Kathy Bates: Oldest Emmy Nominee for Lead Drama Actress
Oscar winner Kathy Bates (“Misery”) made Emmy history as the oldest performer nominated in the lead drama category at age 77 for her role in CBS reboot of Matlock.
My Oscar Book:
With the nomination, Bates surpasses a record previously held by Angela Lansbury, who was 70 with her final nod in 1996 for “Murder, She Wrote.”
In “Matlock,” Bates stars as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a shrewd attorney who reenters the legal world decades after a mysterious and tragic retirement.
The public version of her backstory is one of personal loss: widowed and left financially devastated by her husband’s gambling, she’s forced to raise her grandson after the death of her daughter in a car accident. Matty is hired at the high-powered law firm Jacobson Moore, where she reports to Olympia, a sharp, younger partner, despite her decades of legal expertise.
The performance has earned widespread acclaim for Bates, but this is far from her first Emmy recognition. She was previously nominated in the same category in 2011 and 2012 for her role as Harriet Korn in NBC’s “Harry’s Law,” becoming the fifth-oldest nominee in the category’s history at age 64.
Though she didn’t win for that role, Bates has earned two Emmys — one for her guest appearance on “Two and a Half Men,” and another for her supporting role in “American Horror Story: Coven.”
At 77, Bates tops a list of legendary nominees recognized late in their careers: Cicely Tyson (Age 70 for “Sweet Justice” in 1995), Imelda Staunton (Age 68 for “The Crown” in 2024) and Glenn Close (Age 65 for “Damages” in 2012).
In addition to her TV accolades, Bates is Oscar winner for her turn as Annie Wilkes in “Misery” (1990), along with other nominations for “Primary Colors” (1998), “About Schmidt” (2002) and “Richard Jewell” (2019).
She’s also a Tony Award nominee for lead actress in a play for the 1983 production of “‘night, Mother.”
The 77th Emmy Awards will be hosted by Nate Bargatze and broadcast live Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, as well as stream live and on demand via select packages on Paramount+.
