AARP Hottest Actor Noah Wyle Wins His First Emmy Award

Noah Wyle, 54, won outstanding lead actor in a drama series — one of the biggest awards of the night — at the Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, shortly after he was honored for his charm and talent on the AARP 2025 Movies for Grownups Hottest Actors Over 50 list.

Wyle plays veteran physician Dr. Michael Robinavitch in the HBO Max medical show The Pitt (for which he’s also an executive producer). Set in a hospital emergency department, The Pitt showcases the dedicated staff working heroically to save a constant flow of patients in severe distress. The show won the Emmy for outstanding drama series, and Katherine LaNasa, 58, took home the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.

In his acceptance speech, Wyle thanked his cast, crew and family before recognizing first responders on duty: “And mostly, to anybody who is going on shift tonight or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job. This is for you,” he said. 

Backstage after the ceremony, Wyle said The Pitt “was designed as a love letter to first responders ... and to try to inspire the next generation to want to go into this line of work.... That was the audience we made the show for ... and it was their word of mouth that gave us the stamp of approval.”

He told Extra! that the Emmy nod feels “incredible” and that “it’s been a party I haven’t been invited to for a while.” His last Emmy nomination was in 1999 for his role in E.R.

When Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner mentioned his 26-year absence from the Emmys, Wyle joked, “A couple of us hadn’t been born yet,” referring to some of the younger cast members on The Pitt, and added wittily, “At the rate I’m going, I’ll see you when I’m 80.” 

Wyle gained TV fame as Dr. John Carter on E.R., a role he played from 1994 to 2005. He recently told AARP that returning to a medical drama — which is filmed about 200 feet from where E.R. was filmed — was “incredibly satisfying. At the beginning, it was really just steeped in memory. I was walking around that lot, just saying hello to ghost after ghost and opening up a time capsule. Those memories, those relationships, it was all very easy to access for me.”

Wyle at the HBO Max Primetime Emmy Awards Afterparty.

David Jon/Getty Images for HBO Max

AARP’s advocacy work includes fighting ageism in Hollywood and encouraging the entertainment industry to tap into the unique perspectives and talents that actors, writers and producers who are 50 and older bring to their work.

AARP’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards, telecast on PBS, celebrates the achievements of the 50-plus community in film and television. This year’s honorees included best actress Oscar winner Demi Moore, 62 (The Substance), and best actor Oscar winner Adrien Brody, 52 (The Brutalist). Don’t miss the Movies for Grownups Awards in 2026.