The other day we told you about Kristin Scott Thomas and her quest to be the sixth actress to win both the Academy Award and Tony Award in the same year. She could pull off this double act for her work in the upcoming film "I've Loved You So Long" and her current praised performance onstage in "The Seagull."

Last night, Frank Langella began his bid to become the first actor to achieve this laudable accomplishment, opening in the first rialto revival of "A Man For All Seasons" to generally good reviews. His role of the conflicted Sir Thomas More, spiritual advisor to King Henry VIII, is well proved to be awards-worthy. Paul Scofield won a Tony for the original 1962 production and then went on to win an Oscar for the 1966 film adaptation, which also took the best picture prize. He was the sixth of nine performers to date to win both stage and screen kudos for the same role.

Langella's hopes for an Oscar rest on becoming No. 10 on that list. Last year, he won his third Tony for playing disgraced former President Richard Nixon in the stage version of "Frost/Nixon." He will soon be seen onscreen re-creating the role in Ron Howard's film version. And six of our seven Oscarolgists are predicting at least a best actor nod for him.

Were Langella to win both awards, he would replicate the accomplishments of Shirley Booth. Back in 1953, this veteran actress won the Tony for "In the Time of the Cuckoo" and an Oscar for re-creating her 1950 Tony-winning performance in the screen version of "Come Back, Little Sheba." No other performer has ever managed that remarkable feat. Booth went on to win two Emmy Awards for her work as the title character in the sitcom "Hazel" in 1962 and 1963.

Besides Booth and Scofield, the other performers to win both the Tony and the Oscar for the same role are: Jose Ferrer for "Cyrano de Bergerac" (Tony in 1947, Oscar in 1950), Yul Brynner for "The King and I" (featured Tony in 1952, lead Oscar in 1956), Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady" (Tony in 1957, Oscar in 1964), Anne Bancroft for "The Miracle Worker" (Tony in 1959, Oscar in 1962), Jack Albertson for "The Subject Was Roses" (Tony in 1964, Oscar in 1968), Joel Grey for "Cabaret" (Tony in 1966, Oscar in 1972) and Lila Kedrova for "Zorba the Greek" (Oscar in 1964, Tony in 1983).

Photo credits: American Airlines Theatre, Universal