[3] The award was first presented in 1986, as two separate categories for performances in a miniseries and tele feature.
In 2000, the Best Performance in a Telefeature or Mini Series accolade was re-introduced as a separate prize from the drama award.
A separate comedy award was established in 2006, and the name reverted to Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.
[5] Candidates for this award must be human and male, and cannot be nominated for best guest or supporting actor in a television drama in the same year, for the same production.
[7] All sources used in this article make no mention of the episode or series that the actor was nominated for prior to 1991, and therefore have "N/A" template in the "Episode/Series" column.