ACTRA Award

The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television, film and radio industry. Organized and presented by ACTRA, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes were presented annually until 1986. In 1987, responsibility for presenting the Canadian television and film awards was transferred to the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which continued to present the Nellie in several categories, but now focuses on its Prix Gémeaux, Genie and Gemini Awards.

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, rather than a national, film and television award.

Some awards are handed out for performances, while others are given for union-activism and contributions to the industry.

Yannick Bisson

Yannick D. Bisson (born May 16, 1969) is a Canadian film and television actor and director best known to international audiences as the star of Murdoch Mysteries.

Career

Born in Montreal, Quebec, of French/English ancestry, Bisson moved to Toronto, Ontario, as a teenager. Yannick's acting career began when he was still in high school. His father, noting his son's interest in acting, encouraged him to apply to a newspaper advertisement seeking "child actors". His big break was in CBC's critically acclaimed 1984 movie of the week Hockey Night with Megan Follows and Rick Moranis. He starred in the Canadian television series Learning the Ropes from 1988 to 1989. In 1994, he gained national exposure in the syndicated action series, High Tide co-starring Rick Springfield. From 2000 to 2004, he had a recurring role as attorney Brian Tedrow on the Showtime drama Soul Food. He has also starred as the F.B.I agent Jack Hudson, in the PAX TV series Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye and in the short-lived CBC drama Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy with Sarah Chalke (both of which he co-starred in with Ted Atherton). He appeared on Falcon Beach in season two, as well as several Lifetime cable movies, such as Crazy for Christmas and I do (but I don't), and the Disney Channel movie Genius. Bisson was a guest star in the hit Canadian series Flashpoint and starred in the television movies Brothers by Choice and Keshan. He also has appeared in all of the Roxy Hunter movies to date as Jon. Bisson is featured in a series of commercials for CIBC.