| Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1974 |
| Holder: | Thorsten Kaye, The Bold and the Beautiful (2024) |
| Website: | theemmys.tv/daytime/ |
| Most Awards: | Anthony Geary, (8) |
| Most Nominations: | Peter Bergman, (23) |
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the daytime drama industry.
The 1st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony was held in 1974 with Macdonald Carey receiving the award for his portrayal of Tom Horton on Days of Our Lives.[1] The award has undergone several name changes, originally honoring actors in leading and supporting roles. Following the introduction of a new category in 1979, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, the award's name was altered to Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series before changing once again, to its current title, years later.[1] [2] The awards ceremony was not aired on television in 1983 and 1984, having been criticized for lack of integrity.[3] [4] In 1985, another category was introduced, Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series, one criterion for this category was altered, requiring all actors to be age 26 or younger.[5]
Since its inception, the award has been given to 26 actors. General Hospital has the most awarded actors in this category with a total of twelve wins. In 1979, Al Freeman, Jr. became the first African-American to have garnered the award, winning for his role as Ed Hall on One Life to Live. In 2008, Anthony Geary became the actor with the most wins in the category when he won for a sixth time, surpassing David Canary's previous record. Geary went on to win again in 2012 and 2015, thus far winning on eight occasions. Peter Bergman has been nominated on 23 occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2024 ceremony, Thorsten Kaye is the most recent winner in this category for his portrayal of Ridge Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
| Indicates the winner |
The following individuals received two or more wins in this category:
| Wins | Actor |
|---|---|
| Anthony Geary | |
| David Canary | |
| 3 | Peter Bergman |
| Maurice Benard | |
| Christian LeBlanc | |
| 2 | Larry Bryggman |
| Macdonald Carey | |
| Justin Deas | |
| Thorsten Kaye | |
| Michael Park (actor) | Michael Park |
| Douglass Watson |
| Nominations | Actor |
|---|---|
| Peter Bergman | |
| David Canary | |
| Anthony Geary | |
| Maurice Benard | |
| 8 | |
| Eric Braeden | |
| Larry Bryggman | |
| 7 | |
| A Martinez | |
| Thorsten Kaye | |
| James Mitchell | |
| Robert S. Woods | |
| Christian LeBlanc | |
| Jason Thompson | |
| 4 | Doug Davidson |
| Terry Lester | |
| Michael Zaslow | |
| John McCook | |
| 3 | |
| Grant Aleksander | |
| Steve Burton | |
| John Beradino | |
| Macdonald Carey | |
| Nicolas Coster | |
| Stuart Damon | |
| Billy Flynn | |
| Ricky Paull Goldin | |
| Michael Levin | |
| Jon Lindstrom | |
| Michael Park | |
| James Reynolds | |
| Douglass Watson | |
| 2 | |
| Scott Bryce | |
| Joel Crothers | |
| Tyler Christopher | |
| Justin Deas | |
| Bill Hayes | |
| Roger Howarth | |
| Vincent Irizarry | |
| Charles Keating | |
| Larry Keith | |
| Billy Miller | |
| Robert Newman | |
| Thaao Penghlis | |
| James Pritchett | |
| James Scott | |
| Kristoff St. John | |
| Darnell Williams |
| Wins | Program |
|---|---|
| General Hospital | |
| The Young and the Restless | |
| All My Children | |
| As the World Turns | |
| 3 | Another World |
| Days of our Lives | |
| Guiding Light | |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | |
| 2 | One Life to Live |
| Search for Tomorrow | |
| 1 | The Doctors |
| Santa Barbara |