Making Oscar history at the tender age of 9 doesn’t happen too often for many rising stars in Hollywood. But for Quvenzhané Wallis her debut role in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” has garnered her the honor of being the youngest ever lead actress Oscar nominee.

If she wins, Wallis, who will be 9 years and 180 days old on Feb. 24, will be the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award in an acting category. The current record holder is Tatum O’Neal, who was 10 years and 148 days old when she claimed Best Supporting Actress honors for “Paper Moon” in 1974.

Since her breakout role in “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Wallis has been cast in the upcoming movie “Twelve Years a Slave,” which also stars Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt, and Michael Fassbender.

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” was nominated for a total of four awards. In addition to Wallis’ nod for Best Actress, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Benh Zeitlin), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Zeitlin again).