Editor’s note: This is the latest installment in a recurring series where a Pucks and Rec writer will select the top contemporary actor from each city in a hockey league. This week, we focus on the current markets in the OHL Central Division. All filmography and award information was found on the Internet Movie Database.
Barrie: Jessica Harmon
Harmon was 14 when her hometown hockey team won the Robertson Cup as the OHL’s 2000 playoff champions. By that point, she had already made three mainstream TV appearances. She played two roles on the Showtime science-fiction anthology, The Outer Limits, and guest-starred on The New Addams Family.
In adulthood, Harmon has continued to build a versatile resume across virtually all genres. Over the last decade, she has garnered five Leo nominations (including two wins) for everything from romantic comedy to horror.
When she is not getting glory herself, Harmon is often filling roles on notable U.S. projects. She made a one-off appearance on the short-order Fox drama Wayward Pines and now has a recurring role on The 100. With that, she is getting regular work opposite her Mississauga-born younger brother, Richard Harmon.
Mississauga: Dameon Clarke
The aforementioned Richard Harmon has his own two-for-five record of Leo nominations. His main role in If I Had Wings also earned a nod for a 2015 Canadian Screen Award.
With that said, Clarke has earned hardware for comedic and horror roles alike. As the lead role in 2008’s How to Be a Serial Killer, he capitalized on a chance to combine both genres. He is also a two-time individual and one-time BTVA video-game voice-acting champion.
With those ornate qualities, Clarke has frequented primetime programs on American networks. To date, he has logged one-off guest spots on four versions of CSI, Supernatural, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Between 2016 and 2017, ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder became the latest series to call Clarke back. His seven spots on the show have made it eclipse Graceland (six), Prison Break (four) and 24 (three) as his most frequent recurring live-action role.
Niagara (St. Catherines): Dave Thomas
One half of the McKenzie brothers in the “Great White North” routine, Thomas has mostly been a consulting producer over the last five years. In that time, he has served in that capacity for 46 episodes of Bones and 19 installments of The Blacklist.
But while the former SCTV staple does not go before the camera as often as he once did, his veteran presence is valued. Since his launching pad closed up in 1981, Thomas has seen action on at least one program in every calendar year except 1990 and 2016.
This year, he has already shown up on Let’s Get Physical. Meanwhile, Bones brought him back for a second time as a separate character in 2017, four years after his first guest spot.
For the foreseeable future, that will be enough for Thomas to retain this unofficial honor. Younger actors with St. Catherines ties need to demonstrate more consistency. Although, with guest spots on both Blue Bloods and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2017, 42-year-old Jason Cadieux is revving back up after a seven-year gap between credits (2007 to 2014).
North Bay: Brendan Burke
This derby turned into a two-party footrace between Burke and Scott Thompson.
An alumnus of the three-time Gemini-winning, three-time Emmy-nominated Kids in the Hall ensemble, Thompson still holds up well enough. He recently guest starred on American Dad and will soon hit the silver screen in The Go-Getters. All this after he played Buddy Cole four times on The Colbert Report in that series’ final year.
But though born in North Bay, Thompson was raised in Brampton. And with our emphasis on fresher achievements, Burke holds a decisive advantage.
Burke’s recurring role on Orange Is the New Black is a fitting stride after his single spots in numerous high-profile films and TV series. The 39-year-old’s shortlist includes The Departed, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Person of Interest, Gotham and Annie.
Sudbury: Sonya Salomaa
In a former era, this title would have gone to Anne Ditchburn. Though her acting career spanned a mere 10 years and seven roles, she represented Sudbury on the 1979 Golden Globes ballot.
But closer to home, and closer to the present, the City of Lakes has had fresher brushes with acting hardware. Salomaa is coming off her fourth Leo nomination, a nod for 2017’s top lead female movie role.
That marked a personal milestone, as Salomaa’s part of Jackie in The Space Between was her first award-nominated film performance. She previously won a pair of Leos for her part on The Collector and was nominated for a Leo and a Gemini for Durham County.
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