Highlights
- Homeland star Claire Danes is seemingly unstoppable at the Emmy Awards. She collected her second Best Actress - Drama trophy the second year in a row for playing troubled CIA agent Carrie Mathison. This is Claire's third Emmy win. She previously took home the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie in 2010 for Temple Grandin. Claire beat Downtown Abbey's Michelle Dockery, Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and House Of Cards' Robin Wright, among others.
- Jeff Daniels won Best Actor - Drama for playing self-righteous anchor Will McAvoy in The Newsroom. He beat favourites Bryan Cranston who was nominated for Breaking Bad, Claire Danes' Homeland co-star Damien Lewis who won last year, and Mad Men's Jon Hamm.
- Breaking Bad won its first Emmy for Best Drama Series beating Homeland, Game Of Thrones, Mad Men, Downtown Abbey and House Of Cards. Modern Family won Best Comedy Series for the third time and second year in a row, beating 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Girls, Louie and Veep.
- Seinfeld alumnus Julia Louis-Dreyfus also took home second consecutive Best Actress - Comedy for Veep, beating 30 Rock's Tina Fey, Parks And Recreation's Amy Poehler and Girls' Lena Dunham. "This is so much good fortune it's almost too much to bear," Julia Louis-Dreyfus said in her speech. "I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to make people laugh. It's a joyful way to make a living."
- The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons won his third Best Actor - Comedy award for playing clueless scientist Sheldon Cooper. He previously won in 2010 and 2011. "My heart, oh my heart. I want you to know I'm very aware of how exceedingly fortunate I am," he said in his acceptance speech. Other nominees in the category included Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock and Jason Bateman for Arrested Development.
- Actor Michael Douglas won his first Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for playing flamboyant pianist Liberace in Behind The Candelabra, beating a who's who of fellow nominees - co-star Matt Damon, Al Pacino for Phil Spector, Benedict Cumberbatch for Parade's End and Toby Jones for The Girl.
- Nurse Jackie's Merritt Wever, who won Best Supporting Actress - Comedy which was the first award of the show, gave the shortest speech ever: "Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Um, I got to go, bye." Backstage, she offered an explanation: "I'm sorry I didn't thank anyone. I was going to cry."
- Other winners include Tony Hale, Best Supporting Actor - Comedy for Veep; Bobby Cannavale, Best Supporting Actor - Drama for Boardwalk Empire; Anna Gunn, Best Supporting Actress - Drama for Breaking Bad; and Laura Linney, Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for The Big C: Hereafter.
star Claire Danes is seemingly unstoppable at the Emmy Awards. She collected her second Best Actress - Drama trophy the second year in a row for playing troubled CIA agent Carrie Mathison. This is Claire's third Emmy win. She previously took home the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie in 2010 for
Temple Grandin. Claire beat
Downtown Abbey's Michelle Dockery,
Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and
House Of Cards' Robin Wright, among others.
Jeff Daniels won Best Actor - Drama for playing self-righteous anchor Will McAvoy in
The Newsroom. He beat favourites Bryan Cranston who was nominated for
Breaking Bad, Claire Danes'
Homeland co-star Damien Lewis who won last year, and
Mad Men's Jon Hamm.
Breaking Bad won its first Emmy for Best Drama Series beating
Homeland, Game Of Thrones, Mad Men, Downtown Abbey and
House Of Cards.
Modern Family won Best Comedy Series for the third time and second year in a row, beating
30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Girls, Louie and
Veep.
Seinfeld alumnus Julia Louis-Dreyfus also took home second consecutive Best Actress - Comedy for
Veep, beating
30 Rock's Tina Fey,
Parks And Recreation's Amy Poehler and
Girls' Lena Dunham. "This is so much good fortune it's almost too much to bear," Julia Louis-Dreyfus said in her speech. "I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to make people laugh. It's a joyful way to make a living."
The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons won his third Best Actor - Comedy award for playing clueless scientist Sheldon Cooper. He previously won in 2010 and 2011. "My heart, oh my heart. I want you to know I'm very aware of how exceedingly fortunate I am," he said in his acceptance speech. Other nominees in the category included Alec Baldwin for
30 Rock and Jason Bateman for
Arrested Development.
Actor Michael Douglas won his first Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for playing flamboyant pianist
Liberace in
Behind The Candelabra, beating a who's who of fellow nominees - co-star Matt Damon, Al Pacino for
Phil Spector, Benedict Cumberbatch for
Parade's End and Toby Jones for
The Girl.
Nurse Jackie's Merritt Wever, who won Best Supporting Actress - Comedy which was the first award of the show, gave the shortest speech ever: "Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Um, I got to go, bye." Backstage, she offered an explanation: "I'm sorry I didn't thank anyone. I was going to cry."
Other winners include Tony Hale, Best Supporting Actor - Comedy for
Veep; Bobby Cannavale, Best Supporting Actor - Drama for
Boardwalk Empire; Anna Gunn, Best Supporting Actress - Drama for
Breaking Bad; and Laura Linney, Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for
The Big C: Hereafter.