India, Sept. 15 -- Jean Smart made Emmy history on Monday night, winning her fifth consecutive award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Deborah Vance in the final season of HBO Max's "Hacks," becoming the first female performer to win the category for every season of a series.

The victory brought Smart's career total to eight Emmy wins, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most Emmy acting wins by any performer in the ceremony's history.

Smart triumphed over a field that included Quinta Brunson for "Abbott Elementary," Ayo Edebiri for "The Bear," Elle Fanning for "Margo's Got Money Troubles," and Lisa Kudrow for "The Comeback."

In addition to her five wins for "Hacks," Smart's Emmy...