Sylvester Stallone (‘Tulsa King’) looks to follow in the footsteps of other film stars who have won Emmys

Ray Richmond
·4 min read
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Sylvester Stallone’s first regular television series role on the Paramount+ mob-themed series “Tulsa King” has put him in this year’s Emmy race. And while it’s not rare for a performer primarily or solely identified with features to find Emmy success, it’s significantly less common for them to generate it in a comedy category, where Stallone presently finds himself in 10th place among series leads in the Gold Derby combined count.

A longshot? Absolutely. But there is certainly plenty of precedent for movie stars shuttling to TV and earning Emmy recognition. Here are 10 examples:

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  • Al Pacino – He won lead actor in a miniseries or movie statues for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in “Angels in America” (2004) and Dr. Jack Kevorkian in “You Don’t Know Jack” (2010). That’s double his number of Oscar wins, Pacino’s lone triumph being for “Scent of a Woman” in 1993.

  • Meryl Streep – Streep has won precisely the same number of Emmys as she has Oscars: three. Those Emmy triumphs came as lead actress in a limited series for “Holocaust” in 1978, lead actress in a miniseries or movie for “Angeles in America” in 2004 and for her narration of “Five Came Back” in 2017.

SEEMeryl Streep may soon have more Emmys than Oscars

  • Emma Thompson – Her lone Emmy came for portraying herself in an episode of “Ellen,” earning her the trophy for comedy guest actress.

  • Michael Douglas – It’s not often remembered that Douglas in fact started out in TV as a regular on the cop procedural “The Streets of San Francisco,” earning him three Emmy noms in the 1970s. His lone win came in lead actor in a miniseries or movie in 2013 for his memorable portrayal of Liberace in the biopic “Behind the Candelabra.”

  • Glenn Close – She’s still much more known for her work on the big screen, but in fact Close has carved out a television career as well, resulting in 14 Emmy nominations and a trio of wins: as lead actress in a miniseries or movie in 1995 for “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story” and in 2008 and 2009 as lead drama series actress for “Damages.” She’s still looking for her first Oscar after eight nominations, most recently for “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2021.

SEE17 best Glenn Close movies, ranked

  • Jessica Lange – Following six Academy Award nominations and a pair of wins (for “Tootsie” in 1983 and “Blue Sky” in 1995), Lange generated 10 Emmy nominations and three wins over the past quarter-century or so. The victories came in 2009 as lead mini/movie actress for “Grey Gardens” and in 2012 and 2014 for “American Horror Story.”

  • Anthony Hopkins – In fact, Hopkins took home his pair of Emmy Awards well before he earned his two Oscars. The Emmys came in 1976 as Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special for “The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case” and in 1981 as lead in a limited series or special for “The Bunker” (in which he portrayed Adolf Hitler.)  The Oscars didn’t come until 1992 (“The Silence of the Lambs”) and 2021 (“The Father”).

SEEOscar winner Anthony Hopkins has entered the realm of NFTs

  • Viola Davis – She won the Emmy lead drama actress statuette in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” two years before landing her supporting actress Academy Award for “Fences.”

  • Jeremy Irons – It may come as a surprise that in fact Irons has won three Emmys, or three times more than his single Oscar (as lead actor for “Reversal of Fortune” in 1991). The Emmys came in voiceover performance (“The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century” in 1997), supporting actor in a mini/movie (“Elizabeth I” in 2006) and narration (“Big Cat Week” in 2014).

  • Maggie Smith – While Smith was a two-time Oscar winner in the 1970s (for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1970 and “California Suite” in ’79), she became much more identified with her TV roles thereafter. It’s led to nine Emmy nominations and four wins: as lead actress in a mini or movie for “My House in Umbria” 2003) and three drama supporting actress wins for “Downton Abbey” (2011, 2012 and 2016).

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

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