Emmy double threats: 24 actors whose first two nominations came in the same year

Included among the 2022 Primetime Emmy contenders are five actors nominated for multiple performances. Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna” and “Ozark”), Bill Hader (“Barry” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), and Harriet Walter (“Succession” and “Ted Lasso”) have been recognized by the TV academy before, while the remaining two – Rhea Seehorn and Sydney Sweeney – are now part of a group of 24 doubly-nominated first-timers. The respective “Better Call Saul” and “Euphoria” cast members are both up for the Best Drama Supporting Actress award, while Seehorn is also competing for Best Short Form Actress (“Cooper’s Bar”) and Sweeney for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Supporting Actress (“The White Lotus”).
The exclusive club to which Seehorn and Sweeney now belong was established back in 1955. So far, only six of its two dozen members have had what it takes to pull off wins. The first such victor was Robert Cummings, who took what would now be considered the Best Limited/Movie Actor prize for “12 Angry Men” (1955) and simultaneously lost for his regular lead performance on “My Hero.”
The champs who followed Cummings were Jack Albertson (1975; won Variety Supporting Actor, “Cher” and lost Comedy Actor, “Chico and the Man”), Eileen Brennan (1981; won Comedy Supporting Actress, “Private Benjamin” and lost Comedy Actress, “Taxi”), Jane Lynch (2010; won Comedy Supporting Actress, “Glee” and lost Comedy Guest Actress, “Two and a Half Men”), Riz Ahmed (2017; won Limited/Movie Actor, “The Night Of” and lost Comedy Guest Actor, “Girls”), and Ann Dowd (2017; won Drama Supporting Actress, “The Handmaid’s Tale” and lost Drama Guest Actress, “The Leftovers”).
The first of the group’s 16 doubly unlucky members was Fredric March, whose one-off performances in “A Christmas Carol” and “The Royal Family” were both bested by that of Cummings in “12 Angry Men.” Besides Albertson, the four others who joined prior to 1990 were Robert Reed (1976; Drama Supporting Actor, “Rich Man, Poor Man” and Drama Guest Actor, “Medical Center”), Sada Thompson (1976; Movie Actress, “The Entertainer” and Drama Supporting Actress, “Lincoln”), Ben Vereen (1977; Limited Series Actor, “Roots” and Variety Supporting Actor, “The Bell Telephone Jubilee”), and Jack Gilford (1989; Comedy Guest Actor, “The Golden Girls” and Drama Guest Actor, “Thirtysomething”).
Three of the six 1990s entrants were concurrently nominated as leads and supporting players in telefilms or limited series. They were Anne Bancroft (1992; “Mrs. Cage” and “Broadway Bound”), Angelina Jolie (1998; “Gia” and “George Wallace”), and Don Cheadle (1999; “A Lesson Before Dying” and “The Rat Pack”). The other half of this subset includes Marlee Matlin (1994; Comedy Guest Actress, “Seinfeld” and Drama Guest Actress, “Picket Fences”), Andre Braugher (1996; Drama Actor, “Homicide: Life on the Street” and Limited/Movie Supporting Actor, “The Tuskegee Airmen”), and David Duchovny (1997; Drama Actor, “The X Files” and Comedy Guest Actor, “The Larry Sanders Show”).
Aside from the 2010s champs, five dual contenders preceded Seehorn and Sweeney in joining this group during the 21st century. First came Victor Garber (2001; Limited/Movie Supporting Actor, “Life with Judy Garland” and Comedy Guest Actor, “Frasier”), followed by Idris Elba (2011; Limited/Movie Actor, “Luther” and Comedy Guest Actor, “The Big C”), Gaby Hoffmann (2015; Comedy Supporting Actress, “Transparent” and Comedy Guest Actress, “Girls”), Mindy Sterling (2017; Short Form Actress, “Con Man” and “Secs and Execs”), and Fiona Shaw (2019; Drama Supporting Actress, “Killing Eve” and Comedy Guest Actress, “Fleabag”).
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?