| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| First awarded | 1959 |
| Website | emmys |
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program was an annual award given to performers in a variety/music series or specials. The award has been retired; it was last presented in 2008.
Winners and nominations
1950s
| Year | Performer | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 (11th) | |||
| Actor | |||
| Perry Como | The Perry Como Show | NBC | |
| Steve Allen | The Steve Allen Show | NBC | |
| Jack Paar | Tonight Starring Jack Paar | ||
| Actress | |||
| Dinah Shore | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | NBC | |
| Patti Page | The Patti Page Show | ABC | |
1960s
1970s
1980s
| Year | Performer | Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (32nd) | |||
| Individual Achievement – Special Events | |||
| Donald O'Connor | The 52nd Annual Academy Awards | ABC | |
| 1981 (33rd) | |||
| Individual Achievement – Special Class | |||
| Sarah Vaughan | Rhapsody and Song – A Tribute to George Gershwin (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1982 (34th) | |||
| Individual Achievement – Special Class | |||
| Nell Carter | Ain't Misbehavin' | NBC | |
| André De Shields | |||
| Gregory Hines | I Love Liberty | ABC | |
| 1983 (35th) | |||
| Leontyne Price | Leontyne Price, Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic (Live from Lincoln Center) | PBS | |
| Carol Burnett | Texaco Star Theater... Opening Night | NBC | |
| Michael Jackson | Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | ||
| Luciano Pavarotti | Luciano Pavarotti and the New York Philharmonic (Live from Lincoln Center) | PBS | |
| Richard Pryor | Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | NBC | |
| 1984 (36th) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| Cloris Leachman | Screen Actors Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration | CBS | |
| Debbie Allen | Live... And in Person | NBC | |
| George Burns | George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business | ||
| Eddie Murphy | Saturday Night Live | ||
| Joe Piscopo | |||
| Lily Tomlin | Live... And in Person | ||
| Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming | |||
| James Levine | Live from the Met Centennial Gala | PBS | |
| Leontyne Price | In Performance at the White House: An Evening of Spirituals and Gospel Music | ||
| 1985 (37th) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| George Hearn | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Billy Crystal | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Gregory Hines | Motown Returns to the Apollo | ||
| Patti LaBelle | |||
| Angela Lansbury | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming - Performing | |||
| Luciano Pavarotti | Rigoletto (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1986 (38th) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| Whitney Houston | The 28th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Debbie Allen | An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. | NBC | |
| Patti LaBelle | Sylvia Fine Kaye's Musical Comedy Tonight III (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Jon Lovitz | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Sarah Vaughan | The 28th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Stevie Wonder | An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. | NBC | |
| Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming | |||
| Plácido Domingo | Cavalleria Rusticana (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| 1987 (39th) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| Robin Williams | A Carol Burnett Special: Carol, Carl, Whoopi & Robin | ABC | |
| Billy Crystal | The 29th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Angela Lansbury | The 1987 Tony Awards | CBS | |
| Jon Lovitz | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming - Performing | |||
| Leonard Bernstein | Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening | CBS | |
| Isaac Stern | |||
| 1988 (40th) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| Robin Williams | ABC Presents a Royal Gala | ABC | |
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Celebrating Gershwin (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Ray Charles | Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration | CBS | |
| Billy Crystal | An All-Star Toast to the Improv | HBO | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Individual Achievement - Classical | |||
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Dance in America: David Gordon's Made in U.S.A. (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Plácido Domingo | Aida: From the Houston Grand Opera (Great Performances) | ||
| Individual Achievement - Special Events | |||
| Billy Crystal | The 30th Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
| 1989 (41st) | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | |||
| Linda Ronstadt | Canciones de Mi Padre (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Dana Carvey | Saturday Night Live | NBC | |
| Julie Kavner | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | |
| Thom Fountain, Sandey Grinn, Maurice LaMarche, John Lovelady, Steve Sherman, Van Snowden, Fred Spencer, Allan Trautman and Todd Walcott | Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies (Episode 202) | Syndicated | |
| Thom Fountain, Sandey Grinn, John Lovelady, John Roarke, Steve Sherman, Van Snowden, Fred Spencer, Allan Trautman and Todd Walcott | Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies (Episode 211) | ||
| Individual Performance in Classical Music/Dance Programming | |||
| Mikhail Baryshnikov | Dance in America: Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine (Great Performances) | PBS | |
| Performance in Special Events | |||
| Billy Crystal | The 31st Annual Grammy Awards | CBS | |
1990s
2000s
Total awards by network
- CBS – 25
- NBC – 12
- PBS – 10
- HBO – 7
- ABC – 5
- A&E – 2
- Fox – 2
- Syndicated – 1
Performers with multiple awards
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Performers with multiple nominations
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Notes
- Awarded under the "Special Classification – Individuals" category
- Awarded under the "Special Classification – Individuals" category
- Awarded under the "Special Classification – Individuals" category
- Awarded under the "Special Classification – Individuals" category
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominees did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- In 1995, Dennis Miller was nominated for his HBO talkshow Dennis Miller Live. His nomination was belatedly rescinded after the Academy said it discovered rules do not allow the host of a variety or music series to be nominated for the same program if the host's name is in the title. Sixth place finisher Rosie O'Donnell was named as the replacement nominee.
References
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Miller's Emmy nomination disqualification". The News. Retrieved 18 July 2016.