Mr. Robot star Christian Slater won the Golden Globe Award for supporting actor in a series or TV movie with his performance as a mysterious hacktivist leader in the USA techno-thriller.

Accepting the award, Slater thanked series creator Sam Esmail, “for writing such a wonderful character”; his wife, “for making me the happiest man alive”; and Hollywood itself, “for letting me do what I love to do for the last four decades.”

Lost in the excitement, Slater forgot to thank his No. 1 costar, though he made up for it backstage. “Let me first just say, I’m phenomenally grateful to Rami Malek,” he said. “It’s almost like he’s my wife. I was thinking so much about doing that thing where I forgot to thank my wife that I forgot to thank the greatest acting partner that I’ve worked with in my entire life. He did such an amazing job. I love Rami Malek and I can’t wait to get back to work with him.”

Malek, who was nominated for lead actor Sunday but lost to Jon Hamm, returned Slater’s compliment. “I just saw him right now and I said, ‘You don’t have to say anything to me,’ ” Malek said backstage. “Every second I get to work with him, I get to work with someone who gives me strength anyway. I look at him and he looks at me as an equal. He doesn’t have to say anything. I admire him and that’s the end of that.”

Portraying the shadowy title character of Mr. Robot, Slater beat out Tobias Menzies as a sadistic redcoat captain in Outlander, Alan Cumming as a Machiavellian campaign manager in The Good Wife, Damian Lewis as a tempestuous Tudor king in Wolf Hall, and Ben Mendelsohn as the black sheep of a prominent Florida family in Bloodline.

The Globe is Slater’s first, on his first nomination.