| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series | |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series |
| Presenter: | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1959 |
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program was an annual award given to performers in a variety/music series or specials. The award has been retired; it was last presented in 2008.
| Year | Performer | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (32nd) | |||
| Donald O'Connor | The 52nd Annual Academy Awards | ABC | |
| 1981 (33rd) | |||
| Sarah Vaughan | Rhapsody and Song – A Tribute to George Gershwin (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1982 (34th) | |||
| Nell Carter | Ain't Misbehavin' | NBC | |
| André De Shields | |||
| Gregory Hines | I Love Liberty | ABC | |
| 1983 (35th) | |||
| Leontyne Price | Leontyne Price, Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic (Live from Lincoln Center) | PBS | |
| Carol Burnett | Texaco Star Theater... Opening Night | NBC | |
| Michael Jackson | |||
| Luciano Pavarotti | Luciano Pavarotti and the New York Philharmonic (Live from Lincoln Center) | PBS | |
| Richard Pryor | NBC | ||
| 1984 (36th) | |||
| Cloris Leachman | Screen Actors Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration | CBS | |
| Debbie Allen | Live... And in Person | NBC | |
| George Burns | George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business | ||
| Eddie Murphy | Saturday Night Live | ||
| Joe Piscopo | |||
| Lily Tomlin | Live... And in Person | ||
| James Levine | Live from the Met Centennial Gala | PBS | |
| Leontyne Price | In Performance at the White House: An Evening of Spirituals and Gospel Music | ||
| 1985 (37th) | |||
| George Hearn | (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Billy Crystal | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Gregory Hines | Motown Returns to the Apollo | ||
| Patti LaBelle | |||
| Angela Lansbury | (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Luciano Pavarotti | Rigoletto (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1986 (38th) | |||
| Whitney Houston | The 28th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Debbie Allen | An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. | NBC | |
| Patti LaBelle | Sylvia Fine Kaye's Musical Comedy Tonight III (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Jon Lovitz | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Sarah Vaughan | The 28th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Stevie Wonder | An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. | NBC | |
| Plácido Domingo | Cavalleria Rusticana (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1987 (39th) | |||
| Robin Williams | A Carol Burnett Special: Carol, Carl, Whoopi & Robin | ABC | |
| Billy Crystal | The 29th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Angela Lansbury | The 1987 Tony Awards | CBS | |
| Jon Lovitz | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Leonard Bernstein | Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening | CBS | |
| Isaac Stern | |||
| 1988 (40th) | |||
| Robin Williams | ABC Presents a Royal Gala | ABC | |
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Celebrating Gershwin (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Ray Charles | Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration | CBS | |
| Billy Crystal | An All-Star Toast to the Improv | HBO | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Dance in America: David Gordon's Made in U.S.A. (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Plácido Domingo | Aida: From the Houston Grand Opera (Great Performances) | ||
| Billy Crystal | The 30th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| 1989 (41st) | |||
| Linda Ronstadt | Canciones de Mi Padre (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Dana Carvey | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Thom Fountain, Sandey Grinn, Maurice LaMarche, John Lovelady, Steve Sherman, Van Snowden, Fred Spencer, Allan Trautman and Todd Walcott | Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies (Episode 202) | Syndicated | |
| Thom Fountain, Sandey Grinn, John Lovelady, John Roarke, Steve Sherman, Van Snowden, Fred Spencer, Allan Trautman and Todd Walcott | Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies (Episode 211) | ||
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Dance in America: Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Billy Crystal | The 31st Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |