Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
	The 2024 recipient: Anna Sawai
Awarded for	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
First award	1954
Currently held by	Anna Sawai, ; Shōgun (2024)
Website	emmys.com

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.

Quick Facts for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Awarded for ...

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. Tyne Daly and Michael Learned hold the record for most wins in the category, with four each. Angela Lansbury is the most nominated actress in the category, with twelve nominations, though she never won. In 2015, Viola Davis became the first African-American woman to win, for her performance as Annalise Keating on How to Get Away with Murder. In 2020, Zendaya became the youngest winner, at age 24, for Euphoria. She won again in 2022, becoming the first African-American to win twice. As of 2024, Anna Sawai is the most recent winner, receiving the award for her work on Shogun.

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

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
Best Female Star of a Regular Series
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
	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show
Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series
1955 (7th) ^{[note 1]} ^[2]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
	Gracie Allen	Gracie Allen	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	CBS
	Eve Arden	Connie Brooks	Our Miss Brooks
	Lucille Ball	Lucy Ricardo	I Love Lucy
	Ann Sothern	Susie McNamara	Private Secretary
Best Actress – Continuing Performance
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
Best Continuing Performance by an Actress
1957 (9th) ^{[note 1]} ^[4]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
	Jan Clayton	Ellen Miller	Lassie	CBS
	Ida Lupino	Various characters	Four Star Playhouse
	Peggy Wood	Mama	Mama
	Jane Wyman	Various characters	Jane Wyman Theatre	NBC
Best Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
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
	Jan Clayton	Ellen Miller	Lassie
	Ida Lupino	Eve Drake	Mr. Adams and Eve
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
1959 (11th) ^[6]	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
	Phyllis Kirk	Nora Charles	The Thin Man	NBC
	June Lockhart	Ruth Martin	Lassie	CBS
	Jane Wyman	Various characters	The Jane Wyman Show	NBC

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead or Support)
1960 (12th) ^{[note 1]} ^[7]	Jane Wyatt	Margaret Anderson	Father Knows Best	CBS
	Donna Reed	Donna Stone	The Donna Reed Show	ABC
	Teresa Wright	Margaret Bourke-White	NBC Sunday Showcase	NBC
	Loretta Young	Various characters	The Loretta Young Show	NBC
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead)
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
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead)
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
	Mary Tyler Moore	Laura Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show
	Irene Ryan	Granny	The Beverly Hillbillies
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
Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Actors and Performers
1965 (17th) ^{[note 1]}
	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.	Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Magnificent Yankee"	NBC
	Barbra Streisand	Herself	My Name Is Barbra	CBS
	Dick Van Dyke	Rob Petrie	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS
	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	The Rogues
	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 Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series
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

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Network
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series
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, Duchess of Marlborough	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 #	Elizabeth I of England	Elizabeth R	PBS
	Peggy Lipton	Julie Barnes	The Mod Squad	ABC
	Susan Saint James	Sally McMillian	McMillan & Wife	NBC
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing)
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
Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series
1974 (26th) ^[20]	Michael Learned	Olivia Walton	The Waltons	CBS
	Jean Marsh	Rose Buck	Upstairs, Downstairs	PBS
	Jeanette Nolan	Sally Fergus	Dirty Sally	CBS
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
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 §	Carolyn 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

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

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Winners and nominations

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

Programs with multiple nominations

Performers with multiple wins

Performers with multiple nominations

See also

Notes

References

Wikiwand - on

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Episode Submission	Network
1990 (42nd) ^[36]	Patricia Wettig	Nancy Krieger-Weston	Thirtysomething	"The Other Shoe"	ABC
	Jill Eikenberry	Ann Kelsey	L.A. Law	—	NBC
	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	—	ABC
	Piper Laurie	Catherine Martell	Twin Peaks	—	ABC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	—	CBS
1991 (43rd) ^[37]	Patricia Wettig	Nancy Krieger-Weston	Thirtysomething	"Guns and Roses"	ABC
	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	"Fever"	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Rosie O'Neill	The Trials of Rosie O'Neill	"When I'm 44"	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"Thursday's Child"	CBS
1992 (44th) ^[38]	Dana Delany	Colleen McMurphy	China Beach	"Through and Through"	ABC
	Sharon Gless	Rosie O'Neill	The Trials of Rosie O'Neill	"Heartbreak Hotel"	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"Night Fears"	CBS
	Shirley Knight §	Melanie Currants	Law & Order	"The Wages of Love"	NBC
	Regina Taylor	Lilly Harper	I'll Fly Away	"Coming Home"	NBC
	Kate Nelligan §	Sydney Carver	Road to Avonlea	"After the Honeymoon"	Disney Channel
1993 (45th) ^[39]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	"Thanksgiving"	CBS
	Swoosie Kurtz	Alex Reed	Sisters	"Mirror, Mirror"	NBC
	Regina Taylor	Lilly Harper	I'll Fly Away	"Comfort and Joy"	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"Night of the Coyote"	CBS
	Janine Turner	Maggie O'Connell	Northern Exposure	"Love's Labour Mislaid"	CBS
1994 (46th) ^[40]	Sela Ward	Teddy Reed	Sisters	"Land of the Lost Children"	NBC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"A Killing in Cork"	CBS
	Jane Seymour	Michaela Quinn	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	"Best Friends"
	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	"Guns 'R' Us"
	Swoosie Kurtz	Alex Reed	Sisters	"Protective Measures"	NBC
1995 (47th) ^[41]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	"Frogman Returns"	CBS
	Claire Danes	Angela Chase	My So-Called Life	"Pilot"	ABC
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"Dear Deadly"	CBS
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	"Motherhood"	NBC
	Cicely Tyson	Carrie Grace Battle	Sweet Justice	"In the Name of the Sun"	NBC
1996 (48th) ^[42]	Kathy Baker	Jill Brock	Picket Fences	"Bottled"	CBS
	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	"Piper Maru"	Fox
	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	"Transplanted Affection"	CBS
	Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Murder, She Wrote	"Death by Demographics"	CBS
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	"Take These Broken Wings"	NBC
1997 (49th) ^[43]	Gillian Anderson	Dana Scully	The X-Files	"Memento Mori"	Fox
	Roma Downey	Monica	Touched by an Angel	"Missing in Action"	CBS
	Christine Lahti	Kate Austin	Chicago Hope	"Back to the Future"	CBS
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	"The Long Way Around"	NBC
	Sherry Stringfield	Susan Lewis	ER	"Fear of Flying"	NBC

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Episode Submission	Network
2000 (52nd) ^[46]	Sela Ward	Lily Manning	Once and Again	"Pilot"	ABC
	Lorraine Bracco	Jennifer Melfi	The Sopranos	"Big Girls Don't Cry"	HBO
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	"Full Leather Jacket"	HBO
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	"The Wee Hours"	CBS
	Julianna Margulies	Carol Hathaway	ER	"Great Expectations"	NBC
2001 (53rd) ^[47]	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	"Second Opinion"	HBO
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	"The Undertow"	CBS
	Marg Helgenberger	Catherine Willows	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	"Justice Is Served"	CBS
	Lorraine Bracco	Jennifer Melfi	The Sopranos	"Employee of the Month"	HBO
	Sela Ward	Lily Manning	Once and Again	"Second Time Around"	ABC
2002 (54th) ^[48]	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	"The Women of Qumar"	NBC
	Amy Brenneman	Amy Gray	Judging Amy	"Tidal Wave"	CBS
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	"Pilot"	HBO
	Rachel Griffiths	Brenda Chenowith	Six Feet Under	"The Secret"	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	"Truth Be Told"	ABC
2003 (55th) ^[49]	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	"Whitecaps"	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	"Phase One"	ABC
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	"Nobody Sleeps"	HBO
	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	"The Long Goodbye"	NBC
	Marg Helgenberger	Catherine Willows	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	"Lady Heather's Box"	CBS
2004 (56th) ^[50]	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	"Access"	NBC
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	"All Happy Families..."	HBO
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	"The Two"	ABC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Control"	NBC
	Amber Tamblyn	Joan Girardi	Joan of Arcadia	"Pilot"	CBS
2005 (57th) ^[51]	Patricia Arquette	Allison DuBois	Medium	"In Sickness and Adultery"	NBC
	Glenn Close	Monica Rawling	The Shield	"Hurt"	FX
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	"Coming and Going"	HBO
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Charisma"	NBC
	Jennifer Garner	Sydney Bristow	Alias	"Before the Flood"	ABC
2006 (58th) ^[52]	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"911"	NBC
	Frances Conroy	Ruth Fisher	Six Feet Under	"Everyone's Waiting"	HBO
	Geena Davis	Mackenzie Allen	Commander in Chief	"Pilot"	ABC
	Allison Janney	C. J. Cregg	The West Wing	"Institutional Memory"	NBC
	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	"Fantasy Date"	TNT
2007 (59th) ^[53]	Sally Field	Nora Walker	Brothers & Sisters	"Mistakes Were Made (Part 2)"	ABC
	Patricia Arquette	Allison DuBois	Medium	"Be Kind, Rewind"	NBC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Florida"	NBC
	Minnie Driver	Dahlia Malloy	The Riches	"Pilot"	FX
	Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano	The Sopranos	"The Second Coming"	HBO

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Episode Submission	Network
2010 (62nd) ^[56]	Kyra Sedgwick	Brenda Leigh Johnson	The Closer	"Maternal Instincts"	TNT
	Connie Britton	Tami Taylor	Friday Night Lights	"After the Fall"	DirecTV
	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	"Your Secrets Are Safe"	FX
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Perverted"	NBC
	January Jones	Betty Draper	Mad Men	"The Gypsy and the Hobo"	AMC
	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	"Threesome"	CBS
2011 (63rd) ^[57]	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	"In Sickness"	CBS
	Kathy Bates	Harriet Korn	Harry's Law	"Innocent Man"	NBC
	Connie Britton	Tami Taylor	Friday Night Lights	"Always"	DirecTV
	Mireille Enos	Sarah Linden	The Killing	"Missing"	AMC
	Mariska Hargitay	Olivia Benson	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	"Rescue"	NBC
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	"The Suitcase"	AMC
2012 (64th) ^[58]	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	"The Vest"	Showtime
	Kathy Bates	Harriet Korn	Harry's Law	"Onward and Upward"	NBC
	Glenn Close	Patty Hewes	Damages	"I've Done Way Too Much for This Girl"	DirecTV
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	"Episode Seven"	PBS
	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	"Parenting Made Easy"	CBS
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	"The Other Woman"	AMC
2013 (65th) ^[59]	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	"Q&A"	Showtime
	Connie Britton	Rayna Jaymes	Nashville	"Pilot"	ABC
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	"Episode One"	PBS
	Vera Farmiga	Norma Bates	Bates Motel	"First You Dream, Then You Die"	A&E
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	"The Better Half"	AMC
	Kerry Washington	Olivia Pope	Scandal	"Happy Birthday, Mr. President"	ABC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 10"	Netflix
2014 (66th) ^[60]	Julianna Margulies	Alicia Florrick	The Good Wife	"The Last Call"	CBS
	Lizzy Caplan	Virginia E. Johnson	Masters of Sex	"Pilot"	Showtime
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	"The Star"	Showtime
	Michelle Dockery	Lady Mary Crawley	Downton Abbey	"Episode One"	PBS
	Kerry Washington	Olivia Pope	Scandal	"The Fluffer"	ABC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 26"	Netflix
2015 (67th) ^[61]	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	"Freakin' Whack-a-Mole"	ABC
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	"From A to B and Back Again"	Showtime
	Taraji P. Henson	Cookie Lyon	Empire	"Pilot"	Fox
	Tatiana Maslany	Various characters	Orphan Black	"Certain Agony of the Battlefield"	BBC America
	Elisabeth Moss	Peggy Olson	Mad Men	"Person to Person"	AMC
	Robin Wright	Claire Underwood	House of Cards	"Chapter 32"	Netflix
2016 (68th) ^[62]	Tatiana Maslany	Various characters	Orphan Black	"The Antisocialism of Sex"	BBC America
	Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison	Homeland	"Super Powers"	Showtime
	Viola Davis	Annalise Keating	How to Get Away with Murder	"There's My Baby"	ABC

Year	Actress	Role	Program	Episode submission	Network
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	Killing Eve	"Are You Leading or Am I?"	BBC America
	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"	Netflix
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	Killing Eve	"Making Dead Things Look Nice"	BBC America
	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
2024 (76th)
	Anna Sawai	Toda Mariko	Shōgun	"Crimson Sky"	FX
	Jennifer Aniston	Alex Levy	The Morning Show	"The Overview Effect"	Apple TV+
	Carrie Coon	Bertha Russell	The Gilded Age	"Head to Head"	HBO
	Maya Erskine	Jane Smith / Alana	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	"A Breakup"	Prime Video
	Imelda Staunton	Queen Elizabeth II	The Crown	"Sleep, Dearie Sleep"	Netflix
	Reese Witherspoon	Bradley Jackson	The Morning Show	"Love Island"	Apple TV+
2025 (77th)
	Kathy Bates	Madeline "Matty" Matlock	Matlock	"I Was That, Too"	CBS
	Sharon Horgan	Eva Garvey	Bad Sisters	"Boom"	Apple TV+
	Britt Lower	Helly Riggs / Helena	Severance	"Attila"	Apple TV+
	Bella Ramsey	Ellie	The Last of Us	"Convergence"	HBO
	Keri Russell	Kate Wyler	The Diplomat	"St. Paul's"	Netflix