Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The 2025 recipient: Britt Lower
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Country	United States
First awarded	1954
Currently held by	Britt Lower, Severance (2025)

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is a special prize given each year in the U.S. by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This award celebrates an actress who has done an amazing job playing a main character in a TV drama series. It's one of the most important awards in television!

The award started a long time ago, on February 11, 1954. Back then, the awards for actresses didn't separate drama and comedy shows. Eve Arden was the very first actress to win in the general acting category. Later, Loretta Young became the first to win specifically for a lead role in a drama series. By 1966, the Emmy Awards created separate categories for drama and comedy, making it clearer who won for what type of show.

Many talented actresses have won this award. Tyne Daly and Michael Learned are tied for the most wins in this category, each taking home the award four times. Angela Lansbury was nominated twelve times, more than anyone else in this category, showing how much her work was admired. In 2015, Viola Davis made history as the first African-American woman to win this award for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. Then, in 2020, Zendaya became the youngest winner ever at just 24 years old for her show Euphoria. She won again in 2022, becoming the first African-American actress to win twice in this category. The most recent winner, in 2025, is Britt Lower for her performance in Severance.

Memorable Actresses and Their Emmy Wins
See also

Memorable Actresses and Their Emmy Wins

Many incredible actresses have been honored with this Emmy Award over the years. Some have even won multiple times!

Record Holders for Most Wins

Tyne Daly and Michael Learned are tied for the record for most wins in this category, each taking home the award four times. Michael Learned won for her role as Olivia Walton in The Waltons. Tyne Daly won her awards for playing Mary Beth Lacey in Cagney & Lacey.

Barbara Bain, Kathy Baker, Edie Falco, and Loretta Young have each won the award three times. Barbara Bain won three years in a row for Mission: Impossible. Kathy Baker won for Picket Fences, and Edie Falco for The Sopranos. Loretta Young, who was the first actress to win for a drama series, also won three times for The Loretta Young Show.

Actresses with Two Wins

Several other actresses have won this prestigious award twice. These include Glenn Close for Damages, Claire Danes for Homeland, and Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife. Zendaya also won twice for her role in Euphoria, making her the first African-American actress to achieve this in the category.

Shows with Multiple Winning Actresses

Some TV shows have been so popular and well-acted that their lead actresses won this Emmy multiple times. Cagney & Lacey stands out with six wins for its lead actresses. The Loretta Young Show, Mission: Impossible, Picket Fences, The Sopranos, and The Waltons each had their lead actresses win three times.

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series facts for kids

Contents

Memorable Actresses and Their Emmy Wins

Record Holders for Most Wins

Actresses with Two Wins

Shows with Multiple Winning Actresses

See also