Good job, Mirchk. You just made history.
Due to his sober performance as the hypnotism and uneasy hilarious Seth Milchick in the drama “Severance,” which is contrary to the Apple TV+ genre, Tramell Tillman won Emmy for his outstanding supporter actor in the drama series, becoming the first black man to win the category. It was the only field of acting in the 77-year history of the Emmys that has yet to honor black performers.
Tillman has taken remarkable victories over fellow co-stars Zach Cherry and John Tarturo, Walton Goggins from “The White Lotus,” Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell and James Marsden from “Paradise.”
The 40-year-old joins the legacy of pioneers who have broken barriers in their respective categories. In 2015, Viola Davis became the first black woman to win a lead drama actress in “How to Run Away with Murder.” Billy Porter was later nominated and won as the first openly gay black man in the lead acting category. Tillman, in turn, is the first openly gay black man to win nominations and victory in supporting drama actors.
In particular, Tillman was overlooked in the first season of the show in 2022, with “Retirement” earning 14 nominations. This year, the series surged ahead of the pack with 27 nods.
In his variety cover story in August, Tillman talked about the possibilities of making history and whether he felt the weight of honor.
In the category of supporting drama actors, officially founded in 1970, 13 black actors have accumulated 23 nominations over decades. The last time a black performer was appointed was in 2021 in Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), OT Farbenle (The Handmade Tale) and Michael K. Williams (The Lovecraft Country) who recorded three nominations in a year.
Since then, actors of colours from all over the world have made sharper White Lotus in 2023, including “Squid Game” stars Park Hae Soo and Oh Yong Soo’s “Squid Game” stars marking categories in 2023, and in 2024, including “Show” duo Tadanobu Azano and Takehirohirohiro.
Last year, Tillman became a breakout star when he shared a screen with Tom Cruise in his summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Final Calculation. Maryland Native coming soon is Rena Dunham’s “Good Sex” role on the other side of Natalie Portman and a private role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
