Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Award for lead actress in a television drama series

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.

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.

Winners and nominations

Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.

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

• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
• TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama

Notes

References

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1. Early Emmy ceremonies did not have genre-specific acting categories