The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Beginning with 1966, 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 and after the category's creation