The Triple Crown of Acting is a term used in the American entertainment industry to describe actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories, the highest awards recognized in American film, television, and theater, respectively. [1] The term is related to other competitive areas, such as the Triple Crown of horse racing.
Only 24 people, 15 women and nine men, have achieved the Triple Crown.
Helen Hayes became the first actor to do so with her Emmy Award on February 5, 1953. Less than two months later, Thomas Mitchell became the first man to do so when he received a Tony Award on March 29, 1953. Hayes, Rita Moreno, and Viola Davis are the only Triple Crown winners in competitive acting categories who have also won a Grammy Award to complete the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).
Living winners of the Triple Crown of Acting are Rita Moreno, Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith, Al Pacino, Geoffrey Rush, Ellen Burstyn, Helen Mirren, Frances McDormand, Jessica Lange, and Viola Davis.
The British entertainment industry, which has links with its American counterpart through shared language and frequent cross-Atlantic production, has a Triple Crown of its own, consisting of the BAFTA Film Award, the BAFTA Television Award, and the Laurence Olivier Award.[ citation needed ] The eight actors who have completed the British Triple Crown in competitive acting categories are Judi Dench, Virginia McKenna, Peggy Ashcroft, Nigel Hawthorne, Julie Walters, Albert Finney, Helen Mirren, and Mark Rylance.
Only Helen Mirren has earned both the American and British Triple Crowns.
Actor | Completed | Years to complete | Oscar | Emmy | Tony | Total wins | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Helen Hayes | 1953 | 21 | 1932 | 1953 | 1947 | 5 | |
Thomas Mitchell | 1953 | 13 | 1940 | 1953 | 1953 | 3 | [2] |
Ingrid Bergman | 1960 | 15 | 1945 | 1960 | 1947 | 6 | |
Shirley Booth | 1962 | 13 | 1953 | 1962 | 1949 | 6 | |
Melvyn Douglas | 1968 | 8 | 1964 | 1968 | 1960 | 4 | |
Paul Scofield | 1969 | 7 | 1967 | 1969 | 1962 | 3 | |
Jack Albertson | 1975 | 10 | 1969 | 1975 | 1965 | 4 | |
Rita Moreno | 1977 | 15 | 1962 | 1977 | 1975 | 4 | |
Maureen Stapleton | 1981 | 31 | 1982 | 1968 | 1951 | 4 | |
Jason Robards | 1988 | 29 | 1977 | 1988 | 1959 | 4 | |
Jessica Tandy | 1989 | 42 | 1990 | 1988 | 1948 | 5 | [3] |
Jeremy Irons | 1997 | 13 | 1991 | 1997 | 1984 | 4 | [4] |
Anne Bancroft | 1999 | 41 | 1963 | 1999 | 1958 | 4 | [5] |
Vanessa Redgrave | 2003 | 25 | 1978 | 1981 | 2003 | 4 | [6] |
Maggie Smith | 2003 | 33 | 1970 | 2003 | 1990 | 7 | [7] |
Al Pacino | 2004 | 35 | 1993 | 2004 | 1969 | 5 | [8] |
Geoffrey Rush | 2009 | 12 | 1997 | 2005 | 2009 | 3 | [9] |
Ellen Burstyn | 2009 | 34 | 1975 | 2009 | 1975 | 4 | [10] |
Christopher Plummer | 2011 | 38 | 2012 | 1977 | 1974 | 5 | [11] |
Helen Mirren | 2015 | 19 | 2007 | 1996 | 2015 | 6 | [12] |
Frances McDormand | 2015 | 18 | 1997 | 2015 | 2011 | 5 | [13] |
Jessica Lange | 2016 | 33 | 1983 | 2009 | 2016 | 6 | [14] |
Viola Davis | 2017 | 16 | 2017 | 2015 | 2001 | 4 | [15] |
Glenda Jackson | 2018 | 47 | 1971 | 1972 | 2018 | 6 | [16] |
Years given are the years of the respective ceremonies. Performers are listed in order of completing the Triple Crown.
American actress Helen Hayes (1900–1993) was the first performer to achieve the triple crown of acting, doing so in 1953. Hayes was a 9-time Emmy (1), 3-time Tony (2), and 2-time Oscar (2) nominee, for a total of 14 TC nominations. She won two Oscars, two Tonys and an Emmy for a total of five competitive triple crown awards. She also won a Grammy in 1977 for Best Spoken Word Recording to complete the EGOT, for competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins. Hayes is one of only three Triple Crown winners (along with Rita Moreno and Viola Davis) to have achieved the EGOT.
American actor and writer Thomas Mitchell (1892–1962) completed the triple crown in 1953, two months after Helen Hayes. He was a 3-time Emmy (1), 2-time Oscar (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of six TC nominations. Mitchell won three awards.
Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) completed the triple crown in 1960. She was a 7-time Oscar (3), 3-time Emmy (2), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 11 TC nominations. Bergman won six awards.
American actress Shirley Booth (1898–1992) completed the triple crown in 1962. She was a 4-time Emmy (2), 3-time Tony (3), and 1-time Oscar (1) nominee, for a total of eight TC nominations. Booth won six awards.
American actor Melvyn Douglas (1901–1981) completed the triple crown in 1968. He was a 3-time Oscar (2), 2-time Emmy (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of six TC nominations. Douglas won four awards.
English actor Paul Scofield (1922–2008) completed the triple crown in 1969. He was a 2-time Oscar (1), 1-time Emmy (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of four TC nominations. Scofield won three awards. His seven-year completion is the fastest of any triple crown recipient.
American actor, comedian, dancer and singer Jack Albertson (1907–1981) completed the triple crown in 1975. He was a 5-time Emmy (2), 2-time Tony (1), and 1-time Oscar (1) nominee, for a total of eight TC nominations. Albertson won four awards.
Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer Rita Moreno (born 1931) completed the triple crown in 1977. She is a 6-time Emmy (2), 1-time Oscar (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of eight TC nominations. Her Emmy win saw her complete the EGOT for competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins. Her Grammy win was in 1973 in the Best Recording for Children category. Moreno is the first Hispanic actor to win the Triple Crown and is one of only three Triple Crown winners who have also achieved the EGOT.
American actress Maureen Stapleton (1925–2006) completed the triple crown in 1982. She was a 7-time Emmy (1), 6-time Tony (2), and 4-time Oscar (1) nominee, for a total of 17 nominations. Stapleton won four awards.
American actor Jason Robards (1922–2000) completed the triple crown in 1988. He was an 8-time Tony (1), 5-time Emmy (1), and 3-time Oscar (2) nominee, for a total of 16 TC nominations. Robards won four awards.
British-American actress Jessica Tandy (1909–1994) completed the triple crown in 1990. She was a 5-time Tony (3), 3-time Emmy (1), and 2-time Oscar nominee (1), for a total of 10 TC nominations. Tandy won five awards.
English actor and activist Jeremy Irons (born 1948) completed the triple crown in 1997. He is a 3-time acting Emmy (2), 1-time Oscar (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of five TC nominations. Irons has won four TC awards.
Note: Irons has an additional Emmy win in a non-acting category, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator in 2014 for Game of Lions.
American actress Anne Bancroft (1931–2005) completed the triple crown in 1999. She was a 6-time (1) acting Emmy, 5-time Oscar (1), and 3-time Tony (2) nominee, for a total of 14 TC nominations. Bancroft won four triple crown awards.
Note: Bancroft won an additional Emmy in 1970 in the category Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Variety and Popular Music, as the star of the special Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man.
English actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave (born 1937) completed the triple crown in 2003. She is a 6-time Oscar (1), 6-time Emmy (2), and 3-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Redgrave has won four awards.
English actress Maggie Smith (born 1934) completed the triple crown in 2003. She is a 9-time Emmy (4), 6-time Oscar (2), and 3-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 18 TC nominations. Smith is the first and only Triple Crown winner to win seven awards.
American actor Al Pacino (born 1940) completed the triple crown in 2004. He is a 9-time Oscar (1), 3-time Emmy (2), and 3-time Tony (2) nominee, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Pacino has won five awards.
Australian actor Geoffrey Rush (born 1951) completed the triple crown in 2009. He is a 4-time Oscar (1), 2-time Emmy (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of seven TC nominations. Rush has won three awards.
American actress Ellen Burstyn (born 1932) completed the triple crown in 2009. She is an 8-time Emmy (2), 6-time Oscar (1), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Burstyn has won four awards.
Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (1929–2021) completed the triple crown in 2012. He was a 7-time Emmy (2), 7-time Tony (2), and 3-time Oscar (1) nominee, for a total of 17 TC nominations. Plummer won five awards. With his Oscar win in 2012, Plummer became the oldest person to complete the Triple Crown at the age of 82.
English actor Helen Mirren (born 1945) completed the triple crown in 2015. She is an 11-time Emmy (4), 4-time Oscar (1), and 3-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 18 TC nominations. Mirren has won six awards.
Note: Mirren is the only person to have also won the British Triple Crown of Acting by being awarded the three equivalent honours in the British entertainment industry: a BAFTA Film Award, a BAFTA Television Award, and a Olivier Award; Also she has an additional Emmy win in a non-acting category, winning the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Host in 2022 for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses .
American actress and producer Frances McDormand (born 1957) completed the triple crown in 2015. She is a 6-time acting Oscar (3), 2-time Tony (1), and 2-time acting Emmy (1) nominee, for a total of 10 TC nominations. McDormand has won five awards.
Note: McDormand has two additional Emmy and Oscar wins in non-acting categories, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series for executive producing Olive Kitteridge, and the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Nomadland.
American actress Jessica Lange (born 1949) completed the triple crown in 2016. She is a 10-time Emmy (3), 6-time Oscar (2), and 1-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 17 TC nominations. Lange has won six awards.
American actress and producer Viola Davis (born 1965) completed the triple crown in 2017. [17] She is the first African American person to win the triple crown, and is also currently the youngest. [17] [18] She is a 4-time Oscar (1), 3-time Tony (2), and 5-time Emmy (1) nominee, for a total of 12 TC nominations. Davis has won four awards. Davis is also one of only three Triple Crown winners who have also achieved the EGOT, winning the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording in 2023.
English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP) Glenda Jackson (1936–2023) completed the triple crown in 2018. She was a 5-time Tony (1), 5-time Emmy (3), and 4-time Oscar (2) nominee, for a total of 14 TC nominations. Jackson won six awards. Her forty-eight-year completion is the longest of any triple crown recipient.
The following people have each won two out of the three major entertainment awards that honor acting in competitive categories. [19]
The following people have not won all three awards in competitive acting categories, but have received at least one nomination for each of them:
The British entertainment industry has a Triple Crown of its own, consisting of the BAFTA Film Award, the BAFTA Television Award, and the Laurence Olivier Award. Eight actors have completed the British Triple Crown: Judi Dench, Virginia McKenna, Peggy Ashcroft, Nigel Hawthorne, Julie Walters, Albert Finney, Helen Mirren, and Mark Rylance. Only Mirren has completed both the American and British Triple Crowns.
Other actors have won all of the awards, but not in competitive acting categories. Anthony Hopkins has BAFTAs in both categories but only an Olivier Award for "Outstanding Achievement" (he was nominated as Best Actor for the same show, but lost). Maggie Smith has several Film BAFTAs but only non-competitive awards for BAFTA Television and Olivier. There had been confusion about whether or not Ashcroft qualifies for the British Triple Crown in competitive categories because her winning the Actress of the Year in a New Play Olivier Award for Old World in the inaugural year of the Olivier Awards in 1976 had been overlooked.
Other winners include actors Alan Bennett and Kenneth Branagh, but some of their awards weren't in acting categories.
Actor | Completed | Years to complete | BAFTA Film | BAFTA TV | Olivier | Total wins | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Judi Dench | 1977 | 12 | 1966 | 1968 | 1977 | 17 | |
Virginia McKenna | 1979 | 24 | 1957 | 1955 | 1979 | 3 | |
Peggy Ashcroft | 1986 | 10 | 1986 | 1981 | 1976 | 4 | |
Nigel Hawthorne | 1996 | 14 | 1996 | 1981 | 1992 | 7 | |
Julie Walters | 2002 | 18 | 1984 | 2002 | 2001 | 7 | |
Albert Finney | 2003 | 43 | 1961 | 2003 | 1986 | 3 | |
Helen Mirren | 2013 | 21 | 2007 | 1992 | 2013 | 5 | [20] |
Mark Rylance | 2015 | 21 | 2016 | 2006 | 1994 | 5 |
English actress Judi Dench (born 1934) completed the triple crown in 1977, becoming the first person to complete the British triple crown. She completed her second triple crown in 1986, her third triple crown in 1988, and her fourth in 2001. She is a 12-time BAFTA TV (4), 15-time BAFTA Film (6), and 15-time Olivier (7) nominee, for a total of 42 TC nominations. Dench has won seventeen awards.
Note: Dench is the only actor to complete multiple triple crowns of acting, on either the American or British side, and has completed four. She is the only person to have won more than 7 triple crown awards, on either the British or American side. She also holds the records (though tied) for most BAFTA TV nominations, most BAFTA Film nominations, and most BAFTA Film awards; Dench has also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love and a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play in 1999 for Amy's View , but has yet to win an Emmy Award (after three nominations) to complete the American triple crown.
British stage and screen actress, author, animal rights activist, and wildlife campaigner Virginia McKenna (born 1931) completed the triple crown in 1979. McKenna has won three awards.
English actress Peggy Ashcroft (1907–1991) completed the triple crown in 1986. She won one competitive Olivier Award, two BAFTA TV Awards and one BAFTA Film Award. Ashcroft won four awards over a period of ten years.
Note: Ashcroft won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1985 for A Passage to India (a year before winning the BAFTA Film Award).
English actor Nigel Hawthorne (1929–2001) completed the triple crown in 1995. He is a 5-time BAFTA TV (5), 1-time BAFTA Film (1), and 2-time Olivier (1) nominee, for a total of 8 TC nominations. Hawthorne has won seven awards.
Note: Hawthorne has also been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1995 for The Madness of King George and won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play in 1991 for Shadowlands , but he never won or was nominated for an Emmy Award.
English actress Julie Walters (born 1950) completed the triple crown in 2002. She is a 7-time BAFTA TV (4), 6-time BAFTA Film (2), and 2-time Olivier (1) nominee, for a total of 11 TC nominations. Walters has won seven awards. It took her eighteen years to complete the British Triple Crown.
Note: Walters has also received an honorary BAFTA in 2003 and the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 2014. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1984 for Educating Rita and a second nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2001 for Billy Elliot. She is the recipient of two International Emmy Awards for Best Performance by an Actress.
English actor Albert Finney (1936–2019) completed the triple crown in 2003. He is a 4-time BAFTA TV (1), 9-time BAFTA Film (1), and 2-time Olivier (1) nominee, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Finney has won three awards.
Note: Finney has also won an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2003 for The Gathering Storm and won two Tony Awards, but never won an Academy Award (after 5 nominations) to complete the American triple crown.
English actor Helen Mirren (born 1945) completed the triple crown in 2013. She is a 6-time BAFTA TV (3), 5-time BAFTA Film (1), and 4-time Olivier (1) nominee, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Mirren has won five awards. It took her twenty-one years to complete the British Triple Crown.
Note: Mirren is the only person to have also won the American Triple Crown of Acting by being awarded the three equivalent honors in the American entertainment industry: an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.
British actor, playwright and theatre director Mark Rylance (born 1960) completed the triple crown in 2015. He is a 2-time BAFTA TV (2), 1-time BAFTA Film (1), and 8-time Olivier (2) nominee, for a total of 11 TC nominations. Rylance has won five awards.
Note: Rylance has also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2016 for Bridge of Spies and won three Tony Awards, but has yet to win an Emmy Award (after one nomination) to complete the American triple crown.
Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2005, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Frances Louise McDormand is an American actress and producer. In a career spanning over four decades, she has gained acclaim for her roles in small-budget independent films. McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". Additionally, she has received three BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards.
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
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Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award was awarded for acting in a film, on May 16, 1929 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Academy Awards to Janet Gaynor for her role of Diane in 7th Heaven, Angela in Street Angel and The Wife - Indre in Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In theatre, it was first awarded on April 6, 1947 by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at the Tony Awards to Ingrid Bergman for her role of Mary Grey / Joan of Arc in Joan of Lorraine and to Helen Hayes for her role of Addie in Happy Birthday. In television, it was first awarded on January 23, 1951 by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the Primetime Emmy Awards to Gertrude Berg for her role of Molly in The Goldbergs. In a film festival, presented as the Volpi Cup, it was first awarded between August 1–20, 1934 by the Venice Film Festival to Katharine Hepburn for her role of Josephine 'Jo' March in Little Women.
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The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a television limited series or television movie for the primetime network season.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a television limited series or television movie for the primetime network season.
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