Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Matthew Rhys Wins Two Lead Acting Emmys In One Night
Matthew Rhys won two big acting awards at the Emmys on the same night.
He won for the limited series The Beast in Me.
He also won for the comedy series Widow’s Bay.
No performer had won both of those lead awards at one ceremony before.
Rhys had already won a drama acting Emmy for The Americans in 2018.
This means he has now won lead acting awards in drama, comedy and limited series.
Barbara Stanwyck is the only other performer mentioned as winning in all three categories.
Rhys also had two nominations for producing his shows.
The articles differ on whether the ceremony took place Monday or Tuesday.
Matthew Rhys won lead acting Emmys for The Beast in Me and Widow’s Bay at the same ceremony.
He became the first performer to win both lead limited-series and comedy acting awards in one night.
His 2018 lead drama Emmy for The Americans completed wins across drama, comedy and limited series.
Rhys defeated Oscar Isaac, Riz Ahmed, Jason Bateman and Charlie Hunnam in the limited-series race.
He also received executive-producer nominations for The Beast in Me and Widow’s Bay.
- Who
- Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, with fellow nominees including Oscar Isaac, Riz Ahmed, Jason Bateman and Charlie Hunnam.
- What
- Rhys won two lead acting Emmys in one ceremony, for The Beast in Me and Widow’s Bay.
- When
- At the 78th Emmy Awards in 2026; sources describe the ceremony as Monday or Tuesday.
- Where
- At the Emmy Awards ceremony; the articles do not specify its location.
- Why
- The wins made Rhys the first performer to claim both lead limited-series and comedy acting prizes at one ceremony and the first male performer to win lead acting Emmys in drama, comedy and limited series.
- Limited-series award
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s The Beast in Me.
- Comedy award
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay.
- Earlier Emmy
- Rhys won lead actor in a drama series in 2018 for The Americans.
- Historic first
- He became the first performer to win the lead limited-series and comedy acting prizes at one Emmy ceremony.
- Three-category achievement
- Rhys became the first male performer to win lead acting Emmys in drama, comedy and limited series.
- Additional nominations
- He received two executive-producer nominations, one for each of The Beast in Me and Widow’s Bay.
- Other performer with all three categories
- Barbara Stanwyck previously won lead acting awards across all three categories between 1961 and 1983.
