Jewish talent took centre stage at this year’s Emmy Awards, with The Pitt star Noah Wyle and Slow Horses director Saul Metzstein among the winners.
Wyle took home the gong for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the second consecutive year, while The Pitt won in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
Wyle has Jewish ancestry on his father’s side and was raised culturally Jewish, though not particularly religiously. In recent years, though, he has spoken of becoming more connected to his Judaism through his daughter and his work playing Jewish doctor Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch.
“I grew up in LA. I’m a Hollywood kid. I was raised on a television, and movie theatres were my place of worship,” he said during his acceptance speech, adding: “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, and this is the only club I’ve ever wanted to join.”
He also paid tribute to fellow nominee Gary Oldman, whom he has long admired.
Metzstein won Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Slow Horses, the hit spy drama starring Oldman, and thanked the show’s crew in his acceptance speech, joking: “Everyone gets up here and says that they had the best crew ever. Simply not true because we had the best crew ever.”
Meanwhile, the late Rob Reiner was honoured with a posthumous award for his guest role in The Bear, which was presented at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month, setting a record for the longest gap between acting Emmy wins.
Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, were found dead from several stab wounds at their Los Angeles home in December last year.
Their 32-year-old son, Nick, has since been indicted on charges of first-degree murder in relation to their deaths and has pleaded not guilty. His next court appearance is scheduled for this week.
Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Reiner during the In Memoriam segment of the ceremony, calling him a “cherished legend” and her “beloved Meathead” - a nod to his iconic role as Michael “Meathead” Stivic, Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, in All in the Family.
Other Jewish stars, including Lisa Kudrow, Jason Segel, Hannah Einbinder and Harrison Ford, were among this year’s nominees, though they did not take home awards.
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