At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday evening, Lancashire-born actor Stephen Graham delivered one of the night’s most powerful moments. Accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for his career-defining role in Netflix’s Adolescence, the 52-year-old described himself humbly as “just a mixed-race kid from Kirkby.”

The ceremony, held at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre, brought together stars from across the globe to celebrate television’s most memorable performances of the year. Despite fierce competition, Adolescence emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners, collecting six awards—following in the footsteps of Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer, which had dominated the previous year.

A four-part British miniseries, Adolescence tells the story of a troubled teenager accused of murdering a female classmate. Unflinching in its portrayal of youth violence, the show resonated with audiences at a time when concerns about young people as both victims and perpetrators of crime loom large. Its artistry—raw performances, striking camerawork, and tightly woven writing—propelled it to the top of Netflix’s global Top 10 upon its March 2025 release. Each episode, filmed in a single continuous take, immersed viewers in a harsh, claustrophobic reality from which there was no escape.

As Eddie Miller, the father of the tight-lipped teen at the story’s center, Graham delivered what critics have called the most compelling performance of his career. In doing so, he triumphed over heavyweight contenders including Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent).

In his acceptance speech, Graham paid tribute to his working-class upbringing and his Jamaican and English heritage:

“This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me. I’m just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby. So for me, to be here today in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the most humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life—and it shows you that any dream is possible.”

Graham, who also received recognition for his writing contributions on the series, went on to thank his wife, actress Hannah Walters, their children Grace and Alfie, and the friends and colleagues who helped bring the project to life. In an emotional moment, he recalled his father introducing him to cinema at the local Quarry Green video shop, calling it the spark that lit his lifelong passion for storytelling.

The night also made history for Graham’s on-screen son. Owen Cooper, just 15 years old and making his acting debut, won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his chilling turn as the troubled teenager—becoming the youngest winner in the category’s history.

Graham has long been outspoken about his heritage and working-class identity. On Desert Island Discs in 2019, he reflected on his upbringing and the feeling of not always knowing where he belonged, crediting his mixed-race stepfather with giving him a sense of cultural grounding. His Emmy win, and the speech that accompanied it, underlined how far that journey has taken him.