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A visual history · Emmys

The winners who defined Supp. Actor (Limited).

47 ceremonies, 1979–2025. 46 different winners.

Who won most recently?
Owen Cooper in 2025 for Adolescence.
Who has won the most?
Beau Bridges, 2 wins (1993, 1997).
  1. AdolescenceOwen Cooper
  2. FargoLamorne Morris
  3. Black BirdPaul Walter Hauser
  4. The White LotusMurray Bartlett
  5. Mare of EasttownEvan Peters
  6. WatchmenYahya Abdul-Mateen II
Years explored
1979–2025
Different winners
46
Category leader
Beau Bridges · 2
About this record

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie was first awarded in 1979, so it does not run the full 1951–2025 window.

It was previously known as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

It has been Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie since 2015 and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie since 2021.

2000–2025

26 ceremonies

19792025

01 / The reigns

26 winners shaped this category.

The timeline turns the 2000–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited network.

One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by network; scroll sideways for the full run.
Hank Azaria'00
Brian Cox'01
Michael Moriarty'02
Ben Gazzara'03
Jeffrey Wright'04
Paul Newman'05
Jeremy Irons'06
Thomas Haden Church'07
Tom Wilkinson'08
Ken Howard'09
David Strathairn'10
Guy Pearce'11
Tom Berenger'12
James Cromwell'13
Martin Freeman'14
Bill Murray'15
Sterling K. Brown'16
Alexander Skarsgård'17
Jeff Daniels'18
Ben Whishaw'19
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II'20
Evan Peters'21
Murray Bartlett'22
Paul Walter Hauser'23
Lamorne Morris'24
Owen Cooper'25

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

HBO leads the recorded network credits with 13 wins, 2000–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

HBO13 wins
FX3 wins
Netflix2 wins
TNT2 wins
ABC1 win
Amazon1 win
Wins by network
  1. HBO1350%
  2. FX312%
  3. Netflix28%
  4. TNT28%
  5. ABC14%
  6. Amazon14%
  7. Other415%

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2025.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Michael K. Williams
    3 noms
  2. 02
    Alfred Molina
    2 noms
  3. 03
    Bill Camp
    2 noms
  4. 04
    Denis O'Hare
    2 noms
  5. 05
    Finn Wittrock
    2 noms
  6. 06
    Jesse Plemons
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Michael K. Williams
    3L · 0W
  2. 02
    Alfred Molina
    2L · 0W
  3. 03
    Bill Camp
    2L · 0W
  4. 04
    Denis O'Hare
    2L · 0W
  5. 05
    Finn Wittrock
    2L · 0W
  6. 06
    Jesse Plemons
    2L · 0W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2000–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerNetwork
2025Owen Cooper (Adolescence)
beat 5 others
  • Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
  • Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent)
  • Rob Delaney (Dying for Sex)
  • Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent)
  • Ashley Walters (Adolescence)
Netflix
2024Lamorne Morris (Fargo)
beat 6 others
  • Jonathan Bailey (Fellow Travelers)
  • Robert Downey Jr. (The Sympathizer)
  • Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer)
  • John Hawkes (True Detective: Night Country)
  • Lewis Pullman (Lessons in Chemistry)
  • Treat Williams (posthumously) (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans)
FX
2023Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird)
beat 6 others
  • Murray Bartlett (Welcome to Chippendales)
  • Richard Jenkins (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)
  • Joseph Lee (Beef)
  • Ray Liotta (posthumously) (Black Bird)
  • Young Mazino (Beef)
  • Jesse Plemons (Love & Death)
Apple TV+
2022Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)
beat 6 others
  • Jake Lacy (The White Lotus)
  • Will Poulter (Dopesick)
  • Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy)
  • Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick)
  • Michael Stuhlbarg (Dopesick)
  • Steve Zahn (The White Lotus)
HBO
2021Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown)
beat 5 others
  • Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen's Gambit)
  • Daveed Diggs (Hamilton)
  • Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You)
  • Jonathan Groff (Hamilton)
  • Anthony Ramos (Hamilton)
HBO
2020Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen)
beat 5 others
  • Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
  • Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend)
  • Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen)
  • Dylan McDermott (Hollywood)
  • Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
HBO
2019Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
beat 5 others
  • Asante Blackk (When They See Us)
  • Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora)
  • John Leguizamo (When They See Us)
  • Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl)
  • Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)
Prime Video
2018Jeff Daniels (Godless)
beat 6 others
  • Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert)
  • John Leguizamo (Waco)
  • Ricky Martin (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
  • Édgar Ramírez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
  • Michael Stuhlbarg (The Looming Tower)
  • Finn Wittrock (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
Netflix
2017Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies)
beat 5 others
  • Bill Camp (The Night Of)
  • Alfred Molina (Feud: Bette and Joan)
  • David Thewlis (Fargo)
  • Stanley Tucci (Feud: Bette and Joan)
  • Michael K. Williams (The Night Of)
HBO
2016Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
beat 5 others
  • Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager)
  • Jesse Plemons (Fargo)
  • David Schwimmer (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
  • John Travolta (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
  • Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo)
FX
2015Bill Murray (Olive Kitteridge)
beat 5 others
  • Richard Cabral (American Crime)
  • Damian Lewis (Wolf Hall)
  • Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
  • Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
  • Michael K. Williams (Bessie)
HBO
2014Martin Freeman (Sherlock: His Last Vow)
beat 5 others
  • Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart)
  • Colin Hanks (Fargo)
  • Joe Mantello (The Normal Heart)
  • Alfred Molina (The Normal Heart)
  • Jim Parsons (The Normal Heart)
PBS
2013James Cromwell (American Horror Story: Asylum)
beat 4 others
  • Scott Bakula (Behind the Candelabra)
  • John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C: Hereafter)
  • Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake)
  • Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story: Asylum)
FX
2012Tom Berenger (Hatfields & McCoys)
beat 4 others
  • Martin Freeman (Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia)
  • Ed Harris (Game Change)
  • Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story)
  • David Strathairn (Hemingway & Gellhorn)
History
2011Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce)
beat 4 others
  • Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail)
  • Brían F. O'Byrne (Mildred Pierce)
  • Tom Wilkinson (The Kennedys)
  • James Woods (Too Big to Fail)
HBO
2010David Strathairn (Temple Grandin)
beat 4 others
  • Michael Gambon (Emma)
  • John Goodman (You Don't Know Jack)
  • Jonathan Pryce (Return to Cranford)
  • Patrick Stewart (Hamlet)
HBO
2009Ken Howard (Grey Gardens)
beat 4 others
  • Len Cariou (Into the Storm)
  • Tom Courtenay (Little Dorrit)
  • Bob Newhart (The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice)
  • Andy Serkis (Little Dorrit)
HBO
2008Tom Wilkinson (John Adams)
beat 4 others
  • Bob Balaban (Recount)
  • Stephen Dillane (John Adams)
  • Denis Leary (Recount)
  • David Morse (John Adams)
HBO
2007Thomas Haden Church (Broken Trail)
beat 4 others
  • Ed Asner (The Christmas Card)
  • Joe Mantegna (The Starter Wife)
  • Aidan Quinn (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee)
  • August Schellenberg (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee)
AMC
2006Jeremy Irons (Elizabeth I)
beat 4 others
  • Robert Carlyle (Human Trafficking)
  • Clifton Collins, Jr. (Thief)
  • Hugh Dancy (Elizabeth I)
  • Denis Lawson (Bleak House)
HBO
2005Paul Newman (Empire Falls)
beat 4 others
  • Brian Dennehy (Our Fathers)
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman (Empire Falls)
  • Christopher Plummer (Our Fathers)
  • Randy Quaid (Elvis)
HBO
2004Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America)
beat 4 others
  • Justin Kirk (Angels in America)
  • William H. Macy (Stealing Sinatra)
  • Ben Shenkman (Angels in America)
  • Patrick Wilson (Angels in America)
HBO
2003Ben Gazzara (Hysterical Blindness)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Arkin (The Pentagon Papers)
  • Chris Cooper (My House in Umbria)
  • John Malkovich (Napoleon)
  • Peter O'Toole (Hitler: The Rise of Evil)
HBO
2002Michael Moriarty (James Dean)
beat 4 others
  • Alec Baldwin (Path to War)
  • Jim Broadbent (The Gathering Storm)
  • Don Cheadle (Things Behind the Sun)
  • Jon Voight (Uprising)
TNT
2001Brian Cox (Nuremberg)
beat 5 others
  • Alan Alda (Club Land)
  • Colin Firth (Conspiracy)
  • Victor Garber (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows)
  • Ian Holm (The Last of the Blonde Bombshells)
  • Stanley Tucci (Conspiracy)
TNT
2000Hank Azaria (Tuesdays with Morrie)
beat 4 others
  • Klaus Maria Brandauer (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge)
  • James Cromwell (RKO 281)
  • Danny Glover (Freedom Song)
  • John Malkovich (RKO 281)
ABC