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Why SAG Awards Changed Its Name to Actor Awards Moving Forward
"I've been Elizabeth Taylor's sister, Spencer Tracy's mistress, Elvis' mother and a singing teapot."
With those words at the inaugural Actor Awards (then known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards) on March 8, 1995, Angela Lansbury invited those gathered at Universal Studios' Stage 12 to be her guest and kicked off a tradition that ensured the actors-honoring-actors ceremony would never be second best.
"Tonight is dedicated to the art and craft of acting by the people who should know about it: actors," she explained to the crowd of nominees and presenters. "And remember, you're one too!"
Lest anyone forget, the likes of John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McKellen emphasized that message, a singular thespian opening the next seven ceremonies with their tales from the industry, ending with that now-iconic line, "I am an actor."
By the ninth ceremony in 2003, the Screen Actors Guild—the union formed in 1933 to represent film and television performers worldwide—had landed on their current formula, which sees a collection of stars share their Hollywood experience. (In 2012, SAG merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to become SAG-AFTRA.)
And come March 1, when the Netflix-streamed ceremony kicks off at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, several new celebs will add to that 100-stories-and-growing canon.
It's all part of the package when Hollywood gathers to celebrate their peers.
Because while winning an Oscar, Emmy or a Golden Globe comes with an undeniable amount of prestige—and gets multi-hyphenates on the road to EGOT status—there's nothing quite like being recognized by those you share a call sheet with. To be deemed the best of the best by co-stars and those you may have battled for plum roles is uniquely validating.
"There's not really an award show, in my opinion, that has a warmer room, a bigger sense of camaraderie," Kristen Bell, returning as host for the second year in a row, explained to People. Added Bell, who also served as the show's first-ever host in 2018, "To have the opportunity to entertain in front of all these people I admire and my friends and my fellow entertainers, it's wonderful."
Netflix/SAG-AFTRA
And while the ceremony's name has been changed to the Actor Awards—"We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences," showrunner and executive producer Jon Brockett and SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee chair JoBeth Williams shared in a joint November statement—the vibe remains.
With just 13 coveted Actor statues dispersed during the televised ceremony for both individual stars and the ensembles of a comedy series, drama series and one film (plus two stunt ensemble honors announced before the show), One Battle After Another's Teyana Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Chase Infiniti, Sinners' Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Miles Canton and The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood, Parker Posey and Walton Goggins are among those hoping to make that walk to the stage March 1.
And one star is certain to hear his name called, with Harrison Ford receiving this year's Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
As we wait to hear who the Actor goes to, check out all the stars who celebrated last year.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
A Complete Unknown
Anora
WINNER: Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Pamela Anderson—The Last Showgirl
Cynthia Erivo—Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón—Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison—Anora
WINNER: Demi Moore—The Substance
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody—The Brutalist
WINNER: Timothée Chalamet—A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig—Queer
Colman Domingo—Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes—Conclave
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro—A Complete Unknown
Jamie Lee Curtis—The Last Showgirl
Danielle Deadwyler—The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande—Wicked
WINNER: Zoe Saldaña— Emilia Pérez
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Jonathan Bailey—Wicked
Yura Borisov—Anora
WINNER: Kieran Culkin—A Real Pain
Edward Norton— A Complete Unknown
Jeremy Strong—The Apprentice
Outstanding Action Performance By a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
WINNER: The Fall Guy
Gladiator II
Wicked
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Bridgerton
The Day of The Jackal
The Diplomat
WINNER: Shogun
Slow Horses
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates—Matlock
Nicola Coughlan—Bridgerton
Allison Janney—The Diplomat
Keri Russell—The Diplomat
WINNER: Anna Sawai—Shogun
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Tadanobu Asano—Shogun
Jeff Bridges—The Old Man
Gary Oldman—Slow Horses
Eddie Redmayne—The Day of The Jackal
WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada—Shogun
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
WINNER: Only Murders in The Building
Shrinking
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Kristen Bell—Nobody Wants This
Quinta Brunson—Abbott Elementary
Liza Colón-Zayas—The Bear
Ayo Edebiri—The Bear
WINNER: Jean Smart—Hacks
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Adam Brody—Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson —A Man on The Inside
Harrison Ford—Shrinking
WINNER: Martin Short—Only Murders in The Building
Jeremy Allen White—The Bear
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Javier Bardem—Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
WINNER: Colin Farrell—The Penguin
Richard Gadd—Baby Reindeer
Kevin Kline—Disclaimer
Andrew Scott—Ripley
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Kathy Bates—The Great Lillian Hall
Cate Blanchett—Disclaimer
Jodie Foster— True Detective: Night Country
Lily Gladstone—Under the Bridge
WINNER: Jessica Gunning—Baby Reindeer
Cristin Milioti—The Penguin
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
The Boys
Fallout
House of the Dragon
The Penguin
WINNER: Shogun
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