The late Eric Dane is receiving Emmy attention for his return to Euphoria, which he filmed during his 10-month battle with ALS. The actor died on Feb. 19.
Should Dane be nominated, he’d join a small list of about two dozen male actors who received posthumous bids at the Emmys, including recent examples like Treat Williams for Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024) and Ray Liotta for Black Bird (2023).
To date, only three men have won Emmy Awards in acting categories following their deaths:
- David Burns for The Price (1971) in Best Drama Supporting Actor
- Raul Julia for The Burning Season (1995) in Best Movie/Limited Actor
- Chadwick Boseman for What If…? (2022) in Best Character Voice-Over Performance
Dane played Cal Jacobs, the closeted father of Nate (Jacob Elordi), since Euphoria‘s debut in 2019. Cal was introduced as a controlling, image-obsessed man whose secret life begins to unravel. His journey culminated in a chaotic moment in the Season 2 finale where he confesses to his family, and in Season 3, he reveals he had to register as a sex offender for his prior actions with minors.
Gold Derby has learned that Dane is being submitted at the 2026 Emmys in the Best Drama Guest Actor category for his appearance in Episode 3, “The Ballad of Paladin.” In that episode, Cal attends Nate and Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) wedding with his wife, Marsha (Paula Marshall). After giving a drunken wedding speech, he delivers a heartfelt apology to Jules (Hunter Schafer) for recording her while she was underage.
“This has been the most profound experience of my career,” Dane said during a post-show interview with HBO. “I really got on well with all the people I work with, and it’s great to see them all again. … This show was a very stress-free environment for me, and seeing all those familiar faces was such a treat. It’s been a fun ride.”
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Per the Gold Derby Emmy predictions data, Dane is currently in third place for Best Drama Guest Actor with an 89% chance of receiving a nomination. Slow Horses‘ Jonathan Pryce leads the projected lineup with 93%, followed by The Pitt‘s Jeff Kober in second place at 91%.
Dane received nominations for Euphoria in 2022 at the Gold Derby TV Awards and Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards. He won a trophy at the Actor Awards as part of the Grey’s Anatomy ensemble in 2007.
