Irish actor Brendan Gleeson has taken home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a miniseries or movie, for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 'Into The Storm'.
Watch a trailer for Winston Churchill in 'Into The Storm'.
The 54-year-old prevailed over a short list that included Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh and Kiefer Sutherland.
According to The Press Association, accepting the award Gleeson said: "Now there's a turn-up for the books."
He went on to give an emotional speech, thanking the production team for giving his parents the chance to see an early cut of the film. His mother died shortly afterwards.
He added: “It meant a huge amount to me”.
He went on to thank his dialect coach: “As you can imagine, [the job] was something of a challenge”, in his unmistakable Dublin accent.
'Into The Storm' also won an Emmy for music composition.
Irish director Dearbhla Walsh also received an Emmy for her direction of the drama 'Little Dorrit'. To read the full story, click here.
Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Martin Cullen said: "Brendan is one of our finest actors and Dearbhla one of our most accomplished directors."
He also said that the two successes show that Irish artistic talent continues to garner a positive response internationally.
