HWS News
2 October 2024 • Alums • Arts HWS Connections to Emmy Award-winner Hacks
Christopher McDonald ’77, L.H.D. ’13 is a cast member on the 2024 Emmy Award-winner for Best Comedy Series Hacks.
Hacks was a big winner at the Emmy Awards 2024, taking home top prize for Best Comedy Series. HWS alumnus Christopher McDonald '77, L.H.D.’13 who plays “Marty” on the show, joined fellow cast and crew at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California to accept the award.
The HBO Max series Hacks tells the story of Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart, a legendary Las Vegas-based stand-up comedian on a journey to reinvent her act. The show won the Emmy Award for Best Comedy for its third season, beating out nominees including The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Only Murders in the Building, Palm Royale, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows.
McDonald plays Las Vegas casino owner and occasional love interest Marty. In 2022, McDonald was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in a previous season of Hacks. A veteran in Hollywood, McDonald has had a prolific career spanning more than 40 years, with more than 200 acting credits across film and television, including as Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore.
Netflix recently announced production on a Happy Gilmore sequel, with McDonald signed on to participate alongside returning actors Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen, and a new screen colleague, Benito Martinez Ocasio – also known as Bad Bunny.
HWS has another familial connection to Hacks. Writer and executive story editor on the show Ariel Karlin is the daughter of Beth Brophy ’76 and the niece of Professor of Philosophy Scott Brophy ’78, P’12.
