While everyone waits impatiently to find out whether the voters will finally recognize Jon Hamm at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy quietly celebrated the 67th Annual Creative Arts Emmys this Saturday night. A less glamorous presentation than the main event coming next weekend, to be sure — but one just as important to the many nominees, including cinematographers, costumers, stunt teams... and guest actors. And in the category of Best Guest Actor in a Drama, House of Cards ' Reg E. Cathey took home this year's prize.
As amazing as Cathey was in Netflix's House Of Cards, his win was far from a foregone conclusion. He was facing some incredibly tough competition this year: F. Murray Abraham, finally recognized for three years of stellar work as shady Dar Adal on Showtime's Homeland; Alan Alda as The Decembrist, an old associate of Red's on NBC's The Blacklist; Beau Bridges, nominated for the second year in a row for his sensitive portrayal of closeted professor Barton Scully on Showtime's Masters Of Sex; Michael J. Fox, the most-nominated guest actor of all time with six nods now under his belt, including four for his role as slippery lawyer Louis Canning on CBS's The Good Wife; and Pablo Schreiber, younger brother of Lead Actor in a Drama nominee Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), as love-to-hate character "Pornstache" on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black.
A strong crop, to be sure — but only one man could emerge victorious. And this year, that man was President Frank Underwood's (only?) friend, Freddy Hayes. Cathey, who appeared in three episodes of Cards Season 3, submitted "Chapter 34" to the Television Academy, in which Frank finds an out-of-work Freddy applying for a job with AmWorks, and offers the former cook a position as White House groundskeeper.
Cathey follows two back-to-back wins for ABC's Scandal: Joe Morton triumphed in the category last year for playing nefarious Papa Pope, and Dan Bucatinsky the year before for playing Cyrus's supportive husband James Novak. Bucatinsky's character was killed off in the show's third season and Morton was ineligible for the category this year due to Emmy rule changes, paving the way for Cathey's victory.
Images: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
