Noah Wyle "gave up hope" of receiving another Primetime Emmy Awards nomination

And Noah is "overwhelmed" for being recognised again, but this time in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series (as an ex ecutive producer) categories for his work as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch in the HBO Max medical procedural drama, The Pitt.

He told People: "I'm a little different when it hits. It's hitting an older man, that's for sure.

"And one who's been around now for 30 years and done a lot of different things and has sort of ... I'm overwhelmed by this.

"I gave up hope that this was going to be something that my career was going to be part of again, that this focus would beyond my work.

"It's really amazing."

Noah credits his success to his "mentor figure", John Wells - who served as the ex ecutive producer of ER and The Pitt.

He added: "I go back to giving all the credit to John Wells, who's the true godfather of [ER and The Pitt] and has been the sort of mentor figure to me over two of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life.

"Anything that I'm doing on this is to please him and to stay under his protective umbrella for as long as I possibly can."

ER sees the doctors in the titular department at the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago deal with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives, whilst trying to care for their patients.

Noah joined the show in 1994 as his central figure alter ego, and he was a regular in ER for its first 11 seasons, before he left in 2005 and later made guest appearances and returned for the series finale in 2009.

The actor plays the lead role, Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, in The Pitt - which is similar to ER in that it follows the challenges that healthcare workers across the United States face through the lens of those working in the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical emergency room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And Noah - who is one of 13 Primetime Emmy Awards nominees for The Pitt - thinks he is "the elder statesman" on the programme because of ER's audience tuning into The Pitt.

He said: "You don't really expect that to happen, but it happened, and now I'm watching this wonderful generation of young talent.

"It's their moment in the sun. It's even more sweet."

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on September 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.