Former U.S. President Barack Obama won an Emmy on Sunday night (September 7) at the Creative Emmy Awards for his narration in the second episode of Netflix’s documentary series Our Oceans, titled Indian Ocean. This marks Obama’s fifth Emmy, and the victory carries extra significance as he beat one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Tom Hanks.
This is the third time Obama has been awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Narrator. He previously won in 2022 and 2023 for his narration in Our Great National Parks and Working: What We Do All Day. During the same period, he also won two Emmys in the Children and Family category for Ada Twist, Scientist and We the People.
According to Screenrant, winning his fifth Emmy is a major achievement for the former president, particularly given the stiff competition. Among the nominees for Outstanding Narrator were Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, naturalist David Attenborough, actor Idris Elba, and creator/actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Obama and Hanks share a historic connection: in 2016, while in the Oval Office, Obama awarded Hanks the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The victory this year highlights Obama’s prominence in a highly competitive category.
Beyond television, Obama has also received two Grammy Awards for his recorded works Dreams from My Father (2006) and The Audacity of Hope (2008).
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