Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor
The Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor was awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 1980 to 1983, for the best performance by non-Canadian actor in a Canadian film.
The award and its Foreign Actress companion were frequently criticized both by actors and film critics — Canadian actor Christopher Plummer criticized the distinction in his Best Actor acceptance speech at the very first Genies ceremony, and Jay Scott called them "loathsome", dubbing them "the Colonial Category", in a 1982 article in The Globe and Mail.[1]
The awards were discontinued after the 4th Genie Awards.[2] Initially, non-Canadian actors were simply barred from being nominated in acting categories at all,[2] but beginning with the 7th Genie Awards non-Canadian actors instead became eligible for the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.[2]
Winners and nominees
| Year | Winner | Nominated |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 |  George C. Scott, The Changeling |
|
| 1981 | Jack Lemmon, Tribute |
|
| 1982 | Alan Arkin, Improper Channels |
|
| 1983 | Richard Farnsworth, The Grey Fox |
References
- ↑ Jay Scott, "Canadian films do Jekyll and Hyde act". The Globe and Mail, February 27, 1982.
- 1 2 3 "Genie rules changed to include Americans". Toronto Star, October 9, 1985.