Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead 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 leading role on a television drama series for the primetime network season.
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 | Zendaya, Euphoria (2020) |
Website | emmys |
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 36 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 has 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 current, and also the youngest, recipient of the award for her work on Euphoria.
Winners and nominations
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. |
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode Submissions | Network |
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2020 (72nd) |
Zendaya | Rue Bennett | Euphoria | "Made You Look" | HBO |
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 | |
Jodie Comer | Villanelle | Killing Eve | "Are You From Pinner?" | BBC America | |
Laura Linney | Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "Fire Pink" | Netflix | |
Sandra Oh | Eve Polastri | Killing Eve | "Are You Leading or Am I?" | BBC America |
Programs with multiple awards
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Programs with multiple nominations
Performers with multiple awards
Performers with multiple nominations
Notes
- Early Emmy ceremonies did not have genre-specific acting categories
See also
References
- "6th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Female Star of Regular Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- "7th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- "8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Actress – Continuing Performance". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- "9th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Continuing Performance by an Actress". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- "10th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- "11th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- "12th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead or Support)". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- "13th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead)". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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- "25th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama Series – Continuing)". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- "26th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Lead Actress in a Drama". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- "27th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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- "66th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- "67th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- "68th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- "69th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- "70th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 12 July 2018.