Here's What Some of This Year's Emmy Nominees Won Their Very First Emmys for

Everyone's gotta start somewhere and these Emmy veterans have the awards to prove it
By Andrea Wurzburger
September 22, 2019 04:20 PM

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Sterling K. Brown

Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/Movie, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, in 2016

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us

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Viola Davis

Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder, in 2015

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder

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Laura Linney

Credit: Robert Mora/Getty Images

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie, Wild Iris, in 2002

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Ozark

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4 of 29

Ted Danson

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Cheers, in 1990

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, The Good Place

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Michael Douglas

Credit: Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, Behind the Candelabra, in 2013

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, The Kominsky Method

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Bill Hader

Credit: Dan MacMedan/Getty Images

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Animated Program, South Park, in 2009

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry

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Christina Applegate

Credit: J. Merritt/FilmMagic

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Friends, 2003

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Dead to Me

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Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara (Check Them Out in the Front Row!) 

Credit: George Long /Walt Disney Television via Getty

What They Both Won Their First Emmys for: Outstanding Writer for a Variety Series, SCTV Network 90, in 1982

What They're Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, Schitt’s Creek

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Rachel Brosnahan

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in 2018

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Seinfeld, in 1996

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Veep

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Patricia Arquette

Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Medium, in 2005

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, Escape at Dannemora & Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, The Act

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Peter Dinklage

Credit: Jeff Vespa/WireImage

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Game of Thrones, in 2011

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Game of Thrones & Outstanding Television Movie (as Executive Producer), My Dinner with Hervé

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Tony Hale

Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImag

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Veep, in 2013

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Veep

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Tony Shalhoub

Credit: Jeff Vespa/WireImage

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Monk, in 2003

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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15 of 29

Henry Winkler

Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry, in 2018

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry

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Alex Borstein

Credit: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in 2018

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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17 of 29

Kate McKinnon

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL, in 2015

What She’s Nominated For: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL

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18 of 29

John Leguizamo

Credit: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program, John Leguizamo: Freak, in 1999

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, When They See Us

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Patricia Clarkson

Credit: Maury Phillips/WireImage

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Six Feet Under, in 2002

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, Sharp Objects

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20 of 29

Ron Cephas Jones

Credit: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us, in 2018

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us

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21 of 29

Glynn Turman

Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, In Treatment, in 2008

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder

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Bradley Whitford

Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

What He Won His First Emmy For: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, The West Wing, in 2001

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale

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Cherry Jones

Credit: Michael Caulfield/FilmMagic

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, 24, in 2009

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale

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Jessica Lange

Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, Grey Gardens, in 2009

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, American Horror Story: Apocalypse

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Cicely Tyson

Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Best Lead Actress in a Drama, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, in 1974

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder

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26 of 29

Peter MacNicol

Credit: M. Caulfield/WireImage

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Ally McBeal, in 2001

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Veep

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John Mulaney

Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, SNL (The Justin Timberlake Monologue), in 2011

What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, SNL

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Jane Lynch

Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Glee, in 2010

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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Emma Thompson

Credit: Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Ellen, in 1998

What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL

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By Andrea Wurzburger