SC natives Aziz Ansari, Viola Davis shine bright among stars on Emmy Awards

The 69th prime-time Emmy Awards on Sunday night featured the biggest television stars in the world, and two South Carolina natives were featured prominently.

Aziz Ansari and Viola Davis represented the Palmetto State on TV’s biggest stage.

Ansari, a native of Bennettsville, was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his starring role as Dev Shah in the Netflix series he created, “Master of None.” Ansari, and co-star Lena Waithe, won for Outstanding writing in a comedy series.

When accepting the award, Waithe introduced Ansari as, “a little Indian boy from South Carolina.”

“Master of None” was also nominated for Outstanding comedy series.

Ansari is also known for playing the role of Tom Haverford in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and his standup comedy.

Ansari mentions his South Carolina often, including in “Parks and Recreation” where his character is conveniently from Bennettsville. His South Carolina roots were also mentioned in the 2013 “Comedy Central Roast of James Franco.”

Davis was nominated for Outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her role of Annalise Keating in “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Davis also introduced the “In Memoriam” segment, saying goodbye to the people who’s work shaped television before dying in the past year.

Davis was born on her grandmother’s farm in St. Matthews, according to The State’s archives. Her parents moved to Rhode Island shortly after when she was about 2 months old.

She has won a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. For her work in theater, she has won two Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. For her work in film, she has won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Additionally, she is a three-time Academy Award nominee, making her the most nominated black actress in history.

This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 10:56 PM with the headline "SC natives Aziz Ansari, Viola Davis shine bright among stars on Emmy Awards."