Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It is given to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the daytime drama industry.
The 1st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony was held in 1974, with Elizabeth Hubbard receiving the award for her role as Althea Davis on The Doctors. The award has undergone several name changes, originally honoring actresses in leading and supporting roles. Following the introduction of a new category in 1979, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the award's name was altered to Outstanding Actress in a 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 voting integrity. In 1985, another category was introduced: Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series; one criterion for this category was altered, requiring all actresses to be aged 26 or above..
Since its inception, the award has been given to 28 actresses. One Life to Live is the show with the most awarded actresses, with a total of eleven. In 1995, Erika Slezak became the actress with the most wins in the category when she won a fourth time, surpassing Helen Gallagher's previous record of three; Slezak went on to win in two additional years, ultimately receiving six wins. Susan Flannery and Kim Zimmer have since received four wins each. Susan Lucci has been nominated on 21 occasions, more than any other actress. As of the 2020 ceremony, Heather Tom is the most recent winner in this category for her portrayal of Katie Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Winners and nominees
Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.won in 2019 for her role as Steffy Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more wins in this category:| Wins | Actress |
| Erika Slezak | |
| 4 | Susan Flannery |
| 4 | Kim Zimmer |
| Helen Gallagher | |
| Heather Tom | |
| Maura West | |
| 2 | Judith Light |
| 2 | Eileen Davidson |
has received the most nominations in this category, with a total of twenty-one for her portrayal of Erica Kane on All My Children, winning once in 1999.|alt=A woman with brunette hair, wearing red outfit.
The following individuals received two or more nominations in this category:
| Nominations | Actress |
| Susan Lucci | |
| Kim Zimmer | |
| Susan Flannery | |
| Maura West | |
| 9 | Jeanne Cooper |
| 9 | Elizabeth Hubbard |
| 9 | Erika Slezak |
| 8 | Michelle Stafford |
| 6 | Julia Barr |
| 6 | Finola Hughes |
| 6 | Mary Stuart |
| 6 | Heather Tom |
| 6 | Laura Wright |
| 5 | Helen Gallagher |
| 5 | Nancy Lee Grahn |
| 4 | Crystal Chappell |
| 4 | Leslie Charleson |
| 4 | Susan Seaforth Hayes |
| 4 | Beverlee McKinsey |
| 4 | Robin Strasser |
| 4 | Marcy Walker |
| 4 | Jess Walton |
| 3 | Martha Byrne |
| 3 | Eileen Davidson |
| 3 | Linda Dano |
| 3 | Peggy McCay |
| 3 | Debbi Morgan |
| 2 | Nancy Addison |
| 2 | Rachel Ames |
| 2 | Kassie DePaiva |
| 2 | Bobbie Eakes |
| 2 | Ann Flood |
| 2 | Sharon Gabet |
| 2 | Deidre Hall |
| 2 | Katherine Kelly Lang |
| 2 | Judith Light |
| 2 | Marci Miller |
| 2 | Gina Tognoni |
| 2 | Hillary B. Smith |
| 2 | Ruth Warrick |
| 2 | Victoria Wyndham |
| 2 | Colleen Zenk |
| 2 | Arianne Zucker |
Series with most awards
| Wins | Series |
| One Life to Live | |
| 7 | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 5 | Guiding Light |
| 5 | The Young and the Restless |
| 3 | Another World |
| 3 | As the World Turns |
| 3 | Days of our Lives |
| 3 | General Hospital |
| 3 | Ryan's Hope |
| 2 | All My Children |
| 1 | The Doctors |
| 1 | Santa Barbara |