St. Louis native wins Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for ‘This is Us’

Sterling K. Brown, originally from Olivette, Missouri, has taken home an Emmy for his role in “This is Us.” He plays Randall Pearson, the adopted brother of a white family in the television drama.

It has been 19 years since an African American won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

In Brown’s acceptance speech, he said his castmates are “the best white TV family that a brother has ever had.”

“What I love so much about the show and about the character of Randall is that he is black on purpose,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

His win was the only one of the five for which the the show was nominated. Last year, he won Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Limited Series for his role as Chris Darden on “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Family.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 12:15 PM with the headline "St. Louis native wins Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for ‘This is Us’."