The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented 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 in the United States, television industry in the United S ...

(ATAS). In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning with the 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards, supporting actors in drama have competed alone. However, these dramatic performances often included actors from miniseries, telefilms, and guest performers competing against main cast competitors. Such instances are marked below: * # – Indicates a performance in a

Miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

Television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

, prior to the category's creation in 1975 * § – Indicates a performance as a guest performer, prior to the category's creation in 1975 FOX is the only one of the Big Four networks to not win this category, with only one nomination.

Winners and nominations

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

;4 wins * ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' (2 consecutive) * ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' (3 consecutive) * ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'' (3 consecutive) ;3 wins * '' The Andy Griffith Show'' (consecutive) * ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

'' * '' Hill Street Blues'' (2 consecutive) * '' Picket Fences'' (consecutive) ;2 wins * '' Caesar's Hour'' * ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'' * '' The Jackie Gleason Show'' * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' * '' Lost'' * '' The Morning Show'' * '' The Rockford Files'' (consecutive) * ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' (consecutive) * '' Succession'' (consecutive)

Programs with multiple nominations

;16 nominations * '' Hill Street Blues'' ;15 nominations * ''

'' ;14 nominations * ''

'' ;12 nominations * ''

'' ;10 nominations * '' Succession'' ;9 nominations * ''

'' ;8 nominations * '' ER'' * '' Lost'' ;7 nominations * ''

'' * '' St. Elsewhere'' ;6 nominations * ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'' * '' Boston Legal'' * '' Lou Grant'' * '' The Morning Show'' * '' The Rockford Files'' * ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

'' ;5 nominations * '' Chicago Hope'' * ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

'' * '' The Handmaid's Tale'' * ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

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

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 ca ...

'' * '' Picket Fences'' * '' thirtysomething'' ;4 nominations * ''

'' * ''

Damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...

'' * '' The Good Wife'' * '' Homeland'' * '' House of Cards'' * '' Magnum, P.I.'' * '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'' * '' Northern Exposure'' * ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

'' * '' Quantum Leap'' * '' The White Lotus'' ;3 nominations * '' Alias'' * '' The Andy Griffith Show'' * '' Caesar's Hour'' * '' Cagney & Lacey'' * ''

'' * '' The Jackie Gleason Show'' * '' Law & Order'' * '' Mission: Impossible'' * ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' * '' The Streets of San Francisco'' * '' This Is Us'' ;2 nominations * '' Ben Casey'' * ''

Bloodline Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...

'' * '' Dragnet'' * '' The Glass Menagerie'' * '' Holocaust'' * '' Huff'' * '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' * '' Men of a Certain Age'' * '' Miami Vice'' * '' Perry Mason'' * '' The Phil Silvers Show'' * '' Ray Donovan'' * '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' * '' Severance'' * ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' * '' Squid Game'' * '' Stranger Things'' * '' Westworld''

Performers with multiple wins

;4 wins * Peter Dinklage (2 consecutive) ;3 wins * Art Carney (consecutive) *

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'', for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

(consecutive) * Aaron Paul ;2 wins * Michael Conrad (consecutive) * Billy Crudup * Larry Drake (consecutive) * Matthew Macfadyen (consecutive) * Stuart Margolin (consecutive) *

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

(consecutive) * Ray Walston (consecutive)

Performers with multiple nominations

;8 nominations * Peter Dinklage ;6 nominations * Jonathan BanksJonathan Banks was the first of only two actors with nominations as a main cast member for three different shows in this category, two of which feature him as the same character * Ed Begley Jr. * Will Geer *

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

* Jimmy Smits * Bruce Weitz ;5 nominations * William Frawley * Aaron Paul * William Shatner * John Spencer * Bradley Whitford * Noah Wyle ;4 nominations *

James Brolin Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (born July 18, 1940), known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes and an Emmy Awards, Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August ...

* Timothy Busfield * Art Carney * Jim Carter * Michael Conrad * Richard Dysart * Héctor Elizondo * Michael Emerson * Giancarlo EspositoGiancarlo Esposito is the second of only two actors with nominations as a main cast member for three different shows in this category, two of which feature him as the same character * John Hillerman * Michael Kelly * Mandy Patinkin *

* John Slattery * Dean Stockwell ;3 nominations * Mason Adams * Noah Beery Jr. * Nicholas Braun * Billy Crudup * Michael Douglas * Larry Drake * Paul Ford * Victor Garber *

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen s ...

* Eriq La Salle * Matthew Macfadyen * Greg Morris *

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

* Terry O'Quinn * Richard Schiff * Robert Walden * Ray Walston ;2 nominations * Alan Alda * Ben Alexander * Michael Badalucco * Andre Braugher * David Burns * Leo G. Carroll * Josh Charles * Dominic Chianese * Gordon Clapp * Barry Corbin * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau *

Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. Known for portraying distasteful yet sympathetic characters across stage and screen, List of awards and nominations received by Kieran Culkin, his accolades include an Academy A ...

* Alan Cumming * Mark Duplass * Fyvush Finkel * Charles Haid * David Harbour * Steve Harris * Steven Hill * John Lithgow * Stuart Margolin * Ben Mendelsohn * Edward James Olmos * Oliver Platt * Chris Sullivan * Nicholas Turturro * Jon Voight * Dennis Weaver * Jeffrey Wright

Notes

References

{{Primetime Emmy Award categories Supporting Actor - Drama Series

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...