Stephen Graham Wins First Acting Emmy for ‘Adolescence’

The co-creator and star of the Netflix smash hit also won for his writing on the series, which is a contender for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

With 13 total nominations for its heart-stopping four episodes, Netflix’s smash hit limited series “Adolescence” seemed destined to clean up at this year’s Emmys ceremony. One big question entering Sunday, though, would that love be spread above and below the line?

Star and co-creator Stephen Graham might have wondered about the same thing, but with two Emmys, including both his first Emmy win for acting and writing in the bag, he’s got plenty to celebrate.

On Sunday evening, Graham first picked up the Emmy Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (shared with Jack Thorne) and then added to his total tally with his win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, beating out other major names like Colin Farrell (“The Penguin”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Presumed Innocent”), Cooper Coch (“Monster”), and Brian Tyree Henry (“Dope Thief”).

Upon hitting the stage for the second time this evening, Graham expressed his surprise, noting that this isn’t the sort of thing “doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me, I’m just a mixed race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby. So, for me, to be here today in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the most humbling thing I can imagine in my life. Any dream is possible.”

Graham is also nominated as part of the overall “Adolescence” team for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. In the series, he plays the seemingly average suburban dad Eddie Miller, who is shocked to learn his son (fellow Emmy winner Owen Cooper) has been accused of a horrific crime.

During a May appearance on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Graham opened up about the ethos he and co-creator Jack Thorne brought to set. “We’ve all earned the right to have the opportunity and to be there. And you must treat people as you would expect to be treated yourself. So that was one of our key components: To make sure that there [were] no dicks on set, you know what I mean,” Graham said. “Then it was putting a team together that we wanted to spend time with, but also we knew were massively creative.”  

Next up for Graham: a lot. He stars in Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” as Bruce Springsteen’s dad, Dutch, and he recently appeared in the TIFF premiere “Good Boy.” He’s also in production on a number of projects, including “The Immortal Man,” “Lazarus,” and “Animol,” and he’s rumored to have a role in the upcoming Tom Hanks-starring sequel to “Greyhound.”

The 76th Annual Emmy Awards honor series that aired between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. The 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are airing live right now, Sunday, September 14, on CBS, with host Nate Bargatze. Check out all our predictions for the night’s big wins right here.