| Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | |
|---|---|
 The 2023 recipient: Jacqueline MacInnes Wood | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | |
| First awarded | 1974 |
| Currently held by | Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, The Bold and the Beautiful (2023) |
| Most awards | Erika Slezak, (6) |
| Most nominations | Susan Lucci, (21) |
| Website | theemmys.tv/daytime |
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 (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). 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.[1] 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.[1][2] The awards ceremony was not aired on television in 1983 and 1984, having been criticized for voting integrity.[3][4] 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.[5]
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, including Erika Slezak and her record six wins. Susan Flannery and Kim Zimmer have since received four wins each. Susan Lucci has one win from 21 nominations – the most nominations of any actress in the category. For her portrayal of Amanda Sinclair on The Young and the Restless, Mishael Morgan made Daytime Emmy history by winning the award in 2022, making her the first Black actress to receive this honor. This milestone follows Debbi Morgan's nomination in 2009, where she became the first Black woman nominated in the category. As of the 2023 ceremony, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood is the most recent winner in this category, for her portrayal of Steffy Forrester Finnegan on The Bold and the Beautiful.
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
|
The following individuals received two or more wins in this category:
|
 The following individuals received two or more nominations in this category:
|
| Wins | Series |
|---|---|
11
|
One Life to Live |
| 9 | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 5 | Guiding Light |
| The Young and the Restless | |
| 3 | Another World |
| As the World Turns | |
| Days of our Lives | |
| General Hospital | |
| Ryan's Hope | |
| 2 | All My Children |
| 1 | The Doctors |
| Santa Barbara |