Egyptian-American Rami Malek Wins Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series’

Egyptian-American Rami Malek surprised many pundits on Sunday night, winning the ‘Oustanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series’ Emmy for his portrayal of Elliot Anderson in Mr. Robot.

“I am honored to be recognized with such a distinguished and accomplished group of actors,” said Malek as he was accepting his Emmy at the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

“I’m honored to work with a pure visionary in Sam Esmail, I wouldn’t be here without you, to go to work with an absurdly gifted cast, and crew, and writers,” continued Malek about his first ever Emmy win, referring to the show’s producer who is also an Egyptian-American.

“I play a young man who is, I think like so many of us, profoundly alienated. And the unfortunate thing is I’m not sure how many of us would like to hang out with a guy like Elliot. But I want to honor the Elliot’s because there’s a little bit of Elliot in all of us, isn’t there?”

Malek had been competing for the Emmy alongside a number of other actors including Kyle Chandler of  Bloodline, Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul, Matthew Rhys of  The Americans, and Kevin Spacey of House of Cards.

The young Egyptian-American actor previously starred in Night at the Museum, 24, and the Pacific. In Mr. Robot, Malek plays a security engineer and vigilante hacker with social anxiety disorder.

Mr. Robot was written, directed and produced by 39-year-old Egyptian-American Sam Esmail. Last year, the show won a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series.