The supporting actor Emmy races typically offer the most surprises. Nominees can range from EGOTs to actors earning the first recognition of their careers, and everything in between. And at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, held on September 19, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, all three Supporting Actress races proved that truth once again, as they were all awarded to newcomers, even when a future president presented an Emmy to a future gubernatorial candidate.
A victory for 'Sex' and the politics of the future
As Cynthia Nixon, who won for playing type-A lawyer Miranda Hobbes on “Sex and the City” (HBO), noted in her speech, she was a showbiz veteran when she finally won her first Emmy, after two nominations for both. previous. years for the same position. She would later win a second award in 2008 as a guest actress on “Law & Order: SVU.”
While Nixon's co-star, Sarah Jessica Parker, also won that night for lead actress in a comedy, her two other key co-stars, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis, went home empty-handed. Cattrall was ultimately nominated for her role in “Sex” five times without winning; this was Davis's only nomination. Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace,” NBC) won in this category in 2000 and 2006, while Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS) won in the category in 2001 and earned an additional Emmy in 1983 for supporting actress. in a drama She died in 2016.
In a unique Emmy showdown, Nixon (who would later run for governor of New York) received her Emmy from Simon Cowell and Donald Trump. After thanking her mother in the audience, she added: “I've been acting for 25 years, since I was 12, and I hope to be acting for another 50, but I don't think I'll ever have another job like this again. “Sex and the City” ended its run in early 2004.
Rookie nominee leaves six-time Emmy veteran blank
“The Sopranos” actors took over the secondary dramatic categories that night; In addition to Michael Imperioli winning the supporting actor category, Drea de Matteo was surprised to be chosen as the winner for playing the doomed Adriana La Cerva. It was her first and only Emmy nomination. She was competing against fellow first-time nominee Robin Weigert (“Deadwood,” HBO); two-time nominee Janel Moloney (“The West Wing,” NBC); two-time winner Stockard Channing (“West Wing”); and six-time winner Tyne Daly (“Judging Amy,” CBS).
Accepting her award from Amber Tamblyn and Zach Braff, De Matteo was shocked. “I have nothing to say,” she said. “There are so many people responsible for this, but if I tried to thank any of them right now, I might vomit, choke, cry, or die. You all have already seen me [as Adrianna] do that, so I'm just going to thank you, go have 10 drinks and I'll thank you all later.”
Talent so great it could inspire a quiche
“Angels in America” (HBO) had such a run at the Emmys this year that it couldn't have been much of a surprise when Mary-Louise Parker, playing the stunning Harper Pitt, won her first Emmy for the role. Others in the category included Oscar and two-time Emmy winner Julie Andrews (“Eloise at Christmastime,” ABC); first-time nominee Anne Heche (“Gracie's Choice,” Lifetime); six-time nominee Anjelica Huston (“Iron Jawed Angels,” HBO); and 18-time nominee Angela Lansbury (“The Blackwater Lightship,” CBS). Lansbury, who died in 2022, has the most nominations of any actor who has never won an Emmy.
“My friend Larissa says there are some roles that are so well written that you practically start winning awards the day you get them,” Parker said after accepting the award from William Petersen and Dennis Franz. “So I would like to thank [Emmy-winning screenwriter] Tony Kushner for winning me this award and also the mighty [Emmy-winning director] “Mike Nichols, who could get a great performance out of a quiche, I swear to God.”
