Achieving victory with Churchill

Brendan Gleeson’s Emmy win for his portrayal of Winston Churchill has firmly established him as one of the most admired character actors of his generation

BRENDAN GLEESON, an actor every sane person adores, finally got what he deserved on Sunday night when he picked up an Emmy, television's equivalent of an Oscar, for his performance as Winston Churchill in the TV movie Into the Storm. Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan, the picture, a kind of sequel to 2002's The Gathering Storm, details Churchill's experiences leading Britain through the second World War. (Albert Finney also won an Emmy for his role in the earlier picture.)

Receiving the gong for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, Gleeson gave a characteristically moving and amusing speech. He made particular mention of producer Frank Doelger “for allowing my mam and dad to see a first cut of this, of Into the Storm, before my mam died”.

He also acknowledged his dialogue coach. “As you can imagine, [the performance] was something of a challenge,” Gleeson laughed, making a point of rolling his Dublin vowels.

“He was one of those great people. You could make 10,000 movies – they’ve probably made 10,000 about him – and still find more to mine,” he said of Churchill after the event. It is an ironic turn for a performer who once played Michael Collins, an adversary of the British Prime Minister, in RTÉ’s drama The Treaty.

The award, presented at a predictably glitzy ceremony hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, is just the latest acknowledgment that Gleeson, now 54, has firmly established a position as one of the most admired character actors of his generation.

As pretty boys come and go in hazes of white powder, Gleeson continues to deliver a succession of subtle performances that often quietly steal attention from more glamorous co-stars. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he did not appear on the big screen until he was 34 and it was not until the late 1990s that he became a regular face in movies. He excelled as Martin Cahill in The Generaland Bunny Kelly in I Went Down, before heading for Hollywood and establishing himself with eye- catching turns in such pictures as Troy, AI, Gangs of New Yorkand various Harry Potter adventures. If the Academy Awards don't soon get around to putting a nomination the great man's way then they may as well shut up shop in shame.

The other Irish winner at the Emmys was Dearbhla Walsh, a hugely experienced television director, for her work on the BBC's adaptation of Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit. Already a veteran of such distinguished shows as EastEnders, Shamelessand The Tudors, Walsh grabbed the award for Best Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special. Little Dorritpicked up a very impressive seven awards in total, the most of any show.

The most high-profile winner of the night, however, was the slick drama Mad Men, which secured the coveted best TV drama award for the second year running. "We worked very hard to not have it stink the second year," Mathew Weiner, the show's creator, joked.

Set in the world of advertising during the early 1960s, the series has offered magazine editors endless opportunities for fashion spreads and has earned yards of ecstatic reviews, but it still attracts very modest viewer figures. Still, at least that series is still on the air.

The disparity between the industry's view of itself and the public's own tastes was demonstrated more explicitly by the granting of four awards to the surreal comedy series Pushing Daisies. The show was recently cancelled.

"I'm not employed now, so I'd like to be on Mad Men. I also like The Officeand 24," Kristin Chenoweth, who won the best supporting comedy actress for her role in the comedy, joked as she received her statuette.

In truth, there were no great surprises at the ceremony. Indeed, five of the six major awards went to the same show that prevailed in the relevant category a year ago. 30 Rock, the series based around a fictional sketch show, triumphed as outstanding comedy series.

However, that show's Tina Fey, best known here as faux-Sarah Palin, lost out in the lead comedy actress category to Toni Collette for the (again only very modestly popular) United States of Tara. Glenn Close again won the best drama actress as a scenery-chewing lawyer in Damages. Alec Baldwin scored a repeat comedy gong for his turn in 30 Rock. Ho hum! The creepy Grey Gardens, a drama focusing on two eccentric cousins of Jacqueline Onassis, pipped Into the Storm as best TV movie and Jessica Lange, who plays Edith Bouvier Beale, grabbed the best actress prize in that field.

As ever, the ceremony took in a great deal of oily self-congratulation and showcased some spectacularly ill-advised plastic surgery. It fell to Ricky Gervais, who acts as a sort of tame jester in Hollywood, to speak something a little like the truth.

“The thing about the Oscars is, they’ve got movie stars in there, with their jaw lines and chiselled looks,” he said. “In this room, I’m probably above-average. Definitely.” He shouldn’t worry. A face with character aids longevity. Just watch Brendan Gleeson go.