The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...

(ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest starring role on a television drama series for the primetime network season. The award was first presented at the

27th Primetime Emmy Awards The 27th Emmy Awards, later known as the 27th Primetime Emmy Awards, were handed out on May 19, 1975. There was no host this year. Winners are listed in bold and series' networks are in parentheses. The top shows of the night were ''Mary Tyler Mo ...

on May 19, 1975, to

Zohra Lampert Zohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on stage, film and television. She performed under her then-married name of Zohra Alton early in her career. Among her performances were as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film ...

, for her performance on '' Kojak'', and to Cloris Leachman, for her role on '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. It has undergone several name changes, originally honoring single leading and supporting appearances in drama and comedy series through 1978. The award was re-introduced at the

38th Primetime Emmy Awards The 38th Primetime Emmy Awards were presented on September 21, 1986, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The Emmy ceremony was cohosted by David Letterman and Shelley Long. During the ceremony, Letterman saluted Grant Ti ...

under the name Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series, honoring actors and actresses in guest starring roles on television drama series. In 1989, the category was split into categories for each gender, resulting in the name change to its current title. Since its inception, the award has been given to 35 actresses. Patricia Clarkson, Cherry Jones, Shirley Knight, Margo Martindale, Amanda Plummer, and Alfre Woodard have won the most awards in this category, with two each. Cicely Tyson has been nominated for the award on five occasions, the most in the category. Meanwhile, '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' holds the most awardees, with 5 winners coming from the show.

Winners and nominations

Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees. Zohra Lampert 1960

Patricia Clarkson 2009 Whatever Works portrait

Ellen Burstyn at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Performers with multiple wins

;2 wins * Patricia Clarkson * Cherry Jones (consecutive) * Shirley Knight * Margo Martindale (consecutive) * Amanda Plummer * Alfre Woodard

Programs with multiple wins

;5 wins * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (4 consecutive) ;3 awards * '' The Handmaid's Tale'' (consecutive) * '' The Practice'' (2 consecutive) ;2 wins * '' The Americans'' (consecutive) * '' The Good Wife'' (consecutive) * ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'' * '' Six Feet Under''

Performers with multiple nominations

;5 nominations * Cicely Tyson ;4 nominations * Shirley Knight * Margo Martindale * Diana Rigg * Alfre Woodard ;3 nominations * Alexis Bledel * Ellen Burstyn * Kate Burton * Veronica Cartwright * Laverne Cox * Joan Cusack * Penny Fuller * Allison Janney * Cherry Jones * Swoosie Kurtz * Cloris Leachman * Kay Lenz * Marlee Matlin * Phylicia Rashad * Jean Smart ;2 nominations * Kathy Baker * Patricia Clarkson *

Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Rose Dewhurst (3 June 1924 – 22 August 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early drama ...

* Loretta Devine * Patty Duke *

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film F ...

* Louise Fletcher *

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...

* Marcia Gay Harden * Eileen Heckart *

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...

* Mary McDonnell * Jayne Meadows * Martha Plimpton * Amanda Plummer * CCH Pounder * Carrie Preston * Lili Taylor * Lily Tomlin * Harriet Walter

Programs with multiple nominations

;14 nominations * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' ;9 nominations * '' Grey's Anatomy'' ;8 nominations * '' ER'' * '' The Handmaid's Tale'' ;6 nominations * '' Six Feet Under'' * ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'' ;5 nominations * '' The Americans'' * ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

'' * '' How to Get Away with Murder'' * '' The Practice'' * ''

Road to Avonlea ''Road to Avonlea'' is a Canadian television series first broadcast in Canada between January 7, 1990, and March 31, 1996, as part of the ''CBC Family Hour'' anthology series, and in the United States starting on March 5, 1990. It was created b ...

'' * ''

Succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

'' ;4 nominations * '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' * '' House of Cards'' * ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' * '' Mad Men'' * ''

'' * '' Touched by an Angel'' * '' The X-Files'' ;3 nominations * '' Big Love'' * '' China Beach'' * '' The Good Wife'' * '' Masters of Sex'' * ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wo ...

'' * '' Scandal'' * '' Shameless'' * '' thirtysomething'' * '' This Is Us'' ;2 nominations * '' Cagney & Lacey'' * ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'' * ''

Fallen Angels A fallen angel is an angel that has been exiled or banished from Heaven. Fallen Angels may also refer to: Film and television * ''Fallen Angels'' (1948 film), a Greek film by Nikos Tsiforos * Fallen Angels (1985 documentary film) by Gregory Dark * ...

'' * ''

Huff Huff or huffing may refer to: People * Huff (surname), a list of people with the surname Places in the United States * Huff Township, Spencer County, Indiana * Huff, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Huff, Kentucky, an unincorporated co ...

'' * ''

Joan of Arcadia ''Joan of Arcadia'' is an American fantasy family drama television series telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays on CBS for ...

'' * '' L.A. Law'' * ''

Midnight Caller ''Midnight Caller'' is an American drama television series created by Richard DiLello, which aired on NBC from October 25, 1988, to May 17, 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growin ...

'' * '' Moonlighting'' * '' The Newsroom'' * '' Nip/Tuck'' * '' Picket Fences''

References

{{Primetime Emmy Award categories Guest Actress - Comedy Series

Winners and nominations

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Performers with multiple wins

Programs with multiple wins

Performers with multiple nominations

Programs with multiple nominations

See also

References