Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series


The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 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

    Winners and nominations

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

;4 wins
  • Breaking Bad
  • NYPD Blue
;3 wins
  • Columbo
  • I Spy
  • The Sopranos
  • St. Elsewhere
;2 wins
  • Boston Legal
  • The Defenders
  • Father Knows Best
  • Hill Street Blues
  • Lou Grant
  • Perry Mason
  • ''Succession''

    Programs with multiple nominations

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

  • 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 Crown
  • 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
  • The Last of Us
  • Moonlighting
  • Naked City
  • Northern Exposure
  • The Phil Silvers Show
  • Picket Fences
  • The Practice
  • Rescue Me
  • Run for Your Life
  • Severance
  • The Shield
  • Slow Horses
  • True Detective
  • Twin Peaks
  • The Untouchables
  • ''The X-Files''

    Performers with multiple wins

;4 wins
;3 wins
;2 wins
;8 nominations
  • Raymond Burr*
  • Peter Falk*
  • Dennis Franz*
  • Jon Hamm*
;7 nominations
  • James Garner*
;6 nominations
;5 nominations
;4 nominations
;3 nominations
;2 nominations
refers to those who have won in this category

Superlatives