Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | |
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Awarded for | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
First awarded | 1954 |
Currently held by | Sarah Snook, Succession (2023) |
Website | emmys |
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually in the U.S. by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a television drama series for the primetime network season.
The award was first presented at the 6th Primetime Emmy Awards on February 11, 1954. The acting awards presented during the inaugural years were not genre-specific, with actresses in either drama or comedy series receiving nominations and awards. While Eve Arden was the first winner in the female acting category, Loretta Young was the first actress to win for a lead performance in a drama series. By 1966, the acting awards were split into drama and comedy categories, undergoing several name changes until settling with the current title.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 157 actresses, with 31 winning for performances in a drama series. At four awards, Tyne Daly and Michael Learned hold the record for most wins in the category. Angela Lansbury is the most nominated actress in the category, with twelve nominations, though she never won the award. In 2015, Viola Davis became the first African-American woman to win the award, for her performance as Annalise Keating on How to Get Away with Murder . Zendaya is the youngest recipient of the award for her work on Euphoria . Sarah Snook is the current winner for her work on Succession .
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
Key | Meaning |
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Indicates the winning actress | |
# | Indicates a performance in a miniseries or television film, prior to the category's creation |
§ | Indicates a performance as a guest performer, prior to the category's creation |
Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode submission | Network |
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2020 (72nd) | Zendaya | Ruby "Rue" Bennett | Euphoria | "Made You Look" | HBO |
Jodie Comer | Villanelle | Killing Eve | "Are You From Pinner?" | BBC America | |
Sandra Oh | Eve Polastri | "Are You Leading or Am I?" | |||
Jennifer Aniston | Alex Levy | The Morning Show | "In the Dark Night of the Soul It's Always 3:30 in the Morning" | Apple TV+ | |
Olivia Colman | Queen Elizabeth II | The Crown | "Cri de Coeur" | Netflix | |
Laura Linney | Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "Fire Pink" | ||
2021 (73rd) | Olivia Colman | Queen Elizabeth II | The Crown | "48:1" | Netflix |
Emma Corrin | Diana, Princess of Wales | The Crown | "Fairytale" | Netflix | |
Uzo Aduba | Dr. Brooke Taylor | In Treatment | "Brooke — Week 5" | HBO | |
Elisabeth Moss | June Osborne | The Handmaid's Tale | "Home" | Hulu | |
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez | Blanca Rodriguez | Pose | "Series Finale" | FX | |
Jurnee Smollett | Letitia "Leti" Lewis | Lovecraft Country | "Holy Ghost" | HBO | |
2022 (74th) | Zendaya | Ruby "Rue" Bennett | Euphoria | "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" | HBO |
Jodie Comer | Villanelle | Killing Eve | "Don't Get Eaten" | BBC America | |
Sandra Oh | Eve Polastri | "Making Dead Things Look Nice" | |||
Laura Linney | Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "Pound of Flesh and Still Kickin'" | Netflix | |
Melanie Lynskey | Shauna Sadecki | Yellowjackets | "Doomcoming" | Showtime | |
Reese Witherspoon | Bradley Jackson | The Morning Show | "Confirmations" | Apple TV+ | |
2023 (75th) | Sarah Snook | Shiv Roy | Succession | "Tailgate Party" | HBO |
Sharon Horgan | Eva Garvey | Bad Sisters | "Saving Grace" | Apple TV+ | |
Melanie Lynskey | Shauna Sadecki | Yellowjackets | "Burial" | Showtime | |
Elisabeth Moss | June Osborne | The Handmaid's Tale | "Safe" | Hulu | |
Bella Ramsey | Ellie | The Last of Us | "When We Are in Need" | HBO | |
Keri Russell | Kate Wyler | The Diplomat | "Lambs in the Dark" | Netflix |
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This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actresses in comedy have competed alone. However, these comedic performances included actresses from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below:
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Beginning with the 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards, supporting actresses in comedy have competed alone. However, these comedic performances often included actors from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below:
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Prior to 1989, the category was not gender-specific, and, thus, was called Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. It is given in honor to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest-starring role in a television comedy series. The current recipient is Judith Light for Poker Face. Since the category change in 1989, a total of 34 actresses were awarded for their performances. The most awarded actress is Cloris Leachman, with 3 wins, followed by Tina Fey, Colleen Dewhurst, Kathryn Joosten, Jean Smart, Tracey Ullman, Betty White, and Maya Rudolph, with 2 wins. These awards, like the other "Guest" awards, were previously not presented at the Primetime Emmy Award ceremony, but, rather, at the Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremony.
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actors in drama have competed alone. However, these dramatic performances included actors from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below:
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a television limited series or television movie for the primetime network season.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a television limited series or television movie for the primetime network season.
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Beginning with the 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards, supporting actresses in drama have competed alone. However, these dramatic performances often included actresses from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below:
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Before 1975, supporting actors featured in a miniseries or movie were included in categories such as comedy or drama. From 1975 to 1978, the award was called Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special. Despite the category's name, actors appearing in many episodes of a miniseries were included. In 1979, the award was named Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Special. The award was renamed again in 1986, in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special. By 1998, the award was renamed Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role on a television limited series or television movie for the primetime network season.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest starring role on a television drama series for the primetime network season.
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning with the 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards, supporting actors in drama have competed alone. However, these dramatic performances often included actors from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below:
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime Emmys are presented in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. The award categories are divided into three classes: the regular Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards to honor technical and other similar behind-the-scenes achievements, and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards for recognizing significant contributions to the engineering and technological aspects of television. First given out in 1949, the award was originally referred to as simply the "Emmy Award" until the International Emmy Award and the Daytime Emmy Award were created in the early 1970s to expand the Emmy to other sectors of the television industry.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest starring role on a television drama series for the primetime network season.
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was first awarded at the 7th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, held in 1955 and it is given in honor of a writer or writers who produced an outstanding story or screenplay for an episode of a television drama series during the primetime network season. Undergoing several name changes, the award received its current title at the 48th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1996.
The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2010, until May 31, 2011, were held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Jane Lynch hosted the Emmys for the first time. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 10.