NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. The award was first given in 1972. Not to be confused with the Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Currently, LL Cool J holds the record for most wins in the category with four.

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

1970s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
1972
	Redd Foxx	Sanford and Son	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1973 – 79	colspan="3" Template:N/a

1980s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
1980 – 81	colspan="3" Template:N/a
1982
	Paul Winfield	The Sophisticated Gents	Template:Citation needed
1983
	Howard Rollins	For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story	Template:Citation needed
1984 – 88	colspan="3" Template:N/a
1989
	Howard Rollins	In the Heat of the Night	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1990s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
1990
	Danny Glover	Mandela	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1991	colspan="3" Template:N/a
1992
	Blair Underwood	Murder in Mississippi	Template:Citation needed
1993
	James Earl Jones	Gabriel's Fire	Template:Citation needed
	Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs	The Jacksons: An American Dream
1994
	Dorian Harewood	I'll Fly Away	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1995
	Blair Underwood	L.A. Law	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1996
	Malik Yoba	New York Undercover	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	André Braugher	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Avery Brooks	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
	Yaphet Kotto	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Eriq La Salle	ER
1997
	Malik Yoba	New York Undercover	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	André Braugher	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Avery Brooks	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
	Yaphet Kotto	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Eriq La Salle	ER
1998
	Malik Yoba	New York Undercover	Template:Citation needed
	André Braugher	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Yaphet Kotto
	Eriq La Salle	ER
	Richard Roundtree	413 Hope St.
1999
	Eriq La Salle	ER	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	André Braugher	Homicide: Life on the Street
	Rocky Carroll	Chicago Hope
	Steve Harris	The Practice
	Yaphet Kotto	Homicide: Life on the Street

2000s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
2000
	Eriq La Salle	ER	Template:Citation needed
	Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	Oz
	Michael Beach	Third Watch
	Steve Harris	The Practice
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
2001
	Blair Underwood	City of Angels	Template:Citation needed
	André Braugher	Gideon's Crossing
	Steve Harris	The Practice
	Eriq La Salle	ER
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
2002
	Eriq La Salle	ER	Template:Citation needed
	André Braugher	Gideon's Crossing
	Steve Harris	The Practice
	Ving Rhames	UC: Undercover
	Courtney B. Vance	Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2003
	Michael Beach	Third Watch	Template:Citation needed
	Bill Bellamy	Fastlane
	André Braugher	Hack
	Dennis Haysbert	24
	Mykelti Williamson	Boomtown
2004
	Steve Harris	The Practice	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Gary Dourdan	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
	Dennis Haysbert	24
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
	Wendell Pierce	The Wire
2005
	Taye Diggs	Kevin Hill	Template:Citation needed
	Gary Dourdan	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Steve Harris	The Practice
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
2006
	Isaiah Washington	Grey's Anatomy	Template:Citation needed
	Omar Epps	House
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Ice-T	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
2007
	Isaiah Washington	Grey's Anatomy	Template:Citation needed
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Dennis Haysbert	The Unit
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
	Michael K. Williams	The Wire
2008
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY	Template:Citation needed
	Anthony Anderson	K-Ville
	Dennis Haysbert	The Unit
	Jesse L. Martin	Law & Order
	Jimmy Smits	Cane
2009
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY	Template:Citation needed
	Anthony Anderson	Law & Order
	Omar Epps	House
	Dennis Haysbert	The Unit
	Blair Underwood	In Treatment

2010s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
2010
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY	Template:Citation needed
	Anthony Anderson	Law & Order
	Taye Diggs	Private Practice
	Laurence Fishburne	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles
2011
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles	Template:Citation needed
	Anthony Anderson	Law & Order
	Laurence Fishburne	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Blair Underwood	The Event
2012
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles	Template:Citation needed
	André Braugher	Men of a Certain Age
	Taye Diggs	Private Practice
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Wendell Pierce	Treme
2013
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Michael Clarke Duncan	The Finder
	Hill Harper	CSI: NY
	Dulé Hill	Psych
	Wendell Pierce	Treme
2014
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Michael Ealy	Almost Human
	Shemar Moore	Criminal Minds
	James Pickens Jr.	Grey's Anatomy
	Wendell Pierce	Treme
2015
	Shemar Moore	Criminal Minds	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Taye Diggs	Murder in the First
	Omar Epps	Resurrection
	Omari Hardwick	Being Mary Jane
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles
2016
	Terrence Howard	Empire	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Morris Chestnut	Rosewood
	Omari Hardwick	Power
	LL Cool J	NCIS: Los Angeles
	Wesley Snipes	The Player
2017
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Mike Colter	Marvel's Luke Cage
	Omari Hardwick	Power
	Terrence Howard	Empire
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
2018
	Omari Hardwick	Power	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
	Mike Colter	The Defenders
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us
	Terrence Howard	Empire
2019
	Omari Hardwick	Power	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Jason Mitchell	The Chi
	Keith David	Greenleaf
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us

2020s

Year	Actor	Series	Ref
2020
	Omari Hardwick	Power	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us
	Billy Porter	Pose
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
	Forest Whitaker	Godfather of Harlem
2021
	Regé-Jean Page	Bridgerton	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us
	Jonathan Majors	Lovecraft Country
	Keith David	Greenleaf
	Nicco Annan	P-Valley
2022
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Damson Idris	Snowfall
	Billy Porter	Pose
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
	Forest Whitaker	Godfather of Harlem
2023
	Nicco Annan	P-Valley	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Jabari Banks	Bel-Air
	Kofi Siriboe	Queen Sugar
	Sterling K. Brown	This Is Us
	Damson Idris	Snowfall

Multiple wins and nominations

Wins

4 wins

• LL Cool J

3 wins

• Hill Harper
• Eriq La Salle
• Blair Underwood
• Malik Yoba
• Omari Hardwick

2 wins

• Sterling K. Brown
• Isaiah Washington
• Howard Rollins

Nominations

9 nominations

• Hill Harper

8 nominations

• André Braugher

7 nominations

• Eriq La Salle
• LL Cool J
• Jesse L. Martin

6 nominations

• Sterling K. Brown
• Steve Harris
• Omari Hardwick

5 nominations

• Dennis Haysbert
• Kofi Siriboe
• Blair Underwood

4 nominations

• Anthony Anderson
• Taye Diggs
• Yaphet Kotto
• Wendell Pierce

3 nominations

• Omar Epps
• Terrence Howard
• Malik Yoba

2 nominations

• Michael Beach
• Avery Brooks
• Mike Colter
• Keith David
• Gary Dourdan
• Laurence Fishburne
• Shemar Moore
• Billy Porter
• Isaiah Washington
• Forest Whitaker