Most Popular Emmy Winning Actors

All three of Peter Dinklage’s Emmy wins are for his role as Tyrion Lannister in the long-running HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Eight of his nine Emmy nominations are for that role. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his work as executive producer of the HBO series “My Dinner With Hervé.”

Kevin Costner might be better known for his film accomplishments in movies such as “Field of Dreams” and “Dances With Wolves,” the latter of which earned him an Oscar for Best Director. However, Costner has shifted into television and is currently working on the series “Yellowstone.” He won his lone Emmy in 2012 for his role as the patriarch ‘Devil’ Anse Hatfield in the series “Hatfields & McCoys.”

American audiences know the British-born Benedict Cumberbatch from his quirky interpretation of iconic sleuth Sherlock Holmes in the PBS Masterpiece series “Sherlock.” That role earned him four of his seven Emmy nominations and one win in 2014. Cumberbatch has also received two Emmy nominations in the titular role of “Patrick Melrose” in 2018.

Jane Fonda, a member of one of America’s most famous acting families, has won more Academy Awards (two) than Emmys. Her single Emmy triumph was for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special in 1984 in the ABC Theatre Presentation of “The Dollmaker.” Fonda is currently appearing in the Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.”

Another Oscar winner who has earned an Emmy is actress Halle Berry. She won her lone Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2000 for her portrayal of singer Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO biopic about the actress.

2018 was a big year for Alex Borstein. Borstein won two Emmys for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in the Fox-animated series “Family Guy,” and for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in the Amazon Prime series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” She is nominated again for those two series this year.

Television audiences remember Harrelson as the ingenuous bartender on the long-running sitcom “Cheers,” where he won his only Emmy so far. His more recent Emmy nominations have been for his work on the HBO “True Detective” series.

English actor Martin Freeman’s role as the grounded Dr. Watson in contrast to Benedict Cumberbatch’s otherly Sherlock Holmes has earned him two Emmy nominations and one win in 2014. He’s also been nominated for the FX Network miniseries “Fargo.”

Jim Parsons has accumulated eight Emmy nominations in his career, and all four of his Emmy wins are for his portrayal of the snippy physicist Sheldon Cooper in the durable CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Bryan Cranston has had a storied career in television. The versatile Cranston has been nominated for an Emmy 15 times and won six times. Four of his six Emmy wins are for his iconic role as Walt White, the chemistry teacher turned crystal meth pusher in the AMC series “Breaking Bad,” with the other two for his work as a producer on the show. Before his turn as Walt White, Cranston had been nominated three times for his role as Hal, the dad in the ABC sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.”

Former teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake has been nominated for an Emmy eight times, winning four times, all for his work on the enduring NBC comedy-skit show “Saturday Night Live.” Timberlake has won twice for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

The veteran Welsh actor, best known for Oscar-winning role as cannibal Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” has also distinguished himself on the small screen. Hopkins won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series in 1976 for the NBC program “The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case” and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1981 for the CBS program “The Bunker.”

Gwyneth Paltrow is another actress who has an Oscar and an Emmy to her credit. Besides taking home an Academy Award for Best Actress in “Shakespeare in Love,” she received an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Holly Holliday in the Fox series “Glee.”

Burt Reynolds, one of the biggest movie stars in the 1970s (“Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Longest Yard,” and “Deliverance”) was nominated for his role as Wood Newton in the CBS series “Evening Shade.” He won his lone Emmy for that role in 1991.

Julianne Moore is mostly known for her film work in movies such as “Boogie Nights,” “The End of the Affair,” “The Hours,” and “Still Alice.” She was nominated for an Academy Award for each of those films and won Best Actress in the latter movie. On television, Moore has won an Emmy for her portrayal of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the television movie “Game Chance” in 2012.

Before he became a major motion picture star, Michael Douglas earned three of his six Emmy nominations as the younger partner of Karl Malden in the 1970s ABC police drama “The Streets of San Francisco.” Douglas won his only Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2013 for his role as entertainer Liberace in the HBO series “Behind the Candelabra.”

Alec Baldwin has carved out a comedy niche on television, appearing as guest host on “Saturday Night Live” and in sitcoms “Will & Grace” and “30 Rock.” Baldwin won two Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Jack Donaghy in “30 Rock” (he was nominated eight times for that role) and for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017 for his portrayal of Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”

Marlon Brando, regarded as one of America’s greatest actors, did not shy away from controversy, famously turning down the Oscar for Best Actor in 1973 to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. The role that won him his lone Emmy six years later raised eyebrows as well. Brando won the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special award for his portrayal of American Nazi George Lincoln Rockwell in the ABC series “Roots: The Next Generation.”

It’s been three decades since Tommy Lee Jones appeared in a TV series or miniseries. The last time he did, as Woodrow Call in the 1989 western “Lonesome Dove,” he received an Emmy nomination. Six years prior to that, he won his sole Emmy for his performance in the Norman Mailer-penned TV movie “The Executioner’s Song.” Jones played Gary Gilmore, a real murderer who lobbied for his own death sentence.

Lisa Kudrow has been nominated for 14 Emmys throughout her career, though she has only won one for her performance as Phoebe Buffay in the hugely popular sitcom “Friends.” Other acting nominations include two for her performance as Valerie Cherish on the HBO comedy series “The Comeback.”

British actress Kate Winslet’s earliest on-screen acting parts were on television in the 1990s. She is best known, however, as a film actor, starring in movies such as “Titanic” (1997) and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004). Winslet won an Emmy following those two roles in 2011 for her lead role in the HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce.”

Meryl Streep, the most Oscar-nominated actor ever with 21 nominations, also has four Emmy nominations to her credit. She has won three times. Streep took home the statue for Outstanding Narrator in 2017 for “Five Came Back,” Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2004 for “Angels in America,” and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series in 1978 for “Holocaust.”

Before he collected an Oscar for playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Rami Malek received an Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 for his role as a computer hacker in the USA Network series “Mr. Robot.” Malek has appeared in other television series, including “The Pacific” and “24.”

The Oscar-winning Australian star who is mostly known for her movie credits (“The Hours,” “Eyes Wide Shut”) has taken home two Emmys for her work on the HBO limited series “Big Little Lies” as an actress and executive producer.

Multi-faceted entertainer Donald Glover has achieved success both as an actor and rapper, performing under the name Childish Gambino. Glover has appeared on — or lent his voice to — numerous popular TV shows such as “Community,” “Ultimate Spider-Man,” and “Adventure Time,” yet the majority of his Emmy achievements are tied to the series “Atlanta,” which he created.

Anne Hathaway first appeared on television in the short-lived series “Get Real” in 1999. Since then, she has become one of cinema’s biggest stars, starting with her breakthrough role in the “Princess Diaries” in 2001. She has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy. Hathaway got the Emmy statue for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance as Princess Penelope in the long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons” in 2010.

Seth MacFarlane has earned 23 Emmy nominations throughout his career for his involvement in programs such as “Family Guy,” “American Dad!,” and even “COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey,” on which he was an executive producer. All five of MacFarlane’s Emmy wins, however, have been for “Family Guy,” and four of those were for his work as a voice actor.

Al Pacino is best known for his movie roles — including those in “The Godfather” (1972), “Serpico” (1973), and “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975) — though the Academy Award-winning actor has also made his mark on television. Pacino has won two Emmys. One in 2004, for his work on the HBO miniseries “Angels in America,” and a second six years later for his performance as the controversial Jack Kevorkian in the TV movie “You Don’t Know Jack.”

Before he became an action-film icon, Bruce Willis starred in the ABC television series “Moonlighting,” for which he was nominated for two Emmy awards. He’s won two Emmys so far. The first in 1986, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and the second in 2000 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Paul Stevens in “Friends.”

Jennifer Aniston rocketed to fame as part of the youthful ensemble on the sitcom “Friends,” where she won her only Emmy thus far in 2002. Aniston, who has also carved out a successful career in motion pictures, has been nominated five times for an Emmy for her work on “Friends” and once for her appearance on “30 Rock.”