BWW Profile: Emmy-Nominated Star of the Stage and Screen Elisabeth Moss

In anticipation of the live 67th Annual Emmy Award broadcast on FOX on Sunday, September 20th, BWW will be spotlighting the Emmy nominated TV performances of some of Broadway's biggest stars. If you want to follow along and interact with all of BroadwayWorld's Emmy coverage, check out #BWWEmmys on Twitter!

Elisabeth Moss is one of my favorite actresses on television.

Emmy-nominated again this year for her portrayal of the ambitious secretary-turned-copyrighter-turned-probably-everyone's-boss-some-day Peggy Olson on MAD MEN, Moss boasts a total of six Emmy nominations thusfar- all for MAD MEN.

But as the theatre community does with any famous person who has stepped even a toe on the stage, we claim Moss as our own.

Moss first got the Broadway community's attention when she made her Broadway debut in 2008 as Karen in the 20th anniversary production of David Mamet's movie-centric SPEED-THE-PLOW. Having already distinguished herself in one season of MAD MEN, she did not come into the production as an unknown. Ben Brantley gave her high praise, writing in his review for the New York Times that Moss brought, "a naked clarity to her unvarnished, tinny-voiced Karen that makes the play hang together in ways it didn't before."

Aside from Broadway, Moss also co-starred in the West End production of Lillian Hellman's THE CHILDREN'S HOUR as Martha Dobie, at the Comedy Theatre in 2011. The star power for that production was Kiera Knightly. She received rave reviews for this performance as well, with Michael Billington of The Guardian stating, "In an outstanding performance, she lends Martha a dark secretiveness which goes some way to prepare us for the violent turnaround of Hellman's climax." Just recently, Moss received her first Tony nomination for her starring role in THE HEIDI CHRONICLES alongside Jason Biggs and Bryce Pinkham. Her nomination was the only Tony nod given to the show.

Though we take credit for her achievements, we can admit that she is primarily known for her TV work. Even before scoring a vital role on the incredibly successful MAD MEN, she already had a plethora of screen credits to her name. It really seemed like this brilliant actress came out of nowhere and all of a sudden won our hearts as Peggy Olson, but like so many actors, she had definitely done her time. Fun fact: she was in the 1993 film adaptation of GYPSY. Alongside the stacked cast that included all the cool kids Bette Midler, Andrea Martin, Ed Asner, and Christine Ebersole, Moss played Baby Louise. So whip out that piece trivia when you're trying to impress that special someone at your Emmys party (make sure said "someone" is a Broadway fan, and preferably a MAD MEN fan too).

And of course, like EVERY aspiring stage actor must, Moss made appearances on not one, but two LAW AND ORDER incarnations, in 2005 and 2006.

The first truly recognizable role Moss held, however, was as a recurring character on THE WEST WING. Moss portrayed Zoey Bartlet on 25 episodes of the hit show, and a year after her stint was over, MAD MEN was on the air.

Moss received her first Emmy nomination for MAD MEN season two and has been nominated almost every year since then. Ironically, though she is a Golden Globe winner, the award did not come for her acclaimed MAD MEN performance, but rather for TOP OF THE LAKE, in the mini-series/made for TV category. Yeah, literally, what's TOP OF THE LAKE, and WHY THE HECK CAN'T ANYONE GIVE PEGGY* SOME AWARDS LOVE?!

My personal favorite Peggy quotes:

"This is supposed about my job, not the meaning of life."

"Why don't you just write down all your dreams so I can sh*t on them?"

"I haven't taken a vacation, well, ever."

"Did you park your white horse outside? Spare me the suspense and tell me what your save the day plan is."

"I don't recognize that man. He's kind...and patient."

"Stop barging in here and infecting me with your anxiety."

Best of luck to you, Elisabeth! It's the final season of MAD MEN. This is her year.

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunnday, September 20th (8 PM ET/5 PM PT) on FOX from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Make BroadwayWorld your home for live coverage at BWW TV and on Twitter @BWWTVWorld.

*To be fair, there's a long list of ladies who have been refused this award, like Michelle Dockery (Mary Crawley on DOWNTON ABBEY) of late because the last four years have really just been Claire Daines (HOMELAND) and Julianna Margulies (THE GOOD WIFE) duking it out for the statue. Whatever.

Follow Sally and her shameless love for Elisabeth Moss and all things MAD MEN on Twitter: @BwayGinger