Matthew Rhys and Jason Bateman could make history when the Emmy nominations are announced on Wednesday — becoming the first two male actors ever to be nominated for all three lead acting categories for drama, comedy, and limited/movie.
Women have achieved this feat before, including Susan Saint James (Kate & Allie, McMillan & Wife), Laura Linney (The Big C, Ozark, Wild Iris/John Adams), and Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie, The Sopranos, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders).
And a long list of men have been recognized for their lead performances in two acting races, including James Garner, Alan Alda, John Lithgow, John Goodman, Idris Elba, Andre Braugher, Ed Harris, Don Cheadle, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas, Ted Danson, Matthew Perry, Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Douglas, Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm, Steve Carell, and Jeff Daniels.
But to date, no male performer has ever gotten the triple recognition for all three lead races.
That could change on Wednesday with Rhys for his series Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me, or Bateman for Black Rabbit. (Bateman is also an Emmy contender for DTF St. Louis, but in the supporting category.)
Rhys is best known for his iconic role as Philip Jennings on The Americans, for which he was nominated for Best Drama Actor three times for the latter half of the spy drama’s six seasons, winning for the final installment in 2018. He subsequently received bids in the same category for Perry Mason in 2021 and for his guest performance in the comedy series Girls in 2017. This year, he is hoping to garner double lead nominations for the Netflix limited series The Beast in Me and for the Apple TV comedy horror Widow’s Bay.
For Bateman, his first citation came for Best Comedy Actor for Arrested Development in 2005, for which he was nominated again in 2013 for the first of two revivals. Five years later, he earned recognition for Best Drama Actor for each of Ozark’s four seasons, as well as directing and producing bids. Along with his nods for The Outsider and Lessons In Chemistry, he has a total of 14 Emmy nominations, and could receive up to five this year, including for his lead performance in the Netflix miniseries Black Rabbit.
Per the current Gold Derby odds, it looks like Rhys may have the better shot of making history as he is in second place for Best Limited/Movie Actor with a 97% chance of a nomination for The Beast in Me, and in third place for Widow’s Bay with 90% in Best Comedy Actor.
Movie/Limited Actor
1.
2.
Matthew Rhys
The Beast in Me
3.
4.
Paul Anthony Kelly
Love Story
5.
Charlie Hunnam
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
6.
Jason Bateman
Black Rabbit
Comedy Actor
1.
2.
Martin Short
Only Murders in the Building
3.
4.
Jeremy Allen White
The Bear
5.
Bateman is on the outskirts in the former category, only in sixth place (in a five-nominee lineup) for Black Rabbit with a 19% likelihood. However, he did receive an Actor Award nomination for this performance, so don’t count him out just yet.
Find out whether history is made for either when the 2026 Emmys nominations are announced Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. PT.
