New Jersey native Peter Dinklage has won a Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Emmy for his role as the wisecracking, whore-chasing "imp" Tyrion Lannister in HBO's new series, "Game of Thrones."



It was his first Emmy nomination.



Dinklage -- who was born in Morristown, grew up in Mendham and graduated from the Delbarton School -- drew raves this spring for his portrayal of Tyrion, of one of the few sympathetic adult characters in the dark fantasy series (based on the work of Bayonne native George R.R. Martin). He plays the youngest and most atypical son of the aristocratic, blood-thirsty and frequently incestuous House Lannister.



Born with a condition called achondroplasia, Dinklage is four and a half feet tall -- a fact that has not, recently, seemed to hinder his burgeoning acting career.



His breakthrough role in 2003's "The Station Agent" -- the Jersey-set tale of a dwarf who inherits a train station -- first got Dinklage noticed outside the world of off-Broadway theater, where he'd already built quite a career. He also played a pivotal role in 2007's British black comedy "Death at a Funeral," and was the only actor to reprise his role when the film was remade here in 2010.



He was also Trumpkin in the film version of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." He's appeared on television in "30 Rock" and HBO's "Entourage," among other shows.



It's been a good year for Dinklage, 42: In addition to the rapturous reception of both "Game of Thrones" in general and his role in it in particular received, Dinklage announced this summer that he and his wife, director Ericka Schmidt, are expecting their first child.

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