‘Star Wars’ cast: Who has contended at the Emmys?
The first-ever “Star Wars” movie, “A New Hope,” won six Academy Awards in 1978 including Best Editing and Best Original Score while George Lucas was nominated for Best Director. The biggest accomplishment, however, is arguably that Alec Guinness reaped a Best Supporting Actor citation for his turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi. That is the sole acting nomination “Star Wars” movies have earned at the Oscars.
The movies, in total, have won seven Oscars from a total of 37 nominations, but it is only Guinness who has been recognized for his acting across a total of 11 live-action “Star Wars” flicks, which includes all nine films in the main Skywalker Saga plus the spin-off films “Rogue One” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” However, plenty of the franchise’s cast have landed nominations for other projects at other major awards groups.
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Given that it’s Emmys season, we’re going to focus on the Emmys. So, below is a ranked list of the “Star Wars” cast who have contended for TV’s top honors. We are also including the “Star Wars” shows, too, although we are only focusing on the major stars of the films and shows so forgive us if we miss one or two names out.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge — L3-37 — Seven nominations, three wins
Waller-Bridge may not have played the most major character in “Star Wars” but she is a major name. She voiced the navigational droid L3-37, who actually ends up becoming part of the Millennium Falcon, in the spin-off film “Solo: A Star Wars” story. She has an incredible Emmys record, with her first bid coming in 2018 for Best Drama Writing for “Killing Eve.” She then won three Emmys in 2019 for “Fleabag” — Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actress, and Best Comedy Writing. She was nominated for Best Drama Series in 2019 and 2020 for “Killing Eve” while, also in 2020, she picked up a Best Comedy Guest Actress nomination for “Saturday Night Live.”
Donald Glover — Lando Calrissian — 14 nominations, two wins
Glover played the younger version of smuggler Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” His Emmy record is also impressive. He was nominated for four awards for “Atlanta” in 2017 — Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actor, Best Comedy Directing, and Best Comedy Writing. He won for both acting and directing. He picked up the same four nominations for the same show in 2018 while, that year, he was also cited for Best Comedy Guest Actor for “Saturday Night Live.” He secured another Best Comedy Actor bid for “Atlanta” in 2022 while, in 2023, he was nominated for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Writing for “Swarm.” Earlier this year, he reaped three more Emmy bids, all for “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” — Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actor, and Best Drama Writing. These three bids are pending.
James Earl Jones — Darth Vader — Eight nominations, two wins
Jones has voiced Darth Vader in every “Star Wars” movie the character has appeared in so far, although he has now retired from the role. Three of his Emmy bids came for Best Drama Guest Actor — in 1963 “East Side/West Side,” in 1994 for “Picket Fences,” and in 2004 for “Everwood.” He was nominated for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor in 1990 for “By Dawn’s Early Light” and in 1991 for “Heat Wave.” He won for “Heat Wave.” He won another Emmy in 1991, too — Best Drama Actor for “Gabriel’s Fire.” He was also cited for Best Drama Supporting Actor in 1995 for “Under One Roof” and for Best Comedy Guest Actor in 1997 for “Frasier.”
Jimmy Smits — Bail Organa — 12 nominations, one win
Smits played Senator Bail Organa, Princess Leia’s adoptive father, in “Attack of the Clones,” “Revenge of the Sith,” “Rogue One,” and the TV show “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Smits has a great Emmys record, racking up six Best Drama Supporting Actor nominations for “L.A. Law” — in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. He won in 1990. He then picked up five bids for Best Drama Actor for “NYPD Blue” — in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999. His 12th citation came in 2009 for Best Drama Guest Actor for “Dexter.”
Woody Harrelson — Tobias Beckett — Nine nominations, one win
Harrelson featured as Beckett, Han Solo’s mentor and nemesis, in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” He was nominated five times for Best Comedy Supporting Actor for “Cheers” — in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. He won in 1989. He was cited for Best Comedy Guest Actor in 1999 for “Frasier” before he reaped a nomination for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for “Game Change” in 2012. He then picked up two nominations for “True Detective” in 2014 — Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actor.
Ewan McGregor — Obi-Wan Kenobi — Five nominations, one win
McGregor played the younger version of Obi-Wan in the prequel trilogy — “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith” — before he reprised the role in the miniseries “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” McGregor was first Emmy-nominated in 1997 for Best Drama Guest Actor for “ER.” He was then nominated for Best Narrator in 2017 for “Highlands: Scotland’s Wild Heart.” He has two Best TV Movie/Limited Series citations to his name — one for “Fargo” in 2017 and one for “Halston” in 2021. He won for “Halston.” He was also nominated for Best Miniseries for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in 2023.
Frank Oz — Yoda — Five nominations, one win
Oz voiced Yoda and provided the puppetry for the character in “Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” and “The Phantom Menace.” CGI then took over his puppetry duties so he was a voice-only performer for Yoda in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” He returned to puppeteer and voice duties, however, for “The Last Jedi.” All five of his nominations came for Best Variety/Music/Comedy Program for “The Muppet Show” — in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981. He won in 1978.
Ben Mendelsohn — Director Krennic — Three nominations, one win
Mendelsohn portrayed one of the fans’ favorite villains in “Star Wars” — Director Krennic, the man responsible for overseeing the construction of the Death Star. Mendelsohn was nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actor for “Bloodline” in 2015 and 2016, winning in the latter year. He then picked up a Best Drama Guest Actor bid in 2017 for the same show.
Forest Whitaker — Saw Gerrera — Three nominations, one win
The Oscar-winning Whitaker portrayed the live-action version of extremist freedom fighter Saw Gerrera in “Rogue One” before he reprised the role in the TV series “Andor.” He also voiced the character in the animated show “Rebels.” Whitaker won Best TV Movie as a producer in 2003 for “Door to Door” before he was nominated Best Drama Guest Actor in 2007 for “ER.” His third nomination came in 2010 for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking for “Brick City.”
Giancarlo Esposito — Moff Gideon — Five nominations, zero wins
Esposito delivered one of the most intriguing, captivating characters in modern “Star Wars” history with his turn as the villainous Moff Gideon, who he played in “The Mandalorian.” He is used to turning out these sorts of magnetic performances, however, and his Emmy record proves that. He has been nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actor four times — for “Breaking Bad” in 2012, “Better Call Saul” in 2019 and 2020, and “The Mandalorian” itself in 2021. He also picked up a Best Drama Guest Actor nomination in 2020 for “The Mandalorian.”
Emilia Clarke — Qi’ra — Four nominations, zero wins
Clarke appeared in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” as Qi’ra, the love interest to Alden Ehrenreich‘s young Han Solo. Her most famous role, however, was as Daenerys Targaryen in “Game of Thrones.” All four of her nominations came for that show. Three of the bids — in 2013, 2015, and 2016 — came for Best Drama Supporting Actress while the fourth citation came for Best Drama Actress in 2019.
Adam Driver — Kylo Ren — Four nominations, zero wins
Driver quickly became the fans’ favorite character in the sequel trilogy as the conflicted Kylo Ren. He is also popular with Emmy voters with four nominations. Three of those citations came for Best Comedy Supporting Actor for “Girls” — in 2013, 2014, and 2015. His fourth bid came in 2020 — for Best Comedy Supporting Actor for “Saturday Night Live.”
Carrie Fisher — Princess Leia — Three nominations, zero wins
The iconic Fisher played the equally iconic Princess Leia in the original trilogy while she also appeared in “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” before she passed away. Leia featured in “The Rise of Skywalker” via archival footage. Fisher was nominated for Best Comedy Guest Actress for “30 Rock” in 2008 before she snagged a bid for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Special in 2011 for “Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking.” Her final nomination was for Best Comedy Guest Actress in 2017 for “Catastrophe.”
Pedro Pascal — The Mandalorian — Three nominations, zero wins
Pascal recently joined the MCU as Mister Fantastic while he previously played Oberyn Martell in “Game of Thrones.” Add in his role as The Mandalorian (AKA Din Djarin) in “The Mandalorian” and he has a trifecta of major roles in major franchises. One of his three Emmy nomination also came for a project with a huge following — “The Last of Us.” He was cited for Best Drama Actor in 2024. He also contended that year for a comedy guest turn as host of “Saturday Night Live” and his narration of the documentary series “Patagonia.”
Fiona Shaw — Maarva Andor — Three nominations, zero wins
Shaw had one of the best speeches in the entirety of the Disney+ TV show “Andor” as Maarva, the adoptive mother of Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor. Before that, she turned in several stunning performances, exemplified by her three Emmy nominations. Her first two bids came in 2019 — for Best Drama Supporting Actress for “Killing Eve” and Best Comedy Guest Actor for “Fleabag.” She then picked up another Best Drama Supporting Actress citation for “Killing Eve” in 2020.
Alec Guinness — Obi-Wan Kenobi — Two nominations, zero wins
The legendary Guinness was Oscar-nominated for his turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi, a role he played in all three original trilogy movies. His first Emmy bid was for Best
Paul Bettany — Dryden Vos — One nomination, zero wins
Bettany is one of those actors who consistently delivers great performances yet curiously get underserved at awards groups. His sole Emmy nomination came in 2021 for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for “WandaVision.” He starred in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” as Dryden Vos, the gangster bad guy who Han Solo takes on.
Gwendoline Christie — Captain Phasma — One nomination, zero wins
Christie also portrayed a “Star Wars” villain — the stormtrooper leader Captain Phasma, who she played in all three sequel trilogy flicks. Christie is best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in “Game of Thrones,” which earned her a Best Drama Supporting Actress citation in 2019.
Oscar Isaac — Poe Dameron — One nomination, zero wins
Isaac — as hotheaded pilot Poe Dameron — was one of the main trio in the sequel trilogy alongside Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega‘s Finn. His single Emmy nomination was for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor in 2022 for “Scenes From a Marriage.”
Samuel L. Jackson — Mace Windu — One nomination, zero wins
Jackson is an iconic actor and has appeared in almost every major movie franchise (“Star Wars,” the MCU, “Jurassic Park”). He played Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy. His sole Emmy nomination didn’t come for acting, however. It came for Best Animated Program as a producer for “Afro Samurai: Resurrection” in 2009.
Diego Luna — Cassian Andor — One nomination, zero wins
Luna played rebel hero Cassian Andor in “Rogue One” and the film and character were both so well received that a prequel series was greenlit. That series — “Andor” — was equally beloved by fans. He (surely) came close to an acting nomination for that show but, alas, missed out. He was nominated, however, for Best Drama Series as a producer on “Andor.” That was in 2024.
Andy Serkis — Supreme Leader Snoke and Kino Loy — One nomination, zero wins
Serkis also has a record of franchise appearances, playing Gollum/Smeagol in “The Lord of the Rings,” Ulysses Klaue in the MCU and, in “Star Wars,” both Supreme Leader Snoke and Kino Loy. He played Snoke in “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” via motion capture before his character was abruptly killed off. He then appeared in human form as prisoner Kino Loy in “Andor,” delivering a superb performance in the show’s best string of episodes as he and Cassian tried to escape an Imperial prison. His Emmy nomination came in 2009 — for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor for “Little Dorrit.”
Billy Dee Williams — Lando Calrissian — One nomination, zero wins
The great Williams played the smooth-talking, charming Lando Calrissian in “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” before he reprised the role in “The Rise of Skywalker.” His single Emmy citation came in 1972 — for Best Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for “Brian’s Song.”
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