Joe Cobden                       Virginia Ryshpan                    Tony Robinow

Montreal, September 13, 2011 – ACTRA Montreal is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 ACTRA Awards in Montreal.

ACTRA Award for Outstanding Voice Performance – Tony Robinow (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

ACTRA Award for Outstanding Female Performance – Emily Van Camp (Ben Hur)

ACTRA Award for Outstanding Male Performance – Joe Cobden (Peepers)

Best ACTRA Short, Audience Choice – What a Doll! (Ellen David)

Best ACTRA Short, Jury Selection – Toast (Lydia Zadel)

Victor Knight presented Virginia Ryshpan with the 2011 ACTRA Montreal Community Builder Award and Walter Massey presented Dick Irvin the 2011 Award of Excellence.

Virginia was presented the 2011 ACTRA Montreal Community Builder Award in recognition of her outstanding career and resolute efforts in defending the interests of Montreal performers. As ACTRA Montreal’s first staff person and Assistant National Executive, Ryshpan was integral in the establishment of ACTRA’s jurisdiction, negotiation of its first agreements and development of its royalties collection division, ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society.

2011 Award of Excellence recipient Dick Irvin has enjoyed a 50 year career in sports broadcasting that has earned him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Canadian Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame and CBC Sports Hall of Fame. He served as Sports Director at CFCF for 30 years and broadcasted non-televised games for the Montreal Canadiens for 30 years as well. Upon retiring, Dick Irvin was the longest serving broadcaster on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. He is the author of six books on the game of hockey and continues to be involved in special events for Hockey Night in Canada and the Montreal Canadiens. For five decades Dick Irvin has been an iconic broadcaster, welcomed into the homes of Canadians across the country on their televisions and radios.

The Awards Gala was hosted by Holly Gauthier-Frankel and Montreal President Don Jordan and featured music by Chris Barillaro.

ACTRA Montreal would like to thank the generous sponsors of the ACTRA Awards, ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society and ACTRA National.

ACTRA Montreal is a valued branch of ACTRA, representing nearly 3,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven organization that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

For more information and photos contact:
Randy Duniz, Public Relations Officer
514.844.3318 x 223
rduniz@actra.ca