The Young and the Restless star Peter Bergman has already made history by receiving his record 25th nomination at the Daytime Emmys for Best Drama Actor. To date, he’s won three of those contests for playing Jack Abbott in 1991, 1992, and 2002. If he claims No. 4 this year, he’d be behind only Anthony Geary (eight wins for General Hospital) and David Canary (five wins for All My Children) on the category’s all-time winners list.
This Daytime Emmys race is shaping up to be a battle between Bergman and Dominic Zamprogna (General Hospital), who’s on his second lead nomination as Dante Falconeri after previously earning three bids in supporting. According to Gold Derby’s predictions, Bergman has a 68 percent chance of winning, compared to a 15 percent chance for Zamprogna. But the latter has gained momentum in recent weeks, up 4 points from the time the noms were announced.
The other Best Drama Actor nominees all hail from Days of Our Lives: Eric Martsolf as Brady Black, Greg Rikaart as Leo Stark, and Paul Telfer as Xander Kiriakis. Martsolf won the supporting category in 2014, Rikaart took home a supporting statuette for The Young and the Restless in 2005, and Telfer is a first-time lead nominee after contending in supporting in 2020.
Shockingly, The Bold and the Beautiful only received four total nominations at this year’s Emmys, and was notably snubbed in Best Drama Actor, where it is the three-time reigning champion for John McCook (2022) and Thorsten Kaye (2023 and 2024). Bergman is hoping that their absence opens the door for him to come in and claim victory after a 23-year hiatus.
During the eligible season of The Young and the Restless, Bergman celebrated his 35th anniversary of playing Jack. The character’s complex history with Nikki Newman, played by Melody Thomas Scott, was on full display as he became her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. However, despite Jack’s numerous attempts, Nikki rejected his efforts, and they ended up hitting a breaking point together. As Gold Derby forum poster The BC 2.0 reminds us, “Emmy voters are madly in love with addicts.”
“Can GH win 🏆 five in a row, extending their record? If they submitted Bobbie’s death, yes. Actor – Peter Bergman (Emmy voters are madly in love with addicts) Actress – NLG Supporting Actor – Gregory Gonzo Harrison Supporting Actress – Kate Mansi joins her GH mom, Gina Tognoni, Amelia Heinle, and Julia Barr in the two-timers Supporting Actress club Emerging Talent – Luna Guest Performer – Little Leon from Mayberry Writing – Y&R Directing – Does GH ever lose? Talk Show – Drew Talk Show Host – The former Hayley and Mateo Santos, Live with Kelly and Mark”
Zamprogna’s eligible season of General Hospital featured a memorable storyline in which Dante was shot in the chest by henchmen, resulting in the character falling into a coma for a short period of time. Months later, he went into an emotional spiral while dealing with the death of his longtime lover, Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco). Might the teary-eyed story be enough to push Zamprogna over the edge?