The actress who won an Emmy for portraying Temple Grandin’s mother in an HBO biopic about the autism self-advocate gave the award to Grandin’s real life mom.

Actress Julia Ormond won an Emmy for playing the role of Grandin’s mother, Eustacia Cutler, in the film “Temple Grandin,” which premiered on HBO in February. Ormond gave her Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a miniseries or movie to Cutler on Thursday at an autism conference in Los Angeles.

“I know that as a young woman Eustacia Cutler’s dream was to be an actress,” Ormond said. “Instead, she played the most important role a woman can play in life… that of a loving and caring mother and, for that, I want her to have my Emmy.”

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The film, which won seven Emmys, depicted Grandin’s experience from her childhood diagnosis of autism into adulthood. Today Grandin is a well-known speaker and writer on living with autism and is recognized for her work designing humane animal-handling facilities.

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