Matthew Rhys has made Emmy Awards history after winning two lead acting prizes in the same night for Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me. The Welsh actor took home Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Tom Loftis in Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, having already won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for playing Nile Jarvis in Netflix thriller The Beast in Me. The wins made Rhys the first performer in Emmy history to win two awards for leading performances in the same year.
How Did Matthew Rhys Make Emmy History?
Rhys’ night became even more historic when his previous Emmy success was taken into account. He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Americans in 2018, meaning he has now become the first performer to win lead acting Emmys across drama, comedy and limited series or movie.
His comedy win came during a huge night for Widow’s Bay. The Apple TV horror-comedy collected 14 Emmys across the main ceremony and Creative Arts awards, breaking the record for the most Emmys won by a comedy series in a single year. Rhys stars as Tom Loftis, the mayor of a cursed New England island attempting to keep the town going despite its supernatural problems.
His role in The Beast in Me is very different. Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, a wealthy real estate heir suspected of murdering his first wife, opposite Claire Danes as writer Aggie Wiggs. The performance earned him his first award of the night before Widow’s Bay completed the double later in the ceremony.
Matthew Rhys Gives Wales a Shout-Out During Emmy Speech
Rhys also used his Widow’s Bay acceptance speech to recognise his home country, thanking the people of Wales and describing it as a “small but mighty nation”. Speaking after the ceremony, the 51-year-old admitted he was still struggling to process what had happened, saying he had not expected the The Beast in Me win and was left “slightly giddy” after taking home both awards.
For CultureCues, winning one Emmy would be impressive enough, but winning two lead actor awards for completely different performances is quite something. Matthew Rhys has been brilliant for years, and becoming the first performer to complete the drama, comedy and limited-series lead acting sweep feels like a fitting record. We also loved seeing Wales get its moment in his speech. An incredible night for him all round.
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Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.