'Game of Thrones,' 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' top Emmy awards

LOS ANGELES - HBO's "Game of Thrones'' was back on its throne as television's best drama series Monday night, having won the Emmy for the third time in four years following a one-year absence from eligibility, while Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' was the big winner with five Emmys, including best comedy series.

"Game of Thrones'' took home only one other prize at the 70th Emmy Awards Monday night at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles -- a supporting drama actor prize for Peter Dinklage for his role as Tyrion Lannister. It was his third Emmy win for the role.

The series won for best drama in 2015 and 2016 but was ineligible for the prize last year.

Matthew Rhys took home his first career Emmy for his work as a Soviet KGB officer posing as an American in FX's "The Americans.'' He hailed the "cast and crew that you could only wish for in a fairy tale,'' singling out co-star Noah Emmerich, who portrays an FBI agent on the show, which also won a writing Emmy for Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg.

Claire Foy, meanwhile, took home her first Emmy for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's "The Crown.''

"I had the most extraordinary two and a half years of my life ... on this program,'' she said. "I was given a role that I never thought I would ever get a chance to play. And I met people who I will love forever and ever and ever.''

"The Crown'' also won a directing Emmy for Stephen Daldry.

Thandie Newton took home the prize for supporting drama actress in HBO's "Westworld.''

"To work with the people that I have gotten to work with, the cast and crew of 'Westworld,' I love you all so much,'' Newton said.

Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,'' the story of a 1950s New York housewife launching a career as a stand-up comedian was the big winner of the night, scoring a total of five Emmys, topped the best comedy prize.

The show also won Emmys for best actress in a comedy series for Rachel Brosnahan and supporting actress for Alex Borstein, while creator Amy Sherman-Palladino won for both writing and directing on the show.

"I'll be thanking you for the rest of my life for trusting me with your Midge,'' Brosnahan said of Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Dan Palladino, an executive producer on the show.

Using the winning moment to make a political statement, Brosnahan said "Maisel'' is "about a woman who's finding her voice anew, and it's something that's happening all over the country right now. One of the most important ways we can find and use our voices is to vote. So if you haven't already registered, do it on your cell phone right now. Vote, show up and bring a friend to the polls.''

For Borstein, the win was her second of Emmy season. She won during the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony earlier this month for her voiceover work as Lois Griffin on the Fox animated comedy "Family Guy.''

The HBO comedy "Barry,'' about a hitman who tries to leave his violent life behind him and pursue an acting career, took home two awards -- lead actor for Bill Hader and supporting actor for sentimental favorite Henry Winkler.

"I was taught that you should always make the other people look good, and so what I did was I hired a bunch of really great actors that made me look really good,'' said Hader, who co-created the show. "So I share this with the cast ... all of you, thank you so so much.''

Winkler, who rose to fame as The Fonz on the 1970s hit sitcom "Happy Days,'' won his first career Emmy, taking home the prize for supporting actor in a comedy series for his role as acting teacher on "Barry.''

"If you get a chance to work with Bill Hader or Alec Berg, run don't walk,'' Winkler said. "Thank you for producing us, for creating us for directing us and, Bill, for acting with us.''

He thanked his wife, Stacey, the show's cast and crew "and the kids, kids -- Jed, Zoe, and Max -- you can go to bed now. Daddy won!''

"The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,'' won the Emmy for outstanding limited series. It also scored prizes for best actor and best director of a limited series or TV movie, for Darren Criss and Ryan Murphy, respectively.

Regina King was named best actress in a limited series for "Seven Seconds,'' a Netflix drama about racial tensions in a New Jersey city. Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever won for their supporting roles in a limited series or TV movie for the Netflix western "Godless.''

The prize for writing in a limited series/movie went to William Bridgers and Charlie Brooker for "USS Callister (Black Mirror).''

Comedian John Mulaney won the Emmy for writing for a variety special for his Netflix comedy special.

One of the most emotional moments of the night came when Glenn Weiss won the Emmy for directing in a variety special for his work on the Oscar telecast. While accepting the award, he announced that his mother died two weeks ago, but then he stunned the crowd by proposing to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, who was sitting in the audience.

When she walked on stage, Weiss gave her the same ring his father gave to his mother, and she accepted his proposal to a standing ovation from the crowd.

"Thank you to the academy,'' Weiss joked after she accepted.

"Saturday Night Live'' was named best variety sketch series. Creator Lorne Michaels, who also produced the Emmy telecast on NBC, said, "I love my job, I love the people I work with.''

"In 1975, when we started, there were a lot of articles for most of that decade about ... how the networks wouldn't be here very much longer. And here we are. It's 2018, we're at the Emmys and we're on NBC.''

The prize for variety talk series went to HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'' "RuPaul's Drag Race,'' meanwhile, was named outstanding reality-competition program. RuPaul accepted the honor "on behalf of the 140 drag queens we have released into the wild.''

"All of the dreamers out there, listen, if you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love someone else?'' RuPaul said.