Jennifer Coolidge is continuing to receive the recognition that she deserves on the awards circuit, bagging a win at last night’s Screen Actors Guild (Sag) Awards in California.

While picking up the gong for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her role in The White Lotus, the actress broke down in tears while emphasising how ‘grateful’ she was on stage.

‘I want you all to know that I am just so grateful. So grateful, because this could be it,’ the 61-year-old said.

She then recalled a heartwarming memory from her school days, when her father – who died in 2015 – helped her to skip school before igniting her love of acting.

Jennifer explained that her parents had an inability to ever lie… except in this special circumstance, when her dad Paul Constant Coolidge picked her up from school, pretending that his daughter was unwell.

In the car, he promised that he would never lie again, as he took the young Jennifer to a Charlie Chaplin film festival in Massachusetts.

Jennifer was overwhelmed with emotion while expressing how ‘grateful’ she was (Picture: Reuters)

Tanya is an undisputed White Lotus legend (Picture: Fabio Lovino/HBO)

‘I swear to god, seeing Charlie Chaplin for the first time and having that experience… it’s my love of film, it’s my love of actor. All of that came from my first grade,’ as the audience in attendance at the awards ceremony applauded.

In her speech, Jennifer spoke out once again to shower The White Lotus creator Mike White with praise for giving her the opportunity of playing Tanya in the first two seasons, a character that was written specifically for her.

Well-deserved wins for the cultural icon (Picture: Frederic J. Brown/AFP)

‘You can give money to friends, and do nice things for them, but… and people love money, you know? And I do it whenever I can. When your friends are broke, whether you can give them money and stuff,’ she said.

‘Really, the best gift you can give someone is to change someone’s perspective for the better and view life in a different way, and that’s what Mike White did for me.’

Several fans expressed how delighted they are for Jennifer’s success, while hoping that it’ll continue.

‘I hope this is just the beginning of great roles. She was so undervalued in Hollywood!’ one person tweeted.

‘I’m so glad that after all these years in all of those wonderful roles no matter how small they were in the past, that she’s finally getting the attention that she deserves. Now let’s all do the “bend and snap” for Jennifer,’ another said, referring to her famous scene from Legally Blonde.

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The actress won yet again for her performance in The White Lotus.