Best Narrator Emmy sees 3 actors compete with Barack Obama

Barack Obama and Sir David Attenborough are no strangers to Emmy glory, but new Best Narrator Emmy nominees Tom Hanks, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Idris Elba face tough competition.

Obama won the Best Narrator award in 2022 for Our Great National Parks, while Attenborough holds multiple wins, most recently in 2020 for Seven Worlds, One Planet. Both remain formidable voices shaping documentary storytelling.

In contrast, Hanks’ first Emmy nomination and win came in 1998 for Outstanding Miniseries with HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon, which he co-produced. 

Since then, the Sleepless in Seattle star has racked up 18 nominations and seven wins, most of them for his behind-the-camera work.

What stands out is that despite Obama’s and Attenborough’s dominance in narration, Hanks’ track record positions him as a strong contender.

Meanwhile, sharp-tongued comedy writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge is hardly a newcomer to Emmy success. She boasts three wins, all in 2019 for Fleabag, and a total of seven nominations across comedy, drama, and narration, making her a formidable adversary in the 2025 race.

Last but not least, critically acclaimed actor Idris Elba has six Emmy nominations but has yet to secure a win. His 2025 nod for Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Colour could change that, though the competition is undeniably fierce.

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