The 30th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 17, 1978. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. 37 awards were presented.
The top shows of the night were All in the Family, which won its then record fourth Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and The Rockford Files. CBS continued its streak of dominance by winning its eighth straight Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, this record still stands. Actor Will Geer received three posthumous acting nominations for three different performances, but lost in each category.
For the first time in Emmy history, two shows won six major awards, All in the Family became the first show to win six major awards twice, and the miniseries Holocaust tied the record for most wins by a miniseries set the previous year by Roots.
This ceremony was interrupted for thirty minutes by a nationally televised address by then-President Jimmy Carter, joined by then-Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and then-Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, in which Carter announced the signing of the Camp David Accords.
Rita Moreno's win made her the third person to become an EGOT.
Winners and nominees Emmys.com list of 1978 Nominees & Winners
Programs
+ All in the Family (CBS) Barney Miller (ABC) M*A*S*H (CBS) Soap (ABC) Three's Company (ABC) The Rockford Files (NBC) Columbo (NBC) Family (ABC) Lou Grant (CBS) Quincy, M.E. (NBC) The Muppet Show (Syndicated) America 2-Night (Syndicated) The Carol Burnett Show (CBS) Evening at Pops (PBS) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back (NBC) The George Burns One-Man Show (CBS) Neil Diamond: I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight (NBC) The Second Barry Manilow Special (ABC) World of Magic (NBC) The Gathering (ABC) A Death in Canaan (CBS) Jesus of Nazareth (NBC) Our Town (NBC) Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy (ABC) Holocaust (NBC) Anna Karenina (PBS) I, Claudius (PBS) King (NBC) Washington: Behind Closed Doors (ABC)
Acting
Lead performances + Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker in All in the Family (CBS) Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H (CBS) Hal Linden as Capt. Barney Miller in Barney Miller (ABC) John Ritter as Jack Tripper in Three's Company (ABC) Henry Winkler as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in Happy Days (ABC) Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker in All in the Family (CBS) (Episode: "Edith's 50th Birthday") Bea Arthur as Maude Findlay in Maude (CBS) Cathryn Damon as Mary Campbell in Soap (ABC) Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern in Rhoda (CBS) Katherine Helmond as Jessica Tate in Soap (ABC) Suzanne Pleshette as Emily Hartley in The Bob Newhart Show (CBS) Edward Asner as Lou Grant in Lou Grant (CBS) (Episode: "Physical") James Broderick as Doug Lawrence in Family (ABC) Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo in Columbo (NBC) James Garner as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files (NBC) Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy in Quincy, M.E. (NBC) Ralph Waite as John Walton Sr. in The Waltons (CBS) Sada Thompson as Kate Lawrence in Family (ABC) Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (NBC) Fionnula Flanagan as Molly Culhane in How the West Was Won (ABC) Kate Jackson as Sabrina Duncan in Charlie's Angels (ABC) Michael Learned as Olivia Walton in The Waltons (CBS) Susan Sullivan as Dr. Julie Farr in Julie Farr, M.D. (ABC) Fred Astaire as Ted Long in A Family Upside Down (NBC) Alan Alda as Caryl W. Chessman in Kill Me If You Can (NBC) Hal Holbrook as the Stage Manager in Our Town (NBC) Martin Sheen as Taxi Driver in Taxi!!! (NBC) James Stacy as Kenny Briggs in Just a Little Inconvenience (NBC) Joanne Woodward as Betty Quinn in See How She Runs (CBS) Helen Hayes as Emma Long in A Family Upside Down (NBC) Eva Marie Saint as Passenger in Taxi!!! (NBC) Maureen Stapleton as Kate in The Gathering (ABC) Sada Thompson as Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town (NBC) Michael Moriarty as Erik Dorff in Holocaust (NBC) Hal Holbrook as Portius Wheeler in The Awakening Land (NBC) Jason Robards as President Richard Monckton in Washington: Behind Closed Doors (ABC) Fritz Weaver as Dr. Josef Weiss in Holocaust (NBC) Paul Winfield as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in King (NBC) Meryl Streep as Inga Helms-Weiss in Holocaust (NBC) Rosemary Harris as Berta Palitz Weiss in Holocaust (NBC) Elizabeth Montgomery as Sayward Luckett Wheeler in The Awakening Land (NBC) Lee Remick as Erica Trenton in Wheels (NBC) Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King in King (NBC)
Supporting performances
Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic in All in the Family (CBS) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham in Happy Days (ABC) Gary Burghoff as Radar O'Reilly in M*A*S*H (CBS) Harry Morgan as Sherman T. Potter in M*A*S*H (CBS) Vic Tayback as Mel Sharples in Alice (CBS) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern in Rhoda (CBS) (Episode: "Brenda the Bank Girl") Polly Holliday as Florence Jean Castleberry in Alice (CBS) Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker-Stivic in All in the Family (CBS) Loretta Swit as Margaret Houlihan in M*A*S*H (CBS) Nancy Walker as Ida Morgenstern in Rhoda (CBS) Robert Vaughn as Frank Flaherty in Washington: Behind Closed Doors (ABC) Ossie Davis as Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. in King (NBC) Will Geer as Zebulon Walton in The Waltons (CBS) Sam Wanamaker as Moses Weiss in Holocaust (NBC) David Warner as Heydrich in Holocaust (NBC) Nancy Marchand as Margaret Pynchon in Lou Grant (CBS) (Episode: "Takeover") Meredith Baxter as Nancy Lawrence Maitland in Family (ABC) Tovah Feldshuh as Helena Slomova in Holocaust (NBC) Linda Kelsey as Billie Newman in Lou Grant (CBS) Kristy McNichol as Letitia Lawrence in Family (ABC) Howard Da Silva as Eddie in Verna: USO Girl (PBS) James Farentino as Simon Peter in Jesus of Nazareth (NBC) Burgess Meredith as Cardinal Burke in The Last Hurrah (NBC) Donald Pleasence as Captain Vladimir Popov in The Defection of Simas Kudirka (CBS) Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Mike Long in A Family Upside Down (NBC) Eva Le Gallienne as Fanny Cavendish in The Royal Family (PBS) Tyne Daly as Karen Renshaw in Intimate Strangers (ABC) Patty Duke as Wendy in A Family Upside Down (NBC) Mariette Hartley as Clare Gardiner in The Last Hurrah (NBC) Cloris Leachman as Clara Oddbody in It Happened One Christmas (ABC) Viveca Lindfors as Dr. Rosen in A Question of Guilt (CBS) Tim Conway in The Carol Burnett Show (CBS) Dan Aykroyd in Saturday Night Live (NBC) John Belushi in Saturday Night Live (NBC) Louis Gossett Jr. in The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots (ABC) Peter Sellers in The Muppet Show (Syndicated) Gilda Radner in Saturday Night Live (NBC) Bea Arthur in Laugh-In (NBC) Jane Curtin in Saturday Night Live (NBC) Dolly Parton in Cher... Special (ABC) Bernadette Peters in The Muppet Show (Syndicated)
Single performances
Barnard Hughes as Judge Felix Rushman in Lou Grant (CBS): "Judge" David Cassidy as Officer Dan Shay in Police Story (NBC): "A Chance to Live" Will Geer as Franklyn Bootherstone in The Love Boat (ABC): "The Old Man and the Runaway" Judd Hirsch as Mike Andretti in Rhoda (CBS): "Rhoda Likes Mike" John Rubinstein as Jeff Maitland in Family (ABC): "And Baby Makes Three" Keenan Wynn as Ben Fletcher in Police Woman (NBC): "Good Old Uncle Ben" Rita Moreno as Rita Capkovic in The Rockford Files (NBC): "The Paper Palace" Patty Duke as Leslee Wexler in Having Babies III (ABC) Kate Jackson as Robin in James at 15/16 (NBC): "Pilot" Jayne Meadows as Florence Nightingale in Meeting of Minds (PBS): "Luther, Voltaire, Plato, Nightingale" Irene Tedrow as Miss Jordan on James at 15/16 (NBC): "Ducks" Ricardo Montalbán as Satangkai in How the West Was Won (ABC): "Part II" Will Geer as Santa Claus in Eight is Enough (ABC): "Yes, Nicholas... There is a Santa Claus" Larry Gelman as Edward Sellers in Barney Miller (ABC): "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" Harold Gould as Martin Morgenstern in Rhoda (CBS): "Happy Anniversary" Abe Vigoda as Det. Phil Fish in Barney Miller (ABC): "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" Blanche Baker as Anna Weiss in Holocaust (NBC): "Part I" Ellen Corby as Esther Walton in The Waltons (CBS): "Grandma Comes Home" Jeanette Nolan as Granny McWhirter in The Awakening Land (NBC): "Part I" Beulah Quo as Empress Tz'u-hsi in Meeting of Minds (PBS): "Douglass, Tz'u-Hsi, Beccaria, De Sade" Beatrice Straight as Alice Dain Leggett in The Dain Curse (CBS): "Part I"
Directing + All in the Family (CBS): "Edith's 50th Birthday" – Paul Bogart Happy Days (ABC): "Richie Almost Dies" – Jerry Paris M*A*S*H (CBS): "Comrades in Arms" – Burt Metcalfe and Alan Alda Maude (CBS): "Vivian's Decision" – Hal Cooper Soap (ABC): "Episode #24" – Jay Sandrich Holocaust (NBC) – Marvin J. Chomsky The Dain Curse (CBS) – E.W. Swackhamer I, Claudius (PBS) – Herbert Wise King (NBC) – Abby Mann Washington: Behind Closed Doors (ABC) – Gary Nelson The Carol Burnett Show (CBS): "Steve Martin and Betty White" – Dave Powers The Muppet Show (Syndicated): "Elton John" – Peter Harris The Richard Pryor Show (NBC): "Paula Kelly" – John Moffitt Saturday Night Live (NBC): "Steve Martin" – Dave Wilson Shields and Yarnell (CBS): "John Aylesworth" – Steve Binder The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots (ABC) – Dwight Hemion Mitzi... Zings Into Spring (CBS) – Tony Charmoli The Paul Simon Special (NBC) – Dave Wilson The Second Barry Manilow Special (ABC) – George Schaefer World of Magic (NBC) – Walter C. Miller The Defection of Simas Kudirka (CBS) – David Lowell Rich Breaking Up (ABC) – Delbert Mann The Gathering (ABC) – Randal Kleiser Our Town (NBC) – George Schaefer Something for Joey (CBS) – Lou Antonio Verna: USO Girl (PBS) – Ronald F. Maxwell
Writing + All in the Family (CBS): "Cousin Liz" – All in the Family (CBS): "Edith's Crisis of Faith, Part 2" – All in the Family (CBS): "Edith's 50th Birthday" – Bob Weiskopf and Bob Schiller M*A*S*H (CBS): "Fallen Idol" – Alan Alda Holocaust (NBC) – Gerald Green The Dain Curse (CBS) – Robert W. Lenski King (NBC) – Abby Mann Meeting of Minds (PBS) – Steve Allen The Norman Conquests (PBS) – Alan Ayckbourn The Paul Simon Special (NBC) Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back (NBC) The George Burns One-Man Show (CBS) The Second Barry Manilow Special (ABC) The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots (ABC) The Carol Burnett Show (CBS): "Steve Martin and Betty White" America 2-Night (Syndicated): "Carol Burnett" The Carol Burnett Show (CBS): "Ken Berry" The Muppet Show (Syndicated): "Dom DeLuise" Saturday Night Live (NBC): "Steve Martin" The Last Tenant (ABC) – George Rubino Breaking Up (ABC) – Loring Mandel The Defection of Simas Kudirka (CBS) – Bruce Feldman The Gathering (ABC) – James Poe Something for Joey (CBS) – Jerry McNeely The Storyteller (CBS) – Richard Levinson and William Link Mary White (ABC) – Caryl Ledner Actor (PBS) – Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (NBC) – Blanche Hanalis Verna: USO Girl (PBS) – Albert Innaurato The War Between the Tates (NBC) – Barbara Turner
Most major nominations +Networks with multiple major nominations"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network Number ofNominations NBC 61 ABC 59 CBS 53 PBS 13