Kathy Bates Becomes Oldest Best Drama Actress Emmy Nominee

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Kathy Bates has recently been nominated as the oldest actress in contention for the Best Drama Actress award at the 2025 Emmys, making history at the age of 77. Her nomination comes from her exceptional performance as Madeline “Matty” Matlock on the CBS revival of the legal drama series, Matlock, which premiered on October 17, 2024.

The nominations for the 77th Emmy Awards were handed out by Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song at a ceremony on July 15. In the category of outstanding lead actress in a drama series, Sharon Horgan (for “Bad Sisters”), Britt Lower (“Severance”), Bella Ramsey (“The Last of Us”) and Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”) are all contenders.

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At the 77th Emmy Awards ceremony on July 15, Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song announced the nominees. In the category for best lead actress in a drama series, Sharon Horgan (from “Bad Sisters”), Britt Lower (“Severance”), Bella Ramsey (“The Last of Us”) and Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”) were nominated.

Last year, when the first episode of Matlock aired, Bates told The Hollywood Reporter that she hadn’t been interested in playing a main character on TV. However, when the chance to portray a wealthy retired lawyer who secretly resumes work came along, it was exactly what she wasn’t considering. Instead, she was leaning towards avoiding such roles.

Admit it honestly, I’ve been considering semi-retirement and seeing what interesting opportunities arise,” she shared. “This development, however, took me completely by surprise, and it still does given our recent data.

In simple terms, Matlock, created by Jennie Snyder Urman, attracted 7.73 million viewers for its first airing. This was the largest audience for a series premiere on CBS since The Code followed an episode of NCIS in April 2019, marking more than five years since such a high viewer count for a new show on CBS.

Bates expressed his gratitude, stating, ‘I’m simply overjoyed to have such a robust support system for both myself and the show.’ While many may say this when promoting a series, he emphasized that this experience is truly unique. He finds it hard to comprehend all these fortunate circumstances, especially considering his current stage in life.”

“Bates conveyed his feelings of sheer luck, saying, ‘It’s a joy beyond words to have such a solid foundation for the show and me personally.’ Usually, people say this when promoting a series, but he insisted that this experience is genuinely extraordinary. He finds it hard to accept all these blessings, especially at his current age.

This year’s 77th Emmy Awards will be hosted by Nate Bargatze and aired live this coming Sunday, September 14th (8:00-11:00 p.m. Eastern Time / 5:00-8:00 p.m. Pacific Time) on CBS Television Network. You can also stream it live and on demand on Paramount+. To check out the list of nominees, click here.

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2025-07-15 18:55