# Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role to the best performance by a lead actor in a Canadian film. The award was first presented in 1968 by the Canadian Film Awards, and was presented annually until 1978 with the exception of 1969, when no eligible feature films were submitted for award consideration, and 1974 due to the cancellation of the awards that year.
From 1980 until 2012, the award was presented as part of the Genie Awards ceremony; since 2013, it has been presented as part of the new Canadian Screen Awards.
From 1980 to 1983, only Canadian actors were eligible for the award; non-Canadian actors appearing in Canadian films were instead considered for the separate Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor. After 1983, the latter award was discontinued, and both Canadian and foreign actors were eligible for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
In August 2022, the Academy announced that it will discontinue its past practice of presenting gendered awards for film and television actors and actresses; beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance will be presented, with eight nominees per category instead of five. Lead performances are now honoured with the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Film.

## 1960s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards | Gerard Parkes | Isabel |
| 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards |
| 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards | No award presented this year | No award presented this year |

## 1970s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 1970 22nd Canadian Film Awards |
| 1970 22nd Canadian Film Awards | Paul Bradley | Goin' Down the Road |
| 1970 22nd Canadian Film Awards | Doug McGrath | Goin' Down the Road |
| 1971 23rd Canadian Film Awards |
| 1971 23rd Canadian Film Awards | Jean Duceppe | Mon oncle Antoine |
| 1972 24th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1972 24th Canadian Film Awards | Gordon Pinsent | The Rowdyman |
| 1973 25th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1973 25th Canadian Film Awards | Jacques Godin | O.K. ... Laliberté |
| 1974 |
| 1974 | No award presented | No award presented |
| 1975 26th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1975 26th Canadian Film Awards | Stuart Gillard | Why Rock the Boat? |
| 1976 27th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1976 27th Canadian Film Awards | André Melançon | Bound for Glory (Partis pour la gloire) |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards | Len Cariou | One Man |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards | David Petersen | Skip Tracer |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards | Craig Russell | Outrageous! |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards | Marcel Sabourin | J.A. Martin Photographer (J.A. Martin photographe) |
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards |
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards | Richard Gabourie | Three Card Monte |
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards | John Juliani | Marie-Anne |
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards | Frank Moore | The Third Walker |
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards | Christopher Plummer | The Silent Partner |

## 1980s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards | Christopher Plummer | Murder by Decree |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards | Geoffrey Bowes | Something's Rotten |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards | Robin Gammell | Jack London's Klondike Fever |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards | Thomas Hauff | Summer's Children |
| 1980 1st Genie Awards | Stephen Lack | The Rubber Gun |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards | Thomas Peacocke | The Hounds of Notre Dame |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards | Jocelyn Bérubé | The Handyman (L'Homme à tout faire) |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards | Lewis Furey | Fantastica |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards | Winston Rekert | Suzanne |
| 1981 2nd Genie Awards | August Schellenberg | The Coffin Affair (L'Affaire Coffin) |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards | Nick Mancuso | Ticket to Heaven |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards | Gabriel Arcand | The Plouffe Family (Les Plouffe) |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards | Gordon Pinsent | Silence of the North |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards | Christopher Plummer | The Amateur |
| 1982 3rd Genie Awards | Winston Rekert | Heartaches |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards | Donald Sutherland | Threshold |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards | Gilles Renaud | A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi) |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards | Saul Rubinek | By Design |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards | Marcel Sabourin | Sweet Lies and Loving Oaths (Doux aveux) |
| 1983 4th Genie Awards | August Schellenberg | Latitude 55° |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards | Eric Fryer | The Terry Fox Story |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards | Pierre Curzi | Lucien Brouillard |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards | Guy L'Écuyer | Au clair de la lune |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards | Nick Mancuso | Maria Chapdelaine |
| 1984 5th Genie Awards | Alan Scarfe | Deserters |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards | Gabriel Arcand | The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe) |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards | Xavier Norman Petermann | Mario |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards | Winston Rekert | Walls |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards | Kiefer Sutherland | The Bay Boy |
| 1985 6th Genie Awards | Kenneth Welsh | Reno and the Doc |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards | John Wildman | My American Cousin |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards | Serge Dupire | The Alley Cat (Le Matou) |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards | Ed McNamara | Bayo |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards | Alan Scarfe | Overnight |
| 1986 7th Genie Awards | R. H. Thomson | Samuel Lount |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards | Gordon Pinsent | John and the Missus |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards | Pierre Curzi | The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l'empire américain) |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards | Rémy Girard | The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l'empire américain) |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards | Winston Rekert | The Blue Man |
| 1987 8th Genie Awards | Kenneth Welsh | Loyalties |
| 1988 9th Genie Awards |
| 1988 9th Genie Awards | Roger Lebel | Night Zoo (Un Zoo la nuit) |
| 1988 9th Genie Awards | David Hemblen | Family Viewing |
| 1988 9th Genie Awards | Jason St. Amour | Train of Dreams |
| 1988 9th Genie Awards | Gilles Maheu | Night Zoo (Un Zoo la nuit) |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Jeremy Irons | Dead Ringers |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Zachary Ansley | Cowboys Don't Cry |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Elias Koteas | Malarek |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Jan Rubeš | Something About Love |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Saul Rubinek | The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick |
| 1989 10th Genie Awards | Ron White | Cowboys Don't Cry |

## 1990s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards | Lothaire Bluteau | Jesus of Montreal (Jésus de Montréal) |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards | Maury Chaykin | Cold Comfort |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards | Michel Côté | Cruising Bar |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards | Michael McManus | Speaking Parts |
| 1990 11th Genie Awards | Stephen Ouimette | The Top of His Head |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards | Rémy Girard | Love Crazy (Amoureux fou) |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards | Brad Dourif | Chaindance |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards | Matthias Habich | The Savage Woman (La Demoiselle sauvage) |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards | Saeed Jaffrey | Masala |
| 1991 12th Genie Awards | Jean Rochefort | Love Crazy (Amoureux fou) |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards | Tony Nardi | The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine) |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards | Jacques Godin | Being at Home with Claude |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards | Don McKellar | Highway 61 |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards | Gildor Roy | Requiem for a Handsome Bastard (Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur) |
| 1992 13th Genie Awards | Peter Weller | Naked Lunch |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards | Tom McCamus | I Love a Man in Uniform |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards | Roy Dupuis | Cap Tourmente |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards | Rémy Girard | La Florida |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards | Gilbert Sicotte | Cap Tourmente |
| 1993 14th Genie Awards | R. H. Thomson | The Lotus Eaters |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards | Maury Chaykin | Whale Music |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards | Martin Drainville | Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes) |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards | Gary Farmer | Henry & Verlin |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards | Elias Koteas | Exotica |
| 1994 15th Genie Awards | Gilbert Sicotte | Les Pots cassés |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards | David La Haye | Water Child (L'Enfant d'eau) |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards | Lothaire Bluteau | The Confessional (Le Confessionnal) |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards | Matthew Ferguson | Eclipse |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards | Clive Russell | Margaret's Museum |
| 1995 16th Genie Awards | Peter Williams | Soul Survivor |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | William Hutt | Long Day's Journey into Night |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | Jason Cadieux | Lilies |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | Matthew Ferguson | Lilies |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | Danny Gilmore | Lilies |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | Tom McCamus | Long Day's Journey into Night |
| 1996 17th Genie Awards | Christopher Penn | The Boys Club |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards | Ian Holm | The Sweet Hereafter |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards | Robin Aubert | The Countess of Baton Rouge (La Comtesse de Bâton Rouge) |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards | Bruce Greenwood | The Sweet Hereafter |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards | Peter Outerbridge | Kissed |
| 1997 18th Genie Awards | Alan Williams | The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards | Roshan Seth | Such a Long Journey |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards | Rémy Girard | Les Boys |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards | Tony Nardi | Mr. Aiello (La Déroute) |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards | Jonathan Pryce | Regeneration |
| 1998 19th Genie Awards | Samuel West | Rupert's Land |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Bob Hoskins | Felicia's Journey |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Gabriel Arcand | Post Mortem |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Denis Bouchard | Winter Stories (Histoires d'hiver) |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Joël Drapeau-Dalpé | Winter Stories (Histoires d'hiver) |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Ralph Fiennes | Sunshine |
| 1999 20th Genie Awards | Daniel MacIvor | The Five Senses |

## 2000s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards | Tony Nardi | My Father's Angel |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards | David Cubitt | The Perfect Son |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards | Colm Feore | The Perfect Son |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards | Timothy Webber | My Father's Angel |
| 2000 21st Genie Awards | James Whitmore | Here's to Life! |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | Brendan Fletcher | The Law of Enclosures |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | Zachary Bennett | Desire |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | David La Haye | Soft Shell Man (Un crabe dans la tête) |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | Peter Outerbridge | Marine Life |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | Chris Owens | The Uncles |
| 2001 22nd Genie Awards | Zinedine Soualem | Tar Angel (L'Ange de goudron) |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards | Luc Picard | Savage Messiah |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards | David Alpay | Ararat |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards | Philip DeWilde | Turning Paige |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards | Christopher Plummer | Ararat |
| 2002 23rd Genie Awards | Colin Roberts | Flower & Garnet |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards | Rémy Girard | The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards | Raymond Bouchard | Seducing Doctor Lewis (La Grande séduction) |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards | Philip Seymour Hoffman | Owning Mahowny |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards | Robert Lepage | Far Side of the Moon (La Face cachée de la lune) |
| 2003 24th Genie Awards | Barry Pepper | The Snow Walker |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards | Roy Dupuis | Looking for Alexander (Mémoires affectives) |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards | Michel Côté | The Last Tunnel (Le Dernier Tunnel) |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards | David La Haye | Battle of the Brave (Nouvelle-France) |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards | Ian McKellen | Émile |
| 2004 25th Genie Awards | Nick Stahl | Twist |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards | Michel Côté | C.R.A.Z.Y. |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards | Adam Butcher | Saint Ralph |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards | Marc-André Grondin | C.R.A.Z.Y. |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards | Paul Kaye | It's All Gone Pete Tong |
| 2005 26th Genie Awards | Luc Picard | Audition (L'Audition) |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards | Roy Dupuis | The Rocket (Maurice Richard) |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards | Colm Feore | Bon Cop, Bad Cop |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards | Olivier Gourmet | Congorama |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards | Patrick Huard | Bon Cop, Bad Cop |
| 2006 27th Genie Awards | Luc Picard | A Sunday in Kigali (Un dimanche à Kigali) |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards | Gordon Pinsent | Away From Her |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards | Roy Dupuis | Shake Hands With the Devil |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards | Marc Labrèche | Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres) |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards | Claude Legault | The 3 L'il Pigs (Les 3 p'tits cochons) |
| 2007 28th Genie Awards | Viggo Mortensen | Eastern Promises |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards | Natar Ungalaaq | The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards | Paul Gross | Passchendaele |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards | Rupinder Nagra | Amal |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards | Christopher Plummer | Emotional Arithmetic |
| 2008 29th Genie Awards | Aaron Poole | This Beautiful City |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards | Joshua Jackson | One Week |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards | Jean-Carl Boucher | 1981 |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards | Paul-Dylan Ivalu | Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards | Clark Johnson | Nurse.Fighter.Boy |
| 2009 30th Genie Awards | Stephen McHattie | Pontypool |

## 2010s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards | Paul Giamatti | Barney's Version |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards | Jay Baruchel | The Trotsky |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards | Robert Naylor | 10½ |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards | Timothy Olyphant | High Life |
| 2010 31st Genie Awards | François Papineau | Route 132 |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards | Mohamed Fellag | Monsieur Lazhar |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards | Garret Dillahunt | Oliver Sherman |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards | Michael Fassbender | A Dangerous Method |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards | Patrick Huard | Starbuck |
| 2011 32nd Genie Awards | Scott Speedman | Citizen Gangster |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards | James Cromwell | Still Mine |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards | Patrick Drolet | All That You Possess (Tout ce que tu possèdes) |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards | Marc-André Grondin | L'Affaire Dumont |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards | David Morse | Collaborator |
| 2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards | Melvil Poupaud | Laurence Anyways |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards | Gabriel Arcand | The Dismantling (Le Démantèlement) |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards | Brendan Gleeson | The Grand Seduction |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards | Jake Gyllenhaal | Enemy |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards | Daniel Radcliffe | The F Word |
| 2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards | Rajesh Tailang | Siddharth |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards | Antoine Olivier Pilon | Mommy |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards | Evan Bird | Maps to the Stars |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards | Bruce Greenwood | Elephant Song |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards | Michael Murphy | Fall |
| 2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards | Ryan Reynolds | The Captive |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Jacob Tremblay | Room |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Maxim Gaudette | Our Loved Ones (Les Êtres chers) |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Jasmin Geljo | The Waiting Room |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Christopher Plummer | Remember |
| 2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Rossif Sutherland | River |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards | Stephan James | Race |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards | Jared Abrahamson | Hello Destroyer |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards | Lawrence Barry | Riverhead |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards | Chen Gang | Old Stone |
| 2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards | Andrew Gillis | Werewolf |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards | Nabil Rajo | Boost |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards | Antoine L'Écuyer | The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes) |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards | Tzi Ma | Meditation Park |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards | Émile Proulx-Cloutier | We Are the Others (Nous sommes les autres) |
| 2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards | Gabriel Sabourin | It's the Heart That Dies Last (C'est le cœur qui meurt en dernier) |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards | Théodore Pellerin | Family First (Chien de garde) |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards | Martin Dubreuil | The Great Darkened Days (La grande noirceur) |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards | Paul Nutarariaq | The Grizzlies |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards | Brandon Oakes | Through Black Spruce |
| 2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards | Michael Rowe | Crown and Anchor |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards | Mark O'Brien | Goalie |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards | Dan Beirne | The Twentieth Century |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards | Marc-André Grondin | Mafia Inc. |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards | Ryan McDonald | Black Conflux |
| 2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards | Gilbert Sicotte | And the Birds Rained Down (Il pleuvait des oiseaux) |

## 2020s

| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards | Michael Greyeyes | Blood Quantum |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards | Lance Henriksen | Falling |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards | Joakim Robillard | Underground (Souterrain) |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards | Saul Williams | Akilla's Escape |
| 2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards | Alex Wolff | Castle in the Ground |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Liam Diaz | Scarborough |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Rogelio Balagtas | Islands |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Pavle Čemerikić | The White Fortress (Tabija) |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Phillip Lewitski | Wildhood |
| 2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Thomas Antony Olajide | Learn to Swim |