25 Classic Photos of Emmy-Winning Actors and Actresses
25 Classic Photos of Emmy-Winning Actors and Actresses
2 minute read
Lucille Ball, pictured in 1951, won Emmys for comedic acting on I Love Lucy in 1953 and 1956 and for The Lucy Show in 1967 and 1968.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The last 15 years or so—at least since the world met Tony Soprano in 1999—are often described as a new Golden Age of Television. There are more shows than ever before, and movie actors who once graduated from TV to the big screen are flocking back to the small one for coveted roles. With the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards coming up on Sunday night, LIFE.com looks back at the stars of the original Golden Age of Television—which began around the time the first Emmys were awarded, in the late 1940s—and the decades that followed.
From the 1950s era of Red Skelton and Lucille Ball to the ubiquity of Carroll O’Connor (All in the Family) and Peter Falk (Colombo) in the 1970s, Emmy’s leading men and women benefited from the stunning portraiture of LIFE’s photographers, who documented television history as it unfolded.
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
Correction: The original version of this story misstated the name of the TV show for which Carroll O’Connor won four Emmys. O’Connor starred in All in the Family.
Gertrude Berg, pictured in 1947, won Best Lead Actress in a Series in 1951 for The Gertrude Berg Show. In the early years, the Emmys did not give out separate awards for dramas and comedies.Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAlan Young, pictured in 1951, won Best Lead Actor in a Series in 1951 for The Alan Young Show.John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesRed Skelton, pictured in 1960, won Best Comedian for The Red Skelton Show in 1952.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesImogene Coca, pictured in 1951, won Best Lead Actress in a Series for Your Show of Shows in 1952.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesSid Caesar, pictured in 1948, won Best Lead Actor in a Series for Your Show of Shows in 1952 and Best Comedian for Caesar's Hour in 1957.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJimmy Durante, pictured in 1949, won Best Comedian for All Star Revue in 1953.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesLucille Ball, pictured in 1951, won Emmys for comedic acting on I Love Lucy in 1953 and 1956 and for The Lucy Show in 1967 and 1968.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesDonald O'Connor, pictured in 1953, won Best Male Star of a Regular Series for Colgate Comedy Hour in 1954.John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesEve Arden, pictured in 1946, won Best Female Star of a Regular Series for Our Miss Brooks in 1954.Martha Holmes—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesLoretta Young, pictured in 1946, won three Emmys for The Loretta Young Show, in 1955, 1957, and 1959.Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNanette Fabray, pictured in 1948, won two Emmys for her comedic acting on Caesar's Hour, in 1956 and 1957, as well as Best Comedienne on TV in 1956.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesRobert Young, pictured in 1949, won two Emmys for Best Actor for Father Knows Best, in 1957 and 1958, and one for Marcus Welby, M.D. in 1970.Lisa Larsen—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesJane Wyatt, pictured in 1947, won three Emmys for Best Actress for Father Knows Best, in 1958, 1959 and 1960.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJack Benny, pictured in 1947, won two Emmys for his performance on The Jack Benny Show, in 1958 and 1959.Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRobert Stack, pictured in 1960, won Best Actor in a Series for The Untouchables in 1960.Grey Villet–The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBarbara Stanwyck, pictured in 1948, won an Emmy each for her roles in Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961), The Big Valley (1966) and The Thorn Birds (1983).Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesShirley Booth, pictured in 1948, won Best Lead Actress in a Series for Hazel in 1962 and 1963.Herbert Gehr—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJack Klugman (left), pictured with with Humphrey Bogart in 1955, won Best Lead Actor in a Series for The Defenders in 1964 and Best Lead Actor in a Comedy for The Odd Couple in 1971 and 1973.John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesDon Adams, pictured in 1965, won three Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy for Get Smart, in 1967, 1968 and 1969.Allan Grant—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesHope Lange, pictured in 1953, won Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir in 1969 and 1970.Yale Joel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesHal Holbrook, pictured in 1959, won two Emmys for Best Actor in a Drama (The Senator-The Bold Ones in 1971 and Pueblo ABC Theatre in 1974) and three Emmys for TV specials, in 1974, 1976 and 1989.Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCarroll O'Connor, pictured in 1971, won four Emmys for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy for All in the Family, in 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1979, and one for Best Actor in a Drama for In the Heat of the Night in 1989.Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPeter Falk, pictured in 1972, won four Emmys for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for Colombo NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (1972, 1975 and 1976) and Columbo (1990), and one for The Dick Powell Show in 1962.Mark Godfrey—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesTony Randall, pictured in 1957, won Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for The Odd Couple in 1975.Yale Joel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJames Garner, pictured in 1957, won Best Lead Actor in a Drama for The Rockford Files in 1977.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
