Emmy Awards: Welsh actor Matthew Rhys makes history with double win
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Welsh actor Matthew Rhys makes Emmy Awards history with double win
Image source: Getty Images
By: Steven McIntosh and Ian Youngs
Published 25 minutes ago
Welsh actor Matthew Rhys has made history at the Emmy Awards, becoming the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night. Rhys was recognised at the prestigious US ceremony for his roles in supernatural TV comedy Widow’s Bay and psychological thriller The Beast In Me.
On stage, Rhys dedicated his second award "to the great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurture as anyone else".
"We are a small but mighty nation. This is incredible," he said, adding "Diolch yn fawr iawn" – which means "thank you very much" in Welsh.
The winners and nominations in full
The red carpet in pictures
Other winners of the coveted US TV awards included Jean Smart, Allison Janney, and Stephen Colbert. There was also an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton and a special humanitarian award for Michael J Fox.
Proud Rhys flies the flag
Rhys was named best lead actor in a limited series for The Beast In Me, then won best lead actor in a comedy for Widow’s Bay.
A small number of actors, including Alan Alda, Sally Field, John Goodman, Elisabeth Moss, and Ted Danson, have been nominated for two lead acting prizes in the same year, but Rhys is the first to score a double win.
Backstage, he said: "I’m from a small country, and I’m glad we get moments to kind of put our flag on the map and say, ‘we punch higher than our weight sometimes’."
The Beast In Me follows a grieving author, played by Claire Danes, who becomes obsessed with a mysterious new neighbour suspected of murder.
Rhys said it was a "real shock" to win the award, adding: "Thank you for letting me join the mystery machine and bringing out the beast, you are an intimidating scene partner, but I’m grateful for all this."
Later in the night, accepting the comedy actor prize for playing the mayor in Widow’s Bay, he thanked the family, friends, and colleagues who supported his career, including his parents who "kicked me on to the stage at a very early age".
A win for ‘Lancashire lass’
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Kate O’Flynn thanked Widow’s Bay producers for "trusting this Lancashire lass"
His Widow’s Bay co-star Kate O’Flynn was among the other British winners, being named best supporting comedy actress for playing Patricia in the show about a fictional island beset by a centuries-old curse.
"I want to thank our mayor and all the residents of Widow’s Bay, in front and behind the camera," said O’Flynn, from Bury in Greater Manchester.
She added: "This is the role of a lifetime… Thank you for trusting this Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia."
Smart and Janney equal Emmys record
Elsewhere, Jean Smart won best comedy actress for her role in the fifth and final series Hacks.
It is the fifth Emmy she has won for the Hollywood satire. "What a ride this has been," Smart reflected, and joked the audience only gave her a standing ovation "because I’m old".
It was Smart’s eighth Emmy win in total, and The Diplomat’s Allison Janney also picked up the eighth Emmy of her career, this time triumphing in the category for best supporting actress in a drama series.
Smart and Janney have both now equalled the record for the most acting wins ever, shared with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Despite her past success, Janney was a surprise winner on Monday and said she was "genuinely shocked" to see off competition from four stars.
