Entertainment Awards Shows and Events Emmy Awards Here's What Some of This Year's Emmy Nominees Won Their Very First Emmys for Everyone's gotta start somewhere and these Emmy veterans have the awards to prove it By Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger is a former features writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 22, 2019 04:20PM EDT 01 of 29 Sterling K. Brown Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/Movie, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, in 2016 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us 02 of 29 Viola Davis Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder, in 2015 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder 03 of 29 Laura Linney Robert Mora/Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie, Wild Iris, in 2002 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Ozark 04 of 29 Ted Danson Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Cheers, in 1990 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, The Good Place 05 of 29 Michael Douglas Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, Behind the Candelabra, in 2013 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, The Kominsky Method 06 of 29 Bill Hader Dan MacMedan/Getty Images What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Animated Program, South Park, in 2009 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry 07 of 29 Christina Applegate J. Merritt/FilmMagic What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Friends, 2003 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Dead to Me 08 of 29 Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara (Check Them Out in the Front Row!) George Long /Walt Disney Television via Getty What They Both Won Their First Emmys for: Outstanding Writer for a Variety Series, SCTV Network 90, in 1982 What They're Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, Schitt’s Creek 09 of 29 Rachel Brosnahan Steve Granitz/WireImage What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in 2018 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 10 of 29 Julia Louis-Dreyfus Ron Galella/Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Seinfeld, in 1996 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Veep 11 of 29 Patricia Arquette Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Medium, in 2005 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, Escape at Dannemora & Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, The Act 12 of 29 Peter Dinklage Jeff Vespa/WireImage What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Game of Thrones, in 2011 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Game of Thrones & Outstanding Television Movie (as Executive Producer), My Dinner with Hervé 13 of 29 Tony Hale Gregg DeGuire/WireImag What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Veep, in 2013 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Veep 14 of 29 Tony Shalhoub Jeff Vespa/WireImage What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Monk, in 2003 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 15 of 29 Henry Winkler Michael Tran/FilmMagic What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry, in 2018 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry 16 of 29 Alex Borstein Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in 2018 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 17 of 29 Kate McKinnon Steve Granitz/WireImage What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL, in 2015 What She’s Nominated For: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL 18 of 29 John Leguizamo Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program, John Leguizamo: Freak, in 1999 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, When They See Us 19 of 29 Patricia Clarkson Maury Phillips/WireImage What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Six Feet Under, in 2002 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, Sharp Objects 20 of 29 Ron Cephas Jones Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us, in 2018 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, This Is Us 21 of 29 Glynn Turman Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, In Treatment, in 2008 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder 22 of 29 Bradley Whitford Kevin Winter/Getty Images What He Won His First Emmy For: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, The West Wing, in 2001 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale 23 of 29 Cherry Jones Michael Caulfield/FilmMagic What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, 24, in 2009 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale 24 of 29 Jessica Lange Kevin Winter/Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, Grey Gardens, in 2009 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, American Horror Story: Apocalypse 25 of 29 Cicely Tyson Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Best Lead Actress in a Drama, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, in 1974 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, How to Get Away with Murder 26 of 29 Peter MacNicol M. Caulfield/WireImage What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Ally McBeal, in 2001 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Veep 27 of 29 John Mulaney Noel Vasquez/Getty Images What He Won His First Emmy for: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, SNL (The Justin Timberlake Monologue), in 2011 What He’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, SNL 28 of 29 Jane Lynch Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Glee, in 2010 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 29 of 29 Emma Thompson Walt Disney Television via Getty Images What She Won Her First Emmy for: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Ellen, in 1998 What She’s Nominated for This Year: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, SNL Close