Matthew Rhys wins two lead acting Emmys in one night for 'The Beast in Me' and 'Widow's Bay'
The Welsh actor became the first performer in 78 years of Emmy history to win two lead acting awards in a single evening, taking prizes for comedy and limited series.
Double victory at the Emmy Awards
Welsh actor Matthew Rhys won two lead acting trophies at Monday's Emmy Awards ceremony, becoming the first performer in the event's 78-year history to win both lead acting categories in a single night. Rhys first won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for playing Niles in Netflix's thriller "The Beast in Me". Later in the broadcast, he captured the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple TV's "Widow's Bay". Two performers had previously won two acting Emmys in one night, but both did so in supporting or split roles: James Earl Jones won lead drama and supporting limited in 1991, while Stockard Channing won two supporting actress awards in 2002.
Three-genre milestone across television
Adding Monday's pair of statuettes to his 2018 win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for FX's "The Americans", Rhys became the first male actor to win all three top acting prizes. Barbara Stanwyck remains the only other performer to collect lead trophies across comedy, drama, and limited categories, having completed the sequence between 1961 and 1983. Several actors had approached the mark: Robert Young and Carroll O'Connor won lead awards in drama and comedy, while Andre Braugher won lead prizes in drama and limited series. Co-star Claire Danes remains one category short of completing the sweep.
- Barbara Stanwyck completes the first three-genre sweep in lead actress categories
- James Earl Jones wins lead drama and supporting limited acting Emmys on the same night
- Stockard Channing wins two supporting actress Emmys in a single ceremony
- Matthew Rhys wins Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Americans
- Matthew Rhys wins lead limited and lead comedy acting Emmys in one night
Limited series victory and stage remarks
In the limited series contest, Rhys pulled off a surprise win over category favorite Oscar Isaac ("Beef"), alongside Riz Ahmed ("Bait"), Jason Bateman ("Black Rabbit"), and Charlie Hunnam ("Monster: The Ed Gein Story"). Accepting the award for "The Beast in Me", Rhys joked about the physical statuette before thanking his creative team and co-star Claire Danes.
Oh, good grief! If you try and taunt me, I'll stab you in the eyes with this.
Rhys credited the writing staff along with director Antonio Campos for crafting the story of Niles, a wealthy neighbor revealed to be a murderer.
This is a real shock. We had a beautiful holy trinity of scribes, in the glorious form of Daniel Pearl, Gale Rotter and Howard Gordon, who really brought out the beast in all of us.
Comedy triumph and career nominations
In the comedy race, Rhys won against nominees Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ("Wonder Man"), Steve Carell ("Rooster"), Jason Segel ("Shrinking"), and Martin Short ("Only Murders in the Building"). "Widow's Bay", which earned 19 nominations in its first season according to IndieWire, has already secured a second season renewal on Apple TV. Series creator Katie Dippold noted that Rhys was cast after a meeting with casting director Allison Jones, citing his ability to play the comedy earnestly without forcing punchlines. Rhys also held executive producer nominations for both series on Monday night, bringing his career total to eight Emmy nominations. Rhys is scheduled to appear next in the second season of Apple TV's "Presumed Innocent".
