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Great Actors Who Never Won an Emmy
Jason Alexander
Seinfeld‘s George Costanza is such an iconic character in sitcom history — neurotic and self-loathing, yes, but hilariously so — it’s a shock to discover that Alexander never won an Emmy for the role, despite seven nominations. (Co-star Michael Richards did claim the trophy in the same category, three times.)
Desi Arnaz
Emmy loved Lucy, all right — Lucille Ball won for her classic sitcom in 1956. But her leading man? Not so much. The erstwhile Ricky Ricardo didn’t get so much as a single nod. ATAS, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do!
Jason Bateman
Bateman has been on TV all his life, dating back to his Silver Spoons days, so it’s surprising he hasn’t yet nabbed an Emmy for his decades of comedic work — most notably as level-headed son Michael Bluth on Arrested Development. He could be in the dramatic mix again this year, though, for his role on the Netflix thriller Ozark.
Steve Carell
Six times during his seven-season run on The Office, Carell was nominated for an Emmy. And six times, he was passed over. But hey, at least they can never take away his Dundies.
Don Cheadle
Across his career, has has thus far racked up seven Emmy nods — including four for House of Lies — but has yet to convert on any. As one of this year’s likely contenders for Outstanding Comedy Actor, his work on Black Monday could make for a Gold Sunday.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Jaime Lannister’s hand was the closest the Danish actor has come to gold, despite some truly stellar work — and one nomination — during Game of Thrones‘ run. Here’s hoping that his standout scenes in the final season nab him at least that second Emmy nod.
Michael Cudlitz
His performance as SouthLAnd‘s Officer John Cooper was a revelation – and one which Emmy voters apparently didn’t watch, seeing as how Cudlitz was never even recognized with a nomination. If only Cooper could arrest them for that….
David Duchovny
Playing The X-Files‘ tormented FBI agent Fox Mulder led to two noms in the 1990s (guest roles on other shows amounted to two more), but Duchovny has yet to take home the coveted little green gold lady.
Mike Farrell
War is hell, but you know what comes close? Turning in a damn fine performance over eight seasons of the war dramedy M*A*S*H and never getting any Emmy love (save for two nominations, one for writing) to show for it.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
If there’s one thing Emmy hates more than sci-fi shows, it’s supernatural shows. So, despite her star turn, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s leading lady stood as much of a chance of being nominated as Angel did of getting suntanned.
Jackie Gleason
To the moon, Emmy! The fact that the Honeymooners funnyman never got to put a statuette on his mantel — for either that classic comedy or The Jackie Gleason Show — is no laughing matter.
Lauren Graham
For seven seasons, the Gilmore Girls star gave performances that had critics raving — and Emmy voters inexplicably shrugging. Maybe, we wondered, with the 2016 Netflix revival, they’d finally at least nominate her. But alas no such justice.
Andy Griffith
Not only did the star of The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock never win an Emmy, he was never even nominated for either of those iconic roles. (His only nod came in 1981 for the TV movie Murder in Texas.)
Larry Hagman
The Dallas legend was only Emmy-nominated twice for his career-defining performances as bourbon-swilling bad boy J.R. Ewing, and neither time did he manage to strike oil. Er, gold.
Jane Kaczmarek
When we saw that Kaczmarek never won an Emmy for her unforgettable work as hot-headed Lois on Malcolm in the Middle — one of the funniest sitcom moms ever, hands down — we legitimately thought it was a typo. She was nominated a whopping seven times for the role, though — which is a record for that category without a win.
Jane Krakowski
From Ally McBeal to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, we’ve been enjoying Krakowski’s quick-witted bombshell routine on TV for two solid decades now. But we’re most stunned that her work as 30 Rock‘s monstrously self-involved Jenna Maroney (four nominations) was never honored on Emmy night. (Imagine her in-character acceptance speech!)
Michael Landon
Check his IMDb page — twice. (We did.) Impossible as it is to believe, the beloved actor was never nominated for an Emmy. Not for Bonanza. Not for Little House On the Prairie. Not for Highway to Heaven. Nothing!
Angela Lansbury
The one mystery even Jessica Fletcher couldn’t solve? How the star of Murder, She Wrote could be nominated for an Emmy every year of the series’ run — 12 times in a row! — without ever taking home the prize.
Hugh Laurie
We’d seen plenty of TV doctors before House, but rarely one as prickly — and fascinating — as Hugh Laurie’s Dr. Gregory House. Hooked on pain meds and walking with a cane, House was a virtual Sherlock, untangling medical mysteries with his formidable intellect. Laurie somehow never won an Emmy for the role, but House was a consistent ratings winner for eight seasons and gave the TV medical genre a shot of adrenaline.
Leonard Nimoy
Given Emmy’s bias against sci-fi fare, maybe it’s a miracle that Star Trek’s Mr. Spock was ever nominated at all (much less three times). To us, though, Nimoy’s lack of a win is highly illogical.
Speaking of the man who would be William Bell…
John Noble
On the Other Side, Noble won two Emmy Awards for his always compelling work as Fringe‘s Walter Bishop, and both times he gave terrific acceptance speeches. Over here, however, he never so much as netted a nomination. Factor in how masterfully he intermittently played dual roles, and the slight is doubly frustrating.
Timothy Olyphant
Olyphant clearly knows how to wear a hat and handle a sidearm, first as Sheriff Seth Bullock on HBO’s Deadwood, and then, even more memorably, as eternally cool lawman Raylan Givens on FX’s Justified. But the in-demand actor has only garnered a single Emmy nomination in his career… so far, anyway.
Matthew Perry
Pardon the obvious joke, but: Could Perry be any more snubbed by the TV Academy? His legendary work as Friends‘ adorably witty Chandler somehow only netted him a single Emmy nod. And he didn’t bring home the gold for later credits like The West Wing, either. Hmmm… maybe they’ve been mailing all of his Emmys to Miss Chanandler Bong by mistake.
Phylicia Rashad
Thrice this fan-favorite actress has been up for an Emmy, including two times as The Cosby Show‘s marvelous matriarch. If she makes the short list, as expected, for her guest-starring turn on This is Us, this is… the time she could actually win.
Emmy Rossum
It’s right there in her name! While “Emmy-winning Emmy Rossum” sure has a nice ring to it, the Shameless matriarch sadly never even got a nomination for her funny and heartbreaking nine-year run as Fiona Gallagher.
Keri Russell
Here we spy yet another egregious Emmy snub: Despite Russell’s six seasons of gripping, nuanced work as The Americans’ Elizabeth Jennings — earning her Emmy nods in each of the FX drama’s final three years — the Television Academy repeatedly said nyet.
Katey Sagal
As often as we held our breath and said, “This is gonna be the year! This is gonna be the year!” the year never came when the Sons of Anarchy badass was Emmy-nominated, much less won, for her standout work as Gemma.
Patrick Stewart
Isn’t it a bit warped that a classically trained actor generally regarded as giving one of the Star Trek universe’s most engage!-ing performances has been nominated three times — all for non-Starfleet projects — and never been awarded Emmy gold?
Jane Wyman
Fans of Falcon Crest found the veteran actress’ portrayal of vicious vintner Angela Channing intoxicating. But Emmy seemed to regard her work on the primetime soap as the equivalent of wine in a box.
Kristen Wiig
The recent trend of showering SNL cast members with Emmy nominations did score Wiig four straight nods from 2009 to 2012… but zero wins. Despite being one of the century’s top SNL-ers by any measure, her trophy shelf is still empty. Surely we can get her a Guest Actress Emmy sometime soon?
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