Following is a complete listing of each of the winners in the Outstanding Lead Actor category. This category was introduced in 1973-1974, and has undergone several name changes. Until the creation of the Supporting Actor and Actress categories in 1978, the category was named Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.
• 1973-1974; Macdonald Carey (Tom Horton, Days of our Lives)
• 1974-1975; Macdonald Carey (Tom Horton, Days of our Lives)
• 1975-1976; Larry Haines (Stu Bergman, Search for Tomorrow)
• 1976-1977; Val Dufour (John Wyatt, Search for Tomorrow)
• 1977-1978; James Pritchett (Matt Powers, The Doctors)
• 1978-1979; Al Freeman, Jr. (Ed Hall, One Life to Live)
• 1979-1980; Douglass Watson (Mac Cory, Another World)
• 1980-1981; Douglass Watson (Mac Cory, Another World)
• 1981-1982; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 1982-1983; Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan, One Life to Live)
• 1983-1984; Larry Bryggman (John Dixon, As the World Turns)
• 1984-1985; Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard, All My Children)
• 1985-1986; David Canary (Adam and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• 1986-1987; Larry Bryggman (John Dixon, As the World Turns)
• 1987-1988; David Canary (Adam and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• 1988-1989; David Canary (Adam and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• 1989-1990; A Marinez (Cruz Castillo, Santa Barbara)
• 1990-1991; Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
• 1991-1992; Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
• 1992-1993; David Canary (Adam and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• 1993-1994; Michael Zaslow (Roger Thorpe, Guiding Light)
• 1994-1995; Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper, Guiding Light)
• 1995-1996; Charles Keating (Another World)
• 1996-1997; Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper, Guiding Light)
• 1997-1998; Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, The Young and the Restless)
• 1998-1999; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 1999-2000; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2000-2001; David Canary (Adam and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• 2001-2002; Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
• 2002-2003; Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital)
• 2003-2004; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2004-2005; Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, The Young and the Restless)
• 2005-2006; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2006-2007; Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, The Young and the Restless)
• 2007-2008; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2008-2009; Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, The Young and the Restless)
• 2009-2010; Michael Park (Jack Snyder, As the World Turns)
• 2010-2011; Michael Park (Jack Snyder, As the World Turns)
• 2011-2012; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2012-2013; Doug Davidson (Paul Williams, The Young and the Restless)
• 2013-2014; Billy J. Miller (Billy Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
• 2014-2015; Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
• 2015-2016; Tyler Christopher (Nikolas Cassadine, General Hospital)
• 2016-2017; Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer, The Bold and the Beautiful)
• 2017-2018; James Reynolds (Abe Carver, Days of our Lives)
• 2018-2019; Maurice Benard, (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital)
• 2019-2020; Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
• 2020-2021; Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital)
• 2021-2022; John McCook (Eric Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
• 2022-2023; Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
• 2023-2024; Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
General Hospital; 12 wins
The Young and the Restless; 10 wins
All My Children; 6 wins
As The World Turns; 4 wins •
Another World; 3 wins •
The Bold and the Beautiful; 4 wins
Guiding Light; 3 wins •
Days of our Lives; 3 wins
One Life to Live; 2 wins
Search for Tomorrow; 2 wins •
The Doctors; 1 win •
Santa Barbara; 1 win •
• This program is no longer in production.
