| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | |
| Image Upright: | 1.0 |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
| Presenter: | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1954 |
| Holder: | Sarah Snook, Succession (2024) |
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, Sarah Snook is the most recent winner, receiving the award for her work on Succession.
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
| Key | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| Indicates the winning actress | ||
| Indicates a performance in a miniseries or television film, prior to the category's creation | ||
| § | Indicates a performance as a guest performer, prior to the category's creation |
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Female Star of a Regular Series | ||||
| 1954 (6th) [1] [2] | Eve Arden | Connie Brooks | Our Miss Brooks | CBS |
| Lucille Ball | I Love Lucy | CBS | ||
| Various characters | Your Show of Shows | NBC | ||
| Herself | The Dinah Shore Show | |||
| Loretta Young | Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | ||
| Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series | ||||
| 1955 (7th) [3] | Loretta Young | Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | NBC |
| Gracie Allen | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | CBS | ||
| Eve Arden | Connie Brooks | Our Miss Brooks | ||
| Lucille Ball | Lucy Ricardo | I Love Lucy | ||
| Susie McNamara | Private Secretary | |||
| Best Actress – Continuing Performance | ||||
| 1956 (8th) [4] | Lucille Ball | Lucy Ricardo | I Love Lucy | CBS |
| Gracie Allen | Gracie Allen | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | CBS | |
| Eve Arden | Connie Brooks | Our Miss Brooks | ||
| Margaret Williams | Make Room for Daddy | ABC | ||
| Ann Sothern | Susie McNamara | Private Secretary | CBS | |
| Best Continuing Performance by an Actress | ||||
| 1957 (9th) [5] | Loretta Young | Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | NBC |
| Lassie | CBS | |||
| Various characters | Four Star Playhouse | |||
| Mama | Mama | |||
| Various characters | Jane Wyman Theatre | NBC | ||
| Best Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series | ||||
| 1958 (10th) [6] | Jane Wyatt | Margaret Anderson | Father Knows Best | NBC |
| Eve Arden | Liza Hammond | The Eve Arden Show | CBS | |
| Lily Ruskin | December Bride | |||
| Jan Clayton | Ellen Miller | Lassie | ||
| Ida Lupino | Eve Drake | Mr. Adams and Eve | ||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series | ||||
| 1959 (11th) [7] | Loretta Young | Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | NBC |
| Nora Charles | The Thin Man | NBC | ||
| Ruth Martin | Lassie | CBS | ||
| Jane Wyman | Various characters | The Jane Wyman Show | NBC | |
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead or Support) | ||||
| 1960 (12th) [8] | Jane Wyatt | Margaret Anderson | Father Knows Best | CBS |
| Donna Stone | The Donna Reed Show | ABC | ||
| NBC Sunday Showcase | NBC | |||
| Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | |||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | ||||
| 1961 (13th) [9] | Barbara Stanwyck | Various characters | The Barbara Stanwyck Show | NBC |
| Donna Reed | Donna Stone | The Donna Reed Show | ABC | |
| Loretta Young | Various characters | The Loretta Young Show | NBC | |
| Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | ||||
| 1962 (14th) [10] | Shirley Booth | Hazel Burke | Hazel | NBC |
| Sarah Green | The Gertrude Berg Show | CBS | ||
| Donna Reed | Donna Stone | The Donna Reed Show | ABC | |
| Joanne Gardner | Search for Tomorrow | CBS | ||
| Gladys Porter | Pete and Gladys | |||
| 1963 (15th) [11] | Shirley Booth | Hazel Burke | Hazel | NBC |
| Lucy Carmichael | The Lucy Show | CBS | ||
| Liz Thorpe | The Nurses | |||
| Laura Petrie | The Dick Van Dyke Show | |||
| Granny | The Beverly Hillbillies | |||
| 1964 (16th) [12] | Mary Tyler Moore | Laura Petrie | The Dick Van Dyke Show | CBS |
| Shirley Booth | Hazel Burke | Hazel | NBC | |
| Cathy Lane | The Patty Duke Show | ABC | ||
| Irene Ryan | Granny | The Beverly Hillbillies | CBS | |
| Katy Holstrum | The Farmer's Daughter | ABC | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Actors and Performers | ||||
| 1965 | ||||
| Leonard Bernstein | Conductor | New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein | CBS | |
| Lynn Fontanne | Fanny Bowditch Holmes | Hallmark Hall of Fame | NBC | |
| Alfred Lunt | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. | |||
| Barbra Streisand | Herself | My Name Is Barbra | CBS | |
| Dick Van Dyke | Rob Petrie | The Dick Van Dyke Show | ||
| Julie Andrews | Herself | The Andy Williams Show "November 30, 1964" | NBC | |
| Johnny Carson | Host | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | ||
| Gladys Cooper | Margaret St. Clair | The Rogues | ||
| Robert Coote | Timmy St. Clair | |||
| Richard Crenna | James Slattery | Slattery's People | CBS | |
| Julie Harris | Florence Nightingale | Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Holy Terror" | NBC | |
| Bob Hope | Himself | Chrysler Presents A Bob Hope Comedy Special | ||
| Dean Jagger | Principal Albert Vane | Mr. Novak | ||
| Danny Kaye | Host | The Danny Kaye Show | CBS | |
| David McCallum | Illya Kuryakin | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | NBC | |
| Red Skelton | Himself | The Red Skelton Hour | CBS | |
| Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series | ||||
| 1966 (18th) [13] | Barbara Stanwyck | Victoria Barkley | The Big Valley | ABC |
| Honey West | Honey West | ABC | ||
| Betty Anderson Cord | Peyton Place | |||
| 1967 (19th) [14] | Barbara Bain | Cinnamon Carter | Mission: Impossible | CBS |
| The Avengers | ABC | |||
| Barbara Stanwyck | Victoria Barkley | The Big Valley | ||
| 1968 (20th) [15] | Barbara Bain | Cinnamon Carter | Mission: Impossible | CBS |
| Diana Rigg | Emma Peel | The Avengers | ABC | |
| Barbara Stanwyck | Victoria Barkley | The Big Valley | ||
| 1969 (21st) [16] | Barbara Bain | Cinnamon Carter | Mission: Impossible | CBS |
| Lottie Hatfield | Here Come the Brides | ABC | ||
| Julie Barnes | The Mod Squad | |||
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series | ||||
| 1970 (22nd) [17] | Susan Hampshire # | Fleur Mont | The Forsyte Saga | NET |
| Lottie Hatfield | Here Come the Brides | ABC | ||
| Julie Barnes | The Mod Squad | |||
| 1971 (23rd) [18] | Susan Hampshire # | Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough | The First Churchills | PBS |
| Victoria Montoya | The High Chaparral | NBC | ||
| Peggy Lipton | Julie Barnes | The Mod Squad | ABC | |
| 1972 (24th) [19] | Glenda Jackson # | Elizabeth I of England | Elizabeth R | PBS |
| Peggy Lipton | Julie Barnes | The Mod Squad | ABC | |
| Sally McMillian | McMillan & Wife | NBC | ||
| Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing) | ||||
| 1973 (25th) [20] | Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS |
| Lisa Casey | Mission: Impossible | CBS | ||
| Susan Saint James | Sally McMillian | McMillan & Wife | NBC | |
| Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 1974 (26th) [21] | Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS |
| Rose Buck | Upstairs, Downstairs | PBS | ||
| Sally Fergus | Dirty Sally | CBS | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 1975 (27th) [22] | Jean Marsh | Rose Buck | Upstairs, Downstairs | PBS |
| Sgt. Leann Anderson | Police Woman | NBC | ||
| Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS | |
| 1976 (28th) [23] | Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS |
| Angie Dickinson | Sgt. Leann Anderson | Police Woman | NBC | |
| Kate McShane | Kate McShane | CBS | ||
| Sara Yarnell | Sara | |||
| 1977 (29th) [24] | Lindsay Wagner | Jaime Sommers | The Bionic Woman | ABC |
| Angie Dickinson | Sgt. Leann Anderson | Police Woman | NBC | |
| Charlie's Angels | ABC | |||
| Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS | |
| Kate Lawrence | Family | ABC | ||
| 1978 (30th) [25] | Sada Thompson | Kate Lawrence | Family | ABC |
| Little House on the Prairie | NBC | |||
| Aunt Molly Culhane | How the West Was Won | ABC | ||
| Kate Jackson | Sabrina Duncan | Charlie's Angels | ||
| Michael Learned | Olivia Walton | The Waltons | CBS | |
| Julie Farr | Having Babies | ABC | ||
| 1979 (31st) [26] | Mariette Hartley § | Carolyn Fields | The Incredible Hulk | CBS |
| Dallas | CBS | |||
| Rita Moreno § | Rita Capkovick | The Rockford Files | NBC | |
| Sada Thompson | Kate Lawrence | Family | ABC | |
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (32nd) [27] | Barbara Bel Geddes | Miss Ellie Ewing | Dallas | CBS |
| Lauren Bacall § | Kendall Warren | The Rockford Files | NBC | |
| Mariette Hartley § | Althea Morgan | |||
| Kristy McNichol | Buddy Lawrence | Family | ABC | |
| Kate Lawrence | ||||
| 1981 (33rd) [28] | Barbara Babcock § | Grace Gardner | Hill Street Blues | NBC |
| Barbara Bel Geddes | Miss Ellie Ewing | Dallas | CBS | |
| Sue Ellen Ewing | ||||
| Joyce Davenport | Hill Street Blues | NBC | ||
| Mary Benjamin | Nurse | CBS | ||
| Jennifer Hart | Hart to Hart | ABC | ||
| 1982 (34th) [29] | Michael Learned | Mary Benjamin | Nurse | CBS |
| Lydia Grant | Fame | NBC | ||
| Veronica Hamel | Joyce Davenport | Hill Street Blues | ||
| Knots Landing | CBS | |||
| Stefanie Powers | Jennifer Hart | Hart to Hart | ABC | |
| 1983 (35th) [30] | Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Debbie Allen | Lydia Grant | Fame | NBC | |
| Dynasty | ABC | |||
| Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | ||
| Veronica Hamel | Joyce Davenport | Hill Street Blues | NBC | |
| 1984 (36th) [31] | Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Debbie Allen | Lydia Grant | Fame | Syndicated | |
| Dynasty | ABC | |||
| Sharon Gless | Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | |
| Veronica Hamel | Joyce Davenport | Hill Street Blues | NBC | |
| 1985 (37th) [32] | Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Debbie Allen | Lydia Grant | Fame | Syndicated | |
| Sharon Gless | Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | |
| Veronica Hamel | Joyce Davenport | Hill Street Blues | NBC | |
| Murder, She Wrote | CBS | |||
| 1986 (38th) [33] | Sharon Gless | Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | |
| Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Murder, She Wrote | ||
| Maddie Hayes | Moonlighting | ABC | ||
| Roxanne Turner | St. Elsewhere | NBC | ||
| 1987 (39th) [34] | Sharon Gless | Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | |
| Susan Dey | Grace Van Owen | L.A. Law | NBC | |
| Ann Kelsey | ||||
| Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Murder, She Wrote | CBS | |
| 1988 (40th) [35] | Tyne Daly | Mary Beth Lacey | Cagney & Lacey | CBS |
| Susan Dey | Grace Van Owen | L.A. Law | NBC | |
| Jill Eikenberry | Ann Kelsey | |||
| Sharon Gless | Chris Cagney | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | |
| Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Murder, She Wrote | ||
| 1989 (41st) [36] | Dana Delany | Colleen McMurphy | China Beach | ABC |
| Susan Dey | Grace Van Owen | L.A. Law | NBC | |
| Jill Eikenberry | Ann Kelsey | |||
| Catherine Chandler | Beauty and the Beast | CBS | ||
| Angela Lansbury | Jessica Fletcher | Murder, She Wrote |
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode Submission | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 (42nd) [37] | Patricia Wettig | Nancy Krieger-Weston | Thirtysomething | "The Other Shoe" | ABC |
| Ann Kelsey | L.A. Law | NBC | |||
| Colleen McMurphy | China Beach | ABC | |||
| Catherine Martell | Twin Peaks | ||||
| Murder, She Wrote | CBS | ||||
| 1991 (43rd) [38] | Patricia Wettig | Nancy Krieger-Weston | Thirtysomething | "Guns and Roses" | ABC |
| Colleen McMurphy | China Beach | "Fever" | ABC | ||
| Rosie O'Neill | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | "When I'm 44" | CBS | ||
| Murder, She Wrote | "Thursday's Child" | ||||
| 1992 (44th) [39] | Dana Delany | Colleen McMurphy | China Beach | "Through and Through" | ABC |
| Rosie O'Neill | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | "Heartbreak Hotel" | CBS | ||
| Murder, She Wrote | "Night Fears" | ||||
| Shirley Knight § | Melanie Currants | Law & Order | "The Wages of Love" | NBC | |
| Lilly Harper | I'll Fly Away | "Coming Home" | |||
| Kate Nelligan § | Sydney Carver | Road to Avonlea | "After the Honeymoon" | Disney Channel | |
| 1993 (45th) [40] | Kathy Baker | Jill Brock | Picket Fences | "Thanksgiving" | CBS |
| Alex Reed | Sisters | "Mirror, Mirror" | NBC | ||
| Lilly Harper | I'll Fly Away | "Comfort and Joy" | |||
| Murder, She Wrote | "Night of the Coyote" | CBS | |||
| Maggie O'Connell | Northern Exposure | "Love's Labour Mislaid" | |||
| 1994 (46th) [41] | Sela Ward | Teddy Reed | Sisters | "Land of the Lost Children" | NBC |
| Murder, She Wrote | "A Killing in Cork" | CBS | |||
| Michaela Quinn | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | "Best Friends" | |||
| Jill Brock | Picket Fences | "Guns 'R' Us" | |||
| Alex Reed | Sisters | "Protective Measures" | NBC | ||
| 1995 (47th) [42] | Kathy Baker | Jill Brock | Picket Fences | "Frogman Returns" | CBS |
| Angela Chase | My So-Called Life | "Pilot" | ABC | ||
| Angela Lansbury | Murder, She Wrote | "Dear Deadly" | CBS | ||
| ER | "Motherhood" | NBC | |||
| Carrie Grace Battle | Sweet Justice | "In the Name of the Sun" | |||
| 1996 (48th) [43] | Kathy Baker | Jill Brock | Picket Fences | "Bottled" | CBS |
| The X-Files | "Piper Maru" | Fox | |||
| Kate Austin | Chicago Hope | "Transplanted Affection" | CBS | ||
| Murder, She Wrote | "Death by Demographics" | ||||
| Susan Lewis | ER | "Take These Broken Wings" | NBC | ||
| 1997 (49th) [44] | Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully | The X-Files | "Memento Mori" | Fox |
| Monica | Touched by an Angel | "Missing in Action" | CBS | ||
| Kate Austin | Chicago Hope | "Back to the Future" | |||
| ER | "The Long Way Around" | NBC | |||
| Susan Lewis | "Fear of Flying" | ||||
| 1998 (50th) [45] | Christine Lahti | Kate Austin | Chicago Hope | "Cabin Fever" | CBS |
| The X-Files | "All Souls" | Fox | |||
| Roma Downey | Monica | Touched by an Angel | "The Spirit of Liberty Moon" | CBS | |
| ER | "Carter's Choice" | NBC | |||
| Michaela Quinn | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | "Point Blank" | CBS | ||
| 1999 (51st) [46] | Edie Falco | Carmela Soprano | The Sopranos | "College" | HBO |
| The X-Files | "Milagro" | Fox | |||
| The Sopranos | "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" | HBO | |||
| Kate Austin | Chicago Hope | "Karmic Relief" | CBS | ||
| ER | "The Storm (Part II)" | NBC |
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode Submission | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (52nd) [47] | Sela Ward | Lily Manning | Once and Again | "Pilot" | ABC |
| The Sopranos | "Big Girls Don't Cry" | HBO | |||
| "Full Leather Jacket" | |||||
| Amy Gray | Judging Amy | "The Wee Hours" | CBS | ||
| ER | "Great Expectations" | NBC | |||
| 2001 (53rd) [48] | Edie Falco | Carmela Soprano | The Sopranos | "Second Opinion" | HBO |
| Amy Brenneman | Amy Gray | Judging Amy | "The Undertow" | CBS | |
| "Justice Is Served" | |||||
| Lorraine Bracco | Jennifer Melfi | The Sopranos | "Employee of the Month" | HBO | |
| Sela Ward | Lily Manning | Once and Again | "Second Time Around" | ABC | |
| 2002 (54th) [49] | Allison Janney | C. J. Cregg | The West Wing | "The Women of Qumar" | NBC |
| Amy Brenneman | Amy Gray | Judging Amy | "Tidal Wave" | CBS | |
| Six Feet Under | "Pilot" | HBO | |||
| "The Secret" | |||||
| Alias | "Truth Be Told" | ABC | |||
| 2003 (55th) [50] | Edie Falco | Carmela Soprano | The Sopranos | "Whitecaps" | HBO |
| Jennifer Garner | Sydney Bristow | Alias | "Phase One" | ABC | |
| Frances Conroy | Ruth Fisher | Six Feet Under | "Nobody Sleeps" | HBO | |
| Allison Janney | C. J. Cregg | The West Wing | "The Long Goodbye" | NBC | |
| Marg Helgenberger | Catherine Willows | "Lady Heather's Box" | CBS | ||
| 2004 (56th) [51] | Allison Janney | C. J. Cregg | The West Wing | "Access" | NBC |
| Edie Falco | Carmela Soprano | The Sopranos | "All Happy Families..." | HBO | |
| Jennifer Garner | Sydney Bristow | Alias | "The Two" | ABC | |
| "Control" | NBC | ||||
| Joan Girardi | Joan of Arcadia | "Pilot" | CBS | ||
| 2005 (57th) [52] | Patricia Arquette | Allison DuBois | Medium | "In Sickness and Adultery" | NBC |
| The Shield | "Hurt" | FX | |||
| Frances Conroy | Ruth Fisher | Six Feet Under | "Coming and Going" | HBO | |
| Mariska Hargitay | Olivia Benson | "Charisma" | NBC | ||
| Jennifer Garner | Sydney Bristow | Alias | "Before the Flood" | ABC | |
| 2006 (58th) [53] | Mariska Hargitay | Olivia Benson | "911" | NBC | |
| Frances Conroy | Ruth Fisher | Six Feet Under | "Everyone's Waiting" | HBO | |
| Mackenzie Allen | Commander in Chief | "Pilot" | ABC | ||
| Allison Janney | C. J. Cregg | The West Wing | "Institutional Memory" | NBC | |
| The Closer | "Fantasy Date" | TNT | |||
| 2007 (59th) [54] | Sally Field | Nora Walker | Brothers & Sisters | "Mistakes Were Made (Part 2)" | ABC |
| Patricia Arquette | Allison DuBois | Medium | "Be Kind, Rewind" | NBC | |
| Mariska Hargitay | Olivia Benson | "Florida" | |||
| Dahlia Malloy | The Riches | "Pilot" | FX | ||
| Edie Falco | Carmela Soprano | The Sopranos | "The Second Coming" | HBO | |
| Kyra Sedgwick | Brenda Leigh Johnson | The Closer | "Slippin'" | TNT | |
| 2008 (60th) [55] | Glenn Close | Patty Hewes | Damages | "Get Me a Lawyer" | FX |
| Sally Field | Nora Walker | Brothers & Sisters | "History Repeating" | ABC | |
| Mariska Hargitay | Olivia Benson | "Undercover" | NBC | ||
| Saving Grace | "Tacos, Tulips, Duck, and Spices" | TNT | |||
| Kyra Sedgwick | Brenda Leigh Johnson | The Closer | "Manhunt" | ||
| 2009 (61st) [56] | Glenn Close | Patty Hewes | Damages | "Trust Me" | FX |
| Sally Field | Nora Walker | Brothers & Sisters | "A Father Dreams" | ABC | |
| Mariska Hargitay | Olivia Benson | "PTSD" | NBC | ||
| Holly Hunter | Grace Hanadarko | Saving Grace | "Have a Seat, Earl" | TNT | |
| Kyra Sedgwick | Brenda Leigh Johnson | The Closer | "Cherry Bomb" | ||
| Mad Men | "Meditations in an Emergency" | AMC | |||
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode Submission | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 (62nd) [57] | Kyra Sedgwick | Brenda Leigh Johnson | The Closer | "Maternal Instincts" | TNT | |
| Friday Night Lights | "After the Fall" | DirecTV | ||||
| Damages | "Your Secrets Are Safe" | FX | ||||
| "Perverted" | NBC | |||||
| Mad Men | "The Gypsy and the Hobo" | AMC | ||||
| The Good Wife | "Threesome" | CBS | ||||
| 2011 (63rd) [58] | Julianna Margulies | Alicia Florrick | The Good Wife | "In Sickness" | CBS | |
| Harriet Korn | Harry's Law | "Innocent Man" | NBC | |||
| Tami Taylor | Friday Night Lights | "Always" | DirecTV | |||
| Sarah Linden | The Killing | "Missing" | AMC | |||
| Olivia Benson | "Rescue" | NBC | ||||
| Mad Men | "The Suitcase" | AMC | ||||
| 2012 (64th) [59] | Claire Danes | Carrie Mathison | Homeland | "The Vest" | Showtime | |
| Harriet Korn | Harry's Law | "Onward and Upward" | NBC | |||
| Patty Hewes | Damages | "I've Done Way Too Much for This Girl" | DirecTV | |||
| Downton Abbey | "Episode Seven" | PBS | ||||
| Alicia Florrick | The Good Wife | "Parenting Made Easy" | CBS | |||
| Peggy Olson | Mad Men | "The Other Woman" | AMC | |||
| 2013 (65th) [60] | Claire Danes | Carrie Mathison | Homeland | "Q&A" | Showtime | |
| Nashville | "Pilot" | ABC | ||||
| Lady Mary Crawley | Downton Abbey | "Episode One" | PBS | |||
| Bates Motel | "First You Dream, Then You Die" | A&E | ||||
| Peggy Olson | Mad Men | "The Better Half" | AMC | |||
| Scandal | "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" | ABC | ||||
| House of Cards | "Chapter 10" | Netflix | ||||
| 2014 (66th) [61] | Julianna Margulies | Alicia Florrick | The Good Wife | "The Last Call" | CBS | |
| Masters of Sex | "Pilot" | Showtime | ||||
| Carrie Mathison | Homeland | "The Star" | ||||
| Lady Mary Crawley | Downton Abbey | "Episode One" | PBS | |||
| Olivia Pope | Scandal | "The Fluffer" | ABC | |||
| Claire Underwood | House of Cards | "Chapter 26" | Netflix | |||
| 2015 (67th) [62] | Viola Davis | Annalise Keating | How to Get Away with Murder | "Freakin' Whack-a-Mole" | ABC | |
| Carrie Mathison | Homeland | "From A to B and Back Again" | Showtime | |||
| Empire | "Pilot" | Fox | ||||
| Orphan Black | "Certain Agony of the Battlefield" | BBC America | ||||
| Peggy Olson | Mad Men | "Person to Person" | AMC | |||
| Claire Underwood | House of Cards | "Chapter 32" | Netflix | |||
| 2016 (68th) [63] | Tatiana Maslany | Various characters | Orphan Black | "The Antisocialism of Sex" | ||
| Carrie Mathison | Homeland | "Super Powers" | Showtime | |||
| Annalise Keating | How to Get Away with Murder | "There's My Baby" | ABC | |||
| Cookie Lyon | Empire | "Rise by Sin" | Fox | |||
| The Americans | "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears" | FX | ||||
| Claire Underwood | House of Cards | "Chapter 49" | Netflix | |||
| 2017 (69th) [64] | Elisabeth Moss | June Osborne / Offred | The Handmaid's Tale | "Night" | Hulu | |
| Annalise Keating | How to Get Away with Murder | "Wes" | ABC | |||
| The Crown | "Assassins" | Netflix | ||||
| Elizabeth Jennings | The Americans | "Dyatkovo" | FX | |||
| Westworld | "The Bicameral Mind" | HBO | ||||
| Claire Underwood | House of Cards | "Chapter 65" | Netflix | |||
| 2018 (70th) [65] | Claire Foy | Queen Elizabeth II | The Crown | "Dear Mrs. Kennedy" | Netflix | |
| Various characters | Orphan Black | "To Right the Wrongs of Many" | BBC America | |||
| June Osborne / Offred | The Handmaid's Tale | "The Last Ceremony" | Hulu | |||
| Killing Eve | "I Have a Thing About Bathrooms" | BBC America | ||||
| Elizabeth Jennings | The Americans | "The Summit" | FX | |||
| Dolores Abernathy | Westworld | "Reunion" | HBO | |||
| 2019 (71st) | Jodie Comer | Villanelle | Killing Eve | "I Hope You Like Missionary | " | BBC America |
| Game of Thrones | "The Last of the Starks" | HBO | ||||
| Annalise Keating | How to Get Away with Murder | "He Betrayed Us Both" | ABC | |||
| Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "One Way Out" | Netflix | |||
| Rebecca Pearson | This Is Us | "The Graduates" | NBC | |||
| Eve Polastri | Killing Eve | "You're Mine" | BBC America | |||
| Claire Underwood | House of Cards | "Chapter 70" | Netflix | |||
| Year | Actress | Role | Program | Episode submission | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (72nd) | Zendaya | Ruby "Rue" Bennett | Euphoria | "Made You Look" | HBO |
| Killing Eve | "Are You From Pinner?" | ||||
| "Are You Leading or Am I?" | |||||
| Alex Levy | The Morning Show | "In the Dark Night of the Soul It's Always 3:30 in the Morning" | Apple TV+ | ||
| The Crown | "Cri de Coeur" | Netflix | |||
| Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "Fire Pink" | |||
| 2021 (73rd) | Olivia Colman | Queen Elizabeth II | The Crown | "48:1" | Netflix |
| The Crown | "Fairytale" | Netflix | |||
| Dr. Brooke Taylor | In Treatment | "Brooke — Week 5" | HBO | ||
| June Osborne | The Handmaid's Tale | "Home" | Hulu | ||
| Blanca Rodriguez | Pose | "Series Finale" | FX | ||
| Letitia "Leti" Lewis | Lovecraft Country | "Holy Ghost" | HBO | ||
| 2022 (74th) | Zendaya | Ruby "Rue" Bennett | Euphoria | "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" | HBO |
| Killing Eve | "Don't Get Eaten" | BBC America | |||
| "Making Dead Things Look Nice" | |||||
| Wendy Byrde | Ozark | "Pound of Flesh and Still Kickin'" | Netflix | ||
| Shauna Sadecki | Yellowjackets | "Doomcoming" | Showtime | ||
| Bradley Jackson | The Morning Show | "Confirmations" | Apple TV+ | ||
| 2023 (75th) | Sarah Snook | Shiv Roy | Succession | "Tailgate Party" | HBO |
| Eva Garvey | Bad Sisters | "Saving Grace" | Apple TV+ | ||
| Shauna Sadecki | Yellowjackets | "Burial" | Showtime | ||
| June Osborne | The Handmaid's Tale | "Safe" | Hulu | ||
| The Last of Us | "When We Are in Need" | HBO | |||
| Kate Wyler | The Diplomat | "Lambs in the Dark" | Netflix | ||
| 2024 (76th) | |||||
| Alex Levy | The Morning Show | "The Overview Effect" | Apple TV+ | ||
| Bertha Russell | The Gilded Age | "Head to Head" | HBO | ||
| Jane Smith / Alana | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | "A Breakup" | Prime Video | ||
| Toda Mariko | Shōgun | "Crimson Sky" | FX | ||
| The Crown | "Sleep, Dearie Sleep" | Netflix | |||
| Bradley Jackson | The Morning Show | "Love Island" | Apple TV+ |