Winning the Triple Crown of Acting is one of the biggest flex for professional actors in the entertainment industry. The Triple Crown is a term used to describe actors who have won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award, all in a competitive category. Summarily, all three awards recognize talent in film, television, and stage.
The Triple Crown of Acting proves that actors are so good at what they do that they will deliver superb performances, whether in front of a live audience, small screen, or big screen. Since Helen Hayes and Thomas Mitchell first completed their Triple Crown in 1953 with an Emmy win, only 24 actors have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in the entertainment industry’s history. So far, there have only been 15 actresses. These are the 8 female living actors who are Triple Crown winners.
Rita Moreno
The multi-talented Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Moreno, whose career began on Broadway in 1945, has had a career spanning over seven decades. Rita Moreno completed her Triple Crown in 1977 with an Emmy win. She won her first award in 1962, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She followed it with a Tony Award win in 1975. It took Rita Moreno 15 years to complete her Triple Crown of Acting. As a singer, she also won a Grammy in 1973. This means her Emmy win in 1977 did not only make her a Triple Crown winner but also an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner.
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave is an English actress with an acting career of over six decades. Born in Blackheath, London, England, on January 30, 1937, Redgrave began her acting career in West End productions in 1958. Vanessa Redgrave completed her Triple Crown of Acting in 2003, with her Tony Award win for Best Leading Actress in a Play. Like Rita Moreno, Redgrave’s first win was an Oscar in 1978. She won her first Emmy Award three years later in 1981. From her first Oscar win to her Tony Award win in 2003, it took Vanessa Redgrave 25 years to become a Triple Crown winner.
Maggie Smith
Actress Maggie Smith is one of the British entertainment industry’s most successful and recognizable English actresses. Like most English actors, Smith’s career began on stage in 1952. From her acting debut, it took 18 years for Smith to win her first major Award, which was an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1970, for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). She added a Tony Award win 20 years later in 1990. Maggie Smith became a Triple Crown winner in 2003 after winning her first Emmy for her performance in My House in Umbria. It took Maggie Smith 33 years to join the exclusive list of Triple Crown winners. Besides only having a single Tony Award win, Maggie Smith is a two-time Academy Award winner and a four-time Emmy Award winner.
Ellen Burstyn
American actress Ellen Burstyn has had a long, successful acting career in film, television, and theater. Interestingly, Burstyn joined the race to be a Triple Crown of Acting winner in 1975. In 1975, she won an Academy Award and Tony Award for Best Actress and Best Leading Actress in a Play, respectively. However, in 2009, with her first Emmy win, she eventually became a Triple Crown winner. It took Ellen Burstyn 34 years to complete her Triple Crown. As a result, among the living actresses with a Triple Crown, Ellen Burstyn took the longest time to complete her wins.
Helen Mirren
British actress Helen Mirren has an acting career spanning over five decades. She has worked extensively in film, television, and theater. Helen Mirren had her first win in television, winning an Emmy Award in 1996 for her performance in Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness. The four-time Oscar nominee won her Academy Award in 2007 for Best Actress for her performance in The Queen (2006). Mirren completed her Triple Crown of Acting in 2015, with her Tony Award win for Best Leading Actress in a Play.
Interestingly, Helen Mirren stands out from other Triple Crown winners for achieving the honor in both the American and British entertainment industries. In other words, Helen Mirren is the only person with a Triple Crown in the British equivalent of the American awards. Helen Mirren has won the BAFTA Film Award, BAFTA Television Award, and Olivier Award.
Frances McDormand
American actress Frances McDormand joined the list of Triple Crown winners in the same year as Helen Mirren. McDormand completed her Triple Crown in 2015 with her Emmy Award win. McDormand’s first win was an Academy Award, which she won in 1997 for her performance in the 1996 black comedy crime film Fargo. She added a Tony Award win in 2011 for her performance in the play Good People. Frances McDormand, a three-time Academy Award winner, took 18 years to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
Jessica Lange
Actress Jessica Lange became a Triple Crown winner in 2016. The American actress set the ball rolling in 1983 with her Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Tootsie (1982). 26 years later, she had her first Emmy win, solidifying her race for a Triple Crown. In 2016, she won her Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Play for her work in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Jessica Lange spent 33 years chasing the almost elusive Triple Crown of Acting.
Viola Davis
American actress Viola Davis is one of film and television’s most popular and recognizable faces. Known for her intense performances, Davis has received several nominations and wins. Unsurprisingly, she joined the list of Triple Crown winners in 2017. Achieving the status at age 51, Viola Davis is the youngest actress in the list of Triple Crown winners. She’s also the first African-American actor to have a Triple Crown of Acting. Viola Davis had her first win in 2001 with a Tony Award and followed it with an Emmy win 14 years later in 2015. Viola Davis won her first Oscar in 2017 for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Denzel Washington-directed period drama Fences (2016). It took Viola Davis 16 years to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
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