BWW Poll: Who Will Win Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama?

This week, BWW will be asking our readers to predict the winners of the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sunday, September 22nd (8:00 - 11:00 PM ET / 5:00 - 8:00 PM PT) on CBS. Be sure to visit BroadwayTVWorld for complete live coverage of the broadcast!

It would seem that, with 25 nominations amongst the group of six talented actresses up for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama, they each would bring a level of Emmy-experience to this year's race. While that might be true, all three of the group's wins belong to Dame Maggie Smith. She has two previous wins for DOWNTON ABBEY and another for HBO's MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA in 2003. While our experts almost unanimously favor her for a fourth, she is up against a slate of women with impressive television and theatre credits to their names.

Anna Gunn, nominated for the second time for BREAKING BAD, appeared on Broadway in 1996's THE REHEARSAL opposite Frances Conroy and Roger Rees. GAME OF THRONES' Queen, Emilia Clarke, celebrating her first Emmy nom, appeared as the iconic Holly Golightly in this year's revival of Truman Capote's BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S.

While MAD MEN's Christina Hendricks doesn't have any Broadway credits to go along with her four Emmy nominations, she was a part of the NY Philharmonic's All-Star COMPANY in 2011. In the show, her character, April, duets with Emmy-host Neil Patrick Harris on "Barcelona." Don't believe me? Click on the link!

While Dame Maggie is a Tony-winner, with a total of three nominations, it is THE GOOD WIFE's Christine Baranski that has the most Broadway credits. The two-time Tony-winner has appeared in seven Broadway shows, winning theatre's biggest prize for 1984's THE REAL THING and in 1989 for RUMORS. In addition to her 10 Emmy nominations and impressive stage work, she has appeared in some major movie musicals; as Mary Sunhine in the Oscar-winning CHICAGO, as Tanya in MAMMA MIA!, and next as Cinderella's Mother in the upcoming INTO THE WOODS. She also starred in the NY City Center production of FOLLIES, where she sang the Dorothy Loudon classic, "I'm Still Here," as seen in this video.

BroadwayWorld Experts' Picks:
Matthew Allen, BWW Columnist: Anna Gunn (to avoid unanimity)
Tyler Peterson, BWW News Desk Reporter: Maggie Smith
Cary Robbins, BWW TV Editor & Chief: Maggie Smith
Nicole Rosky, BWW Managing Editor: Maggie Smith

Disagree with our BWW Experts? Let us know in the comments below.