A full decade has passed since Charlie Sheen was unceremoniously fired from the Fox sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” for which he received four Primetime Emmy bids over the course of eight seasons. After the death of his character, Charlie Harper, his absence was lampooned several times, with one of the most notable instances involving a guest appearance by Oscar winner Kathy Bates. Toward the end of the ninth season, Bates shows up in the role of Harper’s ghost, who attributes his new appearance to an afterlife punishment. The brief yet highly publicized guest spot ended up bringing Bates her first Emmy award.
At 64, Bates was the oldest competitor in the 2012 Best Comedy Guest Actress lineup by 15 years. She automatically became the category’s 10th oldest champion, with five of her predecessors having prevailed after turning 75.
Since 1975, a total of 30 actresses have won Emmys for their roles as guest performers on continuing comedy programs, beginning with Cloris Leachman, who bagged two awards in the same year for turns on “Cher” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Including Leachman, eight of the winners have pulled off more than one victory. The honor has been bestowed on an annual basis since 1993 and was occasionally awarded before then.
Check out our photo gallery to find out who ranks ahead of Bates on the list of 10 oldest Best Comedy Guest Actress Emmy winners. This list also factors in winners of the now-retired variety performance awards, since guests on continuing variety series now compete here.
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10. Kathy Bates (‘Two and a Half Men,’ 2012)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 64
Role: Charlie Harper’s ghost
This was Bates’s second nomination in this category after having been recognized for an appearance on “3rd Rock from the Sun” in 1999. She earned an additional bid in 2012 for her lead performance on the drama series “Harry’s Law.”
Other nominees:
Elizabeth Banks (“30 Rock”)
Margaret Cho (“30 Rock”)
Dot-Marie Jones (“Glee”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Saturday Night Live”)
Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live”) -
9. Carol Burnett (‘Mad About You,’ 1997)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 64
Role: Theresa Stemple
Burnett’s portrayal of Helen Hunt‘s character’s mother brought her her second and third nominations in this category. Her first came in 1993 for “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Other nominees:
Ellen DeGeneres (“The Larry Sanders Show”)
Laura Dern (“Ellen”)
Marsha Mason (“Frasier”)
Betty White (“Suddenly Susan”) -
8. Colleen Dewhurst (‘Murphy Brown,’ 1991)
Image Credit: Herndale Film Corporation Age: 67
Role: Avery Brown
Dewhurst won two Emmys as the titular character’s mother. Her second victory came posthumously, as the 1991 ceremony took place just three days after her death.
Other nominees:
Whoopi Goldberg (“A Different World”)
Frances Sternhagen (“Cheers”)
Sada Thompson (“Cheers”)
Brenda Vaccaro (“The Golden Girls”) -
7. Beah Richards (‘Frank’s Place,’ 1988)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures Age: 68
Role: Olive Varden
Richards was successful on both of her Emmy outings, conquering both guest acting categories. She went on to win in 2000 for the drama series “The Practice.” In this case, she competed against both men and women.
Other nominees:
Herb Edelman (“The Golden Girls”)
Geraldine Fitzgerald (“The Golden Girls”)
Eileen Heckart (“The Cosby Show”)
Gilda Radner (“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show”) -
6. Kathryn Joosten (‘Desperate Housewives,’ 2008)
Image Credit: ABC Age: 68
Role: Karen McCluskey
Joosten won twice and received two additional nominations for this initially recurring role, the last of which was in the supporting category.
Other nominees:
Polly Bergen (“Desperate Housewives”)
Carrie Fisher (“30 Rock”)
Edie Falco (“30 Rock”)
Sarah Silverman (“Monk”)
Elaine Stritch (“30 Rock”) -
5. Eileen Heckart (‘Love & War,’ 1994)
Image Credit: CBS Age: 75
Role: Rose Stein
This was Heckart’s fourth bid in this category. She earned her first two for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” while her third came for her work on “The Cosby Show.”
Other nominees:
Diane Ladd (“Grace Under Fire”)
Cyndi Lauper (“Mad About You”)
Marlee Matlin (“Seinfeld”)
Marcia Wallace (“Murphy Brown”) -
4. Cloris Leachman (‘Malcolm in the Middle,’ 2006)
Image Credit: Fox Age: 80
Role: Ida
This 11-episode role brought Leachman six nominations and two trophies, the first of which she bagged in 2002.
Other nominees:
Blythe Danner (“Will & Grace”)
Shirley Knight (“Desperate Housewives”)
Laurie Metcalf (“Monk”)
Kate Winslet (“Extras”) -
3. Elaine Stritch (’30 Rock,’ 2007)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 82
Role: Colleen Donaghy
Stritch’s stint as the mother of Alec Baldwin‘s character brought her this victory and four additional bids between 2008 and 2013.
Other nominees:
Dixie Carter (“Desperate Housewives”)
Salma Hayek (“Ugly Betty”)
Judith Light (“Ugly Betty”)
Laurie Metcalf (“Desperate Housewives”) -
2. Ruth Gordon (‘Taxi,’ 1979)
Image Credit: Atlantic Entertainment Group Age: 82
Role: Dee Wilcox
Gordon earned two nominations for single-episode appearances on comedy programs, the first of which came in recognition of a spot on “Rhoda” in 1976. This was a year when guest and lead performers competed against each other directly.
Other nominees:
Katherine Helmond (“Soap”)
Linda Lavin (“Alice”)
Isabel Sanford (“The Jeffersons”)
Jean Stapleton (“All in the Family”) -
1. Betty White (‘Saturday Night Live,’ 2010)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 88
Role: Various
This was White’s fifth Emmy win and second in this category. She also nabbed a trophy in 1996 for playing a version of herself on “The John Larroquette Show.”
Other nominees:
Christine Baranski (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Kristin Chenoweth (“Glee”)
Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”)
Kathryn Joosten (“Desperate Housewives”)
Jane Lynch (“Two and a Half Men”)
Elaine Stritch (“30 Rock”)
