Welsh school hails Matthew Rhys as loyal double Emmy winner — SkimNews
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- Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor ever to win two best lead Emmy awards in a single night — for Apple comedy Widow's Bay and Netflix thriller The Beast in Me — and thanked 'the great and good people of Wales' in Welsh during his acceptance speech.
- Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf headteacher Matthew Evans called Rhys a 'remarkable talent' even at age 17, recalling a school Elvis show where the title became 'Elfis' because the Welsh language has no letter 'v.'
- Rhys, 51, credits his Welsh-medium schooling and Eisteddfod cultural activities as 'a great stepping stone' for his career, alongside RADA training and inspiration from Welsh film heroes Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins.
- Rhys's career haul includes 10 wins and 58 nominations per IMDb, spanning Kevin Walker in Brothers & Sisters, Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love, and a 2018 Emmy for The Americans.
- Upcoming projects include a second series of Widow's Bay to film in 2027, BBC drama Dragon Slayers as former Sunday Times editor Harry Evans, and voicing Han Solo in Welsh for Star Wars: A New Hope airing on S4C this Christmas.
- Rhys's partner Keri Russell was also nominated at this year's Emmys for her lead role in Netflix drama The Diplomat.
- Career setbacks shaped his humility: Rhys went a year without work after playing Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate at the Gielgud Theatre in 2000, had a botched James Bond audition, and briefly considered joining the British army.
Why it matters: Rhys credits Welsh-medium schooling and the Eisteddfod tradition as formative for a career now capped by an unprecedented double-Emmy night — and his alma mater is using the moment to spotlight a Welsh-to-Hollywood pipeline (Burton, Hopkins, Rhys) at a time when he remains an active ambassador for Into Film Cymru.
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