Triple Crown (UK entertainment) explained

The Triple Crown^[1] or the Grand Slam^[2] are terms used in the entertainment industry to describe individuals who have won the three highest accolades recognised in British film, television, and theatre: a British Academy Film Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award respectively.

Summary

Actor	Completed	Years to complete	BAFTA Film	BAFTA TV	Olivier	Total wins	Category
Judi Dench	1977	12	1966	1968	1977	17	Acting	^[3]
Virginia McKenna	1979	24	1957	1955	1979	3	Acting	^[4]
Peggy Ashcroft	1986	10	1986	1981	1976	4	Acting	^[5]
Nigel Hawthorne	1996	14	1996	1981	1992	8	Acting
Alan Bennett	1996	6	1996	1992	1990	6	Writing / producing / acting
Julie Walters	2002	18	1984	2002	2001	7	Acting
Albert Finney	2003	43	1961	2003	1986	3	Acting
Kenneth Branagh	2009	27	1990	2009	1982	5	Acting / directing / producing	^[6]
Helen Mirren	2013	21	2007	1992	2013	5	Acting	^[7]
Mark Rylance	2016	21	2016	2006	1994	5	Acting
Stephen Daldry	2022	29	2001	2022	1993	5	Directing / producing

Non-competitive Triple Crown recipients

Actor	1st Award		2nd Award		3rd Award		Year span
Alec Guinness	1958	BAFTA Film	1980	BAFTA TV	1988	The Society Special Olivier	30
Anthony Hopkins	1973	BAFTA TV	1985	Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement	1992	BAFTA Film	19
Vanessa Redgrave	1966	BAFTA TV	1984	Olivier	2010	BAFTA Fellowship for Film contributions	44
Maggie Smith	1970	BAFTA Film	1996	BAFTA Academy Fellowship	2010	The Society Special Olivier	41

Triple Crown winners

Judi Dench

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1966: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles – Four in the Morning
2. 1987: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – A Room with a View
3. 1989: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – A Handful of Dust
4. 1998: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Mrs Brown
5. 1999: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Shakespeare in Love
6. 2001: BAFTA Fellowship (non-competitive)
7. 2002: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Iris

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1968: Best Actress – Talking to a Stranger
2. 1982: Best Actress – Going Gently, A Fine Romance (Series 1), and The Cherry Orchard
3. 1985: Best Light Entertainment Performance – A Fine Romance (Series 4)
4. 2001: Best Actress – The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1977: Actress of the Year in a Revival – Macbeth
2. 1980: Actress of the Year in a Revival – Juno and the Paycock
3. 1983: Actress of the Year in a New Play – Pack of Lies
4. 1987: Best Actress – Antony and Cleopatra
5. 1996: Best Actress – Absolute Hell
6. 1996: Best Actress in a Musical – A Little Night Music
7. 2004: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non-competitive)
8. 2016: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Winter's Tale

Virginia McKenna

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1957: Best British Actress – A Town Like Alice

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1955: Best Actress

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1979: Best Actress in a Musical – The King and I

Peggy Ashcroft

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1986: Best Actress in a Leading Role – A Passage to India

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1981: Best Actress – Cream in My Coffee and Caught on a Train
2. 1985: Best Actress – The Jewel in the Crown

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1976: Actress of the Year in a New Play – Old World
2. 1991: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non-competitive)

Nigel Hawthorne

English actor Nigel Hawthorne (1929–2001) completed the triple crown in 1996. 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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1996: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Madness of King George

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1982: Best Light Entertainment Performance – Yes Minister
2. 1983: Best Light Entertainment Performance – Yes Minister
3. 1987: Best Light Entertainment Performance – Yes, Prime Minister
4. 1988: Best Light Entertainment Performance - Yes, Prime Minister
5. 1997: Best Actor – The Fragile Heart

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1977: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Privates on Parade
2. 1992: Best Actor – The Madness of George III

Alan Bennett

English playwright, author, actor, and screenwriter Alan Bennett (born 1934) completed the triple crown in 1996. He is a 4-time BAFTA Film (1), 8-time BAFTA TV (1), and 7-time Olivier (5) nominee, for a total of 19 TC nominations. Bennett has won seven awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1996: Outstanding British Film – The Madness of King George

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1992: Best Single Drama – Screen Two: A Question of Attribution

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1990: Comedy of the Year – Single Spies
2. 1992: Best Entertainment – Talking Heads
3. 1992: Best Actor in a Musical – Talking Heads
4. 2005: Best New Play – The History Boys
5. 2005: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non-competitive)

Julie Walters

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1984: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Educating Rita
2. 2001: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Billy Elliot

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 2002: Best Actress – My Beautiful Son
2. 2003: Best Actress – Murder
3. 2003: Special Award (Non-competitive)
4. 2004: Best Actress – The Canterbury Tales
5. 2010: Best Actress – Mo
6. BAFTA Fellowship (non-competitve)

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 2001: Best Actress – All My Sons

Albert Finney

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1961: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles – Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
2. 2001: BAFTA Fellowship (non-competitive)

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 2003: Best Actor – The Gathering Storm

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1986: Best Actor – Orphans

Kenneth Branagh

British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh (born 1960) completed the triple crown in 2009. He's a 6-time BAFTA Film (2), 5-time BAFTA TV (2), and 6-time Olivier (1) nominee, for a total of 17 TC nominations. Branagh has won five awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1990: Best Direction – Henry V
2. 1994: Michael Balcon Award (non-competitive)
3. 2022: Outstanding British Film – Belfast

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 2009: Best Drama Series – Wallander
2. 2010: Best Leading Actor – Wallander

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1982: Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre – Another Country
2. 2017: Society of London Theatre Award (non-competitive)

Helen Mirren

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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 2007: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Queen
2. 2014: BAFTA Fellowship (non-competitive)

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1991: Best Actress – Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness
2. 1992: Best Actress – Prime Suspect 2
3. 1993: Best Actress – Prime Suspect 3

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 2013: Best Actress – The Audience

Mark Rylance

British actor, playwright and theatre director Mark Rylance (born 1960) completed the triple crown in 2016. 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.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 2016: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Bridge of Spies

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 2006: Best Actor – The Government Inspector
2. 2016: Best Leading Actor – Wolf Hall

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1994: Best Actor – Much Ado About Nothing
2. 2010: Best Actor – Jerusalem

Stephen Daldry

English director and producer Stephen Daldry (born 1960) completed the triple crown in 2022. He won one competitive BAFTA Film Award, one BAFTA TV Award, and three Olivier Awards, for a total of 15 TC nominations. Daldry has won five awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 2001: Outstanding British Film – Billy Elliot

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 2022: Best Single Drama – Together

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1993: Best Director of a Play – An Inspector Calls
2. 1994: Best Director of a Play – Machinal
3. 2019: Best Director – The Inheritance

Non-competitive Triple Crown

Three additional artists have received all three awards, though one was bestowed for an honorary or similar non-competitive distinction: Anthony Hopkins has no competitive Olivier Award, Vanessa Redgrave has no competitive BAFTA Film Award, and Maggie Smith has no competitive BAFTA TV Award or Olivier Award.

Alec Guinness

English actor Alec Guinness (1914-2000) completed the triple crown in 1988. He won one competitive BAFTA Film Award, two competitive BAFTA TV Awards and a non-competitive Olivier Award, for a total of 8 TC nominations. Guinness has won five awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1958: Best British Actor - The Bridge over the River Kwai
2. 1989: BAFTA Fellowship (non-competitive)

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1980: Best Actor - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. 1983: Best Actor - Smiley's People

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1988: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non-competitive)

Anthony Hopkins

Welsh actor, director, and producer Anthony Hopkins (born 1937) completed the triple crown in 1992. He won three competitive BAFTA Film Award, one BAFTA TV Award, and a non-competitive Olivier Award, for a total of 11 TC nominations. Hopkins has won six awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1992: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Silence of the Lambs
2. 1994: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Remains of the Day
3. 2008: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non-competitive)
4. 2021: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Father

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1973: Best Actor – War & Peace

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1985: The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement – Pravda (non-competitive)

Vanessa Redgrave

English actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave (born 1937) completed the triple crown in 2010. She won one Olivier Award, one BAFTA TV Award, and a non-competitive BAFTA Film Award, for a total of 7 TC nominations. Redgrave has won three awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 2010: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non-competitive)

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1966: Best Actress

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 1984: Actress of the Year in a Revival – The Aspern Papers

Maggie Smith

English actress Maggie Smith (born 1934) completed the triple crown in 2010. She won five competitive BAFTA Film Awards, two non-competitive BAFTA TV Awards, and a non-competitive Olivier Award, for a total of 24 TC nominations. Smith has won eight awards.

• British Academy Film Awards

1. 1970: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
2. 1985: Best Actress in a Leading Role – A Private Function
3. 1987: Best Actress in a Leading Role – A Room with a View
4. 1989: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
5. 2000: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Tea with Mussolini

• British Academy Television Awards

1. 1993: BAFTA Special Award (non-competitive)
2. 1996: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non-competitive)

• Laurence Olivier Awards

1. 2010: Society of London Theatre Award (non-competitive)

Two competitive awards

The following individuals have each won two out of the three major awards in competitive categories:

Missing a BAFTA Film Award

1. Eileen Atkins^◊
2. Rowan Atkinson
3. Simon Russell Beale
4. David Bradley
5. Cheryl Campbell
6. Michaela Coel
7. Jodie Comer
8. Benedict Cumberbatch^◊
9. Monica Dolan
10. Francis Essex^†
11. Michael Gambon^†
12. Mark Gatiss
13. David Hare^◊
14. Derek Jacobi^◊
15. Toby Jones
16. Penelope Keith^◊
17. Dennis Kelly^◊
18. Stewart Lee
19. Robert Lindsay
20. Paul Mescal^◊
21. Warren Mitchell^†
22. John Napier
23. Vanessa Redgrave^{◊ NCA}
24. Beryl Reid^†
25. Andrew Scott
26. Fiona Shaw
27. Ned Sherrin^†
28. Sheridan Smith
29. Tom Stoppard^◊
30. Jack Thorne^◊
31. Margaret Tyzack^†
32. Phoebe Waller-Bridge^◊
33. Gwen Watford^†
34. Tim Whitnall

Missing a BAFTA Television Award

1. Jenny Beavan^◊
2. Dora Bryan^†
3. Tim Chappel
4. Deirdre Clancy
5. Noel Clarke
6. Pauline Collins^◊
7. Chiwetel Ejiofor
8. Bob Fosse^†
9. Lizzy Gardiner
10. John Gielgud^נ
11. Philip Glass
12. Christopher Hampton
13. John Hodge
14. Ian Holm^{◊ †}
15. Ayub Khan Din
16. Martin McDonagh
17. Anthony Minghella^†
18. Sam Mendes^◊
19. Eddie Redmayne
20. Danny Rubin
21. Kristin Scott Thomas
22. Kevin Spacey
23. Imelda Staunton^◊
24. Rachel Weisz

Missing a Laurence Olivier Award

1. Robert Altman^†
2. Michael Apted^†
3. Jim Broadbent
4. Peter Capaldi
5. John Cleese
6. Olivia Colman
7. Steve Coogan
8. Tom Courtenay^◊
9. John Crowley
10. Denholm Elliott^†
11. Edward Fox^◊
12. Dede Gardner
13. Hildur Guðnadóttir
14. Alec Guinness^◊NCA†
15. Anthony Hopkins^{◊ NCA}
16. John Hurt^†
17. Glenda Jackson^{◊ †}
18. Celia Johnson^†
19. Jeremy Kleiner
20. Ken Loach
21. Ray McAnally^◊
22. Adam McKay
23. Vivien Merchant^†
24. Peter Morgan^◊
25. Bill Nighy^◊
26. Alan Parker^†
27. Peter Straughan
28. Emma Thompson
29. Tracey Ullman
30. Billie Whitelaw^נ
31. Kate Winslet

Notes

• † – Person is deceased.
• ◊ – Person has been nominated at least once for a competitive category of the missing award, but has failed to win.
• NCA – Person won a Non-Competitive Award in this category.

Three nominations

The following individuals have not won all three awards in competitive categories, but have received at least one nomination for each of them:

1. Joss Ackland^N/A†
2. Eileen Atkins
3. Alan Bates^†
4. Jenny Beavan
5. Colin Blakely^N/A†
   1. Brenda Blethyn Pauline Collins
6. Tom Courtenay
7. Benedict Cumberbatch
8. Michael Crawford
9. Frances de la Tour
10. Anne-Marie Duff
11. Jennifer Ehle
12. Rupert Everett^N/A
13. Frank Finlay^†
14. Edward Fox
15. Andrew Garfield
16. John Gielgud^†
17. Alec Guinness^†
18. Tom Hardy
19. Wendy Hiller^N/A†
20. Ian Holm^†
21. Anthony Hopkins
22. Michael Hordern^†
23. Bob Hoskins^†
24. Glenda Jackson^†
25. Derek Jacobi
26. Penelope Keith
27. Nicole Kidman
28. Ben Kingsley
29. Rosemary Leach^†
30. Maureen Lipman
31. Jack Lowden
32. Lesley Manville
33. Ian McKellen
34. Paul Mescal
35. Alfred Molina^N/A
36. Peter Morgan
37. Sam Mendes
38. Kate Nelligan
39. Bill Nighy
40. Laurence Olivier^†
41. Vanessa Redgrave
42. Miranda Richardson
43. Paul Scofield^†
44. Lesley Sharp^N/A
45. Michael Sheen^N/A
46. Maggie Smith
47. Kevin Spacey
48. Timothy Spall^N/A
49. Imelda Staunton
50. Juliet Stevenson
51. David Suchet^N/A
52. Janet Suzman^N/A
53. Frances de la Tour
54. Dorothy Tutin^†
55. Peter Ustinov^N/A†
56. Phoebe Waller-Bridge
57. Zoë Wanamaker
58. Emily Watson
59. Ben Whishaw
60. Billie Whitelaw^†
61. Tom Wilkinson^†
62. Lia Williams^N/A
63. Nicol Williamson^N/A†

Notes

† – Person is deceased.

N/A – Person has not won any of the three awards (excluding non-competitive awards).

See also

• British Academy Film Awards
• British Academy Television Awards
• British Academy Television Craft Awards
• Laurence Olivier Awards
• Triple Crown of Acting (U.S.)
• EGOT

Notes and References

1. Triple crown for Mendes at Oliviers. The Guardian. Maeve. Kennedy. 15 February 2003. 11 February 2022.
2. Can Mark Rylance be the first to do the 'Grand Slam' of TV, theatre and film awards?. The Telegraph. Patrick. Sawer. 2 April 2016. 11 February 2022.
3. Web site: Dame Judi Dench receives BFI fellowship. BBC News. 23 June 2011. 17 February 2022.
4. Web site: Television in 1955. BAFTA. 17 February 2022.
5. Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Acclaimed British Actress, Is Dead at 83. The New York Times. Peter B.. Flint. 15 June 1991. 17 February 2022.
6. Web site: Kenneth Branagh announced as Special Award winner at the Olivier Awards. WhatsOnStage. Daisy. Bowie-Sell. 2 March 2017. 17 February 2022.
7. Helen Mirren: AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Winner . . Tim . Appelo . December 6, 2017 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327055138/https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/info-2017/helen-mirren-award-fd.html . March 27, 2023 . live.