Best Actress
Best Actress 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 Actress and Best Actor awards, which were introduced in Spring 2005 Edition.
Winners and nominees
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This is a complete list of Best Actress 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
| Actress | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in #513: “Do or Diet”. |
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| Susan Silo as Agnes Riley in #511: “The Pact, Part 1”. |
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| Lauren Schaffel as Liz Horton in #514: “Room Enough for Two”. |
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| Janet Waldo as Joanne Allen in #511: “The Pact, Part 1”. |
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| Danielle Judovits as Aubrey Shepard in #504: “Aubrey's Bathrobe”. |
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This awards session was the first time that actors and actresses got their own categories. However, Katie Leigh's victory should be no surprise as it is her third straight victory. This was her first win in a comedic episode, with her first two wins for emotional roller-coaster shows — "Plan B" and #495: “The Unraveling”. Susan Silo with her quirky performance as Agnes Riley in "The Pact" placed second.
- SHADOWPAW'S THOUGHTS
If Katie Leigh had but one grunt in an Adventures in Odyssey episode, the fans would most certainly award her the "Best Actress" award. Why? Because Katie Leigh has time and time again shown the fans that she's a great actress. For that reason alone, I was a bit disappointed in the results. While I do think Katie is terrific, I also feel that "Do or Diet" was not some of her best work. When you compare her with Susan Silo, or young girls Lauren Schaffel and Danielle Judovits (both of whom have improved greatly over the years), you get the sense that Katie Leigh has a built in edge. I feel all the nominees in this category were deserving of the award, and my personal pick would have been Susan. She not only transformed herself into old Agnes Riley...but Agnes Riley of many different decades! That's no small feat to accomplish.
Spring 2003
Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?"
54%
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Lauren Schaffel as Liz Horton in "Hindsight"
23%
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Mitzi McCall as Mrs. Sutton in "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?"
10%
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Maureen Davis as Wilma Bassett in "Bassett Hounds"
7%
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Danielle Judovits as Aubrey Shepard in "All Things to All People"
7%
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It seems that Meryl Streep is nominated just about every year for an Academy Award. However, she doesn't win every year. Katie has won the award for four seasons running (every time she's been nominated) for her stellar performance as Connie Kendall and shows no signs of letting up. She got more than half the votes this time, and more than twice as many as her closest runner-up—Lauren Schaffel as Liz in "Hindsight." Katie's past wins have been for "Do or Diet," "The Unraveling," and "Plan B."
Fall 2003
Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Something Blue"
51%
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Aria Curzon as Mandy Straussberg in "Teacher's Pest"
19%
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Tierra Abbott as Michaela "Mike" Bourland in "Pink Is Not My Color"
17%
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Janet Waldo as Joanne Allen in "Something Blue"
8%
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Ashley Rose Orr as Lindy in "Black Clouds"
5%
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Katie Leigh's win as Connie came as no surprise. This is her fifth straight win and it's once again for a tough emotional show ("Something Blue"). Connie had to go through a whole range of emotions this season and Katie's performance never faltered. It's no wonder she's become such a popular (and prominent) character. Katie's past wins have been for "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?" "Do or Diet," "The Unraveling," and "Plan B." In a tight race for second, Aria Curzon won out for her performance in "Teachers' Pest."
Spring 2004
Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Living in the Gray"
50%
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Aria Curzon as Mandy Straussberg in "Split Ends"
22%
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Sara Buskirk as Hallie in "My Girl, Hallie"
14%
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Lauren Schaffel as Liz Horton in "Stubborn Streaks"
7%
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J-Karen Thomas as Elaine Washington in "Something's Got to Change"
7%
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In the least surprising category of the awards, Katie Leigh won "Best Actress" for the sixth straight time. (Katie has now tied the record for the most consecutive awards; Rob Jorgensen won six production awards in a row). Katie's performance (acting as Jimmy's vertible big sister) was different than many previous wins for emotional shows (like "Something Blue" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow").
Aria Curzon earned her second straight "silver" prize for "Split Ends." (She previously won second for "Teacher's Pest")
Fall 2004
Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Call Me if You Care"
31%
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J-Karen Thomas as Elaine Washington in "Sunday Morning Scramble"
25%
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Aria Curzon as Mandy Straussberg in "True Calling"
20%
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Sara Buskirk as Cindy Bancroft in "Call Me if You Care"
17%
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Danielle Judovits as Aubrey Shepard in "Potential Possibilities"
6%
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Katie Leigh once again claimed her familiar (and well-earned) title as best actress of the season. However, this was by far her closest win, with only six percentage points separating her from the runner-up. (Katie's previous wins have generally been run-away victories with more than 50% of the vote.) Her excellent acting and emotions continue to be a cornerstone on Odyssey. Next to Walker (who also won this season), she's worked on the show longer than anyone else.
In a close second, J-Karen Thomas gave a stellar and forceful performance as Mrs. Washington. Her role was especially notable because her part was performed "wild." She wasn't in the studio with the other actors, but gave her lines by phone weeks later.
Spring 2005
| Actor | Character | Epsiodes | % of votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Leigh | Connie Kendall | For Better or for Worse |
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| Audrey Wasilewski | Katrina Meltsner | For Better or for Worse |
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| Lauren Schaffel | Liz Horton | Lost by a Nose |
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| Jean Gillespie | Grandma Mandy | The Present Long Ago |
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| Susan Silo | Agnes Riley | For Better or for Worse |
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Fall 2005
Danielle Judovits as Aubrey Shepard in "Always"
41%
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Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Odyssey Sings!"
27%
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Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina Meltsner in "Prisoners of Fear"
22%
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Lauren Schaffel as Liz Horton in "Tales of a Small-Town Thug"
7%
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Courtney Brown as Tamika Washington in "Odyssey Sings!"
4%
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Spring 2006
Aria Curzon as Mandy Straussberg in "Now More than Ever"
64%
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Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Around the Block"
16%
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Courtney Brown as Tamika Washington in "Bringing Up Dads"
14%
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Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina Shanks-Meltsner in "Dead Ends"
4%
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Mary Mouser as Samantha McKay in "Three O'Clock Call"
3%
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Fall 2006
Rachel Fox as Kelly in "The Chosen One"
49%
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Aria Curzon as Mandy Straussberg in "Out of Our Hands"
31%
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J-Karen Thomas as Elaine Washington in "The Family Next Door"
9%
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Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "The Chosen One"
7%
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Mary Mouser as Samantha McKay in "The Nudge"
4%
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Spring 2010
| Actress | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "The Inspiration Station"
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| Cristina Pucelli as Emily Jones in "When You're Right, You're Right" |
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| Sydney Shiotani as Camilla Parker in "For the Birds" |
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| Lucki Wheating as Lucia in "Grandma's Visit" |
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| Hope Levy as Olivia Parker in "Finish What You..." |
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Fall 2010
| Actress | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "The Mystery of the Clock Tower
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| Cristina Pucelli as Emily Jones in "The Malted Milkball Falcon" |
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| Sydney Shiotani as Camilla Parker in "An Agreeable Nanny" |
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| Lucki Wheating as Lucia in "Grandma's Christmas Visit" |
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| Gatlin Green as Priscilla Peterson in "Stage Fright" |
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Spring 2011
| Actress | Vote % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimmy Robertson
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| Katie Leigh |
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| Cristina Pucelli |
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| Diane Hsu |
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| Audrey Wasilewski |
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Fall 2011
| Actress |
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| Shelbie Bruce as young Lucia |
| Cristina Pucelli as Emily |
| Kimmy Robertson as Penny
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| Kelly Stables as Olivia |
| Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina Meltsner |
Summer 2012
| Actress |
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| Georgia Dolenz as Sue in "The Labyrinth"
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| Renee Dorian as Gracie Williams in "Sergeant York" |
| Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall in "Something Old, Something New" |
| Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina Shanks-Meltsner in "To Mend or Repair" |
| Linda Porter as Helen Wilson in "Mistaken for Good" |
Winter 2013
| Actress |
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| Chris Anthony as Lady Deluxe Haversham in Push the Red Button |
| Georgia Dolenz as Rhoda in The Perfect Church |
| Katie Leigh as Connie in Home Again
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| Cristina Pucelli as Emily Jones in Great Expectations |
| Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise in Happy Hunting |
Fall 2013
| Actress |
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| Kimmy Robertson as Penny
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Fall 2014
| Actress |
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| Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina Meltsner |
| Barbara Niles as Rhonda Adelaide |
| Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise |
| Katie Leigh as Connie Kendall |
| Shona Kennedy as Jules Kendall
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2016
| Episode |
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| Kimmy Robertson as Penny in #783: “Words from the Wise”
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| Katie Leigh as Connie in #779: “A Big Commitment” |
| Amanda Troop as Eva in #784: “Cycle of Fear” |
| Kelly Stables as Olivia in #780: “Dinner Roll Models” |
| Cristina Pucelli as Emily in #786: “The Case of the Ball Cap Hero” |
2017
2018
| Actress |
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| Shona Rodman as Jules in “Friend or Foe”
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| Katie Leigh as Connie in “Friend or Foe” |
| Cristina Pucelli as Emily in “The Secret of the Writer's Ruse” |
| Kimmy Robertson as Mercedes/Whiskers/Ginny in “B-TV: Revenge” |
| Kelly Stables as Olivia in “David and Absalom, Parts 1 and 2” |
2019
| Actress |
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| Shona Rodman as Jules in Much Ado about Jealousy
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| Audrey Wasilewski as Katrina in Divided We Fall |
| Kelly Stables as Olivia in The Shame About Fame |
| Kimmy Robertson as Penny in Much Ado about Jealousy |
| Natalie Lander as Zoe in Not What I Expected |
2020
2021
Multiple awards and nominations
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The following individuals received two or more Best Actress awards:
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The following individuals received two or more Best Actress nominations, but less than two Best Actress wins:
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Multiple nominations for the same actor playing different characters
| Nominations | Actor and Characters |
|---|---|
| 9 | Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise and Mercedes/Whiskers/Ginny |
| 2 | Georgia Dolenz as Sue and Rhoda |
| 2 | Sara Buskirk as Hallie and Cindy Bancroft |
Multiple nominations from the same episode
- Susan Silo and Janet Waldo in #511: “The Pact, Part 1”
- Katie Leigh (winner) and Mitzi McCall in #523 – #525: “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?”
- Katie Leigh (winner) and Janet Waldo in #533 – #534: “Something Blue”
- Katie Leigh (winner) and Sara Buskirk in #554: “Call Me if You Care”
- Katie Leigh (winner) and Audrey Wasilewski in #570 – #571: “For Better or for Worse”
- Katie Leigh and Courtney Brown in #572: “Odyssey Sings!”
- Rachel Fox (winner) and Katie Leigh in #605 – #606: “The Chosen One”
- Shona Rodman (winner) and Katie Leigh in #828: “Friend or Foe”
- Shona Rodman (winner) and Kimmy Robertson in #856: “Much Ado about Jealousy”
Age superlatives
Based on the actress's age at time of awards ceremony.
| Record | Actress | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Oldest Winner | Kimmy Robertson | 62 |
| Oldest Nominee | Jean Gillespie | 81 |
| Youngest Winner | Rachel Fox | 10 |
| Youngest Nominee | Sydney Shiotani | 8 |
See also
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