Toronto, ON (January 14, 2019) — Canadian performers will honour Jay Baruchel with the 2019 ACTRA National Award of Excellence on Saturday, March 16 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The award recognizes an ACTRA member’s career achievements, and contribution to their fellow performers and Canada’s entertainment industry.
“Jay Baruchel is an exceptional actor, writer and director. A proud Canadian, his work reflects the heart and energy of his country,” said ACTRA National President David Sparrow. “We greatly appreciate Jay’s ongoing support of our child performers and of his union.”
“I’m truly honoured to receive this award from ACTRA,” said Jay Baruchel. “I decided to make a go of acting when I was 12-years-old and young performers need many things to happen in order to succeed. First on that list is a vigilant parent who is well-versed in every aspect of ACTRA.”
Jay Baruchel most recently starred in the critically acclaimed FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman, executive produced by Lorne Michaels, and is the voice of ‘Hiccup’ in DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon film franchise. Jay co-wrote (with Evan Goldberg) and starred in the film Goon for which he was nominated for two 2013 Canadian Screen Awards in the Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. He co-wrote and made his directorial debut with the Goon sequel, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, in which he also reprised his role as ‘Pat.’ Jay starred in Jacob Tierney’s comedy The Trotsky, which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews and earned him a Genie Award Lead Actor nomination. Other notable film credits include Knocked Up, This Is The End, Tropic Thunder and Million Dollar Baby.
Jay’s mother Robyne Baruchel wrote ACTRA’s Stage Parent Survival Guide. The guide spells out all of the rules ACTRA has bargained for, and enforces, to protect child actors.
Jay joins our list of past ACTRA National Award of Excellence winners with recent recipients including Molly Parker (2018), Kim Coates (2017), Neve Campbell (2016) and Jason Priestley (2015).
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national union of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 25,000 members across the country.
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Media Contact: Carol Taverner, ACTRA National Public Relations Officer, tel: 416-644-1519, ctaverner@actra.ca
*Photo available upon request