Welsh actor Matthew Rhys makes Emmy Awards history with…

He becomes the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night at the prestigious TV ceremony.

Welsh actor Matthew Rhys has made history at the Emmy Awards, becoming the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night.

Rhys was recognised at the prestigious US ceremony for his roles in supernatural TV comedy Widow's Bay and psychological thriller The Beast In Me.

On stage, Rhys dedicated his second award "to the great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurture as anyone else".

"We are a small but mighty nation. This is incredible," he said, adding "Diolch yn fawr iawn" - which means "thank you very much" in Welsh.

The winners and nominations in full

The red carpet in pictures

Other winners of the coveted US TV awards included Jean Smart, Allison Janney and Stephen Colbert, while there was an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton and a special humanitarian award for Michael J Fox.

Proud Rhys flies the flag

Rhys was named best lead actor in a limited series for The Beast In Me, then won best lead actor in a comedy for Widow's Bay.

A small number of actors, including Alan Alda, Sally Field, John Goodman, Elisabeth Moss and Ted Danson, have previously been nominated for two lead acting prizes in the same year, but Rhys is the first to score a double win.

Backstage, he said: "I'm from a small country, and I'm glad we get moments to kind of put our flag on the map and say, 'we punch higher than our weight sometimes'."

The Beast In Me follows a grieving author, played by Claire Danes, who becomes obsessed with a mysterious new neighbour suspected of murder.

Rhys said it was a "real shock" to win the award, and told Danes: "Thank you for letting me join the mystery machine and bringing out the beast, you are an intimidating scene partner, but I'm grateful for all this."

Later in the night, accepting the comedy actor prize for playing the mayor in Widow's Bay, he thanked the family, friends and colleagues who supported his career, including his parents who "kicked me on to the stage at a very early age".

A win for 'Lancashire lass'

His Widow's Bay co-star Kate O'Flynn was among the other British winners, being named best supporting comedy actress for playing Patricia in the show about a fictional island beset by a centuries-old curse.

"I want to thank our mayor and all the residents of Widow's Bay, in front and behind the camera," said O'Flynn, from Bury in Greater Manchester.

She added: "This is the role of a lifetime... Thank you for trusting this Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia."

Smart and Janney equal Emmys record

Elsewhere, Jean Smart won best comedy actress for her role in the fifth and final series of Hacks.

It is the fifth Emmy she has won for the Hollywood satire. "What a ride this has been," Smart reflected, and joked that the audience only gave her a standing ovation "because I'm old".

It was Smart's eighth Emmy win in total, and The Diplomat's Allison Janney also picked up the eighth Emmy of her career, scoring best supporting actress in a drama series.

Smart and Janney have both now equalled the record for the most acting wins ever, shared with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Despite her past success, Janney was a surprise winner on Monday and said she was "genuinely shocked" to see off competition from four stars of hospital drama The Pitt, among others.

Meanwhile, Rhea Seehorn won the first Emmy of her career for best lead actress in a drama series for Pluribus, the Apple TV show about a woman who discovers almost everyone else in the world has been taken over by a mysterious mind virus.

The Pitt scores top prize

The Pitt won best drama, traditionally seen as the most prestigious award of the night.

And the show's leading star Noah Wyle also picked up the trophy for best lead actor in a drama series for the second year in a row.

"I'm a Hollywood kid. I was raised on a television, and movie theaters were my place of worship," Wyle told the audience. "This is all I've ever wanted to do and this is the only club I've ever wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me."

The former ER star praised all of his fellow nominees, but singled out veteran British star Sir Gary Oldman, who was nominated for Slow Horses.

Wyle said he was inspired by Sir Gary's performance as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in 1986 film Sid and Nancy, recalling how at the time he thought it was "the benchmark that I want to hit one day in my career".