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.

For the Daytime Emmy Awards, see Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Awarded for	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama of Series
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
First awarded	1954
Currently held by	Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (2019)
Website	emmys.com

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. Jodie Comer is the current recipient of the award for her work on Killing Eve.

Winners and nominations

Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.

Key	Meaning
	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

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
1954 (6th) [note 1] [1]	Eve Arden	Connie Brooks	Our Miss Brooks	CBS
	Lucille Ball	Lucy Ricardo	I Love Lucy	CBS
	Imogene Coca	Various Characters	Your Show of Shows	NBC
	Dinah Shore	Herself	The Dinah Shore Show	NBC
	Loretta Young	Various Characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
1955 (7th) [note 1] [2]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	CBS
	Gracie Allen	Gracie Allen	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	CBS
	Eve Arden	Connie Brooks	Our Miss Brooks	CBS
	Lucille Ball	Lucy Ricardo	I Love Lucy	CBS
	Ann Sothern	Susie McNamara	Private Secretary	CBS
1956 (8th) [note 1] [3]	Lucille Ball	Lucy Ricardo	I Love Lucy	CBS
	Gracie Allen	Gracie Allen	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	CBS
	Eve Arden	Connie Brooks	Our Miss Brooks	CBS
	Jean Hagen	Margaret Williams	Make Room for Daddy	ABC
	Ann Sothern	Susie McNamara	Private Secretary	CBS
1957 (9th) [4]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
	Jan Clayton	Ellen Miller	Lassie	CBS
	Ida Lupino	Various Characters	Four Star Playhouse	CBS
	Peggy Wood	Mama	Mama	CBS
	Jane Wyman	Various Characters	Fireside Theatre	NBC
1958 (10th) [note 1] [5]	Jane Wyatt	Margaret Anderson	Father Knows Best	NBC
	Eve Arden	Liza Hammond	The Eve Arden Show	CBS
	Spring Byington	Lily Ruskin	December Bride	CBS
	Jan Clayton	Ellen Miller	Lassie	CBS
	Ida Lupino	Eve Drake	Mr. Adams and Eve	CBS
1959 (11th) [6]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
	Jan Clayton	Ellen Miller	Lassie	CBS
	Phyllis Kirk	Nora Charles	The Thin Man	NBC
	Jane Wyman	Various Characters	Fireside Theatre	NBC

1960s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
1960 (12th) [note 1] [7]	Jane Wyatt	Margaret Anderson	Father Knows Best	CBS
	Donna Reed	Donna Stone	The Donna Reed Show	ABC
	Loretta Young	Various Characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
1961 (13th) [note 1] [8]	Barbara Stanwyck	Various characters	The Barbara Stanwyck Show	NBC
	Donna Reed	Donna Stone	The Donna Reed Show	ABC
	Loretta Young	Various Characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
1962 (14th) [note 1] [9]	Shirley Booth	Hazel Burke	Hazel	NBC
	Gertrude Berg	Sarah Green	The Gertrude Berg Show	CBS
	Donna Reed	Donna Stone	The Donna Reed Show	ABC
	Mary Stuart	Joanne Gardner	Search for Tomorrow	CBS
	Cara Williams	Gladys Porter	Pete and Gladys	CBS
1963 (15th) [note 1] [10]	Shirley Booth	Hazel Burke	Hazel	NBC
	Lucille Ball	Lucy Carmichael	The Lucy Show	CBS
	Shirl Conway	Liz Thorpe	The Nurses	CBS
	Mary Tyler Moore	Laura Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS
	Irene Ryan	Granny	The Beverly Hillbillies	CBS
1964 (16th) [note 1] [11]	Mary Tyler Moore	Laura Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS
	Shirley Booth	Hazel Burke	Hazel	NBC
	Patty Duke	Cathy Lane	The Patty Duke Show	ABC
	Irene Ryan	Granny	The Beverly Hillbillies	CBS
	Inger Stevens	Katy Holstrum	The Farmer's Daughter	ABC
1965 (17th)	No award
1966 (18th) [12]	Barbara Stanwyck	Victoria Barkley	The Big Valley	ABC
	Anne Francis	Honey West	Honey West	ABC
	Barbara Parkins	Betty Anderson Cord	Peyton Place	ABC
1967 (19th) [13]	Barbara Bain	Cinnamon Carter	Mission: Impossible	CBS
	Diana Rigg	Emma Peel	The Avengers	ABC
	Barbara Stanwyck	Victoria Barkley	The Big Valley	ABC
1968 (20th) [14]	Barbara Bain	Cinnamon Carter	Mission: Impossible	CBS
	Diana Rigg	Emma Peel	The Avengers	ABC
	Barbara Stanwyck	Victoria Barkley	The Big Valley	ABC
1969 (21st) [15]	Barbara Bain	Cinnamon Carter	Mission: Impossible	CBS
	Joan Blondell	Lottie Hatfield	Here Come the Brides	ABC
	Peggy Lipton	Julie Barnes	The Mod Squad	ABC

1970s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
1970 (22nd) [16]	Susan Hampshire #	Fleur Mont	The Forsyte Saga	NET
	Joan Blondell	Lottie Hatfield	Here Come the Brides	ABC
	Peggy Lipton	Julie Barnes	The Mod Squad	ABC
1971 (23rd) [17]	Susan Hampshire #	Sarah Churchill	The First Churchills	PBS
	Linda Cristal	Victoria Montoya	The High Chaparral	NBC
	Peggy Lipton	Julie Barnes	The Mod Squad	ABC
1972 (24th) [18]	Glenda Jackson #	Queen Elizabeth I	Elizabeth R	PBS
	Peggy Lipton	Julie Barnes	The Mod Squad	ABC
	Susan Saint James	Sally McMillian	McMillan & Wife	NBC
1973 (25th) [19]	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Lynda Day George	Lisa Casey	Mission: Impossible	CBS
	Susan Saint James	Sally McMillian	McMillan & Wife	NBC
1974 (26th) [20]	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Jean Marsh	Rose Buck	Upstairs, Downstairs	PBS
	Jeanette Nolan	Sally Fergus	Dirty Sally	CBS
1975 (27th) [21]	Jean Marsh	Rose Buck	Upstairs, Downstairs	PBS
	Angie Dickinson	Sgt. Leann Anderson	Police Woman	NBC
	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
1976 (28th) [22]	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Angie Dickinson	Sgt. Leann Anderson	Police Woman	NBC
	Anne Meara	Kate McShane	Kate McShane	CBS
	Brenda Vaccaro	Sara Yarnell	Sara	CBS
1977 (29th) [23]	Lindsay Wagner	Jaime Sommers	The Bionic Woman	ABC
	Angie Dickinson	Sgt. Leann Anderson	Police Woman	NBC
	Kate Jackson	Sabrina Duncan	Charlie's Angels	ABC
	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Sada Thompson	Kate Lawrence	Family	ABC
1978 (30th) [24]	Sada Thompson	Kate Lawrence	Family	ABC
	Melissa Sue Anderson	Mary Ingalls	Little House on the Prairie	NBC
	Fionnula Flanagan	Aunt Molly Culhane	How the West Was Won	ABC
	Kate Jackson	Sabrina Duncan	Charlie's Angels	ABC
	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Susan Sullivan	Julie Farr	Having Babies	ABC
1979 (31st) [25]	Mariette Hartley §	Caroline Fields	The Incredible Hulk	CBS
	Barbara Bel Geddes	Miss Ellie Ewing	Dallas	CBS
	Rita Moreno §	Rita Capkovick	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Sada Thompson	Kate Lawrence	Family	ABC

1980s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
1980 (32nd) [26]	Barbara Bel Geddes	Miss Ellie Ewing	Dallas	CBS
	Lauren Bacall §	Kendall Warren	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Mariette Hartley §	Althea Morgan	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Kristy McNichol	Buddy Lawrence	Family	ABC
	Sada Thompson	Kate Lawrence	Family	ABC
1981 (33rd) [27]	Barbara Babcock §	Grace Gardner	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Barbara Bel Geddes	Miss Ellie Ewing	Dallas	CBS
	Linda Gray	Sue Ellen Ewing	Dallas	CBS
	Veronica Hamel	Joyce Davenport	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Michael Learned	Mary Benjamin	Nurse	CBS
	Stefanie Powers	Jennifer Hart	Hart to Hart	ABC
1982 (34th) [28]	Michael Learned	Mary Benjamin	Nurse	CBS
	Debbie Allen	Lydia Grant	Fame	NBC
	Veronica Hamel	Joyce Davenport	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Michele Lee	Karen Fairgate	Knots Landing	CBS
	Stefanie Powers	Jennifer Hart	Hart to Hart	ABC
1983 (35th) [29]	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Debbie Allen	Lydia Grant	Fame	NBC
	Linda Evans	Krystle Carrington	Dynasty	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Veronica Hamel	Joyce Davenport	Hill Street Blues	NBC
1984 (36th) [30]	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Debbie Allen	Lydia Grant	Fame	Syndicated
	Joan Collins	Alexis Colby	Dynasty	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Veronica Hamel	Joyce Davenport	Hill Street Blues	NBC
1985 (37th) [31]	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Debbie Allen	Lydia Grant	Fame	Syndicated
	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Veronica Hamel	Joyce Davenport	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
1986 (38th) [32]	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Cybill Shepherd	Maddie Hayes	Moonlighting	ABC
	Alfre Woodard	Roxanne Turner	St. Elsewhere	NBC
1987 (39th) [33]	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Susan Dey	Grace Van Owen	L.A. Law	NBC
	Jill Eikenberry	Ann Kelsey	L.A. Law	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
1988 (40th) [34]	Tyne Daly	Mary Beth Lacey	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Susan Dey	Grace Van Owen	L.A. Law	NBC
	Jill Eikenberry	Ann Kelsey	L.A. Law	NBC
	Sharon Gless	Chris Cagney	Cagney & Lacey	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
1989 (41st) [35]	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	ABC
	Susan Dey	Grace Van Owen	L.A. Law	NBC
	Jill Eikenberry	Ann Kelsey	L.A. Law	NBC
	Linda Hamilton	Catherine Chandler	Beauty and the Beast	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS

1990s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
1990 (42nd) [36]	Patricia Wettig	Nancy Krieger-Weston	Thirtysomething	ABC
	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	ABC
	Jill Eikenberry	Ann Kelsey	L.A. Law	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Piper Laurie	Catherine Martell	Twin Peaks	ABC
1991 (43rd) [37]	Patricia Wettig	Nancy Krieger-Weston	Thirtysomething	ABC
	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Rosie O'Neill	The Trials of Rosie O'Neill	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
1992 (44th) [38]	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Rosie O'Neill	The Trials of Rosie O'Neill	CBS
	Shirley Knight §	Melanie Currants	Law & Order	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Kate Nelligan §	Sydney Carver	Road to Avonlea	Disney
	Regina Taylor	Lilly Harper	I'll Fly Away	NBC
1993 (45th) [39]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	CBS
	Swoosie Kurtz	Alex Reed	Sisters	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Regina Taylor	Lilly Harper	I'll Fly Away	NBC
	Janine Turner	Maggie O'Connell	Northern Exposure	CBS
1994 (46th) [40]	Sela Ward	Teddy Reed	Sisters	NBC
	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	CBS
	Swoosie Kurtz	Alex Reed	Sisters	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Jane Seymour	Michaela Quinn	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	CBS
1995 (47th) [41]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	CBS
	Claire Danes	Angela Chase	My So-Called Life	ABC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	NBC
	Cicely Tyson	Carrie Grace Battle	Sweet Justice	NBC
1996 (48th) [42]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	CBS
	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	Fox
	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	NBC
1997 (49th) [43]	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	Fox
	Roma Downey	Monica	Touched by an Angel	CBS
	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	CBS
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	NBC
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	NBC
1998 (50th) [44]	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	CBS
	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	Fox
	Roma Downey	Monica	Touched by an Angel	CBS
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	NBC
	Jane Seymour	Michaela Quinn	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	CBS
1999 (51st) [45]	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	Fox
	Lorraine Bracco	Jennifer Melfi	The Sopranos	HBO
	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	CBS
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	NBC

2000s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
2000 (52nd) [46]	Sela Ward	Lily Manning	Once and Again	ABC
	Lorraine Bracco	Jennifer Melfi	The Sopranos	HBO
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	CBS
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	NBC
2001 (53rd) [47]	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Lorraine Bracco	Jennifer Melfi	The Sopranos	HBO
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	CBS
	Marg Helgenberger	Catherine Willows	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	CBS
	Sela Ward	Lily Manning	Once and Again	ABC
2002 (54th) [48]	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	NBC
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	CBS
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	ABC
	Rachel Griffiths	Brenda Chenowith	Six Feet Under	HBO
2003 (55th) [49]	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	ABC
	Marg Helgenberger	Catherine Willows	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	CBS
	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	NBC
2004 (56th) [50]	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	NBC
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	ABC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Amber Tamblyn	Joan Girardi	Joan of Arcadia	CBS
2005 (57th) [51]	Patricia Arquette	Allison DuBois	Medium	NBC
	Glenn Close	Monica Rawling	The Shield	FX
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	ABC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
2006 (58th) [52]	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	HBO
	Geena Davis	Mackenzie Allen	Commander in Chief	ABC
	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	NBC
	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	TNT
2007 (59th) [53]	Sally Field	Nora Walker	Brothers & Sisters	ABC
	Patricia Arquette	Allison DuBois	Medium	NBC
	Minnie Driver	Dahlia Malloy	The Riches	FX
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	HBO
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	TNT
2008 (60th) [54]	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	FX
	Sally Field	Nora Walker	Brothers & Sisters	ABC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Holly Hunter	Grace Hanadarko	Saving Grace	TNT
	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	TNT
2009 (61st) [55]	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	FX
	Sally Field	Nora Walker	Brothers & Sisters	ABC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Holly Hunter	Grace Hanadarko	Saving Grace	TNT
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	AMC
	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	TNT

2010s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
2010 (62nd) [56]	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	TNT
	Connie Britton	Tami Taylor	Friday Night Lights	DirecTV
	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	FX
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	January Jones	Betty Draper	Mad Men	AMC
	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	CBS
2011 (63rd) [57]	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	CBS
	Kathy Bates	Harriet Korn	Harry's Law	NBC
	Connie Britton	Tami Taylor	Friday Night Lights	DirecTV
	Mireille Enos	Sarah Linden	The Killing	AMC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	NBC
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	AMC
2012 (64th) [58]	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	Showtime
	Kathy Bates	Harriet Korn	Harry's Law	NBC
	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	DirecTV
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	PBS
	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	CBS
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	AMC
2013 (65th) [59]	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	Showtime
	Connie Britton	Rayna Jaymes	Nashville	ABC
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	PBS
	Vera Farmiga	Norma Bates	Bates Motel	A&E
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	AMC
	Kerry Washington	Olivia Pope	Scandal	ABC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix
2014 (66th) [60]	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	CBS
	Lizzy Caplan	Virginia Johnson	Masters of Sex	Showtime
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	Showtime
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	PBS
	Kerry Washington	Olivia Pope	Scandal	ABC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix
2015 (67th) [61]	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	ABC
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	Showtime
	Taraji P. Henson	Cookie Lyon	Empire	Fox
	Tatiana Maslany	Various characters	Orphan Black	BBC America
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	AMC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix
2016 (68th) [62]	Tatiana Maslany	Various Characters	Orphan Black	BBC America
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	Showtime
	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	ABC
	Taraji P. Henson	Cookie Lyon	Empire	Fox
	Keri Russell	Elizabeth Jennings	The Americans	FX
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix
2017 (69th) [63]	Elisabeth Moss	June Osborne / Offred	The Handmaid's Tale	Hulu
	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	ABC
	Claire Foy	Queen Elizabeth II	The Crown	Netflix
	Keri Russell	Elizabeth Jennings	The Americans	FX
	Evan Rachel Wood	Dolores Abernathy	Westworld	HBO
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix
2018 (70th) [64]	Claire Foy	Queen Elizabeth II	The Crown	Netflix
	Tatiana Maslany	Various characters	Orphan Black	BBC America
	Elisabeth Moss	June Osborne / Offred	The Handmaid's Tale	Hulu
	Sandra Oh	Eve Polastri	Killing Eve	BBC America
	Keri Russell	Elizabeth Jennings	The Americans	FX
	Evan Rachel Wood	Dolores Abernathy	Westworld	HBO
2019 (71st)	Jodie Comer	Villanelle	Killing Eve	BBC America
	Emilia Clarke	Daenerys Targaryen	Game of Thrones	HBO
	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	ABC
	Laura Linney	Wendy Byrde	Ozark	Netflix
	Mandy Moore	Rebecca Pearson	This Is Us	NBC
	Sandra Oh	Eve Polastri	Killing Eve	BBC America
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	Netflix

2020s

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
2020 (72nd)
Jennifer Aniston	Alex Levy	The Morning Show	Apple TV+
Olivia Colman	Queen Elizabeth II	The Crown	Netflix
Jodie Comer	Villanelle	Killing Eve	BBC America
Laura Linney	Wendy Byrde	Ozark	Netflix
Sandra Oh	Eve Polastri	Killing Eve	BBC America
Zendaya	Rue Bennett	Euphoria	HBO

Programs with multiple awards

6 awards Cagney & Lacey (consecutive) 3 awards The Loretta Young Show Mission: Impossible (consecutive) Picket Fences (2 consecutive) The Sopranos The Waltons (2 consecutive)

2 awards China Beach Damages Father Knows Best The Good Wife Hazel Homeland (consecutive) Thirtysomething The West Wing

Programs with multiple nominations

12 nominations Cagney & Lacey Murder, She Wrote 9 nominations The Sopranos 8 nominations Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 7 nominations ER L.A. Law 6 nominations Hill Street Blues House of Cards The Loretta Young Show Mad Men The Waltons 5 nominations The Closer Family Homeland Killing Eve Six Feet Under

4 nominations Alias Chicago Hope China Beach Dallas Damages Fame The Good Wife How to Get Away with Murder Mission: Impossible The Mod Squad Picket Fences The X-Files The West Wing 3 nominations The Americans The Big Valley Brothers & Sisters The Crown The Donna Reed Show Downton Abbey Hazel I Love Lucy Lassie Orphan Black Our Miss Brooks Police Woman The Rockford Files Sisters

2 nominations The Avengers The Beverly Hillbillies Charlie's Angels CSI: Crime Scene Investigation The Dick Van Dyke Show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Dynasty Empire Father Knows Best Fireside Theatre Friday Night Lights The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show The Handmaid's Tale Harry's Law Hart to Hart Here Come the Brides I'll Fly Away Judging Amy McMillan & Wife Medium Nurse Once and Again Ozark Private Secretary Saving Grace Scandal Thirtysomething Touched by an Angel The Trials of Rosie O'Neill Upstairs, Downstairs Westworld

Performers with multiple awards

4 awards Tyne Daly Michael Learned 3 awards Barbara Bain Kathy Baker Edie Falco Loretta Young

2 awards Glenn Close Claire Danes Dana Delany Sharon Gless Susan Hampshire Allison Janney Julianna Margulies Barbara Stanwyck Sela Ward Patricia Wettig Jane Wyatt

Performers with multiple nominations

12 nominations Angela Lansbury 8 nominations Sharon Gless Mariska Hargitay Michael Learned Julianna Margulies 7 nominations Elisabeth Moss 6 nominations Tyne Daly Claire Danes Edie Falco Robin Wright Loretta Young 5 nominations Glenn Close Veronica Hamel Kyra Sedgwick

4 nominations Debbie Allen Gillian Anderson Kathy Baker Frances Conroy Viola Davis Dana Delany Jill Eikenberry Jennifer Garner Allison Janney Christine Lahti Peggy Lipton Barbara Stanwyck Sada Thompson

3 nominations Barbara Bain Barbara Bel Geddes Lorraine Bracco Amy Brenneman Connie Britton Jan Clayton Susan Dey Angie Dickinson Michelle Dockery Sally Field Tatiana Maslany Sandra Oh Keri Russell Sherry Stringfield Sela Ward

2 nominations Patricia Arquette Kathy Bates Joan Blondell Jodie Comer Roma Downey Claire Foy Susan Hampshire Marg Helgenberger Taraji P. Henson Holly Hunter Kate Jackson Swoosie Kurtz Laura Linney Jean Marsh Stefanie Powers Diana Rigg Susan Saint James Jane Seymour Regina Taylor Kerry Washington Patricia Wettig Evan Rachel Wood Jane Wyman Jane Wyatt

Notes

1. Early Emmy ceremonies did not have genre specific acting categories

See also

• Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
• TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama

References

1. "6th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Female Star of Regular Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
2. "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.
3. "8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Actress – Continuing Performance". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
4. "9th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Best Continuing Performance by an Actress". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved 8 July 2017.
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