Aussie underdog Ben Mendelsohn has stunned the Emmys, taking out the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Netflix’s Bloodline.

Considered a rank outsider for the award, Mendelsohn got the gong ahead of Game of Thrones heavyweights Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington, Jonathan Banks from Better Call Saul, Jon Voight from Ray Donovan and Michael Kelly of House of Cards.

The Australian actor, who didn’t attend the awards ceremony, has become a regular nominee on the TV show awards circuit the past two years thanks to his portrayal of the twisted, revenge-filled Danny Rayburn on the Florida-based Netflix series.

Mendelsohn went home empty-handed from last year’s Emmys and January’s Golden Globes and in the lead-up, bookmakers, TV critics and awards analysts predicted he’d be pipped again one of the two Game of Thrones nominees, Dinklage and Harington.

“Honestly, if it’s not Dinklage, it will be Harington,” The Washington Post’s Emily Yahr had confidently predicted.

“This is a ‘GoT’ category.”

Mendelsohn’s Danny Rayburn character was in fact killed off in season one of the show, appearing on the second season, only via flashback scenes.

The win will be even sweeter after Netflix announced recently that the series would be axed after the upcoming third season.

– with AAP