MarshaKatz Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 How often does an actor/actress play a role on stage and then portray the same role in the movie version of the play and go on to win an Oscar for that performance? It's like the glass is half empty or half full. Not that often and more often that you would think. So here's a list of actors and actresses who have played a role on stage and went on to win the Oscar for that same role. I'm hoping that you can come up with those that I've missed. Best Actor Oscar Paul Lucas in Watch On The Rhine (1943) for the role of Kurt Muller which he played on Broadway in 1941 Best Actor Oscar Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) a role that he played on stage at the Old Vic in London in 1937 Best Actor Oscar Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) a role that he played on Broadway in 1946-1947 Best Actress Oscar Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950) for the role of Billie Dawn that she played on Broadway in 1946-1947 Best Supporting Actor Oscar Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) for the role of Harold "Mitch" Mitchell that he played on Broadway in 1947-1948 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) for the role of Stella Kowalski that she played on Broadway in 1947-1948 Best Actress Oscar Shirley Booth in Come Back Little Sheba (1952) for the role of Lola that she played on Broadway in 1950-1951 Best Actress Oscar Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker (1962) for the role of Annie Sullivan that she played on Broadway in 1959-1960 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker (1962) for the role of Helen Keller that she played on Broadway in 1959-1960 Best Actor Oscar Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1964) for the role of Professor Henry Higgins that he played on Broadway in 1956-1958 Best Actor Oscar Paul Scofield in A Man For All Seasons (1966) for the role of Sir Thomas More that he played on stage at The Globe Theatre in London in 1960 and at the ANTA Playhouse on Broadway in 1961 Best Actress Oscar Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968) for the role of Fanny Brice that she played on Broadway in 1964-1966 Note: In 1968 there was a tie for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn winning the award for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitane in The Lion In Winter along with Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl That's my list of "From Stage Role to Oscar" - I'd love to see this list grow and hope you can come up with additional actors and actresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 How often does an actor/actress play a role on stage and then portray the same role in the movie version of the play and go on to win an Oscar for that performance? It's like the glass is half empty or half full. Not that often and more often that you would think. So here's a list of actors and actresses who have played a role on stage and went on to win the Oscar for that same role. I'm hoping that you can come up with those that I've missed. Best Actor Oscar Paul Lucas in Watch On The Rhine (1943) for the role of Kurt Muller which he played on Broadway in 1941 Best Actor Oscar Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) a role that he played on stage at the Old Vic in London in 1937 Best Actor Oscar Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) a role that he played on Broadway in 1946-1947 Best Actress Oscar Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950) for the role of Billie Dawn that she played on Broadway in 1946-1947 Best Supporting Actor Oscar Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) for the role of Harold "Mitch" Mitchell that he played on Broadway in 1947-1948 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) for the role of Stella Kowalski that she played on Broadway in 1947-1948 Best Actress Oscar Shirley Booth in Come Back Little Sheba (1952) for the role of Lola that she played on Broadway in 1950-1951 Best Actress Oscar Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker (1962) for the role of Annie Sullivan that she played on Broadway in 1959-1960 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker (1962) for the role of Helen Keller that she played on Broadway in 1959-1960 Best Actor Oscar Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1964) for the role of Professor Henry Higgins that he played on Broadway in 1956-1958 Best Actor Oscar Paul Scofield in A Man For All Seasons (1966) for the role of Sir Thomas More that he played on stage at The Globe Theatre in London in 1960 and at the ANTA Playhouse on Broadway in 1961 Best Actress Oscar Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968) for the role of Fanny Brice that she played on Broadway in 1964-1966 Note: In 1968 there was a tie for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn winning the award for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitane in The Lion In Winter along with Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl That's my list of "From Stage Role to Oscar" - I'd love to see this list grow and hope you can come up with additional actors and actresses. This list seems to suggest that Rex Harrison rather than Yul Brynner is the correct answer to the outstanding "Broadway to Hollywood" question. Is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshaKatz Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share Posted December 4, 2015 DGF - I didn't pose the question in that category. I do know that Yul Brynner won a Tony Award as outstanding featured actor in a musical and Rex Harrison won the Tony for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical -- However, Yul Brynner definitely fits this category since he went from stage as the King in the musical The King And I and won the Best Actor Oscar for the same role in the movie version of The King And I. So Thanks very much for adding Yul Brynner to this list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 DGF - I didn't pose the question in that category. I do know that Yul Brynner won a Tony Award as outstanding featured actor in a musical and Rex Harrison won the Tony for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical -- However, Yul Brynner definitely fits this category since he went from stage as the King in the musical The King And I and won the Best Actor Oscar for the same role in the movie version of The King And I. So Thanks very much for adding Yul Brynner to this list. ..so Brynner would be the correct answer to the BTH question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavenderblue19 Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 ..so Brynner would be the correct answer to the BTH question. Why are you asking Marsha. she didn't pose the question. Ask Arsan, it's his question, both Rex Harrison and Yul are obviously correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshaKatz Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share Posted December 4, 2015 Thanks to one and all because we now can add Yul Brynner to the list of "From Stage Role To Oscar". Hope we get some more additions to this list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsan404 Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Why are you asking Marsha. she didn't pose the question. Ask Arsan, it's his question, both Rex Harrison and Yul are obviously correct. Since Rex Harrison won both awards as Lead and Yul won the Tony as Featured and the Oscar as Lead, the answer is Yul Brynner. I just posted my reply to my Broadway to Hollywood question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Since Rex Harrison won both awards as Lead and Yul won the Tony as Featured and the Oscar as Lead, the answer is Yul Brynner. I just posted my reply to my Broadway to Hollywood question. I'm not that familiar with the concept of "featured" actor for the Tonys. Is it synonymous with "supporting", or is it anyone whose name is not above the title, even though the actor may be the star? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsan404 Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Featured actors are supporting actors. The Tonys used to have a rule that only those with their names above the title were Leading; everybody else was Supporting. Maureen Stapleton in The Rose Tattoo and Tom Bosley in Fiorello! played the title characters and won Tonys as Featured actors because of that rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesArcher Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Didn't Jose Ferrer win a Tony and Oscar for the leading role in "Cyrano De Bergerac"? It was the title role, so I am assuming his name was above the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 The King and I was a vehicle for Broadway star Gertrude Lawrence. She actually commissioned Rodgers and Hammerstein to write a musical version of Anna and the king. Her name was above the title. Yul Brynner was a relative unknown at the time. He didn't become famous until the movie. And then he won the Oscar and then he was a big movie star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azure Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Joel Grey won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the role of the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret. He had previously played the same role on Broadway and won a Tony award for "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshaKatz Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Here's a new addition to the list: Jack Albertson won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role of John Cleary in "The Subject Was Roses" (1968) and played the role in the original Broadway production from 1964-1966. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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