The 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards are drawing near, and the nominations have been announced! This year’s Emmys celebrate the best of TV, and the lineup is filled with Broadway favorites who have made the leap from stage to screen.
Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo is a nominee this year for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Poker Face. Erivo made her Broadway debut in The Color Purple, a performance that won her the 2016 Tony Award for best leading actress in a musical. Most recently, theater fans worldwide have fallen in love with her portrayal of Elphaba in the Wicked films.
In the Limited Series categories, Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell both earned nominations for their performances in The Penguin. Milioti, a lead actress nominee, originated the role of Girl in the Tony-winning musical Once, which earned her both a Grammy Award and a Tony nomination. O’Connell, nominated for supporting actress, won a 2022 Tony Award for her performance in Dana H.
Jake Gyllenhaal is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Presumed Innocent. Gyllenhaal’s Broadway appearances include Constellations and Sunday in the Park With George, along with a Tony nomination for Sea Wall/A Life. Most recently, he starred opposite Denzel Washington in the past Broadway season’s Othello as the infamous role of Iago.
Broadway’s Jean Smart returns to the Emmy Awards with an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for Hacks. As Deborah Vance in Hacks, Smart has already racked up three Emmy Awards for her work in previous seasons. Smart appeared on Broadway in Piaf and The Man Who Came to Dinner, winning the 2000 Tony Award for best actress in a play. She recently wrapped up her run in the one-woman show Call Me Izzy this Broadway season.
Liza Colón-Zayas, nominated for The Bear, has appeared on Broadway in Drowning Crow and Between Riverside and Crazy, the latter earning her an Obie Award. She went on to win Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2024 Emmys for her performance in The Bear. Her costar Ayo Edebiri has earned two Emmy nominations this year, in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series categories. Adding to an already impressive year, it was recently announced that Edebiri will make her Broadway debut in Proof alongside Don Cheadle in 2026.
John Turturro is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Irving Bailiff in Severance. On Broadway, Turturro has appeared in Life (x) 3 and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Another face to look out for is Michael Urie, who is currently on Broadway in Oh, Mary! as Mary’s Teacher. Urie is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Shrinking.
Other stage actors you may recognize in the nominations include Jeff Hiller (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Tony Award winner Martin Short (Little Me, The Goodbye Girl, It’s Only a Play).
In addition, Broadway stage actresses who also made the nomination list are Tony-nominated Kathy Bates (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean; ‘night, Mother) and Keri Russell (Shakespeare in the Park’s Hamlet and King Lear).
Now that you know all the theater faces to look out for, make sure to cheer them on when the 77th Emmy Awards air live on Sunday, September 14, on CBS.
