Angels in America Wins 11 Emmy Awards

Angels in America, the HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, received seven Emmy Awards at last night’s ceremony in Los Angeles, plus an additional four technical awards that were presented earlier. This makes a grand total of 11 Emmys for the show — more than any other miniseries, including Roots, which received nine Emmys in 1977.

In addition to the show’s winning the award for Best Miniseries, Kushner and director Mike Nichols both took home Emmys. Four of the Angels in America actors also received awards: Al Pacino’s riveting characterization of Roy Cohn earned him an Emmy for Best Actor in a miniseries or movie, while Meryl Streep received the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Hannah Pitt and a host of other roles. Mary-Louise Parker, who is starring in the upcoming Broadway production of Craig Lucas’s play Reckless, was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Harper Pitt. Jeffrey Wright, the only member of the Broadway cast of Angels in America to repeat his stage role (for which he won a Tony Award) in the miniseries, took the award for Best Supporting Actor in a category that included his fellow cast members Patrick Wilson, Justin Kirk, and Ben Shenkman among the nominees.

The show’s technical awards, announced in a separate ceremony last Sunday, included honors for art direction, casting, makeup, and single-camera sound mixing for a miniseries or movie.

Other theater-related winners during last night’s Emmys included Elaine Stritch for individual performance in a variety or music program for her HBO version of her one woman show, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. David Hyde Pierce, who will be appearing in the Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway later this season, received a supporting actor award for his role in the comedy series Frasier. Allison Janney took home an Emmy for Best Actress in a drama series for her role in The West Wing, while frequent theater performers Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon won awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, for their work on Sex in the City.