# Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

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.
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 categories for each gender, resulting in the name change to its current title. 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.
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.
| Key | Meaning |
| | Indicates the winning actor. |

### 1970s

| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Submitted episode(s) | Network |
| 1975 (27th) |
| 1975 (27th) | Patrick McGoohan | Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light | Col. Lyle C. Rumford | "By Dawn's Early Light" | NBC |
| 1975 (27th) | Lew Ayres | Kung Fu | Beaumont | "The Vanishing Image" | ABC |
| 1975 (27th) | Harold Gould | Police Story | Andrea Basic | "Fathers and Sons" | NBC |
| 1975 (27th) | 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 |||||
| 1976 (28th) | Ed Asner | Rich Man, Poor Man | Axel Jordache | "Parts I" | ABC |
| 1976 (28th) | Bill Bixby | The Streets of San Francisco | Eric Doyle | "The Police Buff" | ABC |
| 1976 (28th) | Tony Musante | Medical Story | Dr. Paul Brandon | "The Quality of Mercy" | NBC |
| 1976 (28th) | 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 |||||
| 1976 (28th) | Gordon Jackson | Upstairs, Downstairs | Hudson | "The Beastly Hun" | PBS |
| 1976 (28th) | Bill Bixby | Rich Man, Poor Man | Willie Abbott | "Part VI" | ABC |
| 1976 (28th) | Roscoe Lee Browne | Barney Miller | Charlie Jeffers | "The Escape Artist" | ABC |
| 1976 (28th) | Norman Fell | Rich Man, Poor Man | Smitty | "Part V" | ABC |
| 1976 (28th) | Van Johnson | Rich Man, Poor Man | Marsh Goodwin | "Parts VII" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) |
| Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series |||||
| 1977 (29th) | Louis Gossett Jr. | Roots | Fiddler | "Part IV" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | John Amos | Roots | Toby | "Part V" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | LeVar Burton | Roots | Kunta Kinte | "Part I" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | Ben Vereen | Roots | "Chicken" George Moore | "Part VI" | ABC |
| Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series |||||
| 1977 (29th) | Ed Asner | Roots | Capt. Davies | "Part 1" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | Charles Durning | Captains and the Kings | Billy Rice | "Chapter 2" | NBC |
| 1977 (29th) | Moses Gunn | Roots | Kintango | "Part I" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | Robert Reed | Roots | Dr. William Reynolds | "Part V" | ABC |
| 1977 (29th) | Ralph Waite | Roots | Third mate Slater | "Part I" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) |
| Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series |||||
| 1978 (30th) | Barnard Hughes | Lou Grant | Judge Felix Rushman | "Judge" | CBS |
| 1978 (30th) | David Cassidy | Police Woman | Officer Dan Shay | "A Chance to Live" | NBC |
| 1978 (30th) | Will Geer | The Love Boat | Franklyn Bootherstone | "The Old Man and the Runaway" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) | Judd Hirsch | Rhoda | Mike Andretti | "Rhoda Likes Mike" | CBS |
| 1978 (30th) | John Rubinstein | Family | Jeff Maitland | "And Baby Makes Three" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) | Keenan Wynn | Police Woman | Ben Fletcher | "Good Old Uncle Ben" | NBC |
| Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series |||||
| 1978 (30th) | Ricardo Montalbán | How the West Was Won | Satangkai | "Part I" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) | Will Geer | Eight is Enough | Santa Claus | "Yes, Nicholas... There is a Santa Claus" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) | Larry Gelman | Barney Miller | Edward Sellers | "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" | ABC |
| 1978 (30th) | Harold Gould | Rhoda | Martin Morgenstern | "Happy Anniversary" | CBS |
| 1978 (30th) | 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) |
| 1986 (38th) | John Lithgow | Amazing Stories | John Walters | "The Doll" | NBC |
| 1986 (38th) | Whoopi Goldberg | Moonlighting | Camille | "Camille" | ABC |
| 1986 (38th) | Edward Herrmann | St. Elsewhere | Father Joseph McCabe | "Time Heals" | NBC |
| 1986 (38th) | Peggy McCay | Cagney & Lacey | Mrs. Carruthers | "Mothers and Sons" | CBS |
| 1986 (38th) | James Stacy | Cagney & Lacey | Ted Peters | "The Gimp" | CBS |
| 1987 (39th) |
| 1987 (39th) | Alfre Woodard | L.A. Law | Adrianne Moore | "Pilot" | NBC |
| 1987 (39th) | Steve Allen | St. Elsewhere | Lech Osoranski | "Visiting Daze" | NBC |
| 1987 (39th) | Jeanne Cooper | L.A. Law | Gladys Becker | "Fry Me to the Moon" | NBC |
| 1987 (39th) | Edward Herrmann | St. Elsewhere | Father Joseph McCabe | "Where There's Hope, There's Crosby" | NBC |
| 1987 (39th) | Jayne Meadows | St. Elsewhere | Olga Osoranski | "Visiting Daze" | NBC |
| 1988 (40th) |
| 1988 (40th) | Shirley Knight | thirtysomething | Ruth Murdock | "The Parents Are Coming" | ABC |
| 1988 (40th) | Imogene Coca | Moonlighting | Clara DiPesto | "Los Dos DiPietos" | ABC |
| 1988 (40th) | Lainie Kazan | St. Elsewhere | Frieda Fiscus | "The Abby Singer Show" | NBC |
| 1988 (40th) | Gwen Verdon | Magnum, P.I. | Catherine Peters | "Infinity And Jelly Doughnuts" | CBS |
| 1988 (40th) | Alfre Woodard | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Roxanne Turner | "The Abby Singer Show" | NBC |
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series ||||||
| 1989 (41st) |
| 1989 (41st) | Joe Spano | Midnight Caller | John Saringo | "The Execution Of John Saringo" | NBC |
| 1989 (41st) | Peter Boyle | Midnight Caller | J.J. Kilian | "Fathers and Sins" | NBC |
| 1989 (41st) | Jack Gilford | thirtysomething | The Old Gentleman | "The Mike Van Dyke Show" | ABC |
| 1989 (41st) | Michael Moriarty | The Equalizer | Wayne Virgil | "Starfire" | CBS |
| 1989 (41st) | Edward Woodward | The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Drummond | "The Hunted" | USA |

### 1990s

| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Submitted episode(s) | Network |
| 1990 (42nd) |
| 1990 (42nd) | Patrick McGoohan | Columbo | Oscar Finch | "Agenda for Murder" | ABC |
| 1990 (42nd) | Peter Frechette | thirtysomething | Peter Montefiore | "Strangers" | ABC |
| 1990 (42nd) | Harold Gould | The Ray Bradbury Theatre | The Old Man | "To the Chicago Abyss" | USA |
| 1990 (42nd) | William Hickey | Tales from the Crypt | Carlton Webber | "The Switch" | HBO |
| 1990 (42nd) | Bruce Weitz | Midnight Caller | Sgt. Ed Adderly | "Mercy Me" | NBC |
| 1991 (43rd) |
| 1991 (43rd) | David Opatoshu | Gabriel's Fire | Max Goldstein | "Prayers for the Goldsteins" | ABC |
| 1991 (43rd) | Dabney Coleman | Columbo | Hugh Creighton | "Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" | ABC |
| 1991 (43rd) | Peter Coyote | Road to Avonlea | Romney Penhallow | "Old Quarrels, Old Love" | Disney |
| 1991 (43rd) | John Glover | L.A. Law | Dr. Paul Kohler | "God Rest Ye Murray Gentleman" | NBC |
| 1992 (44th) | Christopher Lloyd | Road to Avonlea | Alistair Dimple | "Another Point of View" | Disney Channel |
| 1992 (44th) | Kirk Douglas | Tales from the Crypt | General Calthrob | "Yellow" | HBO |
| 1992 (44th) | Richard Kiley | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Doug Spaulding | "The Utterly Perfect Murder" | USA |
| 1992 (44th) | Harrison Page | Quantum Leap | Reverend Walters | "A Song for the Soul - April 7, 1963" | NBC |
| 1992 (44th) | Jimmy Smits | L.A. Law | Victor Sifuentes | "Steal It Again, Sam" | NBC |
| 1993 (45th) |
| 1993 (45th) | Laurence Fishburne | TriBeCa | Martin McHenry | "The Box" | Fox |
| 1993 (45th) | Adam Arkin | Northern Exposure | Adam | "The Big Feast" | CBS |
| 1993 (45th) | John Glover | Crime & Punishment | Dennis Atwood | "Best Laid Plans" | NBC |
| 1993 (45th) | Michael Jeter | Picket Fences | Peter Lebeck | "Frog Man" | CBS |
| 1993 (45th) | Richard Kiley | Picket Fences | Hayden Langston | "Thanksgiving" | CBS |
| 1994 (46th) |
| 1994 (46th) | Richard Kiley | Picket Fences | Hayden Langston | "Buried Alive" | CBS |
| 1994 (46th) | Tim Curry | Tales from the Crypt | Mother/Father/Sister/Daughter | "Death of Some Salesman" | HBO |
| 1994 (46th) | Dan Hedaya | NYPD Blue | Lou the Werewolf | "NYPD Lou" | ABC |
| 1994 (46th) | James Earl Jones | Picket Fences | Attorney Bryant Thomas | "System Down" | CBS |
| 1994 (46th) | Robin Williams | Homicide: Life on the Street | Robert Ellison | "Bop Gun" | NBC |
| 1995 (47th) |
| 1995 (47th) | Paul Winfield | Picket Fences | Judge Harold Nance | "Enemy Lines" | CBS |
| 1995 (47th) | Milton Berle | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Saul Howard | "Sentenced to Life" | Fox |
| 1995 (47th) | Beau Bridges | The Outer Limits | Simon Kress | "Sandkings" | Showtime |
| 1995 (47th) | Vondie Curtis-Hall | ER | Rena | "ER Confidential" | NBC |
| 1995 (47th) | Alan Rosenberg | ER | Sam Gasner | "Into That Good Night" | NBC |
| 1996 (48th) |
| 1996 (48th) | Peter Boyle | The X-Files | Clyde Bruckman | "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" | Fox |
| 1996 (48th) | Danny Glover | Fallen Angels | Philip Marlowe | "Red Wind" | Showtime |
| 1996 (48th) | Michael Jeter | Chicago Hope | Bob Ryan | "A Coupla Stiffs" | CBS |
| 1996 (48th) | Richard Pryor | Chicago Hope | Joe Springer | "Stand" | CBS |
| 1996 (48th) | Rip Torn | Chicago Hope | Warren Schutt | "Hello Goodbye" | CBS |
| 1997 (49th) |
| 1997 (49th) | Pruitt Taylor Vince | Murder One | Clifford Banks | "Diary of a Serial Killer" | ABC |
| 1997 (49th) | Alan Arkin | Chicago Hope | Zoltan Karpathein | "The Son Also Rises" | CBS |
| 1997 (49th) | Louis Gossett Jr. | Touched by an Angel | Anderson Walker | "Amazing Grace" | CBS |
| 1997 (49th) | William H. Macy | ER | Dr. Morgenstern | — | NBC |
| 1997 (49th) | Ewan McGregor | ER | Duncan Stewart | "The Long Way Around" | NBC |
| 1998 (50th) |
| 1998 (50th) | John Larroquette | The Practice | Joey Heric | "Betrayal" | ABC |
| 1998 (50th) | Bruce Davison | Touched by an Angel | Jake | "Elijah" | CBS |
| 1998 (50th) | Vincent D'Onofrio | Homicide: Life on the Street | John Lange | "Subway" | NBC |
| 1998 (50th) | Charles Durning | Homicide: Life on the Street | Thomas Finnegan | "Finnegan's Wake" | NBC |
| 1998 (50th) | Charles Nelson Reilly | Millennium | Jose Chung | "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense" | Fox |
| 1999 (51st) |
| 1999 (51st) | Edward Herrmann | The Practice | Atty. Anderson Pearson | — | ABC |
| 1999 (51st) | Tony Danza | The Practice | Tommy Silva | — | ABC |
| 1999 (51st) | Charles S. Dutton | Oz | Alvah Case | "The Tip" | HBO |
| 1999 (51st) | John Heard | The Sopranos | Det. Vin Makazian | "Nobody Knows Anything" | HBO |
| 1999 (51st) | Mandy Patinkin | Chicago Hope | Dr. Jeffery Geiger | "Curing Cancer" | CBS |
* ↑ 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

| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Network |
| 2000 (52nd) |
| 2000 (52nd) | James Whitmore | The Practice | Raymond Oz | ABC |
| 2000 (52nd) | Alan Alda | ER | Dr. Gabriel Lawrence | NBC |
| 2000 (52nd) | Paul Dooley | The Practice | Judge Philip Swackhein | ABC |
| 2000 (52nd) | Henry Winkler | The Practice | Henry Olson | ABC |
| 2000 (52nd) | Kirk Douglas | Touched by an Angel | Ross Burger | CBS |
| 2001 (53rd) |
| 2001 (53rd) | Michael Emerson | The Practice | William Hinks | ABC |
| 2001 (53rd) | James Cromwell | ER | Bishop Lionel Stewart | NBC |
| 2001 (53rd) | René Auberjonois | The Practice | Judge Mantz | ABC |
| 2001 (53rd) | Patrick Dempsey | Once and Again | Aaron Brooks | ABC |
| 2001 (53rd) | Oliver Platt | The West Wing | Oliver Babish | NBC |
| 2002 (54th) |
| 2002 (54th) | Charles S. Dutton | The Practice | Leonard Marshall | ABC |
| 2002 (54th) | Mark Harmon | The West Wing | Agent Simon Donovan | NBC |
| 2002 (54th) | John Larroquette | The Practice | Joey Heric | ABC |
| 2002 (54th) | Tim Matheson | The West Wing | Vice President John Hoynes | NBC |
| 2002 (54th) | Ron Silver | The West Wing | Bruno Giannelli | NBC |
| 2003 (55th) |
| 2003 (55th) | Charles S. Dutton | Without a Trace | Chet Collins | CBS |
| 2003 (55th) | Don Cheadle | ER | Paul Nathan | NBC |
| 2003 (55th) | James Cromwell | Six Feet Under | George Sibley | HBO |
| 2003 (55th) | Tim Matheson | The West Wing | Vice President John Hoynes | NBC |
| 2003 (55th) | Matthew Perry | The West Wing | Joe Quincy | NBC |
| 2003 (55th) | James Whitmore | Mister Sterling | Bill Sterling Sr. | NBC |
| 2004 (56th) |
| 2004 (56th) | William Shatner | The Practice | Denny Crane | ABC |
| 2004 (56th) | James Earl Jones | Everwood | Will Cleveland | The WB |
| 2004 (56th) | Matthew Perry | The West Wing | Joe Quincy | NBC |
| 2004 (56th) | Bob Newhart | ER | Ben Hollander | NBC |
| 2004 (56th) | Martin Landau | Without a Trace | Frank Malone | CBS |
| 2005 (57th) |
| 2005 (57th) | Ray Liotta | ER | Charlie Metcalf | NBC |
| 2005 (57th) | Ossie Davis | The L Word | Melvin Porter | Showtime |
| 2005 (57th) | Red Buttons | ER | Jules 'Ruby' Rubadoux | NBC |
| 2005 (57th) | Charles Durning | NCIS | Ernie Yost | CBS |
| 2005 (57th) | Martin Landau | Without a Trace | Frank Malone | CBS |
| 2006 (58th) |
| 2006 (58th) | Christian Clemenson | Boston Legal | Jerry Espenson | ABC |
| 2006 (58th) | Kyle Chandler | Grey's Anatomy | Dylan Young | ABC |
| 2006 (58th) | Henry Ian Cusick | Lost | Desmond Hume | ABC |
| 2006 (58th) | Michael J. Fox | Boston Legal | Daniel Post | ABC |
| 2006 (58th) | James Woods | ER | Dr. Nate Lennox | NBC |
| 2007 (59th) |
| 2007 (59th) | John Goodman | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Judge Robert Bebe | NBC |
| 2007 (59th) | Christian Clemenson | Boston Legal | Jerry Espenson | ABC |
| 2007 (59th) | Tim Daly | The Sopranos | J.T. Dolan | HBO |
| 2007 (59th) | David Morse | House | Michael Tritter | Fox |
| 2007 (59th) | Eli Wallach | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Eli Weintraub | NBC |
| 2007 (59th) | Forest Whitaker | ER | Curtis Ames | NBC |
| 2008 (60th) |
| 2008 (60th) | Glynn Turman | In Treatment | Alex Prince Jr. | HBO |
| 2008 (60th) | Charles Durning | Rescue Me | John Gavin Sr. | FX |
| 2008 (60th) | Robert Morse | Mad Men | Bert Cooper | AMC |
| 2008 (60th) | Oliver Platt | Nip/Tuck | Freddie Prune | FX |
| 2008 (60th) | Stanley Tucci | ER | Dr. Kevin Moretti | NBC |
| 2008 (60th) | Robin Williams | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Merritt Rook | NBC |
| 2009 (61st) |
| 2009 (61st) | Michael J. Fox | Rescue Me | Dwight | FX |
| 2009 (61st) | Ed Asner | CSI: NY | Abraham Klein | CBS |
| 2009 (61st) | Ernest Borgnine | ER | Paul Manning | NBC |
| 2009 (61st) | Ted Danson | Damages | Arthur Frobisher | FX |
| 2009 (61st) | Jimmy Smits | Dexter | Miguel Prado | Showtime |

### 2010s

| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Episode | Network |
| 2010 (62nd) |
| 2010 (62nd) | John Lithgow | Dexter | Arthur Mitchell | "Road Kill" | Showtime |
| 2010 (62nd) | Dylan Baker | The Good Wife | Colin Sweeney | "Bad" | CBS |
| 2010 (62nd) | Beau Bridges | The Closer | George Andrews | "Make Over" | TNT |
| 2010 (62nd) | Alan Cumming | The Good Wife | Eli Gold | "Fleas" | CBS |
| 2010 (62nd) | Ted Danson | Damages | Arthur Frobisher | "The Next One's Gonna Go in Your Throat" | FX |
| 2010 (62nd) | Gregory Itzin | 24 | Charles Logan | "1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m." | Fox |
| 2010 (62nd) | Robert Morse | Mad Men | Bert Cooper | "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." | AMC |
| 2011 (63rd) |
| 2011 (63rd) | Paul McCrane | Harry's Law | Josh Peyton | "With Friends Like These" | NBC |
| 2011 (63rd) | Beau Bridges | Brothers & Sisters | Nicholas Brody | "Brody" | ABC |
| 2011 (63rd) | Jeremy Davies | Justified | Dickie Bennett | "Reckoning" | FX |
| 2011 (63rd) | Bruce Dern | Big Love | Frank Harlow | "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." | HBO |
| 2011 (63rd) | Michael J. Fox | The Good Wife | Louis Canning | "Real Deal" | CBS |
| 2011 (63rd) | Robert Morse | Mad Men | Bert Cooper | "Blowing Smoke" | AMC |
| 2012 (64th) |
| 2012 (64th) | Jeremy Davies | Justified | Dickie Bennett | "Coalition" | FX |
| 2012 (64th) | Dylan Baker | The Good Wife | Colin Sweeney | "Marthas and Caitlins" | CBS |
| 2012 (64th) | Ben Feldman | Mad Men | Michael Ginsberg | "Dark Shadows" | AMC |
| 2012 (64th) | Michael J. Fox | The Good Wife | Louis Canning | "Parenting Made Easy" | CBS |
| 2012 (64th) | Mark Margolis | Breaking Bad | Héctor "Tio" Salamanca | "Face Off" | AMC |
| 2012 (64th) | Jason Ritter | Parenthood | Mark St. Cyr | "Politics" | NBC |
| 2013 (65th) |
| 2013 (65th) | Dan Bucatinsky | Scandal | James Novak | "Nobody Likes Babies" | ABC |
| 2013 (65th) | Michael J. Fox | The Good Wife | Louis Canning | "Boom De Ah Dah" | CBS |
| 2013 (65th) | Rupert Friend | Homeland | Peter Quinn | "Q&A" | Showtime |
| 2013 (65th) | Harry Hamlin | Mad Men | Jim Cutler | "A Tale of Two Cities" | AMC |
| 2013 (65th) | Nathan Lane | The Good Wife | Clarke Hayden | "I Fought the Law" | CBS |
| 2013 (65th) | Robert Morse | Mad Men | Bert Cooper | "For Immediate Release" | AMC |
| 2014 (66th) |
| 2014 (66th) | Joe Morton | Scandal | Rowan Pope | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" | ABC |
| 2014 (66th) | Dylan Baker | The Good Wife | Colin Sweeney | "Tying the Knot" | CBS |
| 2014 (66th) | Beau Bridges | Masters of Sex | Barton Scully | "Manhigh" | Showtime |
| 2014 (66th) | Reg E. Cathey | House of Cards | Freddy Hayes | "Chapter 22" | Netflix |
| 2014 (66th) | Paul Giamatti | Downton Abbey | Harold Levinson | "Chapter 8" | PBS |
| 2014 (66th) | Robert Morse | Mad Men | Bert Cooper | "Waterloo" | AMC |
| 2015 (67th) |
| 2015 (67th) | Reg E. Cathey | House of Cards | Freddy Hayes | "Chapter 34" | Netflix |
| 2015 (67th) | F. Murray Abraham | Homeland | Dar Adal | "Long Time Coming" | Showtime |
| 2015 (67th) | Alan Alda | The Blacklist | Alan Fitch | "The Decembrist" | NBC |
| 2015 (67th) | Beau Bridges | Masters of Sex | Barton Scully | "Parallax" | Showtime |
| 2015 (67th) | Michael J. Fox | The Good Wife | Louis Canning | "Red Zone" | CBS |
| 2015 (67th) | Pablo Schreiber | Orange Is the New Black | George "Pornstache" Mendez | "40 Oz. of Furlough" | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) |
| 2016 (68th) | Hank Azaria | Ray Donovan | Ed Cochran | "One Night in Yerevan" | Showtime |
| 2016 (68th) | Mahershala Ali | House of Cards | Remy Danton | "Chapter 44" | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) | Reg E. Cathey | House of Cards | Freddy Hayes | "Chapter 50" | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) | Michael J. Fox | The Good Wife | Louis Canning | "Taxed" | CBS |
| 2016 (68th) | Paul Sparks | House of Cards | Thomas Yates | "Chapter 49" | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) | Max von Sydow | Game of Thrones | The Three-Eyed Raven | "The Door" | HBO |
| 2017 (69th) |
| 2017 (69th) | Gerald McRaney | This Is Us | Dr. Nathan Katowski | "The Big Day" | NBC |
| 2017 (69th) | Hank Azaria | Ray Donovan | Ed Cochran | "Norman Saves the World" | Showtime |
| 2017 (69th) | Brian Tyree Henry | This Is Us | Ricky | "Memphis" | NBC |
| 2017 (69th) | Ben Mendelsohn | Bloodline | Danny Rayburn | "Part 32" | Netflix |
| 2017 (69th) | Denis O'Hare | This Is Us | Jessie | "Last Christmas" | NBC |
| 2017 (69th) | BD Wong | Mr. Robot | Whiterose | "eps2.3_logic-b0mb.hc" | USA |
| 2018 (70th) |
| 2018 (70th) | Ron Cephas Jones | This Is Us | William Hill | "A Father's Advice" | NBC |
| 2018 (70th) | F. Murray Abraham | Homeland | Dar Adal | "All In" | Showtime |
| 2018 (70th) | Cameron Britton | Mindhunter | Ed Kemper | "Episode 2" | Netflix |
| 2018 (70th) | Matthew Goode | The Crown | Antony Armstrong-Jones | "Matrimonium" | Netflix |
| 2018 (70th) | Gerald McRaney | This Is Us | Dr. Nathan Katowski | "The Car" | NBC |
| 2018 (70th) | Jimmi Simpson | Westworld | William | "Reunion" | HBO |
| 2019 (71st) |
| 2019 (71st) | Bradley Whitford | The Handmaid's Tale | Joseph Lawrence | "Postpartum" | Hulu |
| 2019 (71st) | Michael Angarano | This Is Us | Nick Pearson | "Songbird Road: Part One" | NBC |
| 2019 (71st) | Ron Cephas Jones | This Is Us | William Hill | "A Philadelphia Story" | NBC |
| 2019 (71st) | Michael McKean | Better Call Saul | Chuck McGill | "Winner" | AMC |
| 2019 (71st) | Kumail Nanjiani | The Twilight Zone | Samir Wassan | "The Comedian" | CBS All Access |
| 2019 (71st) | Glynn Turman | How to Get Away with Murder | Nate Lahey, Sr. | "It Was the Worst Day of My Life" | ABC |

### 2020s

| Year | Actor | Program | Role | Episode | Network |
| 2020 (72nd) |
| 2020 (72nd) | Ron Cephas Jones | This Is Us | William Hill | "After the Fire" | NBC |
| 2020 (72nd) | Jason Bateman | The Outsider | Terry Maitland | "Fish in a Barrel" | HBO |
| 2020 (72nd) | James Cromwell | Succession | Ewan Roy | "Dundee" | HBO |
| 2020 (72nd) | Giancarlo Esposito | The Mandalorian | Moff Gideon | "Chapter 8: Redemption" | Disney+ |
| 2020 (72nd) | Andrew Scott | Black Mirror | Chris Gillhaney | "Smithereens" | Netflix |
| 2020 (72nd) | Martin Short | The Morning Show | Dick Lundy | "Chaos Is the New Cocaine" | Apple TV+ |
| 2021 (73rd) |
| 2021 (73rd) | Courtney B. Vance | Lovecraft Country | George Freeman | "Whitey's on the Moon" | HBO |
| 2021 (73rd) | Don Cheadle | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | James Rhodes | "New World Order" | Disney+ |
| 2021 (73rd) | Charles Dance | The Crown | Lord Mountbatten | "Gold Stick" | Netflix |
| 2021 (73rd) | Timothy Olyphant | The Mandalorian | Cobb Vanth | "Chapter 9: The Marshal" | Disney+ |
| 2021 (73rd) | Carl Weathers | The Mandalorian | Greef Karga | "Chapter 12: The Siege" | Disney+ |
| 2022 (74th) |
| 2022 (74th) | Colman Domingo | Euphoria | Ali Muhammed | "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Adrien Brody | Succession | Josh Aaronson | "Lion in the Meadow" | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | James Cromwell | Succession | Ewan Roy | "Retired Janitors of Idaho" | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Arian Moayed | Succession | Stewy Hosseini | "Retired Janitors of Idaho" | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Tom Pelphrey | Ozark | Ben Davis | "You're the Boss" | Netflix |
| 2022 (74th) | Alexander Skarsgård | Succession | Lukas Matsson | "All the Bells Say" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) |
| 2023 (75th) | Nick Offerman | The Last of Us | Bill | "Long, Long Time" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Murray Bartlett | The Last of Us | Frank | "Long, Long Time" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | James Cromwell | Succession | Ewan Roy | "Church and State" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Lamar Johnson | The Last of Us | Henry Burrell | "Endure and Survive" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Arian Moayed | Succession | Stewy Hosseini | "Honeymoon States" | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Keivonn Woodard | The Last of Us | Sam Burrell | "Endure and Survive" | HBO |
| 2024 (76th) |
| 2024 (76th) | Néstor Carbonell | Shōgun | Vasco Rodrigues | "Anjin" | FX |
| 2024 (76th) | Paul Dano | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Harris Materbach | "A Breakup" | Prime Video |
| 2024 (76th) | Tracy Letts | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Jack McKinney | "The New World" | HBO |
| 2024 (76th) | Jonathan Pryce | Slow Horses | David Cartwright | "Footprints" | Apple TV+ |
| 2024 (76th) | John Turturro | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Eric Shane | "Second Date" | Prime Video |

## Performers with multiple wins
### 2 wins

* Charles S. Dutton (consecutive)
* Ron Cephas Jones
* John Lithgow
* Patrick McGoohan