Triple Crown Champions: 15 Iconic British Actors Revealed

The Triple Crown of UK Awards: BAFTA & Laurence Olivier

The Triple Crown of UK acting awards is a rare achievement in British entertainment, recognising performers who have won all three major honours: a British Academy Film Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. These represent the highest accolades in British film, television, and theatre respectively.

The concept effectively begins in 1976 with the introduction of the Society of London Theatre’s Laurence Olivier Awards, which completed the trio alongside BAFTA’s Film and Television Awards. In 1977, Judi Dench became the first person ever to complete the British Triple Crown, having already won a BAFTA Film Award in 1966 and a BAFTA Television Award in 1968. She would go on to complete three more Triple Crowns. Helen Mirren is uniquely distinguished as the only performer to have completed both the British Triple Crown and the American Triple Crown of Acting (Oscar, Emmy, Tony).

Below is a breakdown of the most significant Triple Crown – UK (BAFTA & Olivier) achievers featured in this post.

1. Judi Dench

Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress, widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors. She completed the British Triple Crown in 1977, becoming the first person to do so. She completed her second Triple Crown in 1986, her third in 1988 and her fourth in 2001.

She is a 12‑time BAFTA TV, 15‑time BAFTA Film and 15‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 42 Triple Crown nominations, and holds multiple records across BAFTA and Olivier history. Dench has won nineteen awards within the Triple Crown framework. She is the only actor to complete multiple Triple Crowns of acting, on either the American or British side, and has completed four. She is also the only person to have won more than seven Triple Crown awards on either side.

Beyond the British Triple Crown, 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. She has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, leaving her just short of the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

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

Laurence Olivier Awards

1977: Actress of the Year in a Revival – Macbeth
1980: Actress of the Year in a Revival – Juno and the Paycock
1983: Actress of the Year in a New Play – Pack of Lies
1987: Best Actress – Antony and Cleopatra
1996: Best Actress – Absolute Hell
1996: Best Actress in a Musical – A Little Night Music
2004: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non‑competitive)
2016: Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Winter’s Tale

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2. Stephen Daldry

Stephen David Daldry (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway and an Olivier Award for his work in the West End.

He completed the British Triple Crown in 2022. He has one competitive BAFTA Film Award, one BAFTA TV Award and three Olivier Awards, for a total of 15 Triple Crown nominations and five wins within the Triple Crown categories. Daldry has also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for The Crown and three Tony Awards, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Director.

British Academy Film Awards

2001: Outstanding British Film – Billy Elliot

British Academy Television Awards

2022: Best Single Drama – Together

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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3. Peggy Ashcroft

Dame Edith Margaret Emily “Peggy” Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. She completed the Triple Crown in 1986. She is a 4‑time BAFTA Film, 5‑time BAFTA TV and 1‑time Olivier nominee, with a total of 10 Triple Crown nominations and five wins.

Ashcroft won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1985 for A Passage to India, a year before winning the BAFTA Film Award for the same performance. She was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, but never for a Tony Award, so she did not complete the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

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

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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4. Julie Walters

Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She completed the Triple Crown in 2002. She is a 9‑time BAFTA TV, 6‑time BAFTA Film and 4‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 19 Triple Crown nominations. Walters has won nine awards within the Triple Crown disciplines, and also received an honorary BAFTA in 2003 and the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 2014.

She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1984 for Educating Rita and for Best Supporting Actress in 2001 for Billy Elliot. Walters has also received two International Emmy Awards for Best Performance by an Actress, but she has never been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

2002: Best Actress – My Beautiful Son
2003: Best Actress – Murder
2003: Special Award (non‑competitive)
2004: Best Actress – The Canterbury Tales
2010: Best Actress – Mo
2014: BAFTA Fellowship (non‑competitive)

Laurence Olivier Awards

2001: Best Actress – All My Sons

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5. Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. In 2005 he received the Society of London Theatre Special Award. He completed the Triple Crown in 1996. He is a 4‑time BAFTA Film, 10‑time BAFTA TV and 6‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 20 Triple Crown nominations and nine wins.

Bennett has also been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1995 for The Madness of King George and won a Tony Award for Best Play in 2006 for The History Boys. He was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1963 for Beyond the Fringe but has never been nominated for any Emmy Award, so he does not qualify for an EGOT.

British Academy Film Awards

1996: Outstanding British Film – The Madness of King George

British Academy Television Awards

1967: Best Light Entertainment Performance
1968: Best Light Entertainment Performance
1992: Best Single Drama – Screen Two: A Question of Attribution

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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6. Nigel Hawthorne

Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was a British actor known for his stage work and for his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He completed the Triple Crown in 1996. He is a 5‑time BAFTA TV, 1‑time BAFTA Film and 5‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 11 Triple Crown nominations and eight wins.

Hawthorne was 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 was never nominated for any Emmy Award, leaving him short of the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

1982 & 1983: Best Light Entertainment Performance – Yes Minister
1987 & 1988: Best Light Entertainment Performance – Yes, Prime Minister
1997: Best Actor – The Fragile Heart

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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7. Albert Finney

Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor who trained at RADA and first rose to fame in the early 1960s. He completed the Triple Crown in 2003. He is a 4‑time BAFTA TV, 9‑time BAFTA Film and 2‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 15 Triple Crown nominations and four wins.

Finney won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2003 for The Gathering Storm and two Tony Awards, but never won an Academy Award despite five nominations, so he did not complete the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

2003: Best Actor – The Gathering Storm

Laurence Olivier Awards

1986: Best Actor – Orphans

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8. Kenneth Branagh

Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised in Reading, Berkshire, he trained at RADA in London and later served as its president from 2015 to 2024. He completed the Triple Crown in 2009. He is a 6‑time BAFTA Film, 5‑time BAFTA TV and 6‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 17 Triple Crown nominations and seven wins.

Branagh won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2022 for Belfast and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2001 for Conspiracy, as well as an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for Wallander. He was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non‑Musical Album in 1995 for Hamlet, but has never been nominated for a Tony Award, so he has not completed the American Triple Crown or the EGOT.

British Academy Film Awards

1990: Best Direction – Henry V
1994: Michael Balcon Award (non‑competitive)
2022: Outstanding British Film – Belfast

British Academy Television Awards

2009: Best Drama Series – Wallander
2010: Best Leading Actor – Wallander

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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9. Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren (born 26 July 1945) is an English actor whose career spans more than six decades. She completed the British Triple Crown in 2013. She is a 6‑time BAFTA TV, 5‑time BAFTA Film and 4‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 15 Triple Crown nominations and six wins.

Mirren is uniquely the only person to have also achieved the American Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.

British Academy Film Awards

2007: Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Queen
2014: BAFTA Fellowship (non‑competitive)

British Academy Television Awards

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

Laurence Olivier Awards

2013: Best Actress – The Audience

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10. Mark Rylance

Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960) is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He completed the Triple Crown in 2016. He is a 2‑time BAFTA TV, 1‑time BAFTA Film and 8‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 11 Triple Crown nominations and five wins.

Rylance has also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2016 for Bridge of Spies and three Tony Awards. He has been nominated for one Primetime Emmy Award, leaving him just short of the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

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

Laurence Olivier Awards

1994: Best Actor – Much Ado About Nothing
2010: Best Actor – Jerusalem

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11. Virginia McKenna

Dame Virginia Anne McKenna (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author, animal rights activist and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for films such as A Town Like Alice (1956), Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), Born Free (1966) and Ring of Bright Water (1969). She completed the Triple Crown in 1979.

She is a 2‑time BAFTA Film, 2‑time BAFTA TV and 1‑time Olivier nominee, with a total of 5 Triple Crown nominations and three wins. McKenna has never been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy Award or a Tony Award, so she has not competed for the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

1957: Best British Actress – A Town Like Alice

British Academy Television Awards

1955: Best Actress – BBC‑TV adaptation of Romeo and Juliet

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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Non‑Competitive Triple Crown Achievers

These performers completed the Triple Crown framework partly via honorary or non‑competitive BAFTA/Olivier honours, but are still recognised in British Triple Crown discussions.

12. Alec Guinness

Sir Alec Guinness (2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor and one of the most frequently cited performers in British cinema history. In a 1999 BFI poll of the 100 most important British films of the 20th century, he appeared in nine titles.

He completed the Triple Crown in 1988. He is a 3‑time BAFTA Film, 3‑time BAFTA TV and 2‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 8 Triple Crown nominations and five wins. Guinness also won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1958 for The Bridge on the River Kwai and the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play in 1964 for Dylan. He was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards, leaving him short of both the American Triple Crown and the EGOT.

British Academy Film Awards

1958: Best British Actor – The Bridge on the River Kwai
1989: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non‑competitive)

British Academy Television Awards

1980: Best Actor – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1983: Best Actor – Smiley’s People

Laurence Olivier Awards

1988: Society of London Theatre Special Award (non‑competitive)

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13. Anthony Hopkins

Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor and one of Britain’s most recognisable and prolific screen and stage performers. He completed the Triple Crown in 1992. He is a 7‑time BAFTA Film, 2‑time BAFTA TV and 1‑time Olivier nominee, for a total of 10 Triple Crown nominations and six wins.

Hopkins has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs (1992) and The Father (2021), and two Primetime Emmy Awards for The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) and The Bunker (1981), but has never been nominated for a Tony Award, so he does not complete the American Triple Crown.

British Academy Film Awards

1992: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Silence of the Lambs
1994: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Remains of the Day
2008: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non‑competitive)
2021: Best Actor in a Leading Role – The Father

British Academy Television Awards

1973: Best Actor – War & Peace

Laurence Olivier Awards

1985: The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement – Pravda (non‑competitive)

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14. Vanessa Redgrave

Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. She completed the Triple Crown in 2010. She is a 2‑time BAFTA Film, 2‑time BAFTA TV and 4‑time Olivier nominee, with a total of 8 Triple Crown nominations and three wins.

Redgrave has also completed the American Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2002 for Oscar Wilde: The Selfish Giant & The Nightingale and the Rose, leaving her one step short of an EGOT.

British Academy Film Awards

2010: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non‑competitive)

British Academy Television Awards

1966: Best Actress

Laurence Olivier Awards

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

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15. Maggie Smith

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress known for her wit and her versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles over a seven‑decade career. She completed the Triple Crown in 2010. She is a 13‑time BAFTA Film, 5‑time BAFTA TV and 6‑time Olivier nominee, with a total of 24 Triple Crown nominations and eight wins.

Smith also completed the American Triple Crown of Acting, winning two Academy Awards (Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite), four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.

British Academy Film Awards

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

British Academy Television Awards

1993: BAFTA Special Award (non‑competitive)
1996: BAFTA Fellowship Award (non‑competitive)

Laurence Olivier Awards

2010: Society of London Theatre Award (non‑competitive)

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Why the British Triple Crown Matters

The Triple Crown of UK Awards is the British answer to the American “Triple Crown of Acting,” and it underscores just how rare it is for one performer to dominate film, television and theatre at the highest level. Names like Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith and Kenneth Branagh represent an extraordinary cross‑section of modern British acting history, connecting BAFTA, the Olivier Awards and even the Oscars and Emmys in a single career narrative.

For awards‑season watchers and cinema lovers, tracking these Triple Crown winners is a way to understand how British talent travels across mediums and continents, from the West End to Hollywood and from prestige TV dramas to the Oscar stage.

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Which British Triple Crown winner do you think has the most impressive set of performances—Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, or someone else on this list? Share your thoughts and favourite roles in the comments.

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