Before John Lithgow brought home Primetime Emmy awards for his dramatic work on “Dexter” (2010) and “The Crown” (2017), he nabbed a trio of prizes for playing the role of Dick Solomon on the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun.” The series’ bizarre premise was centered on the earthly expedition of a team of extraterrestrials disguised as a typical American family, with Lithgow’s character posing as their patriarch.
Lithgow’s final win for this role came for the fourth season episode, “What’s Love Got to Do, Got to Do with Dick?,” in which Solomon navigates an attraction toward a colleague, played by Best Comedy Guest Actress nominee Laurie Metcalf. Being 53 at the time of his victory, Lithgow was the eighth oldest champion in his category, but currently ranks 10th. This is due to the fact that, over the last six years alone, the category has seen its first two septuagenarian winners.
Since 1954, a total of 38 actors have won Emmys for their lead roles on continuing comedy programs, beginning with Donald O’Connor (“The Colgate Comedy Hour”). Including Lithgow, 16 of the winners have bagged two or more trophies.
Check out our photo gallery to find out who ranks ahead of Lithgow on the list of 10 oldest Best Comedy Actor Emmy winners. This list also factors in winners of the now-retired variety performance awards, since regular cast members on continuing variety series now compete here.
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10. John Lithgow (‘3rd Rock from the Sun,’ 1999)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 53
Role: Dick Solomon
Lithgow earned his first two wins for this role in 1996 and 1997. He also picked up nominations in 1998, 2000, and 2001.
Other nominees:
Michael J. Fox (“Spin City”)
Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”)
Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”)
Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) -
9. Carroll O’Connor (‘All in the Family,’ 1979)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 55
Role: Archie Bunker
O’Connor’s portrayal of Bunker brought him a total of eight nominations and four wins, the first three of which came in 1972, 1977, and 1978.
Other nominees:
Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H”)
Judd Hirsch (“Taxi”)
Hal Linden (“Barney Miller”)
Robin Williams (“Mork & Mindy”) -
8. Tony Randall (‘The Odd Couple,’ 1975)
Image Credit: ABC Age: 55
Role: Felix Unger
After losing four straight times (twice to his costar, Jack Klugman), Randall finally succeeded on his fifth and final try.
Other nominees:
Jack Albertson (“Chico and the Man”)
Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H”)
Jack Klugman (“The Odd Couple”)
Carroll O’Connor (“All in the Family”) -
7. Burt Reynolds (‘Evening Shade,’ 1991)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 55
Role: Wood Newton
Reynold’s work on this four-season series brought him a pair of consecutive nominations.
Other nominees:
Ted Danson (“Cheers”)
John Goodman (“Roseanne”)
Richard Mulligan (“Empty Nest”)
Craig T. Nelson (“Coach”) -
6. Richard Mulligan (‘Empty Nest,’ 1989)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 56
Role: Dr. Harry Weston
This was Mulligan’s first of three nominations for this series, which spun off from “The Golden Girls.” He had previously earned two bids for “Soap,” the first of which resulted in a win in 1980.
Other nominees:
Ted Danson (“Cheers”)
Michael J. Fox (“Family Ties”)
John Goodman (“Roseanne”)
Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”) -
5. Robert Guillaume (‘Benson,’ 1985)
Image Credit: ABC Age: 57
Role: Benson DuBois
This was the second time Guillaume was honored for playing DuBois. His first win came in 1979 when the character was a supporting one on “Soap.” The actor also received four lead nominations between 1980 and 1984.
Other nominees:
Harry Anderson (“Night Court”)
Ted Danson (“Cheers”)
Bob Newhart (“Newhart”)
Jack Warden (“Crazy Like a Fox”) -
4. Jack Benny (‘The Jack Benny Program,’ 1959)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 65
Role: Various
Benny won two Emmys during his 15-year tenure on this series, which originated as a radio show in 1932 and ran simultaneously on both mediums from 1950 to 1955.
Other nominees:
Walter Brennan (“The Real McCoys”)
Robert Cummings (“The Bob Cummings Show”)
Phil Silvers (“The Phil Silvers Show”)
Danny Thomas (“The Danny Thomas Show”)
Robert Young (“Father Knows Best”) -
3. Jack Albertson (‘Chico and the Man,’ 1976)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 69
Role: Ed Brown
Albertson spent a quarter century as a prolific character actor before landing what became his most well-known leading role. In addition to this win, he received nominations for the same series in 1975 and 1977.
Other nominees:
Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H”)
Hal Linden (“Barney Miller”)
Henry Winkler (“Happy Days”) -
2. Jeffrey Tambor (‘Transparent,’ 2016)
Image Credit: Amazon Age: 72
Role: Maura Pfefferman
This complex role led to back-to-back wins for Tambor and a third nomination in 2017.
Other nominees:
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”)
Will Forte (“The Last Man on Earth”)
William H. Macy (“Shamless”)
Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”) -
1. Eugene Levy (‘Schitt’s Creek,’ 2020)
Image Credit: Pop TV Age: 73
Role: Johnny Rose
In addition to taking this acting prize, Levy also shared in the show’s Best Comedy Series win as one of its executive producers. He had received his first nominations in both categories one year earlier.
Other nominees:
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)
Ted Danson (“The Good Place”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)
