51st Primetime Emmy Awards

51st Primetime Emmy Awards
Date	September 12, 1999 (Ceremony) August 28, 1999 (Creative Arts Awards)
Location	Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted by	Jenna Elfman David Hyde Pierce
Highlights
Most awards	The Practice (4)
Most nominations	The Sopranos (11)
Outstanding Comedy Series	Ally McBeal
Outstanding Drama Series	The Practice
Outstanding Miniseries	Hornblower
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series	Late Show with David Letterman
Television/radio coverage
Network	Fox

The 51st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 12, 1999. The ceremony show was hosted by Jenna Elfman and David Hyde Pierce. It was broadcast on Fox.

The comedy-drama Ally McBeal won Outstanding Comedy Series, which not only dethroned five-time defending champion Frasier but also became the first time Fox won that award. In the drama field The Practice won Outstanding Drama Series for the second straight year, and led all shows with four major wins on the night.

Freshman series The Sopranos led all shows with 11 major nominations. From that show, Edie Falco not only became the first actress from a Cable network (HBO) to win Lead Actress, Drama series, she became the first person from any Cable TV show series to win a Major Acting award. (Though David Clennon did win for only a guest performance in HBO's Dream On in 1993).

The real winner of the night was television writer David E. Kelley. Kelley was the creator and head writer for both series champions, Ally McBeal and The Practice. This accomplishment has not been matched since.

Winners and nominees

Programs

Outstanding Comedy Series	Outstanding Drama Series
Ally McBeal, (Fox) Everybody Loves Raymond, (CBS) Frasier, (NBC) Friends, (NBC) Sex and the City, (HBO)	The Practice, (ABC) ER, (NBC) Law & Order, (NBC) NYPD Blue, (ABC) The Sopranos, (HBO)
Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series	Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special
Late Show with David Letterman, (CBS) Dennis Miller Live, (HBO) Politically Incorrect, (ABC) The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, (NBC) Tracey Takes On..., (HBO)	The 52nd Annual Tony Awards, (CBS) The 71st Annual Academy Awards, (ABC) Freak, (HBO) George Carlin: You Are All Diseased, (HBO) Jerry Seinfeld: “I'm Telling You for the Last Time”, (HBO)
Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Outstanding Miniseries
A Lesson Before Dying, (HBO) The Baby Dance, (Showtime) Dash and Lilly, (A&E) Pirates of Silicon Valley, (TNT) The Rat Pack, (HBO)	Hornblower, (A&E) The '60s, (NBC) Great Expectations, (PBS) Joan of Arc, (CBS) The Temptations, (NBC)

Acting

Lead performances

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
John Lithgow as Dr. Dick Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun (Episode: "What's Love Got to Do, Got to Do with Dick?"), (NBC) Michael J. Fox as Mike Flaherty on Spin City (Episode: "Gone with the Wind"), (ABC) Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane on Frasier (Episode: "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"), (NBC) Paul Reiser as Paul Buchman on Mad About You (Episode: "The Final Frontier"), (NBC) Ray Romano as Ray Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (Episode: "How They Met"), (CBS)	Helen Hunt as Jamie Buchman on Mad About You (Episode: "The Final Frontier"), (NBC) Jenna Elfman as Dharma Montgomery on Dharma & Greg (Episode: "Are You Ready for Some Football?"), (ABC) Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal on Ally McBeal (Episode: "Sideshow"), (Fox) Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (Episode: "Be Nice"), (CBS) Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City (Episode: "The Drought"), (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Dennis Franz as Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue (Episode: "Safe Home"), (ABC) James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode: "The Sopranos"), (HBO) Dylan McDermott as Bobby Donnell on The Practice (Episode: "Happily Ever After"), (ABC) Jimmy Smits as Bobby Simone on NYPD Blue (Episode: "Hearts and Souls"), (ABC) Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy on Law & Order (Episode: "Sideshow"), (NBC)	Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode: "College"), (HBO) Gillian Anderson as Dr. Dana Scully on The X-Files (Episode: "Milagro"), (Fox) Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on The Sopranos (Episode: "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti"), (HBO) Christine Lahti as Dr. Kate Austin on Chicago Hope (Episode: "Karmic Relief"), (CBS) Julianna Margulies as Carol Hathaway on ER (Episode: "The Storm", Part 2), (NBC)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Stanley Tucci as Walter Winchell on Winchell, (HBO) Don Cheadle as Grant Wiggins on A Lesson Before Dying, (HBO) Ian Holm as King Lear on King Lear, (PBS) Jack Lemmon as Henry Drummond on Inherit the Wind, (Showtime) Sam Shepard as Dashiell Hammett on Dash and Lilly, (A&E)	Helen Mirren as Ayn Rand on The Passion of Ayn Rand, (Showtime) Ann-Margret as Pamela Harriman on Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story, (Lifetime) Stockard Channing as Rachel Luckman on The Baby Dance, (Showtime) Judy Davis as Lillian Hellman on Dash and Lilly, (A&E) Leelee Sobieski as Joan of Arc on Joan of Arc, (CBS)

Supporting performances

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier (Episodes: "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" + "Three Valentines"), (NBC) Peter Boyle as Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (Episodes: "Driving Frank" + "Ping Pong"), (CBS) Peter MacNicol as John Cage on Ally McBeal, (Fox) John Mahoney as Martin Crane on Frasier (Episodes: "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" + "Our Parents, Ourselves"), (NBC) David Spade as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me! (Episodes: "Two Girls for Every Boy" + "Slow Donnie"), (NBC)	Kristen Johnston as Sally Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun (Episodes: "Two-Faced Dick" + "Dick the Mouth Solomon"), (NBC) Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay on Friends (Episodes: "The One Hundredth" + "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"), (NBC) Lucy Liu as Ling Woo on Ally McBeal (Episodes: "Angels and Blimps" + "Sex, Lies, and Politics"), (Fox) Wendie Malick as Nina van Horn on Just Shoot Me! (Episodes: "Two Girls for Every Boy" + "Slow Donnie"), (NBC) Doris Roberts as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (Episodes: "The Toaster" + "Frank's Tribute"), (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Michael Badalucco as Jimmy Berluti on The Practice, (ABC) Benjamin Bratt as Reynaldo Curtis on Law & Order, (NBC) Steve Harris as Eugene Young on The Practice, (ABC) Steven Hill as Adam Schiff on Law & Order, (NBC) Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter on ER, (NBC)	Holland Taylor as Roberta Kittleson on The Practice (Episode: "End Games"), (ABC) Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Gamble on The Practice, (ABC) Kim Delaney as Diane Russell on NYPD Blue, (ABC) Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt on The Practice, (ABC) Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano on The Sopranos (Episodes: "The Sopranos" + "46 Long"), (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Peter O'Toole as Bishop Cauchon on Joan of Arc, (CBS) Beau Bridges as E. K. Hornbeck on Inherit the Wind, (Showtime) Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr. on The Rat Pack, (HBO) Peter Fonda as Frank O'Connor on The Passion of Ayn Rand, (Showtime) Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin on The Rat Pack, (HBO)	Anne Bancroft as Geraldine Eileen Cummins on Deep in My Heart, (CBS) Jacqueline Bisset as Isabelle D'Arc on Joan of Arc, (CBS) Olympia Dukakis as Mother Babette on Joan of Arc, (CBS) Bebe Neuwirth as Dorothy Parker on Dash and Lilly, (A&E) Cicely Tyson as Tante Lou on A Lesson Before Dying, (HBO) Dianne Wiest as Sarah McClellan on The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn, (CBS)

Guest performances

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Mel Brooks as Uncle Phil on Mad About You (Episode: "Uncle Phil Goes Back To High School"), (NBC) Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd on Frasier (Episode: "The Show Where Woody Shows Up"), (NBC) Charles Nelson Reilly as Mr. Hathaway on The Drew Carey Show (Episode: "Drugco"), (NBC) John Ritter as George Madison on Ally McBeal (Episode: "It's My Party"), (Fox) William Shatner as The Big Giant Head on 3rd Rock from the Sun (Episode: "Dick's Big Giant Headache"), (NBC)	Tracey Ullman as Tracy Clark on Ally McBeal (Episode: "Sideshow"), (Fox) Christine Baranski as Dr. Nora Fairchild on Frasier (Episode: "Dr. Nora"), (NBC) Kathy Bates as Charlotte Everly on 3rd Rock from the Sun (Episode: "Alien Hunter"), (NBC) Piper Laurie as Mrs. Mulhern on Frasier (Episode: "Dr. Nora"), (NBC) Laurie Metcalf as Jennifer on 3rd Rock from the Sun (Episode: "I Am Dick Pentameter!"), (NBC)
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Edward Herrmann as Atty. Anderson Pearson on The Practice, (ABC) Tony Danza as Tommy Silva on The Practice, (ABC) Charles S. Dutton as Alvah Case on Oz (Episode: "The Tip"), (HBO) John Heard as Det. Vin Makazian on The Sopranos (Episode: "Nobody Knows Anything"), (HBO) Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope (Episode: "Curing Cancer"), (CBS)	Debra Monk as Katie Sipowicz on NYPD Blue (Episode: "Hearts and Souls"), (ABC) Veronica Cartwright as Cassandra Spender on The X-Files (Episode: "Two Fathers"), (Fox) Patty Duke as Nancy on Touched by an Angel (Episode: "I Do"), (CBS) Julia Roberts as Katrina Ludlow on Law & Order (Episode: "Empire"), (NBC) Marion Ross as Emma Winowitz on Touched by an Angel (Episode: "The Wind Beneath My Wings"), (CBS)

Directing

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series	Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Thomas Schlamme, for Sports Night (Episode: "Pilot"), (ABC) James Burrows for Will & Grace (Episode: "Pilot"), (NBC) Michael Lembeck for Friends (Episode: "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"), (NBC) Will Mackenzie for Everybody Loves Raymond (Episode: "Robert's Date"), (CBS) Arlene Sanford, for Ally McBeal (Episode: "Those Lips, That Hand"), (Fox)	Paris Barclay for NYPD Blue (Episode: "Hearts and Souls"), (ABC) David Chase for The Sopranos (Episode: "The Sopranos"), (HBO) Matthew Penn for Law & Order (Episode: "Empire"), (NBC) Edwin Sherin for Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street (Episode: "Sideshow"), (NBC)
Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program	Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie
Paul Miller for The 52nd Annual Tony Awards, (CBS) Ellen Brown for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, (NBC) Louis J. Horvitz for The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, (CBS) Beth McCarthy-Miller for Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Jennifer Love Hewitt") (NBC) Walter C. Miller for 41st Annual Grammy Awards, (CBS)	Allan Arkush for The Temptations, (NBC) Jane Anderson for The Baby Dance, (Showtime) Kathy Bates for Dash and Lilly, (A&E) Christian Duguay for Joan of Arc, (A&E) Joseph Sargent for A Lesson Before Dying, (HBO)

Writing

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Jay Kogen for Frasier (Episode: "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"), (NBC) Alexa Junge for Friends (Episode: "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"), (NBC) David E. Kelley for Ally McBeal (Episode: "Sideshow"), (Fox) Steven Levitan for Just Shoot Me! (Episode: "Slow Donnie"), (NBC) Aaron Sorkin for Sports Night (Episode: "The Apology"), (ABC)	James Manos Jr., David Chase for The Sopranos (Episode: "College"), (HBO) David Chase for The Sopranos (Episode: "The Sopranos"), (HBO) Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess for The Sopranos (Episode: "Isabella"), (HBO) Frank Renzulli for The Sopranos (Episode: "Nobody Knows Anything"), (HBO) Nicholas Wootton, Steven Bochco, David Milch, Bill Clark for NYPD Blue (Episode: "Hearts and Souls"), (ABC)
Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program	Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie
The Chris Rock Show, (HBO) Dennis Miller Live, (HBO) Late Night with Conan O'Brien, (NBC) Late Show with David Letterman, (CBS) Mr. Show with Bob and David, (HBO)	Ann Peacock for A Lesson Before Dying, (HBO) Jane Anderson for The Baby Dance, (Showtime) Martyn Burke for Pirates of Silicon Valley, (TNT) Jerrold L. Ludwig for Dash and Lilly, (A&E) Kario Salem for The Rat Pack, (HBO)

Most major nominations

By network

• NBC – 42
• HBO – 32
• CBS – 23
• ABC – 22
• Fox – 10

By program

• The Sopranos (HBO) – 11
• The Practice (ABC) – 9
• Ally McBeal (Fox) / Frasier (NBC) – 8
• Law & Order (NBC) / NYPD Blue (ABC) – 7
• Dash and Lilly (A&E) / Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS) / Joan of Arc (CBS) – 6

Most major awards

By network

• ABC – 8
• NBC – 7
• HBO – 6
• CBS – 5
• Fox – 2

By program

• The Practice (ABC) – 3

Notes

In Memoriam

• Gene Autry
• Rory Calhoun
• Peggy Cass
• Joseph Cates
• Dane Clark
• Ellen Corby
• Richard Denning
• Norman Fell
• Mary Frann
• Allen Funt
• Virginia Graham
• Ed Herlihy
• John Holliman
• DeForest Kelley
• Roddy McDowall
• Gary Morton
• Anthony Newley
• Dick O'Neill
• Noam Pitlik
• Dana Plato
• Mario Puzo
• Esther Rolle
• Sylvia Sidney
• Gene Siskel
• Susan Strasberg
• David Strickland
• Mel Tormé
• Mark Warren
• Bill Wendell
• Flip Wilson

External links

• Emmys.com list of 1999 Nominees & Winners
• 51st Primetime Emmy Awards at IMDb