Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Annual award
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest starring role on a television drama series for the primetime network season.
Awarded forOutstanding Performance by a Guest Actor in a Drama Series
CountryUnited States
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences
First award1975
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | |
|---|---|
The 2025 recipient: Shawn Hatosy | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding Performance by a Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| First award | 1975 |
| Currently held by | Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt (2025) |
| Website | http://www.emmys.com |
The award was first presented at the 27th Primetime Emmy Awards on May 19, 1975, to Patrick McGoohan for his performance on Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light. It has undergone several name changes, originally honoring leading and supporting actors in single appearances on drama and comedy series through 1978. The award was reintroduced at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards 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 separate awards for outstanding guest actor and outstanding guest actress. Beginning with the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, performers are no longer eligible in guest acting categories if they were previously nominated for a lead or supporting award for playing the same character role in the same series.[1]
Since its inception, the award has been given to 36 actors. Charles S. Dutton, John Lithgow, Ron Cephas Jones and Patrick McGoohan have won the most awards in this category with two each. Michael J. Fox has been nominated for the award on seven occasions, the most within the category.
Winners and nominees
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
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| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Indicates the winning actor. |
1970s
| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Submitted episode(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 (27th) [2] | |||||
| Patrick McGoohan | Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light | Col. Lyle C. Rumford | "By Dawn's Early Light" | NBC | |
| Lew Ayres | Kung Fu | Beaumont | "The Vanishing Image" | ABC | |
| Harold Gould | Police Story | Andrea Basic | "Fathers and Sons" | NBC | |
| Harry Morgan | M*A*S*H | Maj. Gen. Bartford Hamilton Steele | "The General Flipped at Dawn" | CBS | |
| 1976 (28th) | |||||
| Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series[3] | |||||
| Ed Asner | Rich Man, Poor Man | Axel Jordache | "Parts I" | ABC | |
| Bill Bixby | The Streets of San Francisco | Eric Doyle | "The Police Buff" | ABC | |
| Tony Musante | Medical Story | Dr. Paul Brandon | "The Quality of Mercy" | NBC | |
| Robert Reed | Medical Center | Dr. Pat Caddison | "John Quincy Adams, Diplomat" | CBS | |
| Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series[4] | |||||
| Gordon Jackson | Upstairs, Downstairs | Hudson | "The Beastly Hun" | PBS | |
| Bill Bixby | Rich Man, Poor Man | Willie Abbott | "Part VI" | ABC | |
| Roscoe Lee Browne | Barney Miller | Charlie Jeffers | "The Escape Artist" | ||
| Norman Fell | Rich Man, Poor Man | Smitty | "Part V" | ||
| Van Johnson | Marsh Goodwin | "Parts VII" | |||
| 1977 (29th) | |||||
| Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series[5] | |||||
| Louis Gossett Jr. | Roots | Fiddler | "Part IV" | ABC | |
| John Amos | Roots | Toby | "Part V" | ABC | |
| LeVar Burton | Kunta Kinte | "Part I" | |||
| Ben Vereen | "Chicken" George Moore | "Part VI" | |||
| Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series[6] | |||||
| Ed Asner | Roots | Capt. Davies | "Part 1" | ABC | |
| Charles Durning | Captains and the Kings | Billy Rice | "Chapter 2" | NBC | |
| Moses Gunn | Roots | Kintango | "Part I" | ABC | |
| Robert Reed | Dr. William Reynolds | "Part V" | |||
| Ralph Waite | Third mate Slater | "Part I" | |||
| 1978 (30th) | |||||
| Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series[7] | |||||
| Barnard Hughes | Lou Grant | Judge Felix Rushman | "Judge" | CBS | |
| David Cassidy | Police Woman | Officer Dan Shay | "A Chance to Live" | NBC | |
| Will Geer | The Love Boat | Franklyn Bootherstone | "The Old Man and the Runaway" | ABC | |
| Judd Hirsch | Rhoda | Mike Andretti | "Rhoda Likes Mike" | CBS | |
| John Rubinstein | Family | Jeff Maitland | "And Baby Makes Three" | ABC | |
| Keenan Wynn | Police Woman | Ben Fletcher | "Good Old Uncle Ben" | NBC | |
| Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series[8] | |||||
| Ricardo Montalbán | How the West Was Won | Satangkai | "Part I" | ABC | |
| Will Geer | Eight is Enough | Santa Claus | "Yes, Nicholas... There is a Santa Claus" | ABC | |
| Larry Gelman | Barney Miller | Edward Sellers | "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" | ||
| Harold Gould | Rhoda | Martin Morgenstern | "Happy Anniversary" | CBS | |
| Abe Vigoda | Barney Miller | Det. Phil Fish | "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" | ABC | |
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Program | Role | Submitted episode(s) | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series | ||||||
| 1986 (38th) [9] | ||||||
| John Lithgow | Amazing Stories | John Walters | "The Doll" | NBC | ||
| Whoopi Goldberg | Moonlighting | Camille | "Camille" | ABC | ||
| Edward Herrmann | St. Elsewhere | Father Joseph McCabe | "Time Heals" | NBC | ||
| Peggy McCay | Cagney & Lacey | Mrs. Carruthers | "Mothers and Sons" | CBS | ||
| James Stacy | Ted Peters | "The Gimp" | ||||
| 1987 (39th) [10] | ||||||
| Alfre Woodard | L.A. Law | Adrianne Moore | "Pilot" | NBC | ||
| Steve Allen | St. Elsewhere | Lech Osoranski | "Visiting Daze" | NBC | ||
| Jeanne Cooper | L.A. Law | Gladys Becker | "Fry Me to the Moon" | |||
| Edward Herrmann | St. Elsewhere | Father Joseph McCabe | "Where There's Hope, There's Crosby" | |||
| Jayne Meadows | Olga Osoranski | "Visiting Daze" | ||||
| 1988 (40th) [11] | ||||||
| Shirley Knight | thirtysomething | Ruth Murdock | "The Parents Are Coming" | ABC | ||
| Imogene Coca | Moonlighting | Clara DiPesto | "Los Dos DiPietos" | ABC | ||
| Lainie Kazan | St. Elsewhere | Frieda Fiscus | "The Abby Singer Show" | NBC | ||
| Gwen Verdon | Magnum, P.I. | Catherine Peters | "Infinity And Jelly Doughnuts" | CBS | ||
| Alfre Woodard | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Roxanne Turner | "The Abby Singer Show" | NBC | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | ||||||
| 1989 (41st) [12] | ||||||
| Joe Spano | Midnight Caller | John Saringo | "The Execution Of John Saringo" | NBC | ||
| Peter Boyle | Midnight Caller | J.J. Kilian | "Fathers and Sins" | NBC | ||
| Jack Gilford | thirtysomething | The Old Gentleman | "The Mike Van Dyke Show" | ABC | ||
| Michael Moriarty | The Equalizer | Wayne Virgil | "Starfire" | CBS | ||
| Edward Woodward | The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Drummond | "The Hunted" | USA | ||
1990s
- Christopher Lloyd won in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his guest appearance on Road to Avonlea.
- Kirk Douglas was nominated in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his guest appearance on Tales from the Crypt.
- Richard Kiley was nominated in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his guest appearance on The Ray Bradbury Theater, but lost to Richard Dysart, who won for his role on L.A. Law.
- Harrison Page was nominated in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his guest appearance on Quantum Leap.
- Jimmy Smits was nominated in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his guest appearance on L.A. Law, but lost to his co-star, Richard Dysart.
2000s
2010s
2020s
Performers with multiple wins
- 2 wins
- Charles S. Dutton (consecutive)
- Ron Cephas Jones
- John Lithgow
- Patrick McGoohan
Programs with multiple wins
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Performers with multiple nominations
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Programs with multiple nominations
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