# ACTRA Award

The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries. Organized and presented by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes were presented annually until 1986. They were the primary national television award in Canada until 1986, when they were taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to create the new Gemini Awards, although ACTRA continued to present Nellies in radio categories.
The ACTRA Awards were then revived in 2003 as a local film industry award, separately presented by each of ACTRA's regional chapters to honour performances in local film and television production, since expanded to incorporate web series and video games.

## History

ACTRA began presenting the John Drainie Award for distinguished lifetime contribution in broadcasting in 1968, before launching a comprehensive program for television and radio awards in 1972. The 1st ACTRA Awards that year only presented the Drainie Award alongside the new Earle Grey Award for actors and Gordon Sinclair Award for broadcast journalism, with its roster of categories beginning to expand the following year.
By 1978, there began to be talk in the industry of a "Nellie curse", as several broadcast personalities in the past couple of years had been fired or had their shows cancelled very soon after winning an ACTRA award. The same year also saw the first widespread complaints about ACTRA's nomination criteria, which limited honours in most categories to ACTRA members; even if ACTRA members had collaborated with non-ACTRA members, then only the ACTRA member could be considered for nomination.
That year further saw the public revelation of an unconfirmed but longstanding industry rumour that if Lloyd Robertson had won the award for Best News Broadcaster at the 4th ACTRA Awards in 1975, elements in the audience were planning to pie him in the face just to see if they could cause the normally unflappable Robertson to lose his composure.
By 1980, the CTV network decided to boycott the awards, on the grounds that the members-only rule biased the awards in favour of CBC Television productions; the issue arose because the CBC produced most of its programming directly, and thus nearly all CBC programming involved ACTRA members, while CTV broadcast far more programming from independent non-ACTRA producers. The boycott, which continued for several years thereafter, sparked discussions through the early 1980s about how to improve the management and delivery of Canadian television awards.
In this era, there was also significant concern about the fact that ACTRA only presented awards in categories such as acting, writing and journalism, but had no categories for television crafts such as cinematography or editing, as well as a controversy when ACTRA rejected the CBC's proposal of Dan Aykroyd as host, on the grounds that he was working in the United States and not an active ACTRA member.
By 1983, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's experimental Bijou Awards, which had been presented for the first time in 1981, were being proposed to replace the ACTRA Awards, but this did not proceed at this time; ultimately, responsibility for presenting the Canadian television awards was transferred to the Academy's new Gemini Awards in 1986.
Awards transferred to the Academy included the John Drainie Award, a lifetime achievement award for distinguished contributions to Canadian broadcasting, and the Earle Grey Award, which transitioned from ACTRA's award for best performance in a television film into the Academy's lifetime achievement award for acting.
Following the launch of the Geminis, the ACTRA Awards continued to honour radio programming.

## Revival

Beginning in 2002, ACTRA took management of the John Drainie Award back from the Academy, presenting it thereafter at the Banff Television Festival.
On the 60th anniversary of the national union in 2003, now renamed the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists and representing only performers, the ACTRA Awards were resurrected in several of its branches across Canada as a local film and television award, presented by the organization's local chapters in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Maritimes to honour achievements in film and television within their own regions. Depending on the level of production activity in their respective regions, some chapters of ACTRA present their awards annually, while others present their awards every two years.
However, the revived ACTRA Awards program also includes a national Award of Excellence, presented to an actor to honour their lifetime achievements; the national award of excellence is most commonly presented to an actor who is working in Hollywood, and would thus not be eligible for a regional chapter's local award of excellence. However, the national award of excellence is not necessarily always presented annually.
Some awards are handed out for performances, while others are given for union activism and contributions to the industry.

## National ACTRA ceremonies

| Ceremony | Date | Host(s) | Best Television Program | Best Radio Program |
| 1st ACTRA Awards | April 14, 1972 | Pierre Berton | Not presented | Not presented |
| 2nd ACTRA Awards | April 30, 1973 | Pierre Berton | Not presented | Not presented |
| 3rd ACTRA Awards | March 2, 1974 | Pierre Berton | Not presented | Not presented |
| 4th ACTRA Awards | April 23, 1975 | Pierre Berton | Next Year in Jerusalem | Next Year in Jerusalem |
| 5th ACTRA Awards | April 21, 1976 | Pierre Berton | Emily Carr | Pro Nobis Peccatoribus |
| 6th ACTRA Awards | April 14, 1977 | Pierre Berton | Beaverbrook: Life and Times of Max Aitken | The Assassination of Christopher Marlowe |
| 7th ACTRA Awards | March 22, 1978 | Gordon Pinsent | Aberfan | A Bite of the Big Apple |
| 8th ACTRA Awards | April 4, 1979 | Gordon Pinsent, Don Harron | A Gift to Last | The Other Self |
| 9th ACTRA Awards | April 9, 1980 | Dave Broadfoot | Drying Up the Streets | Aftermath of Jonestown |
| 10th ACTRA Awards | April 3, 1981 | Gordon Pinsent | The Canadian Establishment | Sunday Morning |
| 11th ACTRA Awards | May 12, 1982 | Jim Carrey, Dixie Seatle | Just Another Missing Kid | This Year In Jerusalem |
| 12th ACTRA Awards | April 16, 1983 | Don Harron | Billy Bishop Goes to War | Fruit of the Poisoned Tree |
| 13th ACTRA Awards | April 3, 1984 | Laurier LaPierre, Ann Mortifee, Jayne Eastwood | The Undaunted | The Panther and the Jaguar |
| 14th ACTRA Awards | April 3, 1985 | Roger Abbott, Joyce Davidson | Chautauqua Girl | George Orwell: A Radio Biography |
| 15th ACTRA Awards | April 2, 1986 | Don Harron, Pierre Berton, Barbara Frum, Gordon Pinsent, Dave Broadfoot, Ann Mortifee | Charlie Grant's War | Glenn Gould: The Well-Tempered Polymath |

## National Award of Excellence recipients

* 2003 — Leslie Nielsen
* 2004 — Lloyd Bochner
* 2005 — Tonya Williams
* 2007 — Kiefer Sutherland
* 2009 — Sandra Oh
* 2010 — Eugene Levy
* 2011 — Bruce Greenwood
* 2015 — Jason Priestley
* 2016 — Neve Campbell
* 2017 — Kim Coates
* 2018 — Molly Parker
* 2019 — Jay Baruchel
* 2020 — Catherine O'Hara

## Regional awards ceremonies
### UBCP/ACTRA Awards (Vancouver)

| Year | Best Lead Actor | Best Lead Actress | Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress | Best Emerging Performer | Best Voice | Best Stunt |
| 2012 | Stephen Lobo (Sisters & Brothers) | Camille Sullivan (Afghan Luke) | N/A | N/A | Kacey Rohl (Sisters & Brothers) | Andrea Libman (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) | Phil Mitchell (True Justice) |
| 2013 | John Pyper-Ferguson (Motive) | Gabrielle Rose (Crimes of Mike Recket) | N/A | N/A | Tyler Johnston (Motive) | Nicole Oliver (The Littlest Pet Shop) | Colby Chartrand (True Justice) |
| 2014 | Ian Tracey (Continuum) | Sara Canning (Remedy) | N/A | N/A | Taylor Hill (Leap 4 Your Life) | Andrea Libman (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) | Leif Havdale (Arrow) |
| 2015 | Michael Eklund (Eadweard) | Camille Sullivan (Ally Was Screaming) | N/A | N/A | Dakota Daulby (Black Fly) | Brian Drummond (Nerds and Monsters) | Leif Havdale (Arrow) |
| 2016 | Aleks Paunovic (Numb) | Camille Sullivan (The Birdwatcher) | N/A | N/A | Jacob Tremblay (Room) | Lee Tockar (Slugterra) | Adrien Hein (Arrow) |
| 2017 | Adrian Holmes (19-2) | Tammy Gillis (Menorca) | N/A | N/A | Adam DiMarco (Marrying the Family) | Rebecca Husain (Beat Bugs) | Simon Burnett, Leif Havdale, Corry Glass, and Jon Kralt (Supergirl) |
| 2018 | Bob Frazer (The Cannon) | Karin Konoval (The X-Files) | N/A | N/A | Daniel Doheny (Adventures in Public School) | Sabrina Pitre (Chuck's Choice) | Brett Chan, Gerald Paetz, Andrew Chin, and Mark Chin (Darc) |
| 2019 | Ben Cotton (Crown and Anchor) | Camille Sullivan (Kingsway) | N/A | N/A | Steven Roberts (In God I Trust) | Erin Mathews (Super Monsters Furever Friends) | Eli Zagoudakis, Nathaniel Shuker, and Marshall Bingham (Arrow) |
| 2020 | John Cassini (Daughter) | Carmen Moore (Rustic Oracle) | Brendan Fletcher (Night Hunter) | Jenn MacLean-Angus (Daughter) | N/A | Giles Panton (Absolute Carnage) | Corry Glass and Adrian Hein (The Detour – The Sister) |
| 2021 | Christopher Shyer (Debris) | Camille Sullivan (Hunter Hunter) | Hiro Kanagawa (Deeper I Go) | Eden Summer Gilmore (The Good Doctor) | N/A | Brent Miller (Ninjago) | Brett Chan, Andrew Chin, Yusuf A. Ahmed, Aliya Iskakova, Jennifer Li, and Derick Vizcarra (Kung Fu) |
| 2022 | Stephen Lobo (Donkeyhead) | Agam Darshi (Donkeyhead) | Eric McCormack (Drinkwater) | Leah Gibson (Joe Pickett) | N/A | Ian Hanlin (Angry Birds: Summer Madness) | Marny Eng, Colby Chartrand, Kevin Fortin, Leif Havdale, and Jeff Sanca (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) |

### ACTRA Montreal Awards

| Year | Award of Excellence | Outstanding Performance – Male | Outstanding Performance – Female | Outstanding Voice Performance – Male | Outstanding Voice Performance – Female | Outstanding Performance – Stunt | Outstanding Videogame Performance – Male | Outstanding Videogame Performance – Female |
| 2005 | Vlasta Vrána | Bruce Ramsay (Baby for Sale) | Claudia Ferri (Ciao Bella) | Terrence Scammell (Tripping the Rift) | Terrence Scammell (Tripping the Rift) | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Walter Massey | Alain Goulem (The Tournament) | Laurence Leboeuf (Human Trafficking) | Michel Perron (Monster Allergy) | Michel Perron (Monster Allergy) | Stéphane Lefebvre (Last Exit) | — | — |
| 2008 | Ranee Lee | Andrew Walker (Steel Toes) | Ellen David (Surviving My Mother) | Rick Jones (Fred's Head) | Rick Jones (Fred's Head) | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Jay Baruchel | Conrad Pla (Burning Mussolini) | Kaniehtiio Horn (The Trotsky) | Pauline Little (The True Story of Puss n' Boots) | Pauline Little (The True Story of Puss n' Boots) | Jean-Francois Lachapelle (Punisher: War Zone) | — | — |
| 2011 | Dick Irvin Jr. | Joe Cobden (Peepers) | Emily VanCamp (Ben Hur) | Tony Robinow, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Tony Robinow, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | — | — | — |
| 2013 | David Rigby | Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels) | Christina Broccolini (Face Divided) | Lucinda Davis (Supernatural: The Animation) | Lucinda Davis (Supernatural: The Animation) | Patrick Kerton (Everywhere) | Julian Casey (Far Cry 3) | Julian Casey (Far Cry 3) |
| 2015 | Ellen David | Mark Camacho (X-Men: Days of Future Past) | Meaghan Rath (Being Human) | Liz MacRae, Bounty Hunters | Liz MacRae, Bounty Hunters | Héléna Laliberté and Naomi Frenette (Pompeii) | Dan Jeannotte (Assassin's Creed: Unity) | Dan Jeannotte (Assassin's Creed: Unity) |
| 2017 | — | Jesse Camacho (We're Still Together) | Charlotte Rogers (LARPs) | Jennifer Seguin, 2 Nuts and a Richard | Jennifer Seguin, 2 Nuts and a Richard | Mich Todorovic (X-Men: Apocalypse) | Victoria Sanchez (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) | Victoria Sanchez (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) |
| 2019 | — | Neil Napier (The Disappearance) | Katy Breier (FANatic) | Brian Froud, Zafari | Lucinda Davis (Racetime) | Michael Scherer (XXX: Return of Xander Cage) | Julian Casey (We Happy Few) | Catherine Kidd (For Honor) |
| 2020 | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. | No awards were made in 2020. |
| 2021 | Caroline Dhavernas | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. | Awards were not made in most categories in 2021. |
| 2022 | — | Ayham Abou Ammar (Peace by Chocolate) | Sarah Booth (Last Call) | Vlasta Vrana (Felix and the Treasure of Morgäa) | Eleanor Noble (Pil's Adventures) | — | Alex Weiner (Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) | Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez (Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) |

### ACTRA Awards in Toronto

| Year | Award of Excellence | Outstanding Performance – Male | Outstanding Performance – Female | Outstanding Voice Performance – Male | Outstanding Voice Performance – Female | Members' Choice Series Ensemble |
| 2003 | Gordon Pinsent | Shawn Doyle (The Eleventh Hour) | Kristen Thomson (I Shout Love) | — | — | — |
| 2004 | Sonja Smits | Brent Carver (Elizabeth Rex) | Diane D'Aquila (Elizabeth Rex) | — | — | — |
| 2005 | Paul Gross | Richard Chevolleau (The Eleventh Hour) | Kristen Thomson (I, Claudia) | — | — | — |
| 2006 | Sarah Polley | Tom McCamus (Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story) | Samantha Weinstein (Big Girl) | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Wendy Crewson | Gordon Pinsent (Away from Her) | Maria del Mar (Terminal City) | Len Carlson (Atomic Betty) | Len Carlson (Atomic Betty) | — |
| 2008 | Eric Peterson | Aaron Poole (This Beautiful City) | Caroline Cave (This Beautiful City) | Matt Watts (Canadia: 2056) | Matt Watts (Canadia: 2056) | — |
| 2009 | Peter Keleghan | Nicholas Campbell (The Englishman's Boy) | Rosemary Dunsmore (The Baby Formula) | Jamie Watson (Peep and the Big Wide World) | Jamie Watson (Peep and the Big Wide World) | — |
| 2010 | Colin Mochrie | K. C. Collins (Guns) | Kathleen Munroe (Flashpoint) | Julie Lemieux (Spliced) | Julie Lemieux (Spliced) | — |
| 2011 | Fiona Reid | Maury Chaykin (Less Than Kind) | Molly Parker and Tracy Wright (Trigger) | Seán Cullen (Jimmy Two-Shoes) | Seán Cullen (Jimmy Two-Shoes) | — |
| 2012 | Rick Mercer | Christopher Plummer (Barrymore) | Amy Price-Francis (King) | Billy MacLellan (Afghanada) | Billy MacLellan (Afghanada) | — |
| 2013 | Shirley Douglas | Shawn Doyle (The Disappeared) | Tatiana Maslany (Picture Day) | Shannon Kook-Chun (Requiem for Romance) | Shannon Kook-Chun (Requiem for Romance) | — |
| 2014 | R. H. Thomson | Rick Roberts (Jack) | Amanda Brugel (Sex After Kids) | Terry McGurrin (Scaredy Squirrel) | Terry McGurrin (Scaredy Squirrel) | — |
| 2015 | Tantoo Cardinal | Gavin Crawford (Two 4 One) | Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) | Cory Doran (Total Drama) | Cory Doran (Total Drama) | — |
| 2016 | Sarah Gadon | Christopher Plummer (Remember) | Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek) | Julie Lemieux (Numb Chucks) | Julie Lemieux (Numb Chucks) | — |
| 2017 | Yannick Bisson | Joey Klein (We're Still Together) | Jean Yoon (Kim's Convenience) | Linda Kash (Fugget About It) | Linda Kash (Fugget About It) | Kim's Convenience |
| 2018 | Jennifer Podemski | Stuart Hughes (The Drawer Boy) | Sheila McCarthy (Cardinals) | Saara Chaudry (The Breadwinner) | Saara Chaudry (The Breadwinner) | Baroness von Sketch Show |
| 2019 | Jayne Eastwood | Stephen McHattie (Crown and Anchor) | Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E) | Mark Little (Cupcake & Dino: General Services) | Bryn McAuley (Top Wing) | Schitt's Creek |
| 2020 | Jean Yoon | Dalmar Abuzeid (Anne with an E) | Cara Ricketts (Anne with an E) | Carter Hayden (Hotel Transylvania: The Series) | Bryn McAuley (Hotel Transylvania: The Series) | Schitt's Creek |
| 2021 | Jani Lauzon | Jesse LaVercombe (Violation) | Tamara Podemski (Coroner) | Cory Doran (Doomsday Brothers) | Bahia Watson (Total Dramarama) | Schitt's Creek |
| 2022 | Art Hindle | Dayo Ade (Cinema of Sleep) | Kelly McCormack (Sugar Daddy) | Joshua Graham (Go, Dog. Go!) | Angela Asher (Silver Cord Trailer) | Sort Of |
| 2023 | Angelica Lisk-Hann | Eric Peterson (Junior's Giant) | Raven Dauda (Five Days at Memorial) | Billy MacLellan (Each Man's Son) | Bahia Watson (My Little Pony: Make Your Mark) | Sort Of |
| 2024 | Maria del Mar | Salvatore Antonio (Slasher) | Elizabeth Saunders (SmokeBreak) | Cory Doran (Super Wish) | Maria Nash (Pinecone & Pony) | Sort Of |