Nominations for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor category were announced this evening on “Extra,” with actors from “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless” vying for recognition during “The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” taking place on Friday, October 30, in Hollywood, CA.
This year’s nominees include Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, “The Young and the Restless”), Steve Burton (Jason Morgan, “General Hospital”), Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful”) and Christian Jules Le Blanc (Michael Baldwin, “The Young and the Restless”).
Subsequent early nominations announced on Monday included “Entertainment Tonight,” announcing Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series, with “The View” set to announce the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Entertainment News Series and Outstanding Daytime Personality: Daily categories during its broadcast on Tuesday, July 14, with the full release set to be revealed immediately after at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.
A venue was not formally announced during the “Extra” broadcast, nor whether the ceremony will be broadcast on a television network after last year’s ceremony was streamed via watch.theemmys.tv and its associated apps.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor Nominees
Eric Braeden
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Receiving his 11th Emmy nomination since making his debut as Victor Newman on “The Young and the Restless” in 1980, Eric Braeden is again nominated this year for the work he submitted from calendar year 2025, and, should he win, it will mark his first win since 1998 when he took home the coveted statue for the first time.
Overall, Braeden has been nominated for an Emmy in 1987, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2024 and now 2026, though each year’s nomination was for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Braeden’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 11
- Overall Wins: 1 (thus far)
Christian Jules Le Blanc
CBS
Also nominated from “The Young and the Restless” is Christian Jules Le Blanc, who plays Michael Baldwin, now receiving his 13th nomination overall, his ninth for Lead Actor. Last nominated in 2016, Le Blanc has won three Emmy Awards throughout his run on the top-rated drama series. He debuted in 1991, won his first Emmy in 2005, and followed it up with wins in 2007 and 2009.
Le Blanc was nominated for an Emmy in the Supporting Actor category in 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2004. His first nomination in the Lead Actor category began in 2005, followed by 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 and now 2026, though each year’s nomination was for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Le Blanc’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 13
- Overall Wins: 3 (thus far)
Steve Burton
Christine Bartolucci/Disney
Making his soap opera debut in 1988 as Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives,” Steve Burton received his 11th overall Emmy Award nomination, his seventh for his work as Jason Morgan on “General Hospital,” and just the fourth time in the Lead Actor category. He previously won in 1998 for Supporting Actor, and again in 2017 in the same category for his work as Dylan McAvoy on “The Young and the Restless.” In 2023, he was nominated for Guest Performance for his reprisal of Harris Michaels, though on the spinoff series “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem.” Burton’s first-ever Emmy nomination was in 1997 for Younger Actor.
Overall, Burton has been nominated for an Emmy in 1997 (Younger Actor), 1998 and 2000 (Supporting Actor) and 2005 (Lead Actor), all of which were for “General Hospital,” followed by nominations in 2014, 2016 and 2017 (Supporting Actor) for “The Young and the Restless,” 2020 and 2021 (Lead Actor) for “General Hospital”), 2023 (Guest Performance) for “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem” and now 2026 (Lead Actor) for “General Hospital,” with each year’s nomination for work that aired during the prior calendar year.
Burton’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 11
- Overall Wins: 2 (thus far)
Scott Clifton
CBS
Making his soap opera debut in 2003 as Dillon Quartermaine on “General Hospital,” Scott Clifton is Emmy-nominated for the 11th time, though just his second overall in the Lead Actor category, both of which for his role as Liam Spencer on “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He won his first Emmy in 2011 for his portrayal of the character in the Younger Actor category, after previously being nominated in the same category three times during his run at “General Hospital” and once as Schuyler Joplin on “One Life to Live.” He took home his first Emmy for Supporting Actor as Liam Spencer in 2013, and, in 2017, he won for Lead Actor, making him one of the only actors in Emmy history to have won in each of the top acting categories at the time — the Younger Actor/Younger Performer category was eliminated after 2023.
Overall, Clifton has been Emmy nominated in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for Younger Actor for his work on “General Hospital,” again in 2010 in the same category for “One Life to Live,” followed by another nomination, again in the same category, in 2011 for “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He later switched to the Supporting Actor category, beginning in 2013, followed by nominations in 2014 and 2015. In 2017, he switched again, this time to Lead Actor, earning nominations in 2024 and now 2026, with each year’s nomination being for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Clifton’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 11
- Overall Wins: 3 (thus far)
Thorsten Kaye
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Though he made his soap opera debut as Patrick Thornhart in 1996 on “One Life to Live,” Thorsten Kaye received his first-ever Emmy nomination in 2003 for his work as Ian Thornhart on “Port Charles.” He later won the Emmy in 2023 and 2024 for his work as Ridge Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” though he was not in attendance to accept the first time and made up for it by accepting the award in person the following year.
After his 2003 nomination, subsequent nominations for Kaye, all in the Lead Actor category, include another in 2004 for his work on “Port Charles,” followed by 2006 and 2009 for his role as Zach Slater on “All My Children,” and in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and now 2026 for “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Each year’s nomination was for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Kaye’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 9
- Overall Wins: 2 (thus far)
To recap, the nominees for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor are:
- Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, “The Young and the Restless”)
- Steve Burton (Jason Morgan, “General Hospital”)
- Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”)
- Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful”)
- Christian Jules Le Blanc (Michael Baldwin, “The Young and the Restless”)
Last year’s winner was Paul Telfer (Xander Kiriakis, “Days of our Lives”), who took home the top prize over co-stars Eric Martsolf (Brady Black) and Greg Rikaart (Leo Stark), with Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, “The Young and the Restless”) and Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri, “General Hospital”) also nominated.