# Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series

The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was first awarded at the 7th Daytime Emmy Awards in 1980, and is given to honor an actor/actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest role while working within the daytime drama industry.
Originally referred to as the Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Drama Series category, it was changed to Outstanding Guest Star in a Drama Series in 1987, when the category was re-introduced. It was re-introduced in 2015, when the category was called Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series and marked its return after 28 years. It included a criterion that "the performer's character must have premiered in the current eligibility (calendar) year, and have made a limited number of appearances in a significant role". The category then began using its current title in 2018. The eligibility criteria also was modified, permitting actors who "are playing characters they either played before, or are newly cast" as able to submit in the category.
The Emmy was named after an "Immy", an affectionate term used to refer to the image orthicon camera tube. The statuette was designed by Louis McManus, who modeled the award after his wife, Dorothy. The Emmy statuette is fifteen inches tall from base to tip, weighing five pounds and is composed of iron, pewter, zinc and gold.
The award was first presented to Hugh McPhillips, for his role as Hugh Pearson on Days of Our Lives. Since its inception, the award has been given to twelve actors. The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital are tied the most awarded actors, with a total of four. In 2015, Donna Mills, Fred Willard, and Ray Wise made Daytime Emmy Award history when they tied in the category. As of the 2024 ceremony, Dick Van Dyke is the most recent winner in this category for his role as Mystery Man/Timothy Robicheaux on Days of Our Lives. At the age of 98 years old, Van Dyke also became the oldest performer to win a Daytime Emmy Award.

## Winners and nominees

Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
Table key :
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |

### 1980s

| Year | Performer | Program | Role | Network |
| 1980 (7th) | Hugh McPhillips ‡ | Days of Our Lives | Hugh Pearson | NBC |
| 1980 (7th) | Sammy Davis Jr. | One Life to Live | Chip Warren | ABC |
| 1980 (7th) | Joan Fontaine | Ryan's Hope | Page Williams | ABC |
| 1980 (7th) | Kathryn Harrow | The Doctors | Pat Reyerson | ABC |
| 1980 (7th) | Eli Mintz | All My Children | Locksmith | ABC |
| 1987 (14th) | John Wesley Shipp ‡ | Santa Barbara | Martin Ellis | NBC |
| 1987 (14th) | Pamela Blair | All My Children | Maida Andrews | ABC |
| 1987 (14th) | Eileen Heckart | One Life to Live | Ruth Perkins | ABC |
| 1987 (14th) | Celeste Holm | Loving | Clara and Lydia Woodhouse | ABC |
| 1987 (14th) | Terrence Mann | As the World Turns | Jester | CBS |

### 2010s

| Year | Performer | Program | Role | Network |
| 2015 (42nd) | Donna Mills ‡ | General Hospital | Madeline Reeves | ABC |
| 2015 (42nd) | Fred Willard ‡ | The Bold and the Beautiful | John Forrester | CBS |
| 2015 (42nd) | Ray Wise ‡ | The Young and the Restless | Ian Ward | CBS |
| 2015 (42nd) | Meredith Baxter | The Young and the Restless | Maureen Russell | CBS |
| 2015 (42nd) | Sally Kellerman | The Young and the Restless | Constance Bingham | CBS |
| 2015 (42nd) | Linda Elena Tovar | General Hospital | Rosalie Martinez | ABC |
| 2016 (43rd) | Obba Babatundé ‡ | The Bold and the Beautiful | Julius Avant | CBS |
| 2016 (43rd) | Anna Maria Horsford | The Bold and the Beautiful | Vivienne Avant | CBS |
| 2016 (43rd) | Adam Leadbeater | Days of Our Lives | Dr. Seth Malcom | NBC |
| 2016 (43rd) | Frank Runyeon | The Young and the Restless | Angel | CBS |
| 2016 (43rd) | Dee Wallace | General Hospital | Patricia Spencer | ABC |
| 2017 (44th) | Jim O'Heir ‡ | The Bold and the Beautiful | Matt Cannistra | CBS |
| 2017 (44th) | Tobin Bell | Days of Our Lives | Yo Ling | NBC |
| 2017 (44th) | Don Harvey | General Hospital | Tom Baker | ABC |
| 2017 (44th) | Monica Horan | The Bold and the Beautiful | Kieran Cannistra | CBS |
| 2017 (44th) | Nichelle Nichols | The Young and the Restless | Lucinda Winters | CBS |
| 2018 (45th) |
| 2018 (45th) | Vernee Watson ‡ | General Hospital | Stella Henry | ABC |
| 2018 (45th) | Ryan Ashton | The Young and the Restless | Zach Sinnett | CBS |
| 2018 (45th) | Robb Derringer | Days of Our Lives | Scooter Nelson | NBC |
| 2018 (45th) | John Enos | Days of Our Lives | Roger | NBC |
| 2018 (45th) | Morgan Fairchild | Days of Our Lives | Anjelica Deveraux | NBC |
| 2019 (46th) |
| 2019 (46th) | Patricia Bethune ‡ | General Hospital | Nurse Mary Pat | ABC |
| 2019 (46th) | Philip Anthony-Rodriguez | Days of Our Lives | Miguel Garcia | NBC |
| 2019 (46th) | Wayne Brady | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dr. Reese Buckingham | CBS |
| 2019 (46th) | Kate Mansi | Days of Our Lives | Abigail Deveraux | NBC |
| 2019 (46th) | Thaao Penghlis | Days of Our Lives | Andre DiMera | NBC |

### 2020s

| Year | Performer | Program | Role | Network |
| 2020 (47th) |
| 2020 (47th) | Eva LaRue ‡ | The Young and the Restless | Celeste Rosales | CBS |
| 2020 (47th) | Elissa Kapneck | The Young and the Restless | Sasha | ABC |
| 2020 (47th) | Michael E. Knight | General Hospital | Martin Grey | ABC |
| 2020 (47th) | Jeffrey Vincent Parise | The Young and the Restless | Simon Black | CBS |
| 2020 (47th) | Chrishell Stause | Days of Our Lives | Jordan Ridgeway | NBC |
| 2021 (48th) |
| 2021 (48th) | Cady McClain ‡ | Days of Our Lives | Jennifer Horton-Devereaux | NBC |
| 2021 (48th) | Kim Delaney | General Hospital | Jackie Templeton | ABC |
| 2021 (48th) | George DelHoyo | Days of Our Lives | Orpheus | NBC |
| 2021 (48th) | Briana Lane | General Hospital | Brook Lynn Ashton | ABC |
| 2021 (48th) | Victoria Platt | Days of Our Lives | Dr. Amanda Raynor | NBC |
| 2022 (49th) | | | | |
| 2022 (49th) | Ted King ‡ | The Bold and the Beautiful | Jack Finnegan | CBS |
| 2022 (49th) | Robert Gossett | General Hospital | Marshall Ashford | ABC |
| 2022 (49th) | Michael Lowry | Days of Our Lives | Dr. Clay Snyder | NBC |
| 2022 (49th) | Naomi Matsuda | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dr. Li Finnegan | CBS |
| 2022 (49th) | Ptosha Storey | The Young and the Restless | Naya Benedict | CBS |
| 2023 (50th) |
| 2023 (50th) | Alley Mills ‡ | General Hospital | Heather Webber | ABC |
| 2023 (50th) | Steve Burton | Beyond Salem: Chapter Two | Harris Michaels | Peacock |
| 2023 (50th) | Cassandra Creech | The Bold and the Beautiful | Grace Buckingham | CBS |
| 2023 (50th) | Robert Newman | The Young and the Restless | Ashland Locke | CBS |
| 2023 (50th) | Kevin Spirtas | Days of Our Lives | Dr. Craig Wesley | NBC/Peacock |
| 2024 (51st) |
| 2024 (51st) | Dick Van Dyke ‡ | Days of Our Lives | Mystery Man/Timothy Robicheaux | Peacock |
| 2024 (51st) | Linden Ashby | The Young and the Restless | Cameron Kirsten | CBS |
| 2024 (51st) | Ashley Jones | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dr. Bridget Forrester | CBS |
| 2024 (51st) | Alley Mills | General Hospital | Heather Webber | ABC |
| 2024 (51st) | Guy Pearce | Neighbours | Mike Young | Freevee |

## Multiple nominations
### 2 nominations

* Alley Mills

## Series with most awards

| Wins | Series |
| 4 | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 4 | General Hospital |
| 3 | Days of Our Lives |
| 2 | The Young and the Restless |
| 1 | Santa Barbara |

## Network with most awards

| Wins | Program |
| 6 | CBS |
| 4 | ABC |
| 3 | NBC |
| 1 | Peacock |