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 East Division. All filmography and award information was found on the Internet Movie Database.
Hamilton: Stana Katic
Katic won three individual People’s Choice Awards out of four nominations during the latter half of Castle’s run. In addition, she was twice nominated for a shared honor with castmate Nathan Fillion.
Elsewhere, Katic and Fillion garnered three straight tandem prizes at the TV Guide Awards between 2011 and 2013. Although they barely missed a four-peat in 2014, Katic came away with favorite actress honors.
In the two years since ABC closed the Castle chronicle, Katic has primarily performed on the silver screen. But with this month’s wide release of Amazon’s Absentia, time will tell if TV is her clear-cut niche.
Honorable mentions: Eugene Levy, an alumnus of the Emmy-winning SCTV who now comprises part of the seasoned ensemble of Schitt’s Creek. Fellow SCTV product and Hamiltonian Martin Short is still in demand as well. Among younger actors from The Hammer, Kyle Bunbury and Jason Jones are also building the respective repertoires stateside.
Kingston: Ari Millen
A 2016 Canadian Screen Actors Guild winner for his part on Orphan Black, Millen was once an aspiring puck prodigy. But by the time he was in the Frontenacs’ age group he found his true calling.
After a small part in a peer’s production sparked his interest, Millen pursued a degree in theater at Ryerson University. Since then, besides his main role as Mark Rollins, he has logged 23 other IMDB credits in the past decade. He is slated to stamp another three in 2018.
Oshawa: A.J. Cook
Besides her mainstay position (minus a brief hiatus) on Criminal Minds, Cook claimed a nod for a 2012 Prism Award. She had turned heads as the protagonist and determined sister of the title character in 2011’s Bringing Ashley Home. That same year, she had crossed network lines to guest star on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
As of this year, it has been five years since Cook has played anyone other than Jennifer Jareau. That should satisfy CBS fans well enough, as their 2010 petition effectively brought her back to Criminal Minds.
By mid-April of 2011, the show had reinstated Cook on an initial two-year contract. Odds are she is back to stay. But she is also due to broaden her horizons again with another lead female role in the upcoming Back Fork.
Ottawa: Matthew Perry
We already touched this base when we did the NHL Atlantic Division edition of this series. In case you missed that or need a refresher, you can go back for a glimpse at the high-end connections Perry made in Canada’s capital.
Peterborough: J.C. MacKenzie
Name a contemporary crime drama, and MacKenzie’s name will likely surface on its all-time roster. In addition, he has a tendency to rub elbows with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scoresese.
With one exception, MacKenzie has yet to play the same character 10 times or more. But that lack of continuity on his resume is hardly indicative of his talent. His filmography’s who’s-who list of programs underscores his reputation as a sound ringer. After the exception, Fox’s Dark Angel, was cancelled in 2002, he quickly resurfaced with a one-time gig on Monk. He has since added CSI, NCIS, 24, Dexter, Elementary and The Good Wife, among many others to his resume.
As a teen, MacKenzie began his career with a guest spot on CBC’s Seeing Things in 1985. Below the border, he has been on all three major versions of Law & Order. Last year, SVU brought him back for a third stint as a different character than his 2005 and 2010 appearances.
More recently, in the political drama realm, Madam Secretary has called him back for seven re-appearances. Meanwhile, on the big screen, MacKenzie has played minor roles in The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street. As of next year, he will officially add another Scoresese film, The Irishman, to his credits.
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