Stephen Graham makes emotional call to stepdad after 'Adolescence' win

Stephen Graham celebrated his biggest career night with an emotional FaceTime call to his stepfather, Mike Fazakerley, after Netflix drama Adolescence swept the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards.

The acclaimed series, in which Graham stars as Eddie Miller, won eight awards including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, while 15-year-old Owen Cooper made history as the youngest-ever male Emmy winner.

Above the cheers of his wife, actress Hannah Walters, and friends, Graham shouted, “We did alright, Dad!” before dialing home to Liverpool to share the news with Fazakerley, who helped raise him after marrying his mother Mary in 1989.

Though Graham remains close to his biological father, he has often credited Fazakerley with guiding him through childhood struggles around identity and belonging. 

Speaking previously, the actor called his stepfather “the one person who believed in my dream” and praised him for helping him embrace his mixed heritage, as per Daily Mail. 

Fazakerley, a former mechanic turned paediatric nurse, expressed his pride earlier this year, saying he watched all of Graham’s work and considered him “one of this country’s finest.” 

He added it was only bittersweet that Mary, who died in 2022, could not see her son’s success.

At Sunday’s ceremony, Adolescence also claimed wins for Best Supporting Actor (Cooper), Best Supporting Actress (Erin Doherty), and Best Director (Philip Barantini), cementing its status as one of Netflix’s biggest critical and commercial hits.