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 SPHL. All filmography and award information was found on the Internet Movie Database.
Birmingham: Courteney Cox
The Bulls’ actual hometown of Pelham, Ala., has produced no actors of note. Accordingly, we have opened this slot to the broader Birmingham area.
Though she did not logged any new credits in 2017, Cox still stands out in that scope. Her living legacy has a substantial shelf life.
The Mountain Brook product was a favorite among viewers on two long-running sitcoms. Cox stood out in the first season of Friends to the tune of a 1995 People’s Choice Award.
She has not won any major awards since, but earned four more People’s Choice nominations for Cougar Town. Her starring part in the ABC-trash-turned-TBS-treasure also garnered Golden Globe and Critics Choice consideration.
After Cougar Town ended in 2015, Cox made her second appearance on the always star-studded Drunk History. Her role in 2016 election special was her second invitation to the Emmy-nominated Comedy Central series.
Evansville: Dylan Minnette
Barely 21, Minnette set his ceiling high through 12-plus years of mainstream child acting. Beginning with Two and a Half Men in 2005, he has accepted a slew of sitcom and drama guest invitations.
The short list includes one-off roles on Grey’s Anatomy, The Mentalist and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Through Prison Break, Lost and Scandal, Minnette has enjoyed recurring roles.
Over that stretch, he garnered eight Young Artist nominations, winning for Saving Grace in 2008 and Medium in 2011.
His eligibility in that guild, and all he has to prove therein, has evaporated. Now all eyes are on what Minnette will cultivate through his leading part on 13 Reasons Why and beyond.
Fayetteville: Julianne Moore
As a Boston University graduate, Moore has already appeared in this series’ Hockey East school alumni edition. You can revisit that for the details on the Fort Bragg-born military brat’s career.
Huntsville: Reg E. Cathy
Along with Kim Dickens, Cathy has given Huntsville two helpings of prominent representation on House of Cards. The two have combined for 24 guest appearances so far.
Dickens warrants an honorable mention for that and her starring role on Fear the Walking Dead. The latter had her up for a Saturn in 2016 and 2017.
But between the two of them, only Cathy can claim any Emmy candidacies on his resume. For his part as Freddy, Cathy was nominated for top guest actor on a drama three years in a row. He won on his second bid in 2015.
Consider that a hard-earned culmination of other noteworthy guest spots earlier this decade. Cathy has previously seen action on 30 Rock, SVU, Person of Interest and The Good Wife.
Knoxville: Christina Hendricks
Though later raised elsewhere, Hendricks is the most accomplished contemporary Knoxville-born actor. Quentin Tarantino and Johnny Knoxville also represent the city in that regard, but make their mark off camera.
Regardless, it is tough to match a perennial Emmy nominee from Mad Men. That was Hendricks’ distinction from 2010 through 2015.
Christina Hendricks will co-star on NBC’s Good Girls after decorated runs on Mad Men and several animated shows. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Shortly after the AMC groundbreaker closed, she joined the celestial voice ensemble of Rick and Morty, sharing a 2016 BTVA candidacy. It was the fourth cast with which she helped earn a spot on a BTVA ballot.
With that certified versatility, there ought to be ample anticipation for Hendricks’ return to live-action TV via NBC’s Good Girls.
Macon: Carrie Preston
As Elsbeth Tascioni on The Good Wife, Preston nabbed a 2013 Emmy for supporting acting. The same role put her on the same ballot in 2016.
That, along with another Tascioni reprise last year on The Good Fight, helped bury the legacy of the one-year blunder, Crowded. While the NBC sitcom containing her co-starring role fizzled, Preston has proved her post-True Blood worth in drama.
On a side note, Macon has made some lasting comedic TV stars as well. Of top note, Jack McBrayer did the town proud as Kenneth on NBC’s 30 Rock. His 2009 Emmy nomination for that role, plus four other Daytime or Primetime Emmy ballots, warrant an honorable mention here.
Mississippi (Southaven): Olivia Holt
The RiverKings are based in a small suburb of Memphis, Tenn., their previous dateline. On their side of the state border, De Soto County has not produced nearly as much as the shadowing city.
But Nesbit, one of Southaven’s county cohabitants, can at least say it harbored Holt for a time. The 20-year-old has already earned a BTVA nomination for voicing Spider-Girl on The Ultimate Spiderman. Last year, she added a pair of prizes from small festivals for her performance in Class Rank.
Pensacola: Katy Mixon
So far, so good for the title player on American Housewife. Mixon rode into the second-year ABC series after six seasons of supporting play on CBS’ Mike and Molly.
When she was not appearing onscreen as Melissa McCarthy’s second fiddle, she was turning in head-turning voice performances. The BTVA guild considered Mixon for a TV guest award after her 2013 spot on The Looney Tunes Show. She was nominated again in the 2016 BTVAs’ film realm for enlivening Tina in Minions.
Peoria: Camryn Manheim
The decorated supporting actress from The Practice and the short-order 2005 series Elvis has nabbed less hardware of late. But Manheim — who moved to Peoria from New Jersey in her youth — still sees plenty of noteworthy action.
From 2013 to 2015, she logged nine guest spots on Person of Interest. Looking ahead, after three quick gigs in 2016 and two last year, Manheim will be a regular on Living Biblically.
Roanoke: Jack Gwaltney
While he has never been a lasting magnet for attention, Gwaltney has a well-established niche. He has sculpted a substantial who’s who of one-off credits, mainly on primetime dramas, over three decades.
Since 2010 alone, he has been an all-round ringer for CBS crime shows. In that time, he has appeared on The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Unforgettable, Person of Interest and Elementary.
Gwaltney previously guest starred on Gray’s Anatomy and the two major Law & Order spinoffs. This after he logged three spots on the franchise’s original program.
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