Claire Danes' fearless performance as a brilliant, but mentally unstable CIA analyst in Showtime's "Homeland" was a hit with Emmy voters.
Danes received the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama statue Sunday night, beating out Michelle Dockery ("Downton Abbey"), Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Glenn Close ("Damages"), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men") and Kathy Bates ("Harry's Law").
Also read: Emmys 2012: Complete List of Winners
On "Homeland, Danes' Carrie Mathison struggles to unmask a terrorist mole while grappling with bipolar disorder.
She previously received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2010 for her role as an autistic woman on the HBO movie "Temple Grandin."
She was nominated in 1995 for her role as an angst-ridden teen on "My So-Called Life."