NBC’s ‘Frasier’ Wins 3 Emmys; ‘Cybill’ Gets 1 : Television: David Hyde Pierce, Christine Baranski are named best supporting actor and actress in comedies.

NBC’s hit comedy “Frasier” won three of the first four honors at Sunday’s 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards presented at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

David Hyde Pierce, who plays the show’s wobbly psychiatrist, won best supporting actor in a comedy series. The show also won for comedy series directing and best writing in a comedy series.

Christine Baranski, the sardonic divorcee on “Cybill,” led off the evening with the Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

Julianna Margulies, a troubled nurse on “ER,” won best supporting actress in a drama series. Ray Walston, the cantankerous Judge Henry Bone on “Picket Fences,” won the Emmy for supporting actor in a drama series.

“I have 30 seconds to tell you that I’ve been waiting 60 years to get up on this stage,” Walston told the audience.

NBC headed into the awards with an edge as the leader in nominations and preliminary trophies given in weekend ceremonies.

“ER,” NBC’s hot hospital drama that dominated the Emmys with 23 bids, received five statues in the non-televised creative arts awards Saturday.

NBC had a total of 96 Emmy nominations, followed by CBS with 91 and cable’s Home Box Office with 50. ABC had 42 bids, while Fox Broadcasting Co. had 19.

Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” and Cybill Shepherd of “Cybill” hosted the show telecast by Fox Broadcasting Co.

Barbra Streisand received the Emmy for individual performance in a variety or music program. She noted that it had been 30 years since her last Emmy.

This one, she said, was more significant because of “so many doubts that I had over so many years of not performing. You know, would I, I mean could I do it? Would my voice be there? Would the people still pay to see me?”

In the annual clothes encounter outside the auditorium that preceded the awards program, Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O’Donnell, Teri Hatcher and Helen Hunt led a bevy of actresses who decided to buck the color black.

Their male counterparts played it safe on television’s biggest night, with “ER” stars George Clooney, Noah Wyle and Anthony Edwards trading in their hospital scrubs for variations on the black tuxedo.

Degeneres, who hosted last year’s show and is nominated for best comedy actress, wore a midnight blue suit accented by a diamond choker and sturdy black shoes.

“All by myself I did this. No Garanimal tags needed,” Degeneres joked, referring to the children’s clothing line.

Hunt, also nominated for comedy actress, swept along the red-carpet parade in a long red dress with a matching red clutch purse.

“I prayed to the altar of Calvin Klein,” she said. “I look like a human stop sign.”

Hatcher of “Lois & Clark” chose a clingy silver satin gown and matching satin shoes to accent her sleek dark short hair.

“Black is wonderful, but it’s so safe,” she said. “With the new haircut, I wanted to be daring.”

That award went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who provided a notable exception to the bright colors. She strutted up the steps of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in a drop-dead black velvet gown, with a V-neckline plunging to her navel.

O’Donnell looked casually elegant in a navy satin pantsuit, accented by a white vest and a diamond necklace. The comedian waved a Polaroid of her newly adopted son, Parker.

“I was going to wear my Academy Awards dress, but it didn’t button,” she said.

In awards presented at Saturday’s preliminary ceremony, NBC won 16 statues followed by CBS with 14. Other network totals included HBO’s seven awards and PBS’ four.

Acting trophies given Saturday for guest appearances on comedy and drama series went to Paul Winfield for CBS’ “Picket Fences,” Shirley Knight for ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and Carl Reiner and Cyndi Lauper for separate episodes of NBC’s “Mad About You.”

Emmy winners were chosen by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences members through peer-review panels.

This year’s broadcast represents the beginning of the ceremony’s annual rotation among ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox.

ABC had an exclusive four-year U.S. broadcast deal for the ceremony, but the network agreed to relinquish its hold early after its competitors registered their annoyance with a 1993 Emmy boycott.