First awarded 1974 Most nominations Peter Bergman, (19) Country United States of America Currently held by Tyler Christopher | Most awards Anthony Geary, (8) Official website emmyonline.org/daytime Instituted 1974 Category of Daytime Emmy Award | |
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Awarded for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series People also search for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Presented by National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Winners & Nominees Tyler ChristopherGeneral Hospital, Tyler Christopher, Winner, Anthony GearyGeneral Hospital, Anthony Geary, Nominee, Justin HartleyThe Young and the Restless, Justin Hartley, Nominee, Christian LeBlancThe Young and the Restless, Christian LeBlanc, Nominee, Kristoff St JohnThe Young and the Restless, Kristoff St John, Nominee, Anthony GearyGeneral Hospital, Anthony Geary, Winner, Jason ThompsonGeneral Hospital, Jason Thompson, Nominee, Christian LeBlancThe Young and the Restless, Christian LeBlanc, Nominee, Billy MillerThe Young and the Restless, Billy Miller, Nominee, Billy MillerThe Young and the Restless, Billy Miller, Winner, Jason ThompsonGeneral Hospital, Jason Thompson, Nominee, Peter BergmanThe Young and the Restless, Peter Bergman, Nominee, Christian LeBlancThe Young and the Restless, Christian LeBlanc, Nominee, Doug DavidsonThe Young and the Restless, Doug Davidson, Nominee, Doug DavidsonThe Young and the Restless, Doug Davidson, Winner, Jason ThompsonGeneral Hospital, Jason Thompson, Nominee, Peter BergmanThe Young and the Restless, Peter Bergman, Nominee, Michael MuhneyThe Young and the Restless, Michael Muhney, Nominee, Anthony GearyGeneral Hospital, Anthony Geary, Winner, Robert S WoodsOne Life to Live, Robert S Woods, Nominee, John McCookThe Bold and the Beautiful, John McCook, Nominee, Darnell WilliamsAll My Children, Darnell Williams, Nominee, Maurice BenardGeneral Hospital, Maurice Benard, Nominee | ||
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the daytime drama industry.
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The 1st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony was held in 1974 with Macdonald Carey receiving the award for his portrayal of Tom Horton on Days of Our Lives. The award has undergone several name changes, originally honoring actors in leading and supporting roles. Following the introduction of a new category in 1979, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, the award's name was altered to Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series before changing once again, to its current title, years later. The awards ceremony was not aired on television in 1983 and 1984, having been criticized for lack of integrity. In 1985, another category was introduced, Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series, one criterion for this category was altered, requiring all actors to be aged 26 or above.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 24 actors. General Hospital has the most awarded actors in this category with a total of eleven wins. In 2008, Anthony Geary became the actor with the most wins in the category when he won for a sixth time, surpassing David Canary's previous record. Geary went on to win again in 2012 and 2015, thus far winning on eight occasions. Peter Bergman has been nominated on 19 occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2016 ceremony, Tyler Christopher is the most recent winner in this category for his portrayal of Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital.
Winners and nominees
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more wins in this category:
The following individuals received two or more nominations in this category: