El Premio Primetime Emmy al Mejor Actor en Serie Dramática es un galardón otorgado por la Academia de Artes y Ciencias de la Televisión en reconocimiento a la mejor actuación por un actor principal en una serie draática.
| Año | Actor | Programa |
| 2025 | TBA | TBA |
| 2024 | Hiroyuki Sanada | Shogun (FX) |
| 2023 | Kieran Culkin | Succession (HBO) |
| 2022 | Lee Jung-jae | Squid Game (Netflix) |
| 2021 | Josh O’Connor | The Crown (Netflix) |
| 2020 | Jeremy Strong | Succession (HBO) |
| 2019 | Billy Porter | Pose (FX) |
| 2018 | Matthew Rhys | The Americans (FX) |
| 2017 | Sterling K Brown | This is Us (NBC) |
| 2016 | Rami Malek | Mr Robot (USA) |
| 2015 | Jon Hamm | Mad Men (AMC) |
| 2014 | Bryan Cranston | Breaking Bad (AMC) |
| 2013 | Jeff Daniels | The Newsroom (HBO) |
| 2012 | Damian Lewis | Homeland (Showtime) |
| 2011 | Kyle Chandler | Friday Night Lights (DirecTV) |
| 2010 | Bryan Cranston | Breaking Bad (AMC) |
| 2009 | Bryan Cranston | Breaking Bad (AMC) |
| 2008 | Bryan Cranston | Breaking Bad (AMC) |
| 2007 | James Spader | Boston Legal (ABC) |
| 2006 | Kiefer Sutherland | 24 (Fox) |
| 2005 | James Spader | Boston Legal (ABC) |
| 2004 | James Spader | The Practice (ABC) |
| 2003 | James Gandolfini | The Sopranos (HBO) |
| 2002 | Michael Chiklis | The Shield (FX) |
| 2001 | James Gandolfini | The Sopranos (HBO) |
| 2000 | James Gandolfini | The Sopranos (HBO) |
| 1999 | Dennis Franz | NYPD Blue (ABC) |
| 1998 | Andre Braugher | Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC) |
| 1997 | Dennis Franz | NYPD Blue (ABC) |
| 1996 | Dennis Franz | NYPD Blue (ABC) |
| 1995 | Mandy Patinkin | Chicago Hope (CBS) |
| 1994 | Dennis Franz | NYPD Blue (ABC) |
| 1993 | Tom Skerritt | Picket Fences (CBS) |
| 1992 | Christopher Lloyd | Road to Avonlea (Disney Channel) |
| 1991 | James Earl Jones | Gabriel’s Fire (ABC) |
| 1990 | Peter Falk | Columbo (ABC) |
| 1989 | Carroll O’Connor | In the Heat of the Night (NBC) |
| 1988 | Richard Kiley | A Year in the Life (NBC) |
| 1987 | Bruce Willis | Moonlighting (ABC) |
| 1986 | William Daniels | St Elsewhere (NBC) |
| 1985 | William Daniels | St Elsewhere (NBC) |
| 1984 | Tom Selleck | Magnum PI (CBS) |
| 1983 | Ed Flanders | St Elsewhere (NBC) |
| 1982 | Daniel J Travanti | Hill Street Blues (NBC) |
| 1981 | Daniel J Travanti | Hill Street Blues (NBC) |
| 1980 | Edward Asner | Lou Grant (CBS) |
| 1979 | Ron Liebman | Kaz (CBS) |
| 1978 | Edward Asner | Lou Grant (CBS) |
| 1977 | James Garner | The Rockford Files (NBC) |
| 1976 | Peter Falk | Columbo (NBC) |
| 1975 | Robert Blake | Baretta (ABC) |
| 1974 | Telly Savalas | Koyak (CBS) |
| 1973 | Richard Thomas | The Waltons (CBS) |
| 1972 | Peter Falk | Columbo (NBC) |
| 1971 | Hal Holbrook | The Bold Ones: The Senator (NBC) |
| 1970 | Robert Young | Marcus Welby, MD (ABC) |
| 1969 | Carl Betz | Judd, for the Defense (ABC) |
| 1968 | Bill Cosby | I Spy (NBC) |
| 1967 | Bill Cosby | I Spy (NBC) |
| 1966 | Bill Cosby | I Spy (NBC) |