top 10 actors by emmy awards wins

Top 10 Best Actors by Number of Primetime Emmy Awards Won (2022 Update)

The Primetime Emmy Awards are known as the “Oscars of Television”. They are generally recognized as the most important awards given for acting performances on the small screen. There is a category for series, films and of course individual performances in both comedy and drama series as well as limited series or movies.

Established in 1946, the Emmy Awards are now a more than 70 years long tradition with lots of winners, including many multiple winners of the prestigious award. There are certain actors and actresses who managed to play their roles of a lifetime over several seasons of a particular show or even win their Emmy Awards for more than one role in more than one series over the years.

The following ranks the Top 10 actors with the highest number of Emmy Awards won since 1946. All individual categories are counted here, awards for Outstanding Lead Actor & Lead Actress, just as awards given for Outstanding Supporting Actor & Supporting Actress and Outstanding Guest Actor & Guest Actress across all three genres (Drama Series, Comedy Series, Limited Series/Movie and all retired categories).

In the case of an equal number of awards won, the number of nominations and then the number of won awards for leading roles decide as tiebreakers.

Note: Special classification awards and non-acting awards are not counted in the ranking.

The Top 10 Actors by Number of Primetime Emmy Awards Won (2022 Update):

top 10 actors by emmy awards wins


1. Cloris Leachman

Credit: Voice Chasers / CC BY 2.0


2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Credit: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0


3. Edward Asner

Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0


4. Mary Tyler-Moore

Photo by Alan Light / CC BY 2.0


5. Allison Janney

Credit: The Heart Truth / CC BY-SA 2.0



6. Tyne Daly

Credit: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0


7. John Lithgow


8. Michael J. Fox


9. Betty White


10. Peter Falk


The Top 10 Actors by Number of Primetime Emmy Awards Won

(updated as of after the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2022)

Top 10 Actors by Number of Primetime Emmy Awards Won:
1. CLORIS LEACHMAN
8 wins, 22 nominations
2. JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS
8 wins, 19 nominations
3. EDWARD ASNER
7 wins, 17 nominations
4. MARY TYLER-MOORE
7 wins, 15 nominations
5. ALLISON JANNEY
7 wins, 14 nominations
6. TYNE DALY
6 wins, 16 nominations
7. JOHN LITHGOW
6 wins, 12 nominations
8. MICHAEL J. FOX
5 wins, 18 nominations
9. BETTY WHITE
5 wins, 18 nominations
10. PETER FALK
5 wins, 12 nominations

Special classification awards and all non-acting awards are disregarded in this exclusive Top 10 actors ranking by the number of Primetime Emmy Awards won. Tiebreakers: 1) Number of nominations; 2) Number of won awards for leading roles.


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