 24 February 1975) is an Irish businessman and information technologist. He was also the executive producer and loose inspiration of the television series '' Scorpion''. He is known for claiming various accomplishments, incl ...
, inspired by the real-life genius,
Walter O'Brien
Walter O'Brien (born 24 February 1975) is an Irish businessman and information technologist. He was also the executive producer and loose inspiration of the television series '' Scorpion''. He is known for claiming various accomplishments, incl ...
.
* In the TV show ''
Numb3rs
''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...
'', one of the main characters,
Charlie Eppes
Charles Edward Eppes, Ph.D., is a fictional character and one of the protagonists of the CBS crime drama ''Numb3rs''. He is portrayed by David Krumholtz.
Eppes is portrayed as a young mathematical genius and professor of applied mathematics at ...
(played by
David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He played Mr. Universe in ''Serenity'', Charlie Eppes in the CBS drama series ''Numb3rs'', and starred in the '' Harold & Kumar'' and '' The Santa Clause'' film franchises.
...
), is a child prodigy. At the age of three he was multiplying four digit numbers in his head. At age 13 he started attending Princeton University and graduated at age 16. He now helps his brother Don solve cases for the FBI.
* In the TV series ''The Pretender (TV series), The Pretender'' (1996–2000), the main character, Jarod, is a former child prodigy who, as an adult, is capable of emulating any person within various fields of work or situations with only a minimal amount of research.
* In ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Wesley Crusher was a child prodigy who was not well received by fans of the show.
* In the TV series ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', the 11-year-old Gary Coleman of ''Diff'rent Strokes'' plays genius Hieronymus Fox.
*In the TV series ''227 (TV series), 227'', Countess Vaughn plays the Jenkins' houseguest Alexanderia Dewitt, an 11-year-old child prodigy with an I.Q. of 195 and a college freshman.
* In ''seaQuest DSV'', Lucas Wolenczak is a child prodigy who graduated from Stanford magna cum laude with a degree in Applied Principles of Artificial Intelligence. He left Stanford in the middle of his Ph.D. to become a member of the science crew aboard seaQuest at 16. His GPA record was never broken, even after 15-plus years.
* In ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', the Jimmy Neutron, titular character is a fifth grader whose IQ is off the charts, and, in one episode, went to college at age ten.
* In ''Max Headroom (TV series), Max Headroom'', Bryce Lynch is the 16-year-old techno-wiz who runs the Research and Development department at Network 23. Not only did he create Max himself out the mind of reporter Edison Carter, but he is credited in the film book of the original movie as being the one responsible for Network 23's rise to power.
* In ''The Loud House'', Lisa Loud is the four-year-old child prodigy of the Loud family who speaks in scientific terms.
* In ''Mr. Young'', Adam Young is a 14-year-old high school science teacher who attended college at age 9.
* In ''The Simpsons'', Lisa Simpson is an 8-year-old girl who excels at academics, and music, particularly jazz.
* In ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Dexter is a boy genius with a secret laboratory who went to college at 10 years of age.
* In ''Johnny Test'', identical redheaded twins Susan and Mary Test are 13-year-old girl geniuses.
*In ''PAW Patrol'', Ryder builds the team's technology, including the Pup Packs, Vehicles, etc. at 10 years of age
*In ''Your Lie in April'' Kousei Arima performs as a piano player with an orchestra when 8 years old
*Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.
*In ''Dinosaur King'', the siblings Rod and Laura are the grandchildren of the evil genius Dr. Z. They show high knowledge in studies and also the ability to control devices better than people older than them.
*In ''Digimon Adventure 02'', Ken Ichijouji proves to be a child prodigy with a high intelligence. Koushiro Izumi in ''Digimon Adventure'' also demonstrates a fairly high intellect to handle computers.
*In ''MegaMan NT Warrior'', Yai Ayanokoj is a rich girl with high intellect, even studying in the same class as Lan and his friends despite being younger than them.
*In ''Onegai My Melody'', the antagonist Keiichi Hiiragi is shown to be a prodigy since his childhood, being a great violinist and being polite in many other things as well.
*In ''Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Miraculous Ladybug'', Félix Fathom is the youngest to graduate high school in England and is also noted to be a chess prodigy, as well as being a triple medalist in kung fu and horsemanship.
See also
* List of films about mathematicians
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Child Prodigies in Fiction
Lists of fictional children, Prodigy
Fictional child prodigies,