But while some TV legends have never been ushered into the winner’s circle, here’s hope for other also-rans: Amy Poehler earned 18 nominations before snagging her first trophy in 2016 (for co-hosting Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey), and Henry Winkler made six visits before finally taking home his award in 2018 (for Barry). Here are 25 stars who have gone unrewarded.
The Biggest Emmy Snubs of All Time
Angela Lansbury, Nominations: 17
Get a clue, voters! With 12 nods for her role as detective Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote (1984–96), Lansbury, 95, holds the record for the most nominations ever for a lead actress in a drama series. (She also has five Tonys and three Oscar nominations.) “I don’t think she got to show enough range,” speculates TV Guide’s Roush. “But the character was so incredibly beloved that she cried all the way to the bank.”
Sandra Oh, Nominations: 12
Thanks in part to her diverse performances as a hard-nosed doctor in Grey’s Anatomy and a crafty MI5 officer in Killing Eve, the 50-year-old actress has the honor of being the most-nominated Asian performer ever—and, in 2020, became the first to land multiple nods in the same year. “I think my mother at this moment may actually be satisfied,” she joked.
Don Cheadle, Nominations: 11
His double-digit nominations date back to playing Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rat Pack in 1999. If he wins this year in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, it will be for his three minutes of screen time in a single episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Cheadle, 56, joked on Twitter, “I don’t really get it either. Buuuuuuuuuut on we go…”
Steve Carell, Nominations: 11
Much like his perennial loser boss Michael Scott on The Office, it was never Carell’s year: The star, 59, was bested twice by 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin and twice by The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons. And if fans watch The Office season-three episode “Branch Closing,” they’ll see a board by the accounting department inscribed with the message, “Congratulations to all for our first (of many) Emmys. Steve was robbed.”
Anthony Anderson, Nominations: 11
Anderson, 51, has notched seven consecutive lead actor nods for playing Andre “Dre” Johnson on ABC’s acclaimed family comedy Black-ish. “The problem is that broadcast TV is basically invisible to many Emmy voters,” Roush says, noting the dominance by streaming programming in recent years at the Emmys. “But if Black-ish were on Netflix, he might have a trophy by now.”
Hugh Laurie, Nominations: 10
In 2011, upon his sixth nomination as the titular medical problem solver on House, Laurie, 62, joked, “I’m very excited. This time I’m going to put a whole rabbit on my keychain.” Alas, the rabbit’s-foot upgrade didn’t work—and he came up empty for subsequent turns on The Night Manager and Veep. “He’s one of our finest actors,” Roush says. “Maybe [Dr. Gregory] House was too much of a grouch?”
Jason Alexander, Nominations: 8
Now this was a contest: Though Alexander, 61, could boast seven consecutive honors for his portrayal of the petty and pathetic George Costanza on Seinfeld (1989–98), voters were forced to choose between him and co-star Michael Richards as goofy Kramer in the supporting comedy actor category. Richards, in the more flamboyant role, won three times.
Nancy Walker, Nominations: 8
After three nominations for her work on McMillan & Wife, the pint-sized dynamo landed four more for playing Valerie Harper’s overbearing Jewish mother on the Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff Rhoda (1974–78). But alas, she lost a couple times to Moore’s Betty White. And, as Roush points out, “There’s no shame in losing to Betty White.”
Steve Allen, Nominations: 6
No trophy, but how about a round of applause? As the first host of The Tonight Show on NBC from 1954 to 1957, Allen helped invent the format of late-night television. And his 1956–61 prime-time variety show, for which he was nominated twice, showcased everyone from Elvis Presley to Don Knotts and a young Johnny Carson.
Gracie Allen, Nominations: 6
In terms of noms, she bested her on- and offscreen partner, George Burns, during the entire run of the pair’s classic 1950–58 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. (He didn’t receive any love until he was finally honored in 1990 for a TV special.) But she had to say “Good night” on Emmy night, as she came up short behind Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore and others.
Phylicia Rashad, Nominations: 6
When you’re the no-nonsense mom opposite a comedian and a bunch of cute kids—i.e., Clair Huxtable on the smash sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–92)—it can be difficult to stand out and win awards. But Rashad, 73, has since “come into her own as a dramatic actress,” Roush says. To wit, she’s this year nominated for the third time for playing the all-knowing grandma on This Is Us.
Jackie Gleason, Nominations: 5
“Leaves you speechless, such an early icon of television,” Roush says. Indeed, the man who played New York’s mouthiest bus driver, Ralph Kramden, in skits on his 1950–70s variety shows and on the sitcom The Honeymooners (1955–56) never received an Emmy, losing out to Danny Thomas, Phil Silvers and Donald O’Connor. Co-star Art Carney, who picked up five for playing Kramden’s neighbor, reportedly hid his trophies whenever his pal visited.
Kim Cattrall, Nominations: 5
Sex and the City fans can’t help but wonder why the actress’s performance as unapologetic and adventurous Samantha Jones on the frothy comedy (1998–2004) never received Emmy recognition. Cattrall, 65, won’t join co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and KristinDavis on the upcoming sequel series, And Just Like That…
Giancarlo Esposito, Nominations: 5
Between Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul, the actor, 63, has been cited three times for playing everyone’s favorite drug kingpin and fried chicken chain-restaurant owner, Gus Fring. This year, he’s up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role on the Star Wars–inspired series The Mandalorian.
Patrick Stewart, Nominations: 4
The British thespian, 81, has never broken through as Captain Picard, either in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–94) or in the current series, Picard. “This has a lot to do with genre,” Roush explains. “If you’re in outer space, you may as well be out of sight and out of mind.”
Connie Britton, Nominations: 4
Between her stellar and prolific starring work on modern-day classics Friday Night Lights (2006–11), American Horror Story (2011 and 2018), Nashville (2012–18) and Dirty John (2018–19), Britton, 54, should be swimming in trophies by now. Fingers crossed that her turn on the HBO thriller The White Lotus will lead to glory next year.
Sofía Vergara, Nominations: 4
All the stars on Modern Family (2009–20) decided to put themselves in supporting actor/actress categories, resulting in wins for Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet. In the case of the vivacious Vergara, 49, Roush offers that “sometimes when you outshine your cast with stunning beauty, people don’t take you seriously as a comedian.”
Cybill Shepherd, Nominations: 4
The golden-haired actress, 71, mostly known for her film roles, has been upstaged by her gold-winning co-stars throughout her TV career, from Bruce Willis in the fizzy drama Moonlighting (1985–89) to Christine Baranski, who won in the supporting actress category for the 1995–98 sitcom…titled Cybill.
Keri Russell, Nominations: 3
How about this for a consolation prize? When Matthew Rhys, her co-star on the spy thriller The Americans (2013–18) and her real-life partner, won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2018, he dedicated his award to Russell, 45: “This is to the woman who truly got me this award, who just stands in front of me every day and puts up with me.”
George Clooney, Nominations: 3
The lack of a competitive Emmy on the mantel for this handsome Hollywood hunk—although he was awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2010—just goes to show you that some guys can’t have it all. Clooney, 60, was nominated twice for his turn as Dr. Ross on ER. (The third was for later producing work.)
Kit Harington, Nominations: 2
No doubt Game of Thrones was a juggernaut with 59 Emmys during its 2011–19 run. But Peter Dinklage was the only star to ascend to the winners’ podium, leaving Harington, 34, and his heroic Jon Snow character out in the cold. “In the world of fantasy, the snake gets all the best lines,” Roush says. “He may have been too noble.”
Larry Hagman, Nominations: 2
Forget who shot J.R.—who didn’t vote for Hagman during his 1978–91 run as the wily oil tycoon in Dallas?! Almost everyone. The issue: Prime-time soaps, even phenoms like Desperate Housewives, Dynasty and, yes, Dallas, “are rarely seen as serious drama,” Roush says. “Ditto for their players.”
Courteney Cox, Nominations: 1
Cox recently snagged her first nomination—for co-producing the May special Friends: The Reunion. It may be a small comfort, considering she was the only Friends cast member to not receive a single nomination during the sitcom’s 1994–2004 run. “It definitely hurt my feelings,” Cox, 57, recently admitted. (She was also shut out for her later work on Cougar Town.)
Andy Griffith, Nominations: 1
No justice here! Not only was the actor snubbed for The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68) and Matlock (1986–95), his sole nomination was for the 1981 TV miniseries Murder in Texas. “I’ve never won anything in my life and I don’t expect to,” the beloved actor once said. “It would be nice to have one when my mother comes over. But I can manage without it.”
Michael Landon, Nominations: 0
There’s a good reason why the beloved decades-spanning star of Bonanza (1959–73), Little House on the Prairie (1974–83) and Highway to Heaven (1984–89) never got noticed. As his daughter Cheryl Landon wrote in her 1992 memoir, “In order to win, you have to nominate yourself. My dad subscribed to the theory that ‘Credit you give yourself is not worth having.’” Next, Take a Look Back at Emmy Winners of the Past
