Actresses with the Most Emmy Nominations Without a Win

It’s one of television’s strangest quirks: some of the most recognizable and acclaimed performers rack up nomination after nomination, but the statuette never lands in their hands. The names below have shaped decades of TV, anchored beloved series, and turned supporting turns into water-cooler moments—yet an Emmy win has remained elusive.

This list focuses on Primetime Emmy history. Totals include any Primetime categories an actress was personally nominated in (acting, producing, writing, etc.), and every show title is noted so you can trace where those nominations came from.

Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury received 18 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win, the most by any performer who never took home the trophy. Twelve of those nods were consecutive lead actress nominations for ‘Murder, She Wrote’, with additional nominations for projects such as ‘Little Gloria… Happy at Last’, ‘The Blackwater Lightship’, and a guest turn spanning ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ and ‘Law & Order: Trial by Jury’.

Her Emmy recognition spanned lead roles, limited series work, and guest appearances, reflecting an expansive television career alongside her award-winning stage and film résumé. Despite the Emmy drought, her sustained presence on ballots—especially for ‘Murder, She Wrote’—remains a record-setting benchmark of peer recognition.

Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig has 13 Primetime Emmy nominations and no wins. Her tally includes multiple supporting actress nominations for ‘Saturday Night Live’ during her tenure as a cast member and several guest actress nominations for hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’.

Beyond acting, Wiig has also been cited in other Primetime categories connected to ‘Saturday Night Live’, including writing and original music, which helped push her overall total into the teens. Taken together, her nominations span sketch performance, hosting, and creative contributions to the long-running series.

Elizabeth Montgomery

Elizabeth Montgomery amassed 9 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win. Five came from lead actress in a comedy for ‘Bewitched’, while her dramatic work brought nominations for ‘A Case of Rape’, ‘The Legend of Lizzie Borden’, and ‘The Awakening Land’.

Her nomination history is notable for its breadth across comedy and prestige television films. ‘Bewitched’ established her as a perennial contender, and the subsequent TV movies kept her on Emmy ballots in leading dramatic categories.

Issa Rae

Issa Rae has 9 Primetime Emmy nominations and no wins. She earned multiple lead actress in a comedy nods for ‘Insecure’, along with nominations as an executive producer for ‘Insecure’ in comedy series and a guest actress nomination for appearances on ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’.

Rae’s nominations chart the growth of her creator-star profile: acting recognition for ‘Insecure’ paired with producing nods at the series level and a guest slot on ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’. The combination places her among the most frequently nominated multi-hyphenates yet to win.

Robin Wright

Robin Wright holds 8 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win. The bulk of her nods were for lead actress in a drama for ‘House of Cards’, reflecting consistent recognition across the show’s run.

Her string of nominations made ‘House of Cards’ one of the era’s defining showcases for a dramatic lead. Even without a win, those repeated appearances cemented Wright as a fixture in the category during the series’ peak years.

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham counts 8 Primetime Emmy nominations and no wins. For ‘Girls’, she was nominated in lead actress in a comedy, directing for a comedy, writing for a comedy, and as an executive producer in comedy series.

Dunham’s nominations illustrate a rare sweep across creative roles for a single series. Acting, writing, directing, and producing recognition for ‘Girls’ made her one of the most widely cited multi-category nominees of the modern comedy era.

Jane Kaczmarek

Jane Kaczmarek earned 7 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win, all for lead actress in a comedy for ‘Malcolm in the Middle’. She was a fixture in the category across the show’s lifespan.

Those seven nods mapped to a single signature role, a case study in how one performance can carry sustained Emmy attention. While the statuette never followed, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ kept Kaczmarek on the shortlist year after year.

Christina Hendricks

Christina Hendricks received 6 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win, all for supporting actress in a drama for ‘Mad Men’. Her nominations covered multiple seasons as the series dominated awards conversation.

The repeated recognition for ‘Mad Men’ marked Hendricks as one of the show’s most decorated performers on the ballot. Six consecutive years of attention in the same category underscore how consistently her work resonated with voters.

Tracee Ellis Ross

Tracee Ellis Ross has 6 Primetime Emmy nominations and no wins, all tied to lead actress in a comedy for ‘Black-ish’. Her nominations spanned much of the show’s run as it remained a staple of network television.

The steadiness of those lead-acting nods reflects the cultural impact and longevity of ‘Black-ish’. Year after year, Ross’s name appeared on the ballot as the series continued to earn recognition across categories.

Keri Russell

Keri Russell holds 6 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win. She received three lead actress nods for ‘The Americans’ and additional recognition tied to ‘The Diplomat’, including lead actress and series-level consideration.

Russell’s nominations span two signature dramas a decade apart, highlighting durability across different phases of her TV career. The combination of performance and series acknowledgement for ‘The Diplomat’ kept her Emmy profile active beyond ‘The Americans’.

Phylicia Rashād

Phylicia Rashad has 6 Primetime Emmy nominations and no wins. She was nominated for lead actress in a comedy for ‘The Cosby Show’, lead actress in a limited series or movie for ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, and multiple times as guest actress in a drama for ‘This Is Us’.

Her nomination record reflects versatility across sitcom leads, prestige adaptations, and acclaimed guest appearances. Each set of nods captures a distinct chapter of her television work, even as an Emmy win has remained just out of reach.

Connie Britton

Connie Britton has 5 Primetime Emmy nominations without a win, spread across several high-profile series. Her nominations include lead actress recognition for ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘Nashville’, supporting actress in a limited series for ‘American Horror Story’, and supporting actress in a limited or anthology series for ‘The White Lotus’.

The variety of categories shows how Britton has moved between network drama, anthology horror, musical drama, and limited-series ensemble projects. That range has kept her on the Primetime ballots in different eras and genres, even as a win has remained elusive.

Share the names you think belong on this list—and which performances felt most award-worthy—in the comments!