The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons has won the 2014 Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series.
Monday’s victory marked the fourth time the actor behind Sheldon Cooper took home Emmy gold out of a total seven nominations. He’s also nominated for his supporting performance in HBO’s TV movie The Normal Heart.
In accepting the award, Parsons thanked his fellow nominees and noted just how different all of their performances are. William H. Macy was nominated for Showtime’s Shameless. Friends stalwart Matt LeBlanc and Don Cheadle were nominated for Episodes and House of Lies, respectively, while the more acerbic side of the spectrum was represented by Louis C.K. (Louie) and Ricky Gervais (Derek).
“To say that I watch your work and I feel inspired is a bit of an understatement,” he said from the stage. “I watch you work and see you people doing things I couldn’t do. … That I wouldn’t do … That are so divergent and all over the place. All of us doing different things that I do pray to do one day.”
He went on to thank his father, Mickey Parsons, for encouraging him to be an actor. “In a career that hinges so much on confidence … that really was a great gift.”
Parsons’ win comes after the actor and his co-stars recently signed new three-year contracts with Big Bang Theory studio Warner Bros. Television that will pay them about $1 million per episode. The salary negotiations, which delayed production by a week, were also skewered in Emmys host Seth Meyers‘ opening monologue.
