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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4] Lead performances are now honoured with the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Film.
| Year | Actor | Film | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Gerard Parkes | Isabel | [1] | |
| 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards | |||
| No award presented this year | [1] | ||
| Year | Actor | Film | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 22nd Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Paul Bradley | Goin' Down the Road | [1] | |
| Doug McGrath | |||
| 1971 23rd Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Jean Duceppe | Mon oncle Antoine | [1] | |
| 1972 24th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Gordon Pinsent | The Rowdyman | [1] | |
| 1973 25th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Jacques Godin | O.K. ... Laliberté | [1] | |
| 1974 | |||
| No award presented | [1] | ||
| 1975 26th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Stuart Gillard | Why Rock the Boat? | [1] | |
| 1976 27th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| André Melançon | Bound for Glory (Partis pour la gloire) | [1] | |
| 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Len Cariou | One Man | [1] | |
| David Petersen | Skip Tracer | [5] | |
| Craig Russell | Outrageous! | ||
| Marcel Sabourin | J.A. Martin Photographer (J.A. Martin photographe) | ||
| 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards | |||
| Richard Gabourie | Three Card Monte | [1] | |
| John Juliani | Marie-Anne | [6] | |
| Frank Moore | The Third Walker | ||
| Christopher Plummer | The Silent Partner | ||