Tthings can get a bit confusing when TV’s main event is peppered with a generous pinch of Oscar winners and even more Oscar-nominated talent. Especially when those Oscar winners are nominated for Emmys for playing other Oscar winners. (We’re looking at you, Lange and Sarandon).
For years, the premium cable networks and streaming services have attracted big-screen stars to the once-lowly ranks of the small screen, which further blurred the fading line between cinema and television.
Here’s a rundown of some of the familiar faces — several of whom are no strangers to the Emmys — who already have Oscar gold on their mantels.
Common The rapper won a Creative Arts Emmy last weekend for his song “Letter to the Free” from Ava DuVernay’s “13th.” He won the Academy Award for original song for another DuVernay collaboration film, 2014’s “Selma.”
Viola Davis Davis is again nominated for a lead actress Emmy for “How to Get Away With Murder.” (She won for her role as law professor Annalise Keating back in 2015). Davis notched her Oscar earlier this year for her supporting role in “Fences.”
Robert De Niro The film veteran is up for his first Emmy this year for playing Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff in HBO’s “The Wizard of Lies,” which he also executive produced. He famously won a supporting actor Oscar for 1974’s “The Godfather: Part II” and a lead actor Oscar for 1980’s “Raging Bull.”
Jane Fonda The two-time Oscar winner is again up for lead actress in a comedy with Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie.” She already won Emmy gold for the 1984 TV movie “The Dollmaker.” Fonda won her first lead actress Oscar for 1971’s “Klute” and the second for 1978’s “Coming Home.”
Anthony Hopkins The “Westworld” star has two Primetime Emmys to his name: one for 1976’s “The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case” and another for 1981’s “The Bunker.” His Oscar accompanied his iconic lead role in 1991’s “Silence of the Lambs.”
Ron Howard The “Happy Days” alum-turned-filmmaker is up for three awards this year: producing and directing NatGeo’s Einstein docudrama “Genius” and producing Hulu’s Beatles documentary “Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years.” (He lost to “13th” in the doc category). Howard’s executive producer credits on “From Earth to the Moon” and “Arrested Development” have earned him two Primetime Emmys, and he’s won two Oscars for directing and producing the 2001 drama “A Beautiful Mind.”
Tom Hanks The beloved actor was up for guest actor in a comedy this year for his hosting duties on “Saturday Night Live,” but he lost to Dave Chappelle at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys. He has previously won seven Primetime Emmy awards as a producer on various HBO projects including “Band of Brothers” and “John Adams.” The two-time Oscar winner was celebrated by the film academy for his work in the ’90s films “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.”
Nicole Kidman The “Big Little Lies” co-producer and lead actress is up for two Emmys this year. She won a lead actress Oscar for 2002’s “The Hours.”
Jessica Lange A frequent collaborator with producer Ryan Murphy, Lange has won two Emmys while working on his “American Horror Story” anthology. She also won a lead actress Emmy for 2009’s “Grey Gardens.” This year she’s up for a lead actress award for her role as film star Joan Crawford in Murphy’s limited series “Feud: Bette and Joan.” Lange won a supporting actress Oscar for 1982’s “Tootsie” and lead actress Oscar for 1994’s “Blue Sky.”
Geoffrey Rush The British actor’s portrayal of famed scientist Albert Einstein in “Genius” earned him a nod this year. But he’s already earned an Emmy for his take on the Pink Panther in the 2004 TV movie “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.” If those two biopics weren’t enough, his 1996 film “Shine” notched a lead actor Oscar.
Susan Sarandon Like her “Feud’ costar, Sarandon is up for two Emmys this year: the first for her portrayal of actress Bette Davis, the second for serving as an executive producer on the series. She’s been nominated four other times, but we’re pretty sure her Oscar for 1995’s “Dead Man Walking” has made up for those losses.
Kevin Spacey The 12-time Emmy Award nominee has no wins yet, but the “House of Cards” star and executive producer does have two Oscars: One for 1995’s “The Usual Suspects” and another for 1999’s “American Beauty.”
Reese Witherspoon The first-time Emmy nominee, who produced “Big Little Lies” and played alliteration-friendly stay-at-home mom Madeline Martha Mackenzie, is up for two awards this year. She won a lead actress Oscar for playing the no-nonsense June Carter in 2005’s “Walk the Line.”
Steven Zaillian The Oscar winner for best adapted screenplay for “Schindler’s List” is up for three Emmys this year for writing, directing and producing HBO’s crime drama “The Night Of.”