Yannick Bisson Named ACTRA Toronto's 2017 Award of Excellence Recipient

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Yannick Bisson, star of the hit show Murdoch Mysteries, will be presented with ACTRA Toronto's 2017 Award of Excellence at a gala show and party on February 25, 2017 at the Carlu. ACTRA Toronto is thrilled to celebrate a great Canadian star from a Canadian production success story as we join in celebrating Canada's 150^th birthday.

Mr. Bisson has amassed over 60 performing credits since 1984. He is best known as Detective William Murdoch in Shaftesbury's period drama Murdoch Mysteries, for which he won the Canadian Screen Awards' 2016 Fan Choice Award. He regularly draws 1.4 million viewers to the show in Canada on CBC. Now in its 10^th season, Murdoch was named Playback's 2015 TV Show of the Year and is sold into 110 countries worldwide. Mr. Bisson also won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Host in a Pre-School, Children's or Youth Program or Series for The Adventures of Napkin Man.

Mr. Bisson has been a champion of Canadian performers and a vocal opponent of the recent CRTC decision to facilitate the hiring of non-Canadian performers in lead roles in productions funded by Certified Independent Production Funds. Through interviews and social media, he continues to encourage his fellow performers and all Canadians to press the federal government to review the CRTC decision. Other causes and charities he champions include: Artists for Peace and Justice, which supports education and healthcare programs in Haiti; Camp Ooch, a camp for kids fighting cancer; Childhood Cancer Canada; and Sheena's Place, a support centre for people affected by eating disorders.

"Yannick Bisson is a true Canadian star," says ACTRA Toronto President David Sparrow. "His exceptional work at the helm of Murdoch Mysteries attracts millions of viewers across Canada and around the world. Yannick's popularity proves the wisdom of hiring Canadians to tell Canadian stories. We value his leadership as the federal government considers how best to support Canadian Content in a Digital World."

"None of this is possible without a strong network of colleagues, fans, friends and family," says Mr. Bisson. "I am so thankful for the team that has come together to create each episode of Murdoch Mysteries for close to 10 years, and for viewers from across the globe who continue to tune in; and for my friends and family, who always inspire me and steadfastly encourage my many endeavors. I am filled with so much gratitude and further committed to giving back to my industry – an industry that has given me so much – in a significant way."

The ACTRA Awards in Toronto celebrate outstanding performances on screen. Three juried awards for outstanding male, female and voice performance are presented in addition to the Award of Excellence and the ACTRA Toronto Stunt Award. The gala takes place on Saturday, February 25, 2017, at The Carlu.

ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 15,000 of Canada's 22,000 professional performers working in recorded media. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

SOURCE Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)

Image with caption: "Yannick Bisson (CNW Group/Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161201_C2532_PHOTO_EN_829829.jpg

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