Veteran actor Jeff Kober, 72, recently achieved a rare dual Emmy nomination for both Primetime and Daytime awards, a feat he accomplished through a self-funded campaign. Kober secured a Primetime Emmy nomination for his role as Duke in the HBO series “The Pitt” and a Daytime Emmy nomination for his guest appearance on “General Hospital.”
Kober revealed that he spent $225 on his self-submission and campaign for the Primetime Emmy. This approach was necessary as HBO had not included him in their official Emmy submissions. Kober noted that he had previously self-submitted for Daytime Emmys during his time on “General Hospital,” making the process familiar.
"To be fair, the bet was only a 225-buck submission fee and a little work," Kober told Page Six. "But I knew that it was work that was going to get seen, and it was work that I stood behind and that I was happy with. It was just kind of a no-brainer to me. Coming from soaps, I self-submitted in that world. I don’t know if everyone does; I just know that I had to. So it was just kind of like, ‘Oh, okay, I’ll do it again!’"
His fellow “The Pitt” guest star, Brittany Allen, also received a nod after self-submitting for her role. Kober expressed that it's important for individuals to support themselves and seize opportunities.
"All of us have to work at getting behind ourselves and supporting ourselves and offering ourselves the opportunity to have the biggest life we can have. If not now, when? I’m 72 years old!" Kober stated. He also humorously added, "Besides, I’m not doing anything else in September!"
Following his Primetime nomination, HBO acknowledged Kober's achievement with a gift basket and a note expressing their happiness to have him as part of the HBO family. Kober expressed willingness to return for another season of “The Pitt,” citing unfinished storylines and the possibility of his character's return.
Kober’s Daytime Emmy nomination stemmed from his December 2025 return to “General Hospital,” where he reprised his role as the ghost of Cyrus Renault, a character he played from 2020. He described the fast-paced nature of daytime television acting, recalling filming 55 pages of dialogue in a single day.
In “The Pitt,” Kober portrayed Duke, a character who offers understanding to Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) as he grapples with suicidal ideation. Kober described Duke as someone who has experienced personal darkness but found a way to be useful and live a full life, suggesting a connection to 12-step recovery programs.
“Duke is someone who’s been through some darkness in his life, but has found a way to be useful anyway, and to live a fair, full life in spite of where he’s been and what he’s done. He probably comes from some 12-step background,” Kober explained. “It’s not that you get over where you’ve been in life. It’s that you know that where you’ve been in life can be useful to someone else, and that’s clearly what Duke is doing there.”
Beyond his acting career, Kober is a meditation teacher. He described meditation as a practice that makes life’s challenges more manageable by allowing individuals to connect with a "deeper truth inside each of us."
Kober, who has had a long career with credits including “China Beach,” “Sons of Anarchy,” and numerous guest roles on shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the “NCIS” and “CSI” franchises, sees his dual nominations for hospital-themed shows as a source of humor. He dismissed any perceived snobbery between different genres of television acting.
"Life is too short for anyone to put down the way anyone else is doing it. That’s to cover up some shortcoming they feel in themselves. Turn that lens around, brother," he said.