The man who would be “Shōgun” has once again ascended to the top of his field. Hiroyuki Sanada , who played Lord Yoshii Toranaga in the FX historical epic , won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series. It’s Sanada’s first win and first nomination, although he is also nominated for Best Drama Series as an executive producer of “Shōgun.”
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The win marks just the second time the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series went to an actor of Asian descent. In 2022, Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian actor to win (after becoming the first Asian actor nominated in the category).
Sanada beat out competitors that included Oscar winners, Emmy winners, and a fellow first-time nominee (who certainly deserved acknowledgement prior to 2024). Many considered Gary Oldman to be Sanada’s biggest rival , considering the “Slow Horses” star’s stature in the industry as well as the Apple TV+ drama’s sudden Emmy surge. (After receiving no nominations for its two previous seasons, “Slow Horses” landed nine nods this year.) But there was also Donald Glover, already a two-time Emmy winner for “Atlanta” who was making his debut in the Drama categories with “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and Dominic West, a beloved TV fixture since “The Wire” (if not before) who had never been nominated before this year, when he was recognized for “The Crown.”
Idris Elba (his co-star on “The Wire”) is now zero for six at the Emmys, having previously been nominated four times for “Luther” and once as a Guest Actor in “The Big C.” Walton Goggins also went home empty-handed in his second trip to the Emmys, although he could be back next year if “The White Lotus” Season 3 goes over as swimmingly as past seasons.
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Sanada’s nuanced turn as the peace-seeking, politically-savvy Toranaga was praised by Salon for “generating a gravitational pull in a constellation of indelible characters and mighty performances.” The AV Club called him “captivating,” TV Guide preferred the term “commanding,” and The Daily Beast said, “[Sanada] does a commendable job filling Mifune’s titanic shoes” — referring to the legendary Toshiro Mifune, who starred in the 1980 CBS adaptation of “Shōgun.” The New York Times went so far as to say Sanada “carries the show,” noting Sanada “is not the most expressive of actors, but he has a quiet force and regality that fit the part.”
Sanada’s resume may have been without an Emmy until this year, but it was far from lacking in prestige. “The Last Samurai” director Ed Zwick has called him, “the Tom Cruise of Japan.” He’s a six-time nominee and two-time winner at the Japanese Academy Awards, and he won the Camerimage Award for his work in “Shōgun,” as well as solo nominations from the TCA Awards and the Gotham TV Awards .
The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards were held Sunday, September 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The full telecast will be available to stream Monday on Hulu.
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