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ACTRA AWARDS IN TORONTO 2005
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS
For
Immediate Release: Toronto, February 18, 2005 – Karl Pruner,
President of ACTRA Toronto Performers, is pleased to announce the
winners of the 2005 ACTRA Awards in Toronto: Kristen Thomson is the
winner of the Outstanding Performance - Female award and Richard
Chevolleau is the winner of the Outstanding Performance - Male award.
Paul Gross received ACTRA Toronto’s Award of Excellence. The
awards were presented by ACTRA Toronto at The Carlu on February 18,
2005.
Kristen
Thomson is the winner of ACTRA Toronto’s
Award for Outstanding Performance - Female for her roles in the
feature film
I, Claudia, for she plays all the characters in the film. Ms. Thomson
wrote and starred in the original stage version of I, Claudia. Other
credits include The Republic of Love directed by Deepa Mehta, Flower & Garnet,
The Matthew Shepard Story and I Shout Love directed by Sarah Polley
for which she won her first ACTRA Award.
Richard
Chevolleau is the winner of ACTRA Toronto’s Award
for Outstanding Performance - Male for his role in The Eleventh Hour
as Gilbert Brown, a prison inmate and victim of a brutal gang rape
(episode Hard Seven). Mr. Chevolleau was also honoured with a Gemini
Award for this performance. Mr. Chevolleau’s numerous credits
include Blue Murder, Chasing Cain: Face, Narc, Earth: Final Conflict,
The Planet of Junior Brown and Rude.
Canadian
star Paul Gross received ACTRA Toronto’s 2005 Award
of Excellence for his extraordinary body of work as an actor, writer
and director, and in recognition of his tireless work to
build a
vibrant Canadian film and television industry. Mr. Gross is one of
Canada’s most successful actors, internationally known for
his role as Constable Benton Fraser in Due South. He earned two Gemini
Awards for Best Actor on Due South, and was recently awarded a third
Gemini Award for his role as Geoffrey Tennant in Slings and Arrows.
For the past three years Mr. Gross has spearheaded ACTRA’s
Campaign for Canadian Programming calling on the federal government,
the CRTC and private broadcasters to fix the crisis in Canadian television
drama.
The awards
gala evening was hosted by Peter Keleghan (The Newsroom). Gordon
Pinsent, who received ACTRA Toronto’s inaugural Award
of Excellence in 2003, presented this year’s Award of Excellence
to Mr. Gross. Adrian Truss is the scriptwriter, and the awards show
featured the music of ACTRA member and singer Jackie Richardson,
accompanied by Steven Hunter. The ACTRA Award statuette is by sculptor
Adrienne Alison.
The annual
ACTRA Awards in Toronto recognize outstanding performances by ACTRA
Toronto members and celebrate accomplishment and excellence
in our industry. The ACTRA Awards were re-instituted in 2003 as part
of ACTRA’s 60th Anniversary.
2005 Photo Gallery!
Many thanks to the generous sponsors of The ACTRA Awards in Toronto
2005:
Gold Sponsors
ACTRA National, Deluxe I Sound & Picture, Goodmans LLP, Pebblehut
Too
Silver Sponsors
Actra Fraternal Benefit Society, Canadian Film and Television Production
Association (CFTPA),
Serendipity Point Films, Shaftesbury Films
Bronze Sponsors
Barna-Alper Productions, Breakthrough Films & Television, Cavalluzzo
Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish LLP,
City of Toronto Film & Television Office Directors Guild of Canada
- National, Don Carmody Productions,
Grant Thornton LLP, KBSH Capital Management, Lions Gate Television
Corp., Paul J. Falzone Barrister & Solicitor, Rhombus Media,
Temple Street Productions, Unionville Insurance (a division of C
G & B Group)
Supporters
PLAYBACK, Presidential Gourmet, Ricochet Water, RBC Royal Bank,
Writers Guild of Canada
Friends
AMI Artist Management, Gary Goddard Agency, Great North Artists Management
The New Leaf Flowers & Gifts
ACTRA
Toronto Performers is the largest organization within ACTRA,
representing
more than 13,000 of Canada’s 21,000 professional
performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada.
As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven
organization that continues to secure the rights and respect for
the work of professional performers.
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For media inquiries please contact:
Carol Taverner, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA Toronto Performers
Dir: (416) 642-6751
ctaverner@actratoronto.com
