Triple Crown of Acting
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 "Triple Crown" is used in other competitive areas, such as the Triple Crown of Horse Racing.
Only 24 people, 15 women and 9 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, Al Pacino, Geoffrey Rush, Ellen Burstyn, Helen Mirren, Frances McDormand, Jessica Lange, and Viola Davis.
Summary
[edit]- The year in the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony columns indicates the year the actor first won the award
- For the Emmy and Tony this is the year of the award ceremony, for the Oscar the year when the film was released
- The total wins column indicates the total number of competitive Oscar, Emmy, and Tony wins
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] |
Triple Crown winners
[edit]Helen Hayes
[edit]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 EGOT status.
- Academy Awards:
- 1932: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Sin of Madelon Claudet
- 1971: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Airport
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
- 1947: Best Actress in a Play – Happy Birthday
- 1958: Best Leading Actress in a Play – Time Remembered
Thomas Mitchell
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
Ingrid Bergman
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- 1945: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Gaslight
- 1957: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Anastasia
- 1975: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Murder on the Orient Express
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1960: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress (Lead or Support) – Startime (Episode: "The Turn of the Screw")
- 1982: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie – A Woman Called Golda
- Tony Awards:
Shirley Booth
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1962: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) – Hazel
- 1963: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) – Hazel
- Tony Awards:
- 1949: Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play – Goodbye, My Fancy
- 1950: Best Actress in a Play – Come Back, Little Sheba
- 1953: Distinguished Dramatic Actress – The Time of the Cuckoo
Melvyn Douglas
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- 1964: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Hud
- 1979: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Being There
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1968: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama – CBS Playhouse (Episode: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night")
- Tony Awards:
Paul Scofield
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1969: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Male of the Species
- Tony Awards:
Jack Albertson
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1975: Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Variety or Music – Cher
- 1976: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Chico and the Man
- Tony Awards:
Rita Moreno
[edit]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. Moreno has won 4 TC qualifying awards. Moreno is the first Hispanic actor to win the Triple Crown and is one of only three Triple Crown winners who have also achieved EGOT status.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1977: Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music – The Muppet Show (Episode: "Rita Moreno")
- 1978: Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Comedy or Drama Series – The Rockford Files (Episode: "The Paper Palace")
- Tony Awards:
Maureen Stapleton
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1968: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama – Among the Paths to Eden
- Tony Awards:
- 1951: Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play – The Rose Tattoo
- 1971: Best Leading Actress in a Play – The Gingerbread Lady
Jason Robards
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- 1977: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – All the President's Men
- 1978: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Julia
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
- 1959: Best Leading Actor in a Play – The Disenchanted
Jessica Tandy
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
- 1947: Best Actress in a Play – A Streetcar Named Desire
- 1978: Best Leading Actress in a Play – The Gin Game
- 1983: Best Leading Actress in a Play – Foxfire
Jeremy Irons
[edit]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 qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1997: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance – The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
- 2006: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – Elizabeth I
- Tony 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.
Anne Bancroft
[edit]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 awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
- 1958: Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play – Two for the Seesaw
- 1960: Best Leading Actress in a Play – The Miracle Worker
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.
Vanessa Redgrave
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1981: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special – Playing for Time
- 2000: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – If These Walls Could Talk 2
- Tony Awards:
Maggie Smith
[edit]English actress Maggie Smith (1934–2024) completed the triple crown in 2003. She was a 9-time Emmy (4), 6-time Oscar (2), and 3-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 18 TC nominations. Smith was the first and only Triple Crown winner to win seven TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- 1970: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
- 1979: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – California Suite
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 2003: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie – My House in Umbria
- 2011: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – Downton Abbey
- 2012: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Downton Abbey
- 2016: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Downton Abbey
- Tony Awards:
Al Pacino
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 2004: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – Angels in America
- 2011: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – You Don't Know Jack
- Tony Awards:
- 1969: Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play – Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
- 1977: Best Leading Actor in a Play – The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
Geoffrey Rush
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
Ellen Burstyn
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 2009: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Episode: "Swing")
- 2013: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie – Political Animals
- Tony Awards:
Christopher Plummer
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1977: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series – The Moneychangers
- 1994: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance – Madeline
- Tony Awards:
Helen Mirren
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1996: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special – Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness
- 1999: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – The Passion of Ayn Rand
- 2006: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – Elizabeth I
- 2007: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – Prime Suspect: The Final Act
- Tony 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.
Frances McDormand
[edit]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 TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- 1997: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Fargo
- 2018: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- 2021: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Nomadland
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony 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.
Jessica Lange
[edit]American actress Jessica Lange (born 1949) completed the triple crown in 2016. She is a 10-time Emmy (3), 6-time Oscar (2), and 2-time Tony (1) nominee, for a total of 18 TC nominations. Lange has won six TC qualifying awards.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 2009: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – Grey Gardens
- 2012: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – American Horror Story: Murder House
- 2014: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – American Horror Story: Coven
- Tony Awards:
Viola Davis
[edit]American actress and producer Viola Davis (born 1965) completed the triple crown in 2017.[17] She is the youngest person and the first African American to achieve the triple crown.[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 TC qualifying awards. Davis is also one of only three Triple Crown winners who have also achieved EGOT status.
- Academy Awards:
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
- 2001: Best Featured Actress in a Play – King Hedley II
- 2010: Best Leading Actress in a Play – Fences
Glenda Jackson
[edit]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.
- Academy Awards:
- 1971: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Women in Love
- 1974: Best Actress in a Leading Role – A Touch of Class
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1972: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Elizabeth R
- 1972: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series – Elizabeth R
- International Emmy Awards:
- Tony Awards:
Other Countries
[edit]United Kingdom
[edit]Actor | Completed | Years to complete |
BAFTA | BATFA TV | Laurence Olivier | Total wins |
[19] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Judi Dench | 1977 | 11 | 1966 | 1968 | 1977 | 17 | |
Virginia McKenna | 1979 | 23 | 1957 | 1956 | 1979 | 3 | |
Peggy Ashcroft | 1986 | 15 | 1986 | 1981 | 1976 | 4 | |
Nigel Hawthorne | 1982 | 19 | 1996 | 1982 | 1977 | 7 | |
Julie Walters | 2002 | 18 | 1984 | 2002 | 2001 | 7 | |
Albert Finney | 2003 | 42 | 1961 | 2003 | 1986 | 3 | |
Helen Mirren | 2013 | 22 | 2007 | 1991 | 2013 | 5 | |
Mark Rylance | 2016 | 22 | 2016 | 2006 | 1994 | 4 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Strachan, Maxwell (27 February 2017). "Viola Davis Becomes First Black Woman to Win an Oscar, Emmy and Tony for Acting". The Huffington Post.
- ^ "Thomas Mitchell". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Clark, Kenneth R. (December 9, 1991). "Jessica Tandy feels comfortable in the role of 'The Story Lady'". The Baltimore Sun. Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Actor Jeremy Irons". Tavis Smiley. September 7, 2012. PBS. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Anne Bancroft obituary". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. June 5, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave". Encyclopædia Britannica. November 14, 2014. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Dame Maggie Smith". Encyclopædia Britannica. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Tour dates". An Evening with Pacino. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Geoffrey Rush is named Australian of the year". BBC News. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ "The inside track on Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and All the Award Shows". Los Angeles Times. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ White, Carly (July 7, 2014). "The Triple Crown at the Tonys". New York Show Tickets. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Brenoff, Ann (July 25, 2015). "7 reasons to love Helen Mirren on her 70th birthday". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Frances McDormand". Breaking News. January 25, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Sheehan, Paul; Robert Pius (July 3, 2017). "Jessica Lange:Emmy win would tie her for first among triple crown acting champs". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Levine, Nick (February 27, 2017). "Viola Davis makes history by winning the "triple crown of acting"". NME. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ Lambe, Stacy (June 10, 2018). "Glenda Jackson wins Triple Crown of Acting". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Zak, Dan (February 27, 2017). "Only 22 people had ever accomplished this feat. Now, Viola Davis joins the club". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Mizoguchi, Karen. "SAG Awards 2017: Viola Davis Becomes First African American Actress to Score 5 Wins". People. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ "British Triple Crown of Acting Winners". Encyclopædia Britannica. April 8, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2025.