Student Blog: Broadway Takes Hollywood

This Sunday, April 25 is the 93rd Annual Academy Awards. This year, six Broadway veterans are in the running to nab an Oscar. From the Great White Way to the Silver Screen, these artists have careers that span both the stage and screen. Today we are delving into the Broadway careers of six performers who are nominated for the 2021 Academy Awards.

1. Glenn Close

A winner of 3 Tony Awards, 3 Golden Globes, and 3 Emmys, Glenn Close has a reputation that precedes herself. Her Broadway credits include both plays and musicals. Over the last four decades, she has performed in 13 Broadway productions. In 1974, Close made her Broadway debut in Love for Love, a play directed by the beloved Hal Prince. Following credits include The Rules of the Game (1974), The Member of the Wedding (1975), Rex (1976), The Crucifer of Blood (1978), Barnum (1980), The Real Thing (1984), Benefactors (1985), Death and the Maiden (1992), Sunset Boulevard (1994), The Play What I Wrote (2003), A Delicate Balance (2014), and most recently the 2017 revival of Sunset Boulevard. This year, Close is nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the Netflix drama, Hillbilly Elegy. This is her 8th Academy Award nomination.

2. Leslie Odom Jr.

Most well-known for his Tony-Award winning performance as Aaron Burr in the global hit Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. is a Broadway favorite. His theatrical career began decades before Hamilton. At age 17, he made his Broadway debut in the sensational musical RENT. He returned to Broadway in the 2012 company of Leap of Faith. Four years later, Hamilton opened on Broadway and "the world will never be the same." In addition to his work on stage, Odom has been seen on many hit television shows. From Gilmore Girls to Grey's Anatomy, Odom's versatile abilities shine every time. If he wins at this Sunday's awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for One Night in Miami, Odom will be able to add an Oscar to his Grammy and Tony Awards. This is Odom's first Academy Award Nomination.

3. Anthony Hopkins

With 141 film and television credits, Anthony Hopkins is no stranger to the screen. Career highlights include the film adaptation of Hamlet (1969), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Hitchcock (2012). In 1974, Hopkins made his Broadway debut in the drama Equus. He has yet to make a Broadway return. Over the course of his career, Hopkins has accumulated 2 Emmy Awards, 1 Academy Award, and 1 Golden Globe. He is nominated this year for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The Father. This is his seventh Academy Award nomination.

4. Viola Davis

A legend of the stage and screen, Viola Davis embodies every character she plays. In 1996, Davis made her film debut in The Substance of Fire. Later that year, she made her Broadway debut in August Wilson's dramatic play, Seven Guitars. From that point on, Davis continuously found success. She returned to Broadway in 2001 to star in the another August Wilson play, King Hedley II, for which she won her first Tony Award. Nine years later, she starred opposite Denzel Washington in the revival of Wilson's well-known play, Fences, for which she won both a Tony Award and an Oscar for the 2017 film adaptation. She was the first Black American to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting:" an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two Tony Awards. This year she is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

5. Frances McDormand

From performing in classics like Macbeth (2021) to hyper-stylized films like Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Frances McDormand is an acting chameleon. She became a household name after winning an Oscar for her performance in Fargo (1996), and another for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). Much like Viola Davis, McDormand made her Broadway and her film debut in the same year. In 1984 she made her film debut in Blood Simple. Later that year, she appeared in the Broadway production of Awake and Sing! McDormand returned to Broadway in 1988 to star in A Streetcar Named Desire. Twenty years later, she starred in The Country Girl, and in 2011 she won a Tony Award for her performance in Good People. She currently has 2 Academy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, and 1 Tony Award, making her another recipient of the "Triple Crown of Acting." This year she is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Nomadland.

6. Carey Mulligan

With film credits ranging from period pieces like Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Suffragette (2015) to the American classic The Great Gatsby (2013), Carey Mulligan has found success in many different genres. Her performance in Promising Young Woman, for which she's nominated for an Academy Award this year, created a national buzz. Three years into her film career, Mulligan made her Broadway debut starring in a revival of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (2008). Seven years later, she returned to Broadway to star in the 2015 revival of Skylight, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She is also well known for her 2018 performance in the "gut-wrenching" one-woman show Girls & Boys, which was produced Off-Broadway. This year is her second time being nominated for an Academy Award. She has also been nominated for 2 Golden Globes.