One year after the conclusion of his medical drama series, “Nip/Tuck,” and two years into the run of his musical comedy series, “Glee,” Ryan Murphy ventured into a different genre by premiering his newest creation, “American Horror Story.” Initially presented as a one-time limited series, it soon evolved into an anthology program featuring a new story and characters each season. Despite the yearly changes, several actors, including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Kathy Bates, have stuck around for as many as nine iterations.
Oscar winner Bates first joined Murphy’s company of actors as a regular on “American Horror Story: Coven” and has since played roles in four other seasons. Her initial gig as 19th century serial killer Delphine LaLaurie earned her vast critical acclaim and led to a Primetime Emmy win for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress. The 66-year-old automatically became the 10th oldest woman to win the award, with five of her predecessors having prevailed after the age of 70. Like Bates, four others had previously received at least one acting Oscar.
Since 1962, a total of 48 actresses have won Emmys for their supporting roles on non-continuing programs, beginning with Pamela Brown (“Victoria Regina”). Five of the winners have triumphed multiple times.
Check out our photo gallery to find out who ranks ahead of Bates on the list of 10 oldest Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress Emmy winners.
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10. Kathy Bates (‘American Horror Story: Coven,’ 2014)
Image Credit: FX Age: 66
Role: Delphine LaLaurie
This was Bates’s fifth nomination and first win in this category. Her previous bids came for the TV movies “The Late Shift” (1996) and “Annie” (2000), and the limited series “Warm Springs” (2005) and “Alice” (2010). She has since been recognized twice more for different “American Horror Story” iterations.
Other nominees:
Angela Bassett (“American Horror Story: Coven”)
Ellen Burstyn (“Flowers in the Attic”)
Frances Conroy (“American Horror Story: Coven”)
Julia Roberts (“The Normal Heart”)
Allison Tolman (“Fargo”) -
9. Eva Marie Saint (‘People Like Us,’ 1990)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 66
Role: Lil Van Degan Altemus
Saint won this award after competing in the corresponding lead category four times between 1955 and 1978.
Other nominees:
Stockard Channing (“Perfect Witness”)
Colleen Dewhurst (“Lantern Hill”)
Swoosie Kurtz (“The Image”)
Irene Worth (“The Shell Seekers”) -
8. Anne Bancroft (‘Deep in My Heart,’ 1999)
Image Credit: Caravan Pictures Age: 67
Role: Gerry Eileen Cummins
This was Bancroft’s third of five bids for this award. Her other notices came for her turns in “Broadway Bound” (1992), “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” (1994), “Haven” (2001), and “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” (2003).
Other nominees:
Jacqueline Bisset (“Joan of Arc”)
Olympia Dukakis (“Joan of Arc”)
Bebe Neuwirth (“Dash and Lilly”)
Cicely Tyson (“A Lesson Before Dying”)
Dianne Wiest (“The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn”) -
7. Ruby Dee (‘Decoration Day,’ 1991)
Image Credit: NBC Age: 68
Role: Rowena
Dee triumphed on her third nomination for this award after previously being recognized for her work on the limited series “Roots: The Next Generations” (1979) and “Lincoln” (1988).
Other nominees:
Olympia Dukakis (“Lucky Day”)
Vanessa Redgrave (“Young Catherine”)
Doris Roberts (“The Sunset Gang”)
Elaine Stritch (“An Inconvenient Woman”) -
6. Cicely Tyson (‘Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All,’ 1994)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures Age: 69
Role: Castalia
Tyson won her second Emmy 20 years after taking home her first for her lead role in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” She also earned supporting nominations for “Roots” (1977), “A Lesson Before Dying” (1999), and “Relative Stranger” (2009).
Other nominees:
Anne Bancroft (“Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All”)
Swoosie Kurtz (“And the Band Played On”)
Lee Purcell (“Secret Sins of the Father”)
Lily Tomlin (“And the Band Played On”) -
5. Gena Rowlands (‘Hysterical Blindness,’ 2003)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema Age: 73
Role: Virginia Miller
This remains Rowlands’s only nomination and win in this category. She has contended for the corresponding lead award six times, winning twice for “The Betty Ford Story” (1987) and “Face of a Stranger” (1992).
Other nominees:
Kathy Baker (“Door to Door”)
Anne Bancroft (“The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone”)
Juliette Lewis (“Hysterical Blindness”)
Helen Mirren (“Door to Door”) -
4. Eileen Atkins (‘Cranford,’ 2008)
Image Credit: PBS Age: 74
Role: Deborah Jenkyns
This was the first time in her career that Atkins received Emmy recognition. Three years later, she earned a second notice in this category for taking part in the two-season revival of “Upstairs Downstairs”.
Other nominees:
Laura Dern (“Recount”)
Ashley Jensen (“Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale”)
Audra McDonald (“A Raisin in the Sun”)
Alfre Woodard (“Pictures of Hollis Woods”) -
3. Maggie Smith (‘Downton Abbey,’ 2011)
Image Credit: PBS Age: 76
Role: Violet Crawley
Smith won this prize 11 years after first vying for it as a “David Copperfield” cast member. “Downton Abbey” then continued past its first season, leading to four nominations and two wins for Smith in the Best Drama Supporting Actress category.
Other nominees:
Eileen Atkins (“Upstairs, Downstairs”)
Melissa Leo (“Mildred Pierce”)
Mare Winningham (“Mildred Pierce”)
Evan Rachel Wood (“Mildred Pierce”) -
2. Eva Le Gallienne (‘The Royal Family,’ 1978)
Image Credit: PBS Age: 79
Role: Fanny Cavendish
Le Gallienne’s only Emmy nomination and win came for her role as the matriarch of a family of actors in this adaptation of the play of the same name, which first premiered on Broadway over 50 years earlier.
Other nominees:
Tyne Daly (“Intimate Strangers”)
Patty Duke (“A Family Upside Down”)
Mariette Hartley (“The Last Hurrah”)
Cloris Leachman (“It Happened One Christmas”)
Viveca Lindfors (“A Question of Guilt”) -
1. Ellen Burstyn (‘Political Animals,’ 2013)
Image Credit: USA Network Age: 80
Role: Margaret Barrish
Burstyn took home this award seven years after earning her first nomination in this category for her 14-second appearance in “Mrs. Harris.” One year later, she received a third bid for “Flowers in the Attic.”
Other nominees:
Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story: Asylum”)
Charlotte Rampling (“Restless”)
Imelda Staunton (“The Girl”)
Alfre Woodard (“Steel Magnolias”)
