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A visual history · Golden Globes

The winners who defined TV Supp. Actor.

54 ceremonies on record, 1971–2025. 53 different winners. The longest run belongs to Ed Asner, with 2 straight wins.

Who won most recently?
Tadanobu Asano in 2025 for Shōgun.
Who has won the most?
Ed Asner, 3 wins (1972, 1976, 1977).
  1. ShōgunTadanobu Asano
  2. SuccessionMatthew Macfadyen
  3. Abbott ElementaryTyler James Williams
  4. Squid GameO Yeong-su
  5. Small AxeJohn Boyega
  6. ChernobylStellan Skarsgård
Years explored
1971–2025
Different winners
53
Category leader
Ed Asner · 3
About this record

Best Supporting Actor on Television was first awarded in 1971, so it does not run the full 1944–2025 window.

It was previously known as Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

At the 2023 ceremony alone it covered series only, because supporting performances in limited series, anthology series and television films were judged in a separate award that was folded back in from 2024.

We are still missing 1978, so treat the totals below as what is on record rather than the complete history.

It took over from Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Television Film.

2000–2025

26 ceremonies

19712025

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 / distributor.

One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by network / distributor; scroll sideways for the full run.
Peter Fonda'00
Robert Downey Jr.'01
Stanley Tucci'02
Donald Sutherland'03
Jeffrey Wright'04
William Shatner'05
Paul Newman'06
Jeremy Irons'07
Jeremy Piven'08
Tom Wilkinson'09
John Lithgow'10
Chris Colfer'11
Peter Dinklage'12
Ed Harris'13
Jon Voight'14
Matt Bomer'15
Christian Slater'16
Hugh Laurie'17
Alexander Skarsgård'18
Ben Whishaw'19
Stellan Skarsgård'20
John Boyega'21
O Yeong-su'22
Tyler James Williams'23
Matthew Macfadyen'24
Tadanobu Asano'25

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

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

HBO13 wins
Showtime3 wins
20th Century2 wins
ABC2 wins
Amazon2 wins
AMC1 win
Wins by network / distributor
  1. HBO1350%
  2. Showtime312%
  3. 20th Century28%
  4. ABC28%
  5. Amazon28%
  6. AMC14%
  7. Other312%

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
    Sean Hayes
    6 noms
  2. 02
    Bradley Whitford
    3 noms
  3. 03
    Eric Stonestreet
    3 noms
  4. 04
    Henry Winkler
    3 noms
  5. 05
    Kieran Culkin
    3 noms
  6. 06
    Alan Arkin
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Sean Hayes
    6L · 0W
  2. 02
    Jeremy Piven
    5L · 1W
  3. 03
    Bradley Whitford
    3L · 0W
  4. 04
    Donald Sutherland
    3L · 1W
  5. 05
    Eric Stonestreet
    3L · 0W
  6. 06
    Henry Winkler
    3L · 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 / Distributor
2025Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)
beat 5 others
  • Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
  • Harrison Ford (Shrinking)
  • Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
  • Diego Luna (La Máquina)
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)
FX
2024Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
beat 5 others
  • Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
  • James Marsden (Jury Duty)
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)
  • Alan Ruck (Succession)
  • Alexander Skarsgård (Succession)
HBO
2023Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)
beat 4 others
  • John Lithgow (The Old Man)
  • Jonathan Pryce (The Crown)
  • John Turturro (Severance)
  • Henry Winkler (Barry)
ABC
2022O Yeong-su (Squid Game)
beat 4 others
  • Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
  • Kieran Culkin (Succession)
  • Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
  • Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
Netflix
2021John Boyega (Small Axe)
beat 4 others
  • Brendan Gleeson (The Comey Rule)
  • Daniel Levy (Schitt's Creek)
  • Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
  • Donald Sutherland (The Undoing)
Amazon Prime Video
2020Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
  • Kieran Culkin (Succession)
  • Andrew Scott (Fleabag)
  • Henry Winkler (Barry)
HBO
2019Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
  • Kieran Culkin (Succession)
  • Édgar Ramírez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
  • Henry Winkler (Barry)
Amazon Prime Video
2018Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies)
beat 4 others
  • David Harbour (Stranger Things)
  • Alfred Molina (Feud: Bette and Joan)
  • Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
  • David Thewlis (Fargo)
HBO
2017Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager)
beat 4 others
  • Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
  • John Lithgow (The Crown)
  • Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
  • John Travolta (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
AMC
2016Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
  • Damian Lewis (Wolf Hall)
  • Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline)
  • Tobias Menzies (Outlander)
USA Network
2015Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
  • Colin Hanks (Fargo)
  • Bill Murray (Olive Kitteridge)
  • Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
HBO
2014Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
beat 4 others
  • Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
  • Rob Lowe (Behind the Candelabra)
  • Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
  • Corey Stoll (House of Cards)
Showtime
2013Ed Harris (Game Change)
beat 4 others
  • Max Greenfield (New Girl)
  • Danny Huston (Magic City)
  • Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
  • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
HBO
2012Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
beat 4 others
  • Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail)
  • Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce)
  • Tim Robbins (Cinema Verite)
  • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
HBO
2011Chris Colfer (Glee)
beat 4 others
  • Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0)
  • Chris Noth (The Good Wife)
  • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
  • David Strathairn (Temple Grandin)
Fox
2010John Lithgow (Dexter)
beat 4 others
  • Michael Emerson (Lost)
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
  • William Hurt (Damages)
  • Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Showtime
2009Tom Wilkinson (John Adams)
beat 4 others
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
  • Denis Leary (Recount)
  • Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
  • Blair Underwood (In Treatment)
HBO
2008Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
beat 5 others
  • Ted Danson (Damages)
  • Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
  • Andy Serkis (Longford)
  • William Shatner (Boston Legal)
  • Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money)
HBO
2007Jeremy Irons (Elizabeth I)
beat 4 others
  • Thomas Haden Church (Broken Trail)
  • Justin Kirk (Weeds)
  • Masi Oka (Heroes)
  • Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
HBO
2006Paul Newman (Empire Falls)
beat 4 others
  • Naveen Andrews (Lost)
  • Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
  • Randy Quaid (Elvis)
  • Donald Sutherland (Commander in Chief)
HBO
2005William Shatner (Boston Legal)
beat 4 others
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos)
  • Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
  • Oliver Platt (Huff)
ABC
2004Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America)
beat 4 others
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • Lee Pace (Soldier's Girl)
  • Ben Shenkman (Angels in America)
  • Patrick Wilson (Angels in America)
HBO
2003Donald Sutherland (Path to War)
beat 8 others
  • Alec Baldwin (Path to War)
  • Jim Broadbent (The Gathering Storm)
  • Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle)
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • Dennis Haysbert (24)
  • Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos)
  • John Spencer (The West Wing)
  • Bradley Whitford (The West Wing)
HBO
2002Stanley Tucci (Conspiracy)
beat 4 others
  • John Corbett (Sex and the City)
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • Ron Livingston (Band of Brothers)
  • Bradley Whitford (The West Wing)
HBO
2001Robert Downey Jr. (Ally McBeal)
beat 5 others
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • John Mahoney (Frasier)
  • David Hyde Pierce (Frasier)
  • Christopher Plummer (American Tragedy)
  • Bradley Whitford (The West Wing)
Fox
2000Peter Fonda (The Passion of Ayn Rand)
beat 5 others
  • Klaus Maria Brandauer (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge)
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
  • Chris Noth (Sex and the City)
  • Peter O'Toole (Joan of Arc)
  • David Spade (Just Shoot Me!)
Showtime