Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Not to be confused with the Daytime Emmy Award with the same name.

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:

• # – Indicates a performance in a Miniseries or Television film, before the category's creation
• § – Indicates a performance as a guest performer, before the category's creation

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
The 2022 recipient: Lee Jung-jae
Awarded for	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
First awarded	1954
Currently held by	Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game (2022)
Website	emmys.com

Winners and nominations

1950s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Network
Best Male Star of a Regular Series
1954 (6th) ^[note 1]
	Donald O'Connor	Himself	The Colgate Comedy Hour	NBC
	Sid Caesar	Various characters	Your Show of Shows	NBC
	Wally Cox	Robinson Peepers	Mister Peepers
	Jackie Gleason	Various characters	The Jackie Gleason Show	CBS
	Jack Webb	Joe Friday	Dragnet	NBC
Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series
1955 (7th) ^[note 1]
	Danny Thomas	Danny Williams	Make Room for Daddy	ABC
	Richard Boone	Dr. Konrad Styner	Medic	NBC
	Robert Cummings	Robert Beanblossom	My Hero
	Jackie Gleason	Various characters	The Jackie Gleason Show	CBS
	Jack Webb	Joe Friday	Dragnet	NBC
Best Actor - Continuing Performance
1956 (8th) ^[note 1]
	Phil Silvers	MSgt. Ernest G. Bilko	The Phil Silvers Show	CBS
	Robert Cummings	Bob Collins	The Bob Cummings Show	CBS
	Jackie Gleason	Ralph Kramden	The Honeymooners
	Danny Thomas	Danny Williams	Make Room for Daddy	ABC
	Robert Young	Jim Anderson	Father Knows Best	CBS
Best Continuing Performance by an Actor
1957 (9th)
	Robert Young	Jim Anderson	Father Knows Best	NBC
	James Arness	Matt Dillon	Gunsmoke	CBS
	Charles Boyer	Various characters	Four Star Playhouse
	David Niven
	Hugh O'Brian	Wyatt Earp	The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp	ABC
Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
1958 (10th) ^[note 1]
	Robert Young	Jim Anderson	Father Knows Best	NBC
	James Arness	Matt Dillon	Gunsmoke	CBS
	Robert Cummings	Bob Collins	The Bob Cummings Show
	Phil Silvers	MSgt. Ernest G. Bilko	The Phil Silvers Show
	Danny Thomas	Danny Williams	The Danny Thomas Show	ABC & CBS
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
1959 (11th)
	Raymond Burr	Perry Mason	Perry Mason	CBS
	James Arness	Matt Dillon	Gunsmoke	CBS
	Richard Boone	Paladin	Have Gun – Will Travel
	James Garner	Bret Maverick	Maverick	ABC
	Craig Stevens	Peter Gunn	Peter Gunn	NBC
	Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	Stuart Bailey	77 Sunset Strip	ABC

1960s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Network
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead or Support)
1960 (12th) ^[note 1]
	Robert Stack	Eliot Ness	The Untouchables	ABC
	Richard Boone	Paladin	Have Gun – Will Travel	CBS
	Raymond Burr	Perry Mason	Perry Mason
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead)
1961 (13th) ^[note 1]
	Raymond Burr	Perry Mason	Perry Mason	CBS
	Jackie Cooper	Chick Hennesey	Hennesey	CBS
	Robert Stack	Eliot Ness	The Untouchables	ABC
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead)
1962 (14th) ^[note 1]
	E. G. Marshall	Lawrence Preston	The Defenders	CBS
	Paul Burke	Det. Adam Flint	Naked City	ABC
	Jackie Cooper	Chick Hennesey	Hennesey	CBS
	Vince Edwards	Ben Casey	Ben Casey	ABC
	George Maharis	Buz Murdock	Route 66	CBS
1963 (15th) ^[note 1]
	E. G. Marshall	Lawrence Preston	The Defenders	CBS
	Ernest Borgnine	Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale	McHale's Navy	ABC
	Paul Burke	Det. Adam Flint	Naked City
	Vic Morrow	Sgt. Sanders	Combat!
	Dick Van Dyke	Rob Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS
1964 (16th) ^[note 1]
	Dick Van Dyke	Rob Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS
	Richard Boone	Various characters	The Richard Boone Show	NBC
	Dean Jagger	Principal Albert Vane	Mr. Novak
	David Janssen	Dr. Richard Kimble	The Fugitive	ABC
	George C. Scott	Neil Brock	East Side/West Side	CBS
Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment - Actors and Performers
1965 (17th)
	Leonard Bernstein	Conductor	New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein	CBS
	Lynn Fontanne	Fanny Bowditch Holmes	Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Magnificent Yankee"	NBC
	Alfred Lunt	Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
	Barbra Streisand	Herself	My Name Is Barbra	CBS
	Dick Van Dyke	Rob Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show
	Julie Andrews	Herself	The Andy Williams Show: "November 30, 1964"	NBC
	Johnny Carson	Host	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
	Gladys Cooper	Margaret St. Clair	The Rogues
	Robert Coote	Timmy St. Clair
	Richard Crenna	James Slattery	Slattery's People	CBS
	Julie Harris	Florence Nightingale	Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Holy Terror"	NBC
	Bob Hope	Himself	Chrysler Presents A Bob Hope Comedy Special
	Dean Jagger	Principal Albert Vane	Mr. Novak
	Danny Kaye	Host	The Danny Kaye Show	CBS
	David McCallum	Illya Kuryakin	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	NBC
	Red Skelton	Himself	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series
1966 (18th)
	Bill Cosby	Alexander Scott	I Spy	NBC
	Richard Crenna	James Slattery	Slattery's People	CBS
	Robert Culp	Kelly Robinson	I Spy	NBC
	David Janssen	Dr. Richard Kimble	The Fugitive	ABC
	David McCallum	Illya Kuryakin	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	NBC
1967 (19th)
	Bill Cosby	Alexander Scott	I Spy	NBC
	Robert Culp	Kelly Robinson	I Spy	NBC
	Ben Gazzara	Paul Bryan	Run for Your Life	NBC
	David Janssen	Dr. Richard Kimble	The Fugitive	ABC
	Martin Landau	Rollin Hand	Mission: Impossible	CBS
1968 (20th)
	Bill Cosby	Alexander Scott	I Spy	NBC
	Raymond Burr	Robert T. Ironside	Ironside	NBC
	Robert Culp	Kelly Robinson	I Spy
	Ben Gazzara	Paul Bryan	Run for Your Life
	Martin Landau	Rollin Hand	Mission: Impossible	CBS
1969 (21st)
	Carl Betz	Clinton Judd	Judd, for the Defense	ABC
	Raymond Burr	Robert T. Ironside	Ironside	NBC
	Peter Graves	Jim Phelps	Mission: Impossible	CBS
	Martin Landau	Rollin Hand
	Ross Martin	Artemus Gordon	The Wild Wild West

1970s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Network
1970 (22nd)
	Robert Young	Dr. Marcus Welby	Marcus Welby, M.D.	ABC
	Raymond Burr	Robert T. Ironside	Ironside	NBC
	Mike Connors	Joe Mannix	Mannix	CBS
	Robert Wagner	Al Mundy	It Takes a Thief	ABC
1971 (23rd)
	Hal Holbrook	Hays Stowe	The Bold Ones: The Senator	NBC
	Raymond Burr	Robert T. Ironside	Ironside	NBC
	Mike Connors	Joe Mannix	Mannix	CBS
	Robert Young	Dr. Marcus Welby	Marcus Welby, M.D.	ABC
1972 (24th)
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	NBC
	Raymond Burr	Robert T. Ironside	Ironside	NBC
	Mike Connors	Joe Mannix	Mannix	CBS
	Keith Michell #	Henry VIII of England	The Six Wives of Henry VIII
	Robert Young	Dr. Marcus Welby	Marcus Welby, M.D.	ABC
1973 (25th)
	Richard Thomas	John-Boy Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	David Carradine	Kwai Chang Caine	Kung Fu	ABC
	Mike Connors	Joe Mannix	Mannix	CBS
	William Conrad	Frank Cannon	Cannon
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	NBC
1974 (26th)
	Telly Savalas	Lt. Theo Kojak	Kojak	CBS
	William Conrad	Frank Cannon	Cannon	CBS
	Karl Malden	Lt. Mike Stone	The Streets of San Francisco	ABC
	Richard Thomas	John-Boy Walton	The Waltons	CBS
1975 (27th)
	Robert Blake	Det. Tony Baretta	Baretta	ABC
	Karl Malden	Lt. Mike Stone	The Streets of San Francisco	ABC
	Barry Newman	Anthony J. Petrocelli	Petrocelli	NBC
	Telly Savalas	Lt. Theo Kojak	Kojak	CBS
1976 (28th)
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	NBC
	James Garner	Jim Rockford	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Karl Malden	Lt. Mike Stone	The Streets of San Francisco	ABC
1977 (29th)
	James Garner	Jim Rockford	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Robert Blake	Det. Tony Baretta	Baretta	ABC
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	NBC
	Jack Klugman	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.	Quincy, M.E.
	Karl Malden	Lt. Mike Stone	The Streets of San Francisco	ABC
1978 (30th)
	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Lou Grant	CBS
	James Broderick	Doug Lawrence	Family	ABC
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	NBC
	James Garner	Jim Rockford	The Rockford Files
	Jack Klugman	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.	Quincy, M.E.
	Ralph Waite	John Walton, Sr.	The Waltons	CBS
1979 (31st)
	Ron Leibman	Martin Kazinski	Kaz	CBS
	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Lou Grant	CBS
	James Garner	Jim Rockford	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Jack Klugman	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.	Quincy, M.E.

1980s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Network
1980 (32nd)
	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Lou Grant	CBS
	James Garner	Jim Rockford	The Rockford Files	NBC
	Jack Klugman	R. Quincy	Quincy, M.E.
	Larry Hagman	J. R. Ewing	Dallas	CBS
1981 (33rd)
	Daniel J. Travanti	Frank Furillo	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Lou Grant	CBS
	Jim Davis (posthumously)	Jock Ewing	Dallas
	Larry Hagman	J. R. Ewing
	Louis Gossett Jr. §	Bessie's Father	Palmerstown, U.S.A.
	Pernell Roberts	Trapper John McIntyre	Trapper John, M.D.
1982 (34th)
	Daniel J. Travanti	Frank Furillo	Hill Street Blues	NBC
	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Lou Grant	CBS
	Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum	Magnum, P.I.
	James Garner	Bret Maverick	Bret Maverick	NBC
	John Forsythe	Blake Carrington	Dynasty	ABC
1983 (35th)
	Ed Flanders	Donald Westphall	St. Elsewhere	NBC
	Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum	Magnum, P.I.	CBS
	William Daniels	Mark Craig	St. Elsewhere	NBC
	John Forsythe	Blake Carrington	Dynasty	ABC
	Daniel J. Travanti	Frank Furillo	Hill Street Blues	NBC
1984 (36th) ^[1]
	Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum	Magnum, P.I.	CBS
	William Daniels	Mark Craig	St. Elsewhere	NBC
	Ed Flanders	Donald Westphall
	Daniel J. Travanti	Frank Furillo	Hill Street Blues
	John Forsythe	Blake Carrington	Dynasty	ABC
1985 (37th)
	William Daniels	Mark Craig	St. Elsewhere	NBC
	Don Johnson	Sonny Crockett	Miami Vice	NBC
	Ed Flanders	Donald Westphall	St. Elsewhere
	Daniel J. Travanti	Frank Furillo	Hill Street Blues
	Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum	Magnum, P.I.	CBS
1986 (38th)
	William Daniels	Mark Craig	St. Elsewhere	NBC
	Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum	Magnum, P.I.	CBS
	Edward Woodward	Robert McCall	The Equalizer
	Bruce Willis	David Addison	Moonlighting	ABC
	Ed Flanders	Donald Westphall	St. Elsewhere	NBC
1987 (39th)
	Bruce Willis	David Addison	Moonlighting	ABC
	Corbin Bernsen	Arnie Becker	L.A. Law	NBC
	William Daniels	Mark Craig	St. Elsewhere
	Ed Flanders	Donald Westphall
	Edward Woodward	Robert McCall	The Equalizer	CBS
1988 (40th)
	Richard Kiley	Joe Gardner	A Year in the Life	NBC
	Ron Perlman	Vincent	Beauty and the Beast	CBS
	Corbin Bernsen	Arnie Becker	L.A. Law	NBC
	Michael Tucker	Stuart Markowitz
	Edward Woodward	Robert McCall	The Equalizer	CBS
1989 (41st)
	Carroll O'Connor	Bill Gillespie	In the Heat of the Night	NBC
	Ken Wahl	Vinnie Terranova	Wiseguy	CBS
	Edward Woodward	Robert McCall	The Equalizer
	Ron Perlman	Vincent	Beauty and the Beast
	Michael Tucker	Stuart Markowitz	L.A. Law	NBC

1990s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Episode Submissions	Network
1990 (42nd)
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	"Agenda for Murder"	ABC
	Scott Bakula	Sam Beckett	Quantum Leap	—	NBC
	Robert Loggia	Nick Mancuso	Mancuso, F.B.I.	—
	Kyle MacLachlan	Dale Cooper	Twin Peaks	—	ABC
	Edward Woodward	Robert McCall	The Equalizer	—	CBS
1991 (43rd)
	James Earl Jones	Gabriel Bird	Gabriel's Fire	"Pilot"	ABC
	Scott Bakula	Sam Beckett	Quantum Leap	"Shock Theater: October 3, 1954"	NBC
	Michael Moriarty	Benjamin Stone	Law & Order	"Indifference"
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	"Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star"	ABC
	Kyle MacLachlan	Dale Cooper	Twin Peaks	"Episode 16"
1992 (44th)
	Christopher Lloyd §	Alistair Dimple	Road to Avonlea	"Another Point of View"	Disney Channel
	Kirk Douglas §	General Kalthrob	Tales from the Crypt	"Yellow"	HBO
	Rob Morrow	Joel Fleischman	Northern Exposure	"Jules et Joel"	CBS
	Scott Bakula	Sam Beckett	Quantum Leap	"Dreams: February 28, 1979"	NBC
	Harrison Page §	Reverend Walters		"Song for the Soul: April 7, 1963"
	Michael Moriarty	Benjamin Stone	Law & Order	"The Wages of Love"
	Sam Waterston	Forrest Bedford	I'll Fly Away	"Hard Lessons Master Magician"
1993 (45th)
	Tom Skerritt	Jimmy Brock	Picket Fences	"High Tidings"	CBS
	Scott Bakula	Sam Beckett	Quantum Leap	"Lee Harvey Oswald: October 5, 1957-November 22, 1963"	NBC
	Michael Moriarty	Benjamin Stone	Law & Order	"Night and Fog"
	Sam Waterston	Forrest Bedford	I'll Fly Away	"All in the Life"
	Rob Morrow	Joel Fleischman	Northern Exposure	"Kaddish for Uncle Manny"	CBS
1994 (46th)
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"NYPD Lou"	ABC
	Michael Moriarty	Benjamin Stone	Law & Order	"Sanctuary"	NBC
	Tom Skerritt	Jimmy Brock	Picket Fences	"Dairy Queen"	CBS
	David Caruso	John Kelly	NYPD Blue	"Pilot"	ABC
	Peter Falk	Columbo	Columbo	"It's All in the Game"
1995 (47th)
	Mandy Patinkin	Jeffrey Geiger	Chicago Hope	"Over the Rainbow"	CBS
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"A.D.A. Sipowicz"	ABC
	Jimmy Smits	Bobby Simone		"The Bookie and Kooky Cookie"
	George Clooney	Doug Ross	ER	"Long Day's Journey"	NBC
	Anthony Edwards	Mark Greene		"Love's Labor Lost"
1996 (48th)
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"Closing Time"	ABC
	Andre Braugher	Frank Pembleton	Homicide: Life on the Street	"For God and Country"	NBC
	George Clooney	Doug Ross	ER	"Hell and High Water"
	Anthony Edwards	Mark Greene		"A Shift in the Night"
	Jimmy Smits	Bobby Simone	NYPD Blue	"A Death in the Family"	ABC
1997 (49th)
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"Where's 'Swaldo?"	ABC
	David Duchovny	Fox Mulder	The X-Files	"Small Potatoes"	Fox
	Anthony Edwards	Mark Greene	ER	"Tribes"	NBC
	Sam Waterston	Jack McCoy	Law & Order	"Mad Dog"
	Jimmy Smits	Bobby Simone	NYPD Blue	"My Wild Irish Nose"	ABC
1998 (50th)
	Andre Braugher	Frank Pembleton	Homicide: Life on the Street	"Fallen Heroes, Part 2"	NBC
	David Duchovny	Fox Mulder	The X-Files	"Redux II"	Fox
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"The One That Got Away"	ABC
	Jimmy Smits	Bobby Simone		"Lost Israel"
	Anthony Edwards	Mark Greene	ER	"Family Practice"	NBC
1999 (51st)
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"Safe Home"	ABC
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"The Sopranos"	HBO
	Dylan McDermott	Bobby Donnell	The Practice	"Happily Ever After"	ABC
	Jimmy Smits	Bobby Simone	NYPD Blue	"Hearts and Souls"
	Sam Waterston	Jack McCoy	Law & Order	"Sideshow"	NBC

2000s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Episode Submissions	Network
2000 (52nd)
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"The Happy Wanderer"	HBO
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"The Last Round Up"	ABC
	Jerry Orbach	Lennie Briscoe	Law & Order	"Marathon"	NBC
	Sam Waterston	Jack McCoy		"Killerz"
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet	The West Wing	"Take This Sabbath Day"
2001 (53rd)
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"Amour Fou"	HBO
	Andre Braugher	Dr. Ben Gideon	Gideon's Crossing	"The Lottery"	ABC
	Dennis Franz	Andy Sipowicz	NYPD Blue	"In the Wind"
	Rob Lowe	Sam Seaborn	The West Wing	"Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail"	NBC
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet		"Two Cathedrals"
2002 (54th)
	Michael Chiklis	Vic Mackey	The Shield	"Pilot"	FX
	Michael C. Hall	David Fisher	Six Feet Under	"A Private Life"	HBO
	Peter Krause	Nate Fisher		"In the Game"
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet	The West Wing	"Night Five"	NBC
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m."	Fox
2003 (55th)
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"Whitecaps"	HBO
	Michael Chiklis	Vic Mackey	The Shield	"Dominoes Falling"	FX
	Peter Krause	Nate Fisher	Six Feet Under	"The Secret"	HBO
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet	The West Wing	"Twenty Five"	NBC
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"Day 2: 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m."	Fox
2004 (56th)
	James Spader	Alan Shore	The Practice	"Mr. Shore Goes to Town"	ABC
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"Where's Johnny?"	HBO
	Anthony LaPaglia	Jack Malone	Without a Trace	—	CBS
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet	The West Wing	"Memorial Day"	NBC
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"Day 3: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m."	Fox
2005 (57th)
	James Spader	Alan Shore	Boston Legal	"Death Be Not Proud"	ABC
	Hank Azaria	Dr. Craig "Huff" Huffstodt	Huff	"Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up"	Showtime
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"Detox"	Fox
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"Day 4: 2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m."
	Ian McShane	Al Swearengen	Deadwood	"The Whores Can Come"	HBO
2006 (58th)
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m."	Fox
	Peter Krause	Nate Fisher	Six Feet Under	"Time Flies"	HBO
	Denis Leary	Tommy Gavin	Rescue Me	"Justice"	FX
	Christopher Meloni	Elliot Stabler	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Ripped"	NBC
	Martin Sheen	Josiah Bartlet	The West Wing	"Tomorrow"
2007 (59th)
	James Spader	Alan Shore	Boston Legal	"Angel of Death"	ABC
	James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano	The Sopranos	"The Second Coming"	HBO
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"Half-Wit"	Fox
	Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	24	"Day 6: 5:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m."
	Denis Leary	Tommy Gavin	Rescue Me	"Retards"	FX
2008 (60th)
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Pilot"	AMC
	Gabriel Byrne	Paul Weston	In Treatment	"Week 4: Paul and Gina"	HBO
	Michael C. Hall	Dexter Morgan	Dexter	"There's Something About Harry"	Showtime
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Wheel"	AMC
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"House's Head"	Fox
	James Spader	Alan Shore	Boston Legal	"The Court Supreme"	ABC
2009 (61st)
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Phoenix"	AMC
	Simon Baker	Patrick Jane	The Mentalist	"Pilot"	CBS
	Gabriel Byrne	Paul Weston	In Treatment	"Week 4: Gina"	HBO
	Michael C. Hall	Dexter Morgan	Dexter	"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"	Showtime
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Mountain King"	AMC
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"Under My Skin"	Fox

2010s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Episode Submissions	Network
2010 (62nd) ^[2]
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Full Measure"	AMC
	Kyle Chandler	Eric Taylor	Friday Night Lights	"East of Dillon"	DirecTV
	Matthew Fox	Jack Shephard	Lost	"The End"	ABC
	Michael C. Hall	Dexter Morgan	Dexter	"The Getaway"	Showtime
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Gypsy and the Hobo"	AMC
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"Broken"	Fox
2011 (63rd) ^[3]
	Kyle Chandler	Eric Taylor	Friday Night Lights	"Always"	DirecTV
	Steve Buscemi	Nucky Thompson	Boardwalk Empire	"A Return to Normalcy"	HBO
	Michael C. Hall	Dexter Morgan	Dexter	"Teenage Wasteland"	Showtime
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Suitcase"	AMC
	Hugh Laurie	Gregory House	House	"After Hours"	Fox
	Timothy Olyphant	Raylan Givens	Justified	"Reckoning"	FX
2012 (64th) ^[4]
	Damian Lewis	Nicholas Brody	Homeland	"Marine One"	Showtime
	Hugh Bonneville	Robert Crawley	Downton Abbey	"Episode Seven"	PBS
	Steve Buscemi	Nucky Thompson	Boardwalk Empire	"Two Boats and a Lifeguard"	HBO
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Crawl Space"	AMC
	Michael C. Hall	Dexter Morgan	Dexter	"Nebraska"	Showtime
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Other Woman"	AMC
2013 (65th) ^[5]
	Jeff Daniels	Will McAvoy	The Newsroom	"We Just Decided To"	HBO
	Hugh Bonneville	Robert Crawley	Downton Abbey	"Episode Five"	PBS
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Say My Name"	AMC
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"In Care Of"
	Damian Lewis	Nicholas Brody	Homeland	"Q&A"	Showtime
	Kevin Spacey	Frank Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 1"	Netflix
2014 (66th) ^[6]
	Bryan Cranston	Walter White	Breaking Bad	"Ozymandias"	AMC
	Jeff Daniels	Will McAvoy	The Newsroom	"Election Night, Part II"	HBO
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"The Strategy"	AMC
	Woody Harrelson	Martin Hart	True Detective	"The Locked Room"	HBO
	Matthew McConaughey	Rust Cohle		"Form and Void"
	Kevin Spacey	Frank Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 26"	Netflix
2015 (67th) ^[7]
	Jon Hamm	Don Draper	Mad Men	"Person to Person"	AMC
	Kyle Chandler	John Rayburn	Bloodline	"Part 12"	Netflix
	Jeff Daniels	Will McAvoy	The Newsroom	"What Kind of Day Has It Been"	HBO
	Bob Odenkirk	Jimmy McGill	Better Call Saul	"Pimento"	AMC
	Liev Schreiber	Ray Donovan	Ray Donovan	"Walk This Way"	Showtime
	Kevin Spacey	Frank Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 32"	Netflix
2016 (68th) ^[8]
	Rami Malek	Elliot Alderson	Mr. Robot	"eps1.0 hellofriend.mov"	USA
	Kyle Chandler	John Rayburn	Bloodline	"Part 23"	Netflix
	Bob Odenkirk	Jimmy McGill	Better Call Saul	"Klick"	AMC
	Matthew Rhys	Philip Jennings	The Americans	"The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears"	FX
	Liev Schreiber	Ray Donovan	Ray Donovan	"Exsuscito"	Showtime
	Kevin Spacey	Frank Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 52"	Netflix
2017 (69th) ^[9]
	Sterling K. Brown	Randall Pearson	This Is Us	"Memphis"	NBC
	Anthony Hopkins	Dr. Robert Ford	Westworld	"The Bicameral Mind"	HBO
	Bob Odenkirk	Jimmy McGill	Better Call Saul	"Expenses"	AMC
	Matthew Rhys	Philip Jennings	The Americans	"Crossbreed"	FX
	Liev Schreiber	Ray Donovan	Ray Donovan	"Rattus Rattus"	Showtime
	Kevin Spacey	Frank Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 53"	Netflix
	Milo Ventimiglia	Jack Pearson	This Is Us	"Moonshadow"	NBC
2018 (70th) ^[10]
	Matthew Rhys	Philip Jennings	The Americans	"START"	FX
	Jason Bateman	Martin "Marty" Byrde	Ozark	"The Toll"	Netflix
	Sterling K. Brown	Randall Pearson	This Is Us	"Number Three"	NBC
	Milo Ventimiglia	Jack Pearson		"The Car"
	Ed Harris	The Man in Black / William	Westworld	"Vanishing Point"	HBO
	Jeffrey Wright	Bernard Lowe		"The Passenger"
2019 (71st)
	Billy Porter	Pray Tell	Pose	"Love Is the Message"	FX
	Jason Bateman	Martin "Marty" Byrde	Ozark	"Reparations"	Netflix
	Sterling K. Brown	Randall Pearson	This Is Us	"R & B"	NBC
	Milo Ventimiglia	Jack Pearson		"Sometimes"
	Kit Harington	Jon Snow	Game of Thrones	"The Iron Throne"	HBO
	Bob Odenkirk	Jimmy McGill	Better Call Saul	"Winner"	AMC

2020s

Year	Actor	Role	Program	Episode Submissions	Network
2020 (72nd) ^[11]
	Jeremy Strong	Kendall Roy	Succession	"This Is Not for Tears"	HBO
	Jason Bateman	Marty Byrde	Ozark	"Su Casa Es Mi Casa"	Netflix
	Sterling K. Brown	Randall Pearson	This Is Us	"After the Fire"	NBC
	Steve Carell	Mitch Kessler	The Morning Show	"Lonely at the Top"	Apple TV+
	Brian Cox	Logan Roy	Succession	"Hunting"	HBO
	Billy Porter	Pray Tell	Pose	"Love's in Need of Love Today"	FX
2021 (73rd) ^[12]
	Josh O'Connor	Charles, Prince of Wales	The Crown	"Terra Nullius"	Netflix
	Sterling K. Brown	Randall Pearson	This Is Us	"Forty: Part 2"	NBC
	Jonathan Majors	Atticus Freeman	Lovecraft Country	"Sundown"	HBO
	Matthew Rhys	Perry Mason	Perry Mason	"Chapter 8"
	Regé-Jean Page	Simon Bassett	Bridgerton	"Art of the Swoon"	Netflix
	Billy Porter	Pray Tell	Pose	"Take Me To Church"	FX
2022 (74th) ^[13]
	Lee Jung-jae	Seong Gi-hun	Squid Game	"Gganbu"	Netflix
	Jason Bateman	Marty Byrde	Ozark	"Pound of Flesh and Still Kickin’"	Netflix
	Brian Cox	Logan Roy	Succession	"All the Bells Say"	HBO
	Bob Odenkirk	Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman	Better Call Saul	"Plan and Execution"	AMC
	Adam Scott	Mark Scout	Severance	"Good News About Hell"	Apple TV+
	Jeremy Strong	Kendall Roy	Succession	"Too Much Birthday"	HBO

Programs with multiple wins

4 wins Breaking Bad (3 consecutive) NYPD Blue (2 consecutive) 3 wins Columbo I Spy (consecutive) The Sopranos (2 consecutive) St. Elsewhere (2 consecutive)

2 wins Boston Legal The Defenders Father Knows Best (consecutive) Hill Street Blues (consecutive) Lou Grant Perry Mason

Programs with multiple nominations

14 nominations NYPD Blue 10 nominations St. Elsewhere 8 nominations Columbo Law & Order Mad Men This Is Us 7 nominations The West Wing 6 nominations 24 Breaking Bad ER House I Spy The Sopranos 5 nominations Better Call Saul Dexter The Equalizer Hill Street Blues House of Cards Ironside Lou Grant Magnum, P.I. Quantum Leap The Rockford Files

4 nominations L.A. Law Mannix Mission: Impossible Ozark Quincy, M.E. Six Feet Under The Streets of San Francisco Succession 3 nominations The Americans Boston Legal Dallas The Danny Thomas Show ^[note 2] Dynasty Father Knows Best The Fugitive Gunsmoke The Jackie Gleason Show Marcus Welby, M.D. The Newsroom Perry Mason Pose Ray Donovan The Waltons Westworld

2 nominations Baretta Beauty and the Beast Bloodline Boardwalk Empire The Bob Cummings Show Cannon The Defenders The Dick Van Dyke Show Downton Abbey Dragnet Four Star Playhouse Friday Night Lights Have Gun – Will Travel Hennesey Homeland Homicide: Life on the Street I'll Fly Away In Treatment Kojak Moonlighting Naked City Northern Exposure The Phil Silvers Show Picket Fences The Practice Rescue Me Run for Your Life The Shield True Detective Twin Peaks The Untouchables The X-Files

Performers with multiple wins

4 wins Bryan Cranston (3 consecutive) Dennis Franz (2 consecutive) 3 wins Bill Cosby (consecutive) Peter Falk James Gandolfini (2 consecutive) James Spader (2 consecutive) Robert Young (2 consecutive)

2 wins Ed Asner Raymond Burr William Daniels (consecutive) E. G. Marshall (consecutive) Daniel J. Travanti (consecutive)

Performers with multiple nominations

8 nominations Raymond Burr* Peter Falk* Dennis Franz* Jon Hamm* 7 nominations James Garner* 6 nominations Bryan Cranston* James Gandolfini* Michael C. Hall Hugh Laurie Martin Sheen Kiefer Sutherland* Robert Young* 5 nominations Ed Asner* Sterling K. Brown* William Daniels* Ed Flanders* Bob Odenkirk Tom Selleck* Jimmy Smits Kevin Spacey Daniel J. Travanti* Sam Waterston Edward Woodward

4 nominations Scott Bakula Jason Bateman Richard Boone Kyle Chandler* Mike Connors Anthony Edwards Jack Klugman Karl Malden Michael Moriarty Matthew Rhys* James Spader* 3 nominations James Arness Andre Braugher* Bill Cosby* Robert Culp Jeff Daniels* John Forsythe David Janssen Peter Krause Martin Landau Billy Porter* Liev Schreiber Milo Ventimiglia

2 nominations Corbin Bernsen Robert Blake* Hugh Bonneville Paul Burke Steve Buscemi Gabriel Byrne Michael Chiklis* George Clooney William Conrad Jackie Cooper Brian Cox David Duchovny Ben Gazzara Larry Hagman Denis Leary Damian Lewis* Kyle MacLachlan E. G. Marshall* Rob Morrow Ron Perlman Telly Savalas* Tom Skerritt* Robert Stack* Jeremy Strong* Richard Thomas* Michael Tucker Jack Webb Bruce Willis* (*) refers to those who have won in this category

Superlatives

Superlative	Performer	Program	Year	Age
Oldest Winner	Richard Kiley	A Year in the Life	1988 (40th)	66
Oldest Nominee	Anthony Hopkins	Westworld	2017 (69th)	79
Youngest Winner	Richard Thomas	The Waltons	1973 (25th)	21
Youngest Nominee

See also

• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Notes

1. Early Emmy ceremonies did not have genre specific acting categories
2. Originally titled "Make Room for Daddy", where the series was nominated twice.

References

1. "Boone, Mike. "The Emmy List: Here's the Best in Television". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
2. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
3. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
4. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
5. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
6. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
7. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
8. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
9. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
10. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
11. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
12. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
13. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 12, 2022.