Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.

Liz Smith | 09/18/2008 12:00 am

Liz Smith: Women 40+ Dominate the Pool of Emmy-Nominated Actresses

Liz Smith

The important Emmy awards are happening Sunday and as most of us are television fans of one stripe or another, let’s consider how far women have come in this industry.

Variety, the Bible of Show Business, tells us that despite the youth obsession of show business, the nominees in the category of Lead Actress are all more than 40 years old.

They are Kyra Sedgwick of “The Closer,” Mariska Hargitay in “Law and Order,” Holly Hunter in “Saving Grace,” Glenn Close in “Damages” and Sally Field in “Brothers & Sisters.” (Sally won last year!)

Click here for photos of this year’s 40+ Emmy nominees for Best Actress in a Drama.

Ms. Sedgwick, who portrays a wacky detective, is the odds on choice to win. She has said, “That myth that there are no good jobs for older women in Hollywood is gone. I’m happy to declare the death of that!”

Ms. Hunter says, “I think all of us just want to be able to act. It’s what you want to do. Sometimes with features, I found myself not acting for years at a time because the opportunities that were offered weren’t exciting. They weren’t thrilling, and I wanted to be thrilled … These performances are all character-driven. The stories are largely propelled by character. For a lot of actresses, that’s really the engine.”

And now for the one-two punch which gives us here at wOw a chance to brag again on our own. In the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama section, one of the nominees is none other than Candice Bergen on the series "Boston Legal."

2008_0917_ap_Candice_bergen.jpgwOw’s Candice Bergen at the L.A. premiere of "The Women" © AP


I liked Variety’s estimate of “why she might win: She’s a Hollywood icon, and the actress retains a punchy yet thinking person’s sex appeal that goes over well with older TV Academy members who might be inclined to lean toward women who earned their way through the TV wars.”

Well, Candice certainly earned her way in the past with her super success year after year in “Murphy Brown.” Variety has this comment to add for why she may not win: “She’s already won five times, and some might say enough is enough.”

Click here on this text to read my New York Post column.

17 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Pamela Munro
The 40 trend is nice - but remember that all those folks were once on the BIG screen and TV is a step down for them. Not too many 40+ you don’t already know pretty well. Don’t you notice the trend to having older movie stars take leads/guest stars on TV now? They used to go to TV actors. Not anymore.
By Pamela Munro on 09/18/2008 5:09 pm
Obama Biden
I think we have more important issues at hand please quit posting on these sites so they get the idea!!! We have a government in crisis and a Presidential election that is of the UTMOST IMPORTANCE
By Obama Biden on 09/23/2008 7:43 pm