On the heels of Tony Hale winning his second Emmy, some people who knew the Tallahassee native are singing his praises.
Hale plays Gary, personal aide to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character with HBO show, “Veep.” Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer, who was the Vice President of the United States at the start of the series.
And, because of his role, Hale just won his second Emmy for Best supporting actor in a comedy series.
“Thank you guys very much,” he said, during his acceptance speech. “To the other nominees, you guys make me laugh hard. My family, my wife, my daughter, whom I love so much….my theatre family, Young Actors Theatre family in Tallahassee…”
It’s his second Emmy win in the same category. He won the first time in 2013. And, just as he did in his Sunday speech, in his first, he mentioned his local theater family, the Young Actors Theatre.
“I just want to thank my two favorite people in the entire world, my wife and my daughter,” said Hale, at the time. “My mom and my Dad, Mike and Rite Hale of Macon, GA, my sister Kim, my brother Mike…And also, I’m from Tallahassee, Florida, and there’s a little theater called Young Actors Theatre that made a huge difference in my life. Tina Williams and Alison Grimes, thank you for your commitment.”
“So, we were watching, and my daughter was with me, and her little three-year-old and of course, when he won, we all jumped up and down and screamed and yelled and carried on,” said Tina Williams, after watching Sunday night.
Williams, the Executive Director of Young Actors Theatre in Tallahassee, also founded the local program that’s gotten nationally recognized—they’re celebrating their 40th anniversary this year.
She says she’s so proud of her former student, who started out as a fifth grader in the program.
“He is so worthy of this recognition, because not only is he personally, the funniest person on that show, um, he always had that comic timing that is just so fantastic,” added Williams. “So, he really deserves it.”
Describing him as a caring person, Williams says it’s also great that Hale always remembers where he came from.
“We’re super appreciative of it,” continued Williams. “Since he graduated in 1988, he has always been part of the YAT [Young Actors Theatre] family. He’s come back many times to do things, and I think he really encompasses what we really try to encourage, which is it’s not just about becoming a star, because how many people become a star? But, really about their growth of character.”
Another member of the Young Actor Theatres, or YAT family is actress Cheryl Hines. She’s received two Emmy nominations for her previous work on another HBO comedic series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
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