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.
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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.
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
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Meaning |
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Indicates the winning actress |
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Indicates a performance in a miniseries or television film, prior to the category's creation |
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Indicates a performance as a guest performer, prior to the category's creation |
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1950s
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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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 | — |
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" |
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" |
Shirley Knight § | Melanie Currants | Law & Order | "The Wages of Love" | NBC |
Regina Taylor | Lilly Harper | I'll Fly Away | "Coming Home" |
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" |
Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Murder, She Wrote | "Night of the Coyote" | CBS |
Janine Turner | Maggie O'Connell | Northern Exposure | "Love's Labour Mislaid" |
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" |
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" |
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" |
Julianna Margulies | Carol Hathaway | ER | "The Long Way Around" | NBC |
Sherry Stringfield | Susan Lewis | "Fear of Flying" |
1998 (50th) [44] |
Christine Lahti |
Kate Austin |
Chicago Hope |
"Cabin Fever" |
CBS |
Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully | The X-Files | "All Souls" | Fox |
Roma Downey | Monica | Touched by an Angel | "The Spirit of Liberty Moon" | CBS |
Julianna Margulies | Carol Hathaway | ER | "Carter's Choice" | NBC |
Jane Seymour | Michaela Quinn | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | "Point Blank" | CBS |
1999 (51st) [45] |
Edie Falco |
Carmela Soprano |
The Sopranos |
"College" |
HBO |
Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully | The X-Files | "Milagro" | Fox |
Lorraine Bracco | Jennifer Melfi | The Sopranos | "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" | HBO |
Christine Lahti | Kate Austin | Chicago Hope | "Karmic Relief" | CBS |
Julianna Margulies | Carol Hathaway | ER | "The Storm (Part II)" | NBC |
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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