The Creative Arts Emmys aren't the flashiest of ceremonies, but they do have the opportunity to quietly honor some of the year's best (and often underrated) acting performances in television. On Saturday it was announced that Margo Martindale won the Emmy for Best Guest Actress In A Drama Series for her role in The Americans.She accepted the award Saturday at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony. Her appearance on The Americans this season was brief, but that's what this category is for, after all. The actress has been nominated twice for this role before, and won a Primetime Emmy in 2011 for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama with her role in Justified. Not only that, but this is the first Emmy for The Americans.
This was an excellent category both for racial diversity with two African American actresses nominated, and for celebrating older women in television. In fact, Rachel Brosnahan is the only actress under age 50 in the category. She was nominated for her big episode in House of Cards Season 3, after appearing as a regular the previous year. Last year's winner Allison Janney was nominated again for her scene-stealing performance as Margaret Scully on Masters of Sex — Janney actually won twice last year, for Masters of Sex and for Mom. She presented at the Creative Arts ceremony. New to the category was veteran actress Cicely Tyson, who gave a powerhouse performance in How to Get Away With Murder playing Ophelia Hartness, Annalise Keating's mom who delivered some of the most chilling scenes in the first season. That would have been HTGAWM's first Emmy, as well. Besides Martindale, another return nominee is Diana Rigg, who has also been up in the previous two years for her role as Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones — or the Dowager Countess of Westeros, as I like to call her. The final nominee was, of course, Khandi Alexander for her role as Maya Pope, Olivia's devious mother, on Scandal.
Congratulations to Martindale winner here's hoping that we'll see more of "Claudia" on The Americans!
