The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance was a Creative Arts Emmy Award given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It was awarded to a performer for an outstanding "continuing or single voice-over performance in a series or a special." Prior to 1992, voice actors could be nominated for their performance in the live-action acting categories. The award was first given in 1992 when six voice actors from The Simpsons shared the award. From 1992 to 2008, it was a juried award, so there were no nominations and there would be multiple or no recipients in one year. In 2009, the rules were changed to a category award, with five nominees.
Usually, winners would be voice actors from animated shows, but some narrators of live-action shows won such as Keith David in 2005 and 2008. No winner was named in 1996 or 2007.
Nine voice actors from The Simpsons won a combined 14 Emmys in the category. Of those, Dan Castellaneta won four and Hank Azaria won three. Ja'net Dubois won two for The PJs, Keith David won two for his narration of various documentaries, and Maurice LaMarche won two for Futurama. Voice actors from shows on Fox won 17 of the 27 awards presented.
In 2014, the category was separated into two categories – Outstanding Narrator and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. This split acknowledged and accommodated a general industry uptrend in the distinctly different achievements that are voice-over narration and voice-over character performance.
Rules While most of the Primetime Emmy Awards choose winners from a group of nominees, the award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance was juried from 1992 to 2008. Each entrant was screened by a panel of Academy of Television Arts & Sciences members from the Animation branch as well as members of the Acting branch with voice-over credits. Potential nominees had to submit a DVD that contained an edited version of a single episode and a picture of the character(s) that were voiced. Submissions that were less than 30 minutes had to be edited to be shorter than five minutes; entries longer than 30 minutes were edited to be less than ten. Prior to 2007, the maximum edited lengths were ten and fifteen minutes respectively. Each entrant with majority approval went on to a second panel. Emmy winners had to be unanimous choices of this second panel, except that for every 12 persons or fraction thereof on the panel, one "no" vote was allowed, except from the head of the panel.
In 2009, the Academy changed the award from a "juried" award to a "category", with six nominees and one winner.
Winners (1992–2008) Year Winner Character(s) Series or special Network Ref.1992 Bart Simpson The Simpsons: "Separate Vocations" Fox Homer Simpson The Simpsons: "Lisa's Pony" Fox Marge Simpson The Simpsons: "I Married Marge" Fox Rabbi Krustofski The Simpsons: "Like Father, Like Clown" Fox Lisa Simpson The Simpsons: "Lisa the Greek" Fox Edna Krabappel The Simpsons: "Bart the Lover" Fox 1993 Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, Abraham Simpson and other characters The Simpsons: "Mr. Plow" Fox 1994 Narrator Madeline Family 1995 Dr. Katz Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Comedy Central 1996No Emmy awarded in this category1997 Siegfried Sassoon The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century: "War Without End" PBS Mr. Toad The Wind in the Willows Family 1998 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon The Simpsons Fox 1999 Mrs. Florence Avery The PJs Fox 2000 Stewie Griffin Family Guy Fox Susan B. Anthony Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony PBS 2001 Comic Book Guy, Apu, Carl Carlson, Lou, Chief Wiggum and Moe Szyslak The Simpsons: "Worst Episode Ever" Fox Mrs. Florence Avery The PJs: "Let's Get Ready To Rumba" The WB 2002 Narrator Animated Tales of the World: "John Henry, the Steel Driving Man" HBO Bobby Hill, Clark Peters and Chane Wassanasong King of the Hill: "Bobby Goes Nuts" Fox 2003 Moe Szyslak, Carl Carlson, Chief Wiggum, Apu, Johnny Tightlips, Bumblebee Man and Cletus The Simpsons: "Moe Baby Blues" Fox 2004 Krusty the Clown, Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, Groundskeeper Willie, Sideshow Mel, Barney and Itchy The Simpsons: "Today I Am A Clown" Fox 2005 Narrator Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson PBS 2006 Sideshow Bob The Simpsons: "The Italian Bob" Fox 2007 No Emmy awarded in this category 2008 Narrator The War: "A Necessary War" PBS
Winners and nominations (2009–2013) Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). Year Nominee Character(s) Series or Special Episode Network 2009(61st)Dan CastellanetaHomer SimpsonThe Simpsons"Father Knows Worst"Fox Ron Rifkin Narrator American Masters "Jerome Robbins: Something To Dance About" PBS Seth Green Various Robot Chicken "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" Cartoon Network Seth MacFarlane Peter Griffin Family Guy "I Dream of Jesus"Fox Harry Shearer Mr. Burns, Smithers, Kent Brockman and LennyThe Simpsons "The Burns and the Bees" Hank Azaria Moe Szyslak "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe" 2010(62nd)Anne HathawayPrincess PenelopeThe Simpsons"Once Upon a Time in Springfield"Fox H. Jon Benjamin Sterling Archer Archer "Mole Hunt" FX Dave Foley Wayne Prep & Landing ABC Seth Green Cobra Commander, Movie Narrator and Robot Chicken Nerd Robot Chicken "Cannot Be Erased, So Sorry" Cartoon Network Hank Azaria Apu and Moe SzyslakThe Simpsons "Moe Letter Blues"Fox Dan Castellaneta Grampa Simpson and Homer Simpson "Thursdays with Abie" 2011(63rd)Maurice LaMarcheLrrr, Orson WellesFuturama"Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences"Comedy Central Bob Bergen Porky Pig The Looney Tunes Show "Jailbird And Jailbunny" Cartoon Network Dan Castellaneta Homer Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Louie The Simpsons "Donnie Fatso" Fox Seth Green Batman, Cobra Commander, Judge, Light Cycle Driver, Newscaster, Robot Chicken Nerd, Teenager, Venger Robot Chicken "Catch Me If You Kangaroo Jack" Cartoon Network Christopher Plummer Narrator Moguls and Movie Stars "The Birth of Hollywood" TCM Brenda Strong Mary Alice Young Desperate Housewives "Come on Over for Dinner" ABC 2012(64th)Maurice LaMarcheClamps, Donbot, Hyperchicken, Calculon, Hedonismbot, MorboFuturama"The Silence of the Clamps"Comedy Central Hank Azaria Moe Szyslak, Duffman, Mexican Duffman, Carl, Comic Book Guy, Chief Wiggum The Simpsons "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" Fox Dan Povenmire Doctor Doofenshmirtz Disney Phineas And Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension Disney Rob Riggle Noel Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice ABC Brenda Strong Mary Alice Young Desperate Housewives "Give Me the Blame" / "Finishing the Hat" Kristen Wiig Lola The Looney Tunes Show "Double Date" Cartoon Network 2013(65th)Lily TomlinNarrator An Apology to ElephantsHBO Seth MacFarlane Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Peter GriffinFamily Guy "Brian's Play"Fox Alex Borstein Lois Griffin and Tricia Takanawa "Lois Comes Out Of Her Shell" Seth Green Abin Sur, Aquaman, Batman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Nerd and RobinRobot Chicken "Robot Chicken DC Comics Special"Cartoon Network Sam Elliott Narrator "Hurtled From A Helicopter Into A Speeding Train" Bob Bergen Porky Pig The Looney Tunes Show "We’re In Big Truffle"
Multiple wins Wins include Outstanding Narrator and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
4 wins Hank Azaria Dan Castellaneta Seth MacFarlane Maya Rudolph
3 wins David Attenborough Keith David
2 wins Ja'net Dubois Jeremy Irons Maurice LaMarche Barack Obama
References
External links Advanced Primetime Awards database