Matthew Rhys makes rare Emmy history with two wins in one night

Matthew Rhys has joined the elite Emmy club after winning two best lead actor awards at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Welsh star first won the award in the category of best lead actor in a limited series for his performance in the Netflix psychological thriller The Beast in Me.

He then received another accolade at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles for the best lead comedy actor award for his role in Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay.

The 51-year-old actor, after he picked up his second trophy, dedicated his awards to “the great and good people of Wales”, calling them “a small but mighty nation”.

In his acceptance speech, Rhys went on to express gratitude to his parents and his sister for her “sage words and patient, patient listening”.

While celebrating his historic win backstage, holding his two accolades, Rhys gushed, "The celebrations will be long, varied, and I hope at times wild.”

The established actor, with The Americans and Perry Mason in his credits, previously expressed his regret on losing an Oscar-nominated role in the singer Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Rhys admitted during a recent chat with The New York Times in August that he "felt terrible" after missing out on the role, which later led Edward Norton to earn an Oscar nomination.