Tramell Tillman and Owen Cooper make Emmy history for their wins at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
| Photo Credit: AP
The 2025 Emmy Awards delivered two landmark acting victories, with Tramell Tillman and Owen Cooper each making history in their respective categories.
Tillman won outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role as Seth Milchick in Apple TV+’s Severance, becoming the first Black man to ever take the category. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Owen Cooper became the youngest male acting winner in Emmy history, securing the supporting actor in a limited or anthology series award for Netflix’s Adolescence.
For Tillman, the victory carried the weight of history. The category, established in 1970, had recognised 13 Black performers across 23 nominations but never produced a winner until now. His unnervingly cheerful portrayal of Milchick stood out against a crowded field that included his Severance co-stars Zach Cherry and John Turturro, alongside Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell of The White Lotus and James Marsden of Paradise.
Tramell Tillman poses in the press room with the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for ‘Severance’ at the 77th Emmy Awards
| Photo Credit:
AP
The Maryland-born actor joins a lineage of trailblazers including Viola Davis, who became the first Black woman to win lead drama actress in 2015 for How to Get Away with Murder, and Billy Porter, who in 2019 became the first openly gay Black man to win lead drama actor. Tillman, also openly gay, called the recognition “an honour” in a recent interview, saying, “Do I feel a weight? No. I feel honoured to join the legacy of these incredible storytellers.”
By contrast, Cooper represents the youngest end of the spectrum. The British newcomer was honored for his breakout role as Jamie Miller in Adolescence, prevailing over veterans including Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story), Rob Delaney (Dying for Sex), Peter Sarsgaard and Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), and his co-star Ashley Walters.
“Standing up here is just so surreal,” Cooper said on stage. “Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to even be in the United States, let alone here.”
Owen Cooper accepts the award for outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for ‘Adolescence’ during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
| Photo Credit:
AP
Cooper’s achievement marks a generational milestone, but the youngest Emmy winner overall remains Roxana Zal, who was only 14 when she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special for Something About Amelia in 1984 — a record that still stands today.
The teenager’s career is already accelerating: he is set to star in BBC’s Film Club and will play Young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Published – September 15, 2025 08:32 am IST
