Honours Awards

Life Membership is awarded to an Equity member in recognition of their artistic achievements throughout their career.

It recognizes not only career achievement, but also colleagues who have gone “above and beyond” in other ways that contribute to the benefit of either Equity or its members.

1975 — Jane Mallett
1976 — Herman Geiger-Torel, Hamish Robertson, Herbert Whittaker
1977 — Mervyn (Butch) Blake, Dora Mavor Moore, Dennis Sweeting
1978 — Robert Christie, Gratien Gelinas
1979 — Sam Payne, Arnold Spohr
1980 — Paul Kligman
1982 — Donald Davis
1983 — Lois Smith
1984 — Amelia Hall
1986 — Maureen Forrester
1987 — George Luscombe
1988 — Jean Gascon, Barry Morse
1990 — Jack Merigold
1991 — Dan MacDonald
1993 — Evelyn Hart
1994 — Douglas Campbell
1995 — Joy Coghill
1996 — Jean-Louis Roux
1997 — William Hutt
1998 — Antony Holland, William Needles
1999 — Lotfi Mansouri
2000 — John Neville
2001 — Frances Hyland
2002 — Tony Van Bridge
2003 — Tibor Feheregyhazi
2004 — Doreen Brownstone, Irving Guttman
2005 — Gordon Pinsent, Charmion King
2006 — Malcolm Black, Henry Woolf
2007 — Jackie Richardson, Gordon Tootoosis
2008 — Lloy Coutts, Bernard Hopkins
2009 — Martha Henry, Nora Polley
2010 — Elsa Bolam, Grant Reddick
2011 — Thomas Peacocke, Joyce Doolittle
2012 — Evelyne Anderson, Marti Maraden
2013 — Philip Akin, Janet Irwin, Kenneth Welsh
2016 — Ted Follows, Jennifer Phipps, Kathryn Shaw, Greg Wanless
2018 — Bill Millerd, Chick Reid
2020 — Judith Forst, Mary Morrison, Christopher Newton
2022 — Victoria Bertram, Stephen Heatley, Elley-Ray Hennessy, Stan Lesk
2024 — Clare Coulter, Kelley McKinlay, Edward Roy, David Warrack

The Emerging Artist Award is presented to a member who joined Equity within the past three years and has made an outstanding contribution to the performing arts early in their career.

2002 — Philip Sarsons
2003 — Lucia Frangione
2004 — Michael Scholar Jr.
2005 — Skye Brandon
2006 — Carson Nattrass
2007 — Andrew Kushnir
2008 — Kawa Ada
2009 — Donna Soares
2010 — Bethany Jillard
2011 — Judy Wensel
2012 — Mayahuel Tecozautla
2018 — Ryan G. Hinds
2024 — Lior Maharjan

Larry McCance was elected as the first Chair of the Canadian Equity Advisory Committee in 1955, when Canadian theatre artists were accepted into Actors’ Equity Association.

The Larry McCance Award is presented to an Equity member or former staff member in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Association and its membership.

1982 — Burnard Chadwick
1983 — Peg Harmon
1984 — Vernon Chapman
1986 — Dan MacDonald
1987 — Sandy Webster
1988 — Walter Massey
1990 — Helen Simpson-Baikie
1991 — Barbara Chilcott, Desmond Scott
1993 — Kenneth Wickes
1994 — Araby Lockhart
1995 — Christopher Marston
1996 — A. Frank Ruffo
1997 — Jeff Braunstein
1998 — Patricia Carroll Brown
1999 — Richard Hurst
2000 — Winston Morgan
2001 — Ron Haney
2002 — John MacMaster
2003 — Jane Heyman, Garry Goddard
2004 — Terry Tweed
2005 — Brenda Kamino
2006 — Sharon Bakker
2007 — Daphne Goldrick
2008 — Louis-Marie Bournival
2009 — Barbara Gordon
2010 — Susan E. Wallace
2011 — Sandy Winsby
2012 — Dawn Obokata
2013 — Don Wright
2020 — Douglas Irons, Allan Teichman
2022 — Keith Davidson
2024 — Lynn McQueen

The Changemaker Award is presented to an Equity member who has furthered the values of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in Equity’s jurisdiction through their artistic achievements, personal action, or advocacy.

2024 — David Connolly

Honorary membership is awarded to a non-member of Equity who has made an outstanding contribution to the Association and/or its members, or to the performing arts.

1980 — Norma Springford
1982 — Tom Patterson
1983 — Dorothy Somerset
1984 — Laura Legge
1985 — Art Eggleton
1986 — Pauline McGibbon
1987 — Heather McCallum
1990 — Nicholas Goldschmidt
1991 — Floyd S. Chalmers
1993 — Brian Paisley
1994 — David and Edwin Mirvish
1995 — Keith Kelly
1996 — David Spencer
1997 — Walter Carsen
1999 — David and Margaret Fountain
2000 — Margaret Mooney
2001 — Kathleen M. Richardson
2002 — Andis Celms
2003 — Jacqueline Shumiatcher
2004 — Dr. Martha Cohen
2005 — Wendy Lill
2006 — Cherry Karpyshin
2007 — Tomson Highway
2008 — Derrick Chua
2009 — Susan Benson
2010 — Frank Glenfield
2011 — Don and Della Greer
2012 — Martha Lou Henley
2013 — Gail Asper
2016 — Barbara Fingerote
2020 — Charles Huband
2022 — Joysanne Sidimus
2024 — Zelda Dean

The Equity Award of Distinction was created to recognize an organization or group of individuals for their significant contribution benefiting the Equity membership.

2011 — Dancer Transition Resource Centre
2013 — Stage Managing the Arts (SMArts)
2016 — The AFC
2018 — Lisa Brown, Workman Arts Theatre
2020 — Diana Bentley, Kristin Booth, Patricia Fagan, Hannah Miller