Gerran Howell, 35, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the ‘Drama supporting actor’ category for his role as the gentle, yet naïve, Dr Dennis Whitaker in HBO’s The Pitt.
It’s the series that has taken the world by storm, following the staff of an emergency department as they attempt to get through a single 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre.
The drama has been hailed by the medical community for its realistic portrayal of healthcare workers, and its cast and crew are reaping the rewards of being part of such a successful and influential show.
The cast is full of well-known names from other silver screen escapades, but Mr Howell’s face will be more recognisable than others to the people of Barry.
He grew up in the town, where he attended Barry Comprehensive School, before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Some readers might recognise him best from his roles as Private Parry in 1917, or as Vlad in the CBBC series Young Dracula. The series followed a family of vampires and their move from Transylvania to a rural Welsh town – a far departure from the chaos of the emergency department at The Pitt.
The Pitt is the top nominee of this year’s awards, with a total of 25 nominations across all categories, including nods for ‘Drama Series’, and 13 acting nominations including Patrick Ball (Dr Frank Langdon) and Shawn Hatosy (Dr Jack Abbot) alongside Mr Howell in the ‘Drama supporting actor’ category.
In a post on his Instagram story, Mr Howell wrote: “To be nominated for an Emmy or even considered feels completely surreal for this little Welsh boy!
“I feel unbelievably lucky to be part of a show made by people who give everything to it, every single day.
“There are performances in this cast that deserve every bit of recognition in the world, and I feel very lucky to have been anywhere near them.
“Thank you to the Television Academy, and to everyone who has cared about the show. It means more than I can properly say.”
The rest doesn’t stop for Mr Howell and the cast of The Pitt, as scrub-clad work continues to produce season three of this extremely popular medical drama.
The 78th Emmy Awards will be held on September 14 at 5pm at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
