{"id":229000,"date":"2025-09-15T15:13:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/229000\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T15:13:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:13:17","slug":"san-antonio-native-jeff-hiller-wins-emmy-award-for-comedic-acting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/229000\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio native Jeff Hiller wins Emmy Award for comedic acting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JeffJeff Hiller won an Emmy for his work on the HBO dramedy series Somebody Somewhere. Credit: Courtesy Photo \/ HBO<\/p>\n

San Antonio native Jeff Hiller bagged a surprise Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series on Sunday night, beating out well-known stars including Harrison Ford and Colman Domingo.<\/p>\n

Hiller, a graduate of both Churchill High and Texas Lutheran University, won the recognition for his work on HBO dramedy series\u00a0Somebody Somewhere, where he plays the gay and religious best friend of the show\u2019s main character, who returns to her Kansas hometown following a mid-life crisis. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m gonna cry because the past 25 years I\u2019ve been like, \u2018World, I wanna be an actor,\u2019 and the world\u2019s like, \u2018Maybe computers,\u2019\u201d Hiller said in his acceptance speech, according to the Hollywood Reporter<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The 47-year-old actor also thanked HBO for believing a show about unglamorous middle-aged characters, and he heaped praise on Somebody Somewhere\u2018s writers for crafting a series \u201cabout connecting and love in this time when compassion is seen as a weakness,\u201d the trade publication also reports.<\/p>\n

Hiller, a first-time nominee, was considered a long shot for the award, considering the competition included Shrinking\u2018s Harrison Ford, The Four Seasons\u2018 Colman Domingo, The Studio\u2018s Ike Barinholtz,\u00a0The Bear\u2018s Ebon Moss-Bachrach,\u00a0Saturday Night Live\u2018s Bowen Yang and Shrinking\u2018s Michael Urie.<\/p>\n

Hiller, who\u2019s openly gay, was a theater and choir kid at Churchill in the 1990s, and graduated from Seguin\u2019s TLU in 1998. He intended to become a pastor when he enrolled in college, but his love for theater eventually overtook his interest in theology, Hiller told the Current<\/a> in a 2023 interview. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the main reasons I wanted to be a pastor is because I knew I would have a built-in audience once a week,\u201d the actor joked.<\/p>\n

While Somebody Somewhere propelled Hiller into a new level of visibility, it was far from his first TV role.<\/p>\n

Hiller began performing and teaching improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City in 2021 and jumped to work on series including 30 Rock,\u00a0Community,\u00a0Broad City\u00a0and\u00a0Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also appeared in the 2008 feature film Ghost Town opposite British comedian Ricky Gervais and landed a recurring role as a serial killer in 2022\u2019s\u00a0American Horror Story: NYC.<\/p>\n

Hiller\u2019s best-selling memoir Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success includes essays about his Alamo City upbringing and the challenges of being a gay man trying to build a career in Hollywood. <\/p>\n

In his 2023 interview with the Current, Hiller admitted he \u201cjust tried to hide\u201d through much of high school because of the tough time he faced as a \u201cprofoundly gay\u201d teen. <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I have friends who stayed [in San Antonio], and it seems like it\u2019s a much more accepting and progressive place today,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cI think it was more about the time I grew up there. It was at the height of the AIDS epidemic \u2014 and me being obviously gay. There were lots of bullies and cruelties. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s specifically about San Antonio. I think it\u2019s more about being different in 1988.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Actor\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tIn the episode, which is available to watch now, Leguizamo rides a riverboat, visits the Esperanza Center and samples local cuisine.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Late\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tJoss is honored in the finale of King of the Hill\u2018s 14th season, now available to stream on Hulu.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"San\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tAll six episodes of Chambers\u2019 Toxic are available on Investigation Discovery and HBO Max.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t