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In Emmy speech Alex Borstein tells story of how grandmother survived Holocaust

1:01
Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein share how their characters would react to winning Emmys
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
ByEmily Shapiro
September 23, 2019, 1:56 AM

As Alex Borstein of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" accepted the Emmy for best supporting actress, she shared a story of how her grandmother survived the Holocaust.

Borstein said she was dedicating her win "to the strength of a woman. To ['The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' creator] Amy Sherman-Palladino, to every woman on the 'Maisel' cast and crew" -- as well as to her mother and her grandmother, who she said lived through the Holocaust.

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Borstein said her grandmother survived by turning to a guard when "she was in line to be shot into a pit."

"She said, 'What happens if I step out of line?' And he said, 'I don't have the heart to shoot you, but somebody will,'" Borstein said. "And she stepped out of line. And for that I am here, and for that my children are here. So step out of line, ladies."

Alex Borstein accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award for 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' onstage during the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Borstein, for the second year in a row, won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as manager Susie Myerson on Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

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Backstage at the awards show, she explained why she decided to discuss her grandmother.

"My grandmother was the strongest woman I knew and I get choked up every time I talk about her," Borstein said. "She was an amazing person and an amazing story, and focusing on the strength of women now and how we've come a long way, and it's bulls--t. They've always been there. These women have always run the roost and I come from a long line of bulldozers and I'm proud."

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  • Emmy Awards

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