Alumni With ‘Succession,’ Another Emmy for Producer Scott Ferguson ’82, BA ’83 Stories You May Like Cornell Cinema Still Lights Up the Silver Screen And the Greatest Fictional Cornellian in TV and Movie History Is … ? For a Veteran Hollywood Scout, it’s All About ‘Location, Location’ The veteran Hollywood exec boasts a résumé including Oscar winners, ratings toppers, and critical favorites By Beth Saulnier Among the biggest winners at the 2023 Emmy Awards—handed out in a gala ceremony in mid-January 2024—was a Cornellian: Scott Ferguson ’82, BA ’83, whose show “Succession” raked in an impressive six statuettes. The Arts & Sciences alum was an executive producer of the hit HBO show, whose fourth and final season ended in May 2023. In addition to being named Outstanding Drama Series (which garners an Emmy for its producers), it won for lead actor and actress, supporting actor, writing, and directing. Ferguson (center) speaking at Cornell Cinema in spring 2023. (Provided) Ferguson’s producing résumé stretches back to 1994—his debut was the Paul Newman dramedy Nobody’s Fool—and includes such notable films and TV shows as the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain, the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, and the critically acclaimed HBO drama “The Night Of.” In addition to this year’s “Succession” haul, Ferguson boasts multiple Emmy wins and nominations as well as awards from the U.S. directors’ and producers’ guilds; he shared a Peabody for the 2011 TV movie Temple Grandin. Stories You May Like Cornell Cinema Still Lights Up the Silver Screen And the Greatest Fictional Cornellian in TV and Movie History Is … ? Ferguson boasts multiple Emmy wins and nominations as well as awards from the U.S. directors’ and producers’ guilds. A former theatre arts major, Ferguson has come back to the Hill to share his career experiences, including during the 2015 Sesquicentennial celebration and at a March 2023 event featuring alums in film titled “From the Big Red to the Red Carpet.” “‘Any person ... any study’ was what I really needed when I came to Cornell, because I didn’t know what I wanted to study,” Ferguson said at the latter event. "Cornellian" Tom Wambsgans with Shiv Roy, his wife and sometime business rival. (Peter Kramer / HBO) “But when I took a 16mm film course that Marilyn Rivchin [MFA ’91] taught, I was bitten by the bug. I was drawn like a moth to the flame to something I was really interested in.” As many alums who are fans of “Succession” know, the show has another Big Red tie: one of its main characters, Tom Wambsgans—played by British star Matthew Macfadyen, who notched a total of three best actor nominations and two wins for the role—is a Cornell alum. And when Big Red history expert Corey Earle ’07 ran a “March Madness”-style Twitter poll in 2023 to find the greatest fictional Cornellian out of a field of 64, Wambsgans came in second—after a Vet College "alum" in the 2011 film Water for Elephants. But viewers of the show are well aware that—speaking vaguely so as to avoid spoilers—in the final season of "Succession," Wambsgans snags a far bigger prize. Top: A scene from the third season of "Succession." (Macall B. Polay / HBO) Published January 16, 2024 Comments Yennuba Yakubu Ibrahim 17 Jan, 2024 Great Guy! I can’t wait to be a Cornellian too. Reply Gordon Lang, Class of 1983 23 Jan, 2024 Always a decent guy as an undergrad. Scott was a good supporter of his classmates’ work in our creative writing class. And he was always ready with a Pez! Reply Charles Andrew Tang, Class of 1968 15 Feb, 2024 Great movies. Proud that Scott is a Cornelian with such success! Would like to promote co-productions with Shanghai Film Studios. Charles Tang Class”68 Reply Anthony Carreiro, Class of 1982 16 Feb, 2024 I acted in one of Scott’s first 16mm films at Cornell. What a wonderful talent and an equally wonderful person. Reply Leslie Carroll, Class of 1981 14 Jun, 2024 I took acting classes with Scott and lost track of him after I graduated in ‘81. (I was Leslie Goldsmith then, before I changed my name professionally to the name I’ve been known as since ‘82 as an actress). I’ll never forget the professors who wanted to drill his regional “Balmer” accent out of him! Scott was such a nice guy and I’m thrilled for his successes! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond Professor Studies Issues at the Intersection of Race, Poverty, and Public Policy Campus & Beyond New Course Sets Sail on Understanding Physics—by Boat Alumni Remembering the Cornellian Who Broke Racial Barriers in Math