“The Golden Girls,” which premiered on NBC in the fall of 1985, was initially presented as a sitcom about three women in their mid-50s and one in her early 80s sharing a house in Miami, Florida. However, most of the cast members’ real life ages did not align with those of their characters. Estelle Getty, who played eldest housemate Sophia, was really only 62 when the show first aired, while two of the quinquagenarian characters were played by 63-year-old actresses Bea Arthur and Betty White. Indeed, the only member of the main quartet who was truly age appropriate was 51-year-old Rue McClanahan.
Each of the four “Golden Girls” actresses took home a single Emmy for their work on the show. McClanahan earned hers in 1987 for a second season episode called “End of the Curse” in which her character, Blanche Devereaux, begins menopause. At 53, she was the sixth oldest winner in the history of the Best Comedy Actress category. 35 years later, she now places 10th on the same list.
Since 1954, a total of 37 actresses have won Emmys for their lead roles on continuing comedy programs, beginning with Eve Arden (“Our Miss Brooks”). A dozen of the winners have bagged two or more trophies.
Check out our photo gallery to find out who ranks ahead of McClanahan on the list of 10 oldest Best Comedy Actress 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. Rue McClanahan (‘The Golden Girls,’ 1987)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 53
Role: Blanche Devereaux
McClanahan was also nominated here for the first, third, and fourth seasons of “The Golden Girls.”
Other nominees:
Bea Arthur (“The Golden Girls”)
Blair Brown (“The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”)
Jane Curtin (“Kate & Allie”)
Betty White (“The Golden Girls”) -
9. Jean Stapleton (‘All in the Family,’ 1978)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 55
Role: Edith Bunker
Stapleton’s portrayal of Bunker brought her eight nominations and three wins, the first two of which came in 1971 and 1972.
Other nominees:
Bea Arthur (“Maude”)
Cathryn Damon (“Soap”)
Valerie Harper (“Rhoda”)
Katherine Helmond (“Soap”)
Suzanne Pleshette (“The Bob Newhart Show”) -
8. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (‘Veep,’ 2017)
Image Credit: HBO Age: 56
Role: Selina Meyer
This was Louis-Dreyfus’s sixth consecutive win for this series and seventh in the category. Her first lead victory came in 2006 for “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”
Other nominees:
Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)
Jane Fonda (“Grace and Frankie”)
Allison Janney (“Mom”)
Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)
Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”) -
7. Lucille Ball (‘The Lucy Show,’ 1968)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 56
Role: Lucy Carmichael
Ball’s final competitive Emmy nomination resulted in her second win in a row for this series. She was also honored in 1956 for her work on “I Love Lucy.”
Other nominees:
Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”)
Elizabeth Montgomery (“Bewitched”)
Paula Prentiss (“He & She”)
Marlo Thomas (“That Girl”) -
6. Isabel Sanford (‘The Jeffersons,’ 1981)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 64
Role: Louise Jefferson
This 11-season series saw its leading lady earn a nomination for each of its last seven. To date, Sanford is the only Black woman to ever triumph in this category.
Other nominees:
Eileen Brennan (“Taxi”)
Cathryn Damon (“Soap”)
Katherine Helmond (“Soap”)
Lynn Redgrave (“House Calls”) -
5. Betty White (‘The Golden Girls,’ 1986)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 64
Role: Rose Nylund
White and supporting player Estelle Getty were the only cast members from “The Golden Girls” to be recognized for their acting on all seven seasons. After she became the first of the group to pull of a win, all three of her costars followed suit within two years.
Other nominees:
Bea Arthur (“The Golden Girls”)
Shelley Long (“Cheers”)
Rue McClanahan (“The Golden Girls”)
Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) -
4. Shirley Booth (‘Hazel,’ 1963)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 64
Role: Hazel Burke
Booth’s portrayal of the titular housemaid brought her three nominations and two back-to-back wins.
Other nominees:
Lucille Ball (“The Lucy Show”)
Shirl Conway (“The Nurses”)
Mary Tyler Moore (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”)
Irene Ryan (“The Beverly Hillbillies”) -
3. Bea Arthur (‘The Golden Girls,’ 1988)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 66
Role: Dorothy Zbornak
Arthur’s second win in this category came 11 years after she earned her first as the titular character on “Maude.”
Other nominees:
Kirstie Alley (“Cheers”)
Blair Brown (“The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”)
Rue McClanahan (“The Golden Girls”)
Betty White (“The Golden Girls”) -
2. Catherine O’Hara (‘Schitt’s Creek,’ 2020)
Image Credit: Pop TV Age: 66
Role: Moira Rose
This was the second nomination O’Hara received for her performance as this fallen socialite. She bagged her first Emmy in 1982 as part of the “Second City Television” writing team.
Other nominees:
Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Linda Cardellini (“Dead to Me”)
Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”) -
1. Jean Smart (‘Hacks,’ 2021)
Image Credit: HBO Max Age: 70
Role: Deborah Vance
After Betty White, Smart is the second woman to conquer all three female comedy acting categories. She won two guest prizes for “Frasier” in 2000 and 2001 and then a supporting trophy for “Samantha Who?” in 2008.
Other nominees:
Aidy Bryant (“Shrill”)
Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)
Allison Janney (“Mom”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)
