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 West Division. All filmography and award information was found on the Internet Movie Database.
Flint: Terry Crews
While he mustered an honorable mention when we were recognizing Western Michigan University-educated actors, Crews eclipses all Flint natives.
At Flint Southwestern High School, Crews drew rewarding attention to his athletic and artistic talents alike. He went on to train in the latter at a selective institution in the northern part of his native state. In addition, he played collegiate and professional football before transitioning to his current career.
Since then, Crews has drawn a combined eight Image nominations through three TV programs. His most recent role as Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine also garnered consideration for a 2015 Online Film and Television Award in the supporting actor’s category.
Saginaw: S. Epatha Merkerson
These days, Merkerson plays a hospital administrator on Chicago Med. But as her character’s crossovers into Chicago P.D. prove, she cannot be kept away from police-oriented sagas.
The Chicago franchise is the brainchild of Dick Wolf, who rose to fame opposite Merkerson via Law & Order. As Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, Merkerson enjoyed the longest tenure (1993-2010) of any cast member. She came on board in Season 3 (after a guest spot in Season 1) and stuck through the show’s conclusion.
The next year, Merkerson closed that chapter triumphantly with her second straight Image Award. It was her third win out of 10 nominations for the part of Lieutenant Van Buren.
In between, she won a Golden Globe, Emmy and SAG Award for the 2005 TV movie Lackawanna Blues. More recently, amidst her current NBC gig, she shared an ensemble prize with her fellow core cast members of Year by the Sea at the 2016 Best Actors Film Festival.
Sarnia: Keegan Connor Tracy
Among Sarnia natives, there is one Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee in Susan Clark. But she has not logged a new acting credit since 1999.
Among active entertainers, there is one outstanding adopted Sarnian in Tracy. Born in Windsor, she spent the latter stages of her upbringing slightly up north, graduating from St. Patrick’s High School.
Long after living in those two American-border cities, Tracy has been a constant on U.S. network programs. She has sandwiched six years as a regular on ABC’s Once Upon A Time around a short-lived guest role on A&E’s Bates Motel.
With the former, she garnered her third Leo nomination in 2012. The British Columbia-based guild previously crowned her as 2002’s top supporting actress for Da Vinci’s Inquest. She was on its ballot again in 2004 after standing out on Jake 2.0.
Sault Ste. Marie: Boomer Phillips
One bullet point in Phillips’ IMDB bio reads that he has been “Rumoured to have played for the Soo Greyhounds.” Not so. His name’s conspicuous absence on the Internet Hockey Database ought to quell such rumblings for good.
But he is also said to have wanted to perform in a hockey film. He got his wish upon returning to his native country and province for a minor part in last year’s Goon sequel. Back in the U.S., where he first moved for college, he garnered a guest spot on The Strain and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Primarily a stand-up artist, Phillips has earned one nomination through comedic acting. He was up for a Canadian Comedy Award in 2012 after playing Chase Thomson in Bounty Hunters. No other cast or crew member from the 2011 film earned consideration for any individual or ensemble hardware.
Windsor: Oliver Platt
Platt’s father’s career as an international diplomat took the family through three continents. They happened to be living in Windsor at the time of Oliver’s birth, seven years after Merkerson was born west of the border.
With that, two OHL West Division cities can claim a Chicago Med regular among their entertainment products. And like Sharon Goodwin, Daniel Charles has seen action on the other Chicago shows.
In addition, like Merkerson, Platt preceded his current gig with Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated gigs. Both had him under consideration for Huff in 2005. The latter nominated him for the same project in 2006 plus The West Wing in 2001 and Nip/Tuck in 2008.
As his latest major nomination, Platt earned a nod for a BTVA feature-film voice-acting award for his part in 2013’s Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return. He has since used his voiceover prowess as a recurring narrator on PBS’ American Experience.
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