Best Actor
Best Actor is one of the six major awards currently given out during the Avery Awards. Its legacy dates back to the pre-hiatus End of Season Awards, and a now-defunct Best Performance award given out from 1999 to 2003. Beginning with Winter 2003 Edition, two separate awards were given out for the "best actress" and "best actor", though they were referred to as Best Performance By A Male Actor and Best Performance By A Female Actor. In the years since, these have become synonymous with the current Best Actor and Best Actress awards.
Winners and nominees
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This is a complete list of Best Actor winners and nominees. With rare exception, each entry has been copied from its source page almost entirely unaltered. As such, there may be instances of format inconsistencies, typography errors, and tendentious editing throughout. |
Winter 2003
Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett in "For Trying Out Loud"
40%
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Townsend Coleman as Jason/Headlock Harry in "Live at the 25"
27%
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Mark Christopher Lawrence as Ed Washington in "The Toy Man"
17%
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Corey Williams as Caesar Bason in "The American Revelation"
12%
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Jerry Houser as Ben Shepard in "Aubrey's Bathrobe"
5%
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Jess Harnell always turns in a terrific performance as the unique character of Wooton Bassett. This season, he won his first award. (He was narrowly defeated by Marshal Younger in the role of Young Jack Allen in "The Triangle" in the Spring 2001 season awards.) Townsend Coleman's many roles in "Live at the 25" earned him second place.
| “ | Well, truly, Jess Harnell's win doesn't come as a surprise to very many people. His versatility as an actor is pretty apparent, especially with his duel portrayal of quirky and crazy Wooton, as well as evil and menacing Bennett Charles. In "For Trying Out Loud," Wooton was at his best...which many fans would claim isn't very good at all. While many people seem to voice their concerns and criticism time and time again, Wooton is a fantastic character that is brought to life with Harnell's terrific acting. I think over time more and more fans will come to realize Wooton is a great character who provides not only comic relief...but a real sense of humanity. The other nominees in this category were well deserved, especially new comer Mark Lawrence as Ed Washington. It's not always easy to be cast into a well known radio show and immediately mesh perfectly with the other voices around you, and he did so wonderfully. | ” |
Spring 2003
Steve Burns as Robert Mitchell in "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?"
47%
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Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett in "Bassett Hounds"
27%
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Corey Burton as Mr. Feldstein/Tom Brokejaw/Shakespeare in "BTV: Behind the Scenes"
14%
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Dave Madden as Bernard Walton in "Bassett Hounds"
13%
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Corey Padnos as Trent DeWhite in "It's All About Me"
0%
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Mitch is a fan favorite and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?" was the first episode that really focused on him as a character. (Most earlier Connie/Mitch shows focused on the former.) Steve Burns's "take charge/investigative" performance as Mitch easily won him the award. Jess Harnell's Wooton won second. (He won the Winter 2003 awards and placed second in the Spring 2001 awards.)
Fall 2003
Earl Boen as Edwin Blackgaard in "The Taming of the Two"
31%
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Steve Burns as Robert Mitchell in "Something Blue"
29%
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Alan Young as Jack Allen in "Seeing Red"
20%
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Gary Clemmer as Vic Hamilton in "Silver Lining"
11%
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Walker Edmiston as Bart Rathbone in "The Taming of the Two"
9%
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Earl Boen and Steve Burns have both played two memorable characters in Odyssey — the Blackgaard brothers and Mitch/Rodney, respectively. Earl's performances as Edwin have always been hilarious and "The Taming of the Two" was no exception. It was a close race, however, with Steve (last season's winner) coming in a close second.
Second prize winner Jess Harnell is no stranger to the awards. His hilarious and heartfelt Wooton placed second (for "Bassett Hounds") and first (in "For Trying Out Loud") in previous awards.
Spring 2004
David Griffin as Jimmy Barclay in "Living in the Gray"
59%
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Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett in "Nothing But the Half Truth"
25%
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Jeff Doucette as Lester in "No Way Out/No Way In"
10%
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Corey Padnos as Trent DeWhite in "Called on in Class"
4%
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Josh Shada as Young Bernard Walton in "The Girl in the Sink"
3%
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The return of an Odyssey character, especially a beloved one is always cause for celebration. Jimmy Barclay's return was met with some uncertainty as many fans wondered if he had gone too far "off the deep end." Any concerns aside, however, the overwhelming votes showed that fans still love Jimmy and David Griffin, the actor who has brought him to life for sixteen years.
Second prize winner Jess Harnell is no stranger to the awards. His hilarious and heartfelt Wooton placed second (for "Bassett Hounds") and first (in "For Trying Out Loud") in previous awards.
Fall 2004
Walker Edmiston as Bart Rathbone in "Sunday Morning Scramble"
42%
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Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett in "Stars in Our Eyes"
26%
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Chris Castile as Nick Mulligan in "Sounds Like a Mystery"
16%
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Corey Burton as Mr. Douglas in "True Calling"
9%
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Jordan Orr as Grady McKay in "A Lamb's Tale"
6%
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With a strong performance in one the most popular episodes of the season, Walker Edmiston pulled a strong win in the best actor category. Though he's been nominated several times before, this is Walker's first win. He remains the longest running actor currently on the show and a fan favorite for his two characters—Tom and Bart.
Jess Harnell's continued strength as Wooton Bassett gained him a solid second place in the awards. This is his fourth second prize. He won first for his performance in "For Trying Out Loud."
Spring 2005
| Actor | Character | Epsiodes | % of votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Ryan | Eugene Meltsner | A Most Extraordinary Conclusion |
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| Jess Harnell | Wooton Bassett | Tuesdays with Wooton |
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| Dave Madden | Bernard Walton | A Most Intriguing Question |
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| Corey Padnos | Trent | The Invisible Dog |
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| Jordan Orr | Grady | Tuesdays with Wooton |
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Fall 2005
Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner in "Prisoners of Fear"
46%
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Paul Herlinger as John Avery Whittaker in "Silent Night"
32%
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Walker Edmiston as Tom Riley in "A Christmas Conundrum"
11%
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Jordan Orr as Grady in "Back to Abnormal"
8%
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Tucker Smallwood as Gobir in "Prisoners of Fear"
1%
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Spring 2006
Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner in "A Time for Action I, II"
46%
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Jordan Orr as Grady in "Three O'Clock Call"
22%
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Paul Herlinger as John Avery Whittaker in "Switch"
21%
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Kendre Berry as Marvin Washington in "The Impossible"
6%
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Nathan Carlson as Steven Straussberg in "Now More than Ever"
5%
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Fall 2006
Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner in "Cover of Darkness"
32%
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Mark Christopher Lawrence For the role of Ed Washington in "The Chosen One"
30%
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Jess Harnell as Wooton / Horace the Clown in "Like Father, Like Wooton"
20%
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Jordan Orr as Grady in "Like Father, Like Wooton"
11%
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Townsend Coleman as Jeremiah in "Bernard and Jeremiah"
7%
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Spring 2010
| Actor | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Stojka as Whit in "The Inspiration Station" |
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| Will Ryan as Eugene in "For the Birds" |
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 Jess Harnell as Wooton in "For the Birds"
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| Zach Callison as Matthew Parker in "The Inspiration Station" |
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| Marc Evan Jackson as David Parker in "Grandma's Visit" |
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Fall 2010
| Actor | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Ryan as Eugene in "Fast As I Can"
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| Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse in "The Malted Milkball Falcon" |
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| Adam Wylie as Ryan Cummings in "The Owlnapping" |
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| Zach Callison as Matthew Parker in "Square One" |
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| Andre Stojka as Whit in "A Thankstaking Story" |
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Spring 2011
| Episode | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Robby Bruce
|
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| Chad Reisser |
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| Whit Hertford |
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| David Selby |
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| Zach Callison |
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Fall 2011
| Episode | Vote % |
|---|---|
| Marc Evan Jackson as David Parker | |
| Adam Wylie as Ryan Cummings | |
| Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett | |
| Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse
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| Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner |
Summer 2012
| Actor | Vote % |
|---|---|
| Jon Curry as Alvin York in "Sergeant York" | |
| Townsend Coleman as Jason Whittaker in "The Labyrinth"
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| Phil Lollar as Dale Jacobs in "The Labyrinth" | |
| Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse in "Mistaken for Good" | |
| Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner in "Child’s Play" |
Winter 2013
Fall 2013
| Actor |
|---|
| Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse
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Fall 2014
| Actor/Character |
|---|
| Andre Stojka as John Whittaker |
| Will Ryan as Eugene Meltsner and Harlow Doyle |
| Robby Bruce as Buck Oliver
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| Jess Harnell as Wooton Bassett |
| Chad Doreck as Hadley Bassett |
2016
| Episode |
|---|
| Robby Bruce as Buck in #781: “Out of the Woods”
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| Jess Harnell as Wooton in #777: “First Things First” |
| Justin Felbinger as Matthew in #786: “The Case of the Ball Cap Hero” |
| Andre Stojka as Whit in #787: “Between the Lines, Parts 1 and 2” |
| Will Ryan as Eugene in #778: “Playing the Predictable” |
2017
2018
| Actor |
|---|
| Stuart Allan as Buddy in “Have a Heart” |
| Robby Bruce as Buck in “Crash Course” |
| Jess Harnell as Wooton in “Find a Penny, Parts 1 and 2”
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| Will Ryan as Eugene in “Out of the Picture” |
| Victor Brandt as Joab in “David and Absalom, Parts 1 and 2” |
2019
| Actor |
|---|
| Phil Proctor as Detective Polehaus in The Toy |
| Robby Bruce as Buck in “The Long End, Parts 1 to 3”
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| David Selby as Mr. Skint in “The Long End, Parts 1 to 3” |
| Will Ryan as Eugene in Divided We Fall |
| Atticus Shaffer as Morrie in The Good in People |
2020
2021
Multiple awards and nominations
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The following individuals received two or more Best Actor awards:
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The following individuals received two or more Best Actor nominations, but less than two Best Actor wins:
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Multiple nominations for the same character played by different actors
| Nominations | Character |
|---|---|
| 7 | Paul Herlinger and Andre Stojka as John Avery Whittaker |
| 3 | Zach Callison and Justin Felbinger as Matthew Parker |
Multiple nominations from the same episode
- Jess Harnell and Dave Madden in #516: “Bassett Hounds”
- Earl Boen (winner) and Walker Edmiston in #528: “The Taming of the Two”
- Jess Harnell and Jordan Orr in #563: “Tuesdays with Wooton”
- Will Ryan (winner) and Tucker Smallwood in #574 – #576: “Prisoners of Fear”
- Jess Harnell and Jordan Orr in #604: “Like Father, Like Wooton”
- Andre Stojka and Zach Callison in “The Inspiration Station”
- Will Ryan and Jess Harnell (winner) in #660: “For the Birds”
- Townsend Coleman (winner) and Phil Lollar in #703: “The Labyrinth”
- Robby Bruce (winner) and David Selby in #859: “The Long End”
- Andre Stojka and Atticus Shaffer in #898 — #900: "The Rydell Revelations"
Age superlatives
Based on the actor's age at time of awards ceremony.
| Record | Actor | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Oldest Winner | Walker Edmiston | 69 |
| Oldest Nominee | Alan Young | 83 |
| Youngest Winner | Robby Bruce | 17 |
| Youngest Nominee | Jordan Orr | 9 |
See also
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