Women of Emmy’s Past: Tyne Daly

Coming from a family of actors (she is the daughter of actor James Daly) Tyne Daly got into the business at a young age. She earned her Equity Card at age 15! (Very impressive). Daly became involved in theater and then went off to school at Brandeis University. After school she got back into acting and landed in the theater world, but soon made her way to TV.

Daly won her first Emmy award in 1978 when she played Karen Renshaw in the TV movie Intimate Strangers. She won for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special.

Tyne Daly as 'Detective MaryBeth Lacey'

In 1981 Daly began working on the CBS series Cagney & Lacey. Daly won the role of Mary Beth Lacey, a working mother. The show was based around the two lead ladies, who played detectives in New York City and led very different lives (one single and one married with children).

Daly and Sharon Gless (who played Cagney) were nominated for the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama six years in a row; an extremely impressive feat for any actor or actress. Daly won the award in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1988.

After Cagney & Lacey Daly appeared on the show Wings (which her brother starred in). She was nominated in 1991 for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series.

Daly then worked on Christy between the 1994-1996 seasons. For her role she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1995 and then won in 1996.

After seven seasons with Cagney & Lacey and appearances on Christy and Wings Daly found her way back to Television to star in a new series. She went to work on Judging Amy as Maxine Gray, Amy’s social working mother. The show ran from 1999-2005 and within that time Daly earned herself five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She won the award in 2003.

Daly was nominated for a total of 16 EMMYS over the course of her career and now, at the age of 65, she is still working on Television! Daly was recently seen in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Burn Notice, as well as in the TV movie Georgia O’Keeffe.