Ford, Field, Short Chase Emmy History in Veterans' Year
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- Harrison Ford, 84, is nominated for supporting comedy actor for Apple TV's "Shrinking" and would become the oldest winner in the category, surpassing Henry Winkler's mark of 72 (set in 2018 for "Barry") and Bob Newhart's win at 84 for "The Big Bang Theory" in 2013.
- Martin Short, 76, earned his fifth consecutive nomination for Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" — his eighth acting nod overall and still without a win; a victory would make him the oldest lead comedy actor champion ever, sailing past Eugene Levy's age of 73 when "Schitt's Creek" swept in 2020.
- Sally Field, 79, is nominated for limited series/TV movie for Netflix's "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and could become the oldest winner in the category by months — Kathy Bates missed the record last year with "Matlock," and Jessica Tandy was also 79 when she won for "Foxfire" in 1988.
- Youn Yuh-jung, 79, earned her first Emmy nomination for "Beef" Season 2 on Netflix; a win would make her the first Korean actress to take a Primetime acting Emmy (Lee Jung-jae broke the barrier for men with "Squid Game" in 2022) and the first Korean performer to own both an Oscar and an Emmy for acting.
- Rob Reiner, who died in December at 78 alongside his wife Michele, received a posthumous nomination for guest comedy actor on FX's "The Bear"; a win would arrive 48 years after his last acting Emmy (1978 for "All in the Family"), shattering father Carl Reiner's record of a 38-year gap between victories.
- Stephen Root, 74, is also nominated for supporting comedy actor for Apple TV's freshman horror-comedy "Widow's Bay" after roughly 250 credits and zero wins — meaning two men older than Winkler's standing record compete in the same category this year.
Why it matters: This September 14 Emmy ballot concentrates more potential age records than any ceremony in recent memory: Ford could claim his first major acting trophy at 84 after a 60-year screen career, Reiner could win posthumously 48 years after his last acting Emmy, and Youn could become the first Korean actress to win a Primetime acting Emmy. With both Ford and Root over the existing comedy supporting record of 72, and Short, Field, and Youn all in striking distance of historic firsts, the Television Academy's votes will simultaneously reset multiple record books regardless of who takes each trophy.
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