2:26 PM PDT, August 6, 2013
The 2013 Emmys are closing in, and ET is breaking down your list of contenders! This week, we turn our attention to the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy category.
Once a part of the Tony Award-winning one-act musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is now a piece of the Emmy powerhouse Modern Family.
His cautious but caring character "Mitchell Pritchett" may not be the boldest in terms of asserting himself as gay to the world, but he is nevertheless a family man and a distinguished attorney.
Ferguson, like many of his Modern Family co-stars, has been nominated for all four of the comedy series' seasons to date.
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Jesse Tyler Ferguson - 'Modern Family'
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The 2013 Emmys are closing in, and ET is breaking down your list of contenders! This week, we turn our attention to the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy category.
Once a part of the Tony Award-winning one-act musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is now a piece of the Emmy powerhouse Modern Family.
His cautious but caring character "Mitchell Pritchett" may not be the boldest in terms of asserting himself as gay to the world, but he is nevertheless a family man and a distinguished attorney.
Ferguson, like many of his Modern Family co-stars, has been nominated for all four of the comedy series' seasons to date.
Once a part of the Tony Award-winning one-act musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is now a piece of the Emmy powerhouse Modern Family.
His cautious but caring character "Mitchell Pritchett" may not be the boldest in terms of asserting himself as gay to the world, but he is nevertheless a family man and a distinguished attorney.
Ferguson, like many of his Modern Family co-stars, has been nominated for all four of the comedy series' seasons to date.
Tony Hale - 'Veep'
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Tony Hale has had a good year, with the return of the cult phenomenon Arrested Development, and now earning his first ever Emmy nomination for his role on HBO's Veep.
His nomination could be attributed to the entire supporting cast of the show developing as an ensemble. In the series, Hale crafts this role of a personal aide with severe attachment issues (this time to the "Veep" herself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus) with much the same hilarity that embodied his Arrested role.
If the world wasn't ready for the kind of comedy Hale brings the first time Arrested Development was canceled, it certainly is now. And it's a big reason why he's got a good shot to take home this year's Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
His nomination could be attributed to the entire supporting cast of the show developing as an ensemble. In the series, Hale crafts this role of a personal aide with severe attachment issues (this time to the "Veep" herself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus) with much the same hilarity that embodied his Arrested role.
If the world wasn't ready for the kind of comedy Hale brings the first time Arrested Development was canceled, it certainly is now. And it's a big reason why he's got a good shot to take home this year's Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
Bill Hader - 'Saturday Night Live'
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Some might be surprised to learn two facts about Bill Hader's Emmy history:
1) The comedic actor won his first Emmy in 2009 as a producer of South Park.
2) He didn't receive his first Emmy nomination for Saturday Night Live until last year.
After nine seasons on SNL as an actor and writer, Hader is up for his last Emmy opportunity with SNL, as he has decided to move on from the sketch-comedy show.
1) The comedic actor won his first Emmy in 2009 as a producer of South Park.
2) He didn't receive his first Emmy nomination for Saturday Night Live until last year.
After nine seasons on SNL as an actor and writer, Hader is up for his last Emmy opportunity with SNL, as he has decided to move on from the sketch-comedy show.
Ty Burrell - 'Modern Family'
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Ty Burrell is one of a handful of actors whose careers have thrived from the success of Modern Family.
His goofy character of "Phil Dunphy" is arguably the most hilarious on the show with his overambitious parenting style and blatant affection for his father-in-law's wife (portrayed by Sofia Vergara).
The TV Academy has thoroughly enjoyed his character as well, nominating him for Outstanding Supporting Actor for all of the show's four seasons.
Burrell won his first-ever Emmy in 2011 for the series' second season.
His goofy character of "Phil Dunphy" is arguably the most hilarious on the show with his overambitious parenting style and blatant affection for his father-in-law's wife (portrayed by Sofia Vergara).
The TV Academy has thoroughly enjoyed his character as well, nominating him for Outstanding Supporting Actor for all of the show's four seasons.
Burrell won his first-ever Emmy in 2011 for the series' second season.
Ed O'Neill - 'Modern Family'
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After establishing himself for 11 seasons as a lead actor on the comedy series Married...with Children, Ed O'Neill has re-branded himself with another comedy series, Modern Family.
His "Jay Pritchett" is an unending source of laughs stemming from his fundamental differences from his younger Colombian wife (portrayed by Sofia Vergara) and her son, to whom he is now a stepfather.
As he and his TV wife recently welcomed their first child together on the show, his first Emmy may be on the horizon as well, assuming one of his Modern Family co-stars doesn't nab the honor instead.
His "Jay Pritchett" is an unending source of laughs stemming from his fundamental differences from his younger Colombian wife (portrayed by Sofia Vergara) and her son, to whom he is now a stepfather.
As he and his TV wife recently welcomed their first child together on the show, his first Emmy may be on the horizon as well, assuming one of his Modern Family co-stars doesn't nab the honor instead.
Adam Driver - 'Girls'
ET
While he does have smaller roles in films such as Lincoln and J. Edgar, his breakout performance is widely regarded as Lena Dunham's cynical on-again, off-again boyfriend on HBO's Girls.
The show itself earned five nominations and one statuette last year, but this is Adam's first ever nomination.
His ability to rise above the level of a flat male character, on a show called Girls, among such a strong ensemble of twenty-something entitled female characters speaks to Lena Dunham's creative prowess, but also to Driver's ability to take such a challenging role and turn it into someone that resonates so well with audiences.
It is Driver's first time at bat, and there's no shame in the event he doesn't take home the Emmy gold. The nomination itself is a good indication that people have taken notice of the 29-year-old military man-turned actor.
Check out our other Emmy Spotlight galleries:
Supporting Actress in a Comedy
The show itself earned five nominations and one statuette last year, but this is Adam's first ever nomination.
His ability to rise above the level of a flat male character, on a show called Girls, among such a strong ensemble of twenty-something entitled female characters speaks to Lena Dunham's creative prowess, but also to Driver's ability to take such a challenging role and turn it into someone that resonates so well with audiences.
It is Driver's first time at bat, and there's no shame in the event he doesn't take home the Emmy gold. The nomination itself is a good indication that people have taken notice of the 29-year-old military man-turned actor.
Check out our other Emmy Spotlight galleries:
Supporting Actress in a Comedy