Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a four-part series in which a Pucks and Rec writer will select the top contemporary entertainment actor from every city in a select NHL division. The eight markets comprising the NHL Atlantic Division are this week’s focus. All filmography and award information is courtesy of the Internet Movie Database.
Boston: Casey Affleck
While his more famous brother, Ben, has a comparable trophy case, that one is stocked primarily on prizes for writing, producing and directing.
Conversely, Casey has logged his recent hardware through acting, most notably this past year as the star of Manchester by the Sea. His role earned him 54 wins and 11 additional nominations for best actor or an equivalent category from national and local guilds. His victory at the Oscars was the next step after the Academy nominated him in the 2008 supporting actor category.
The son of a former Theater Company of Boston mainstay, Affleck has also been awarded or nominated for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone, The Killer Inside Me and Triple 9.
Buffalo: Kyle Chandler
Though Chandler drew inspiration for his career while watching TBS, the sole available TV channel at his home in Georgia, he was born in Buffalo. His presence on the Emmy ballot and the silver screen in this decade outshines those of all other entertainers with roots in Upstate New York’s largest city.
A Manchester by the Sea castmate of Casey Affleck who also appeared in Ben Affleck’s Argo, Chandler previously won a 2011 Emmy for Friday Night Lights. He had been nominated for best lead drama actor for the same role in 2010, then earned two more nominations in the same category for his part on Bloodline.
Detroit: Courtney B. Vance
Vance’s portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson fetched him seven awards, including an Emmy, this past year. With that, the 35-year TV and film veteran finally punctuated his niche for dramatic series, which has earned him guest spots on Scandal and Masters of Sex, among others.
Vance has even stepped outside his specialty to appear in the comedy film, Office Christmas Party. At 57 years of age, he projects to keep eclipsing the more seasoned likes of J.K. Simmons and Lily Tomlin as the top natural-born Detroiter in the industry.
Florida: Dwayne Johnson
The California native has made Miami his adulthood home since attending and playing Hurricanes football for the city’s university.
Yes, the Panthers play in the suburb of Sunrise, but no entertainers from that town size up with The Rock. Johnson was the pick for best premium series actor at this year’s People’s Choice Awards, where he was also nominated for the honor of favorite comedic movie actor.
Between San Andreas, Central Intelligence, Moana, The Fast and the Furious franchise and the TV series Ballers, Johnson has been a prolific ballot presence for action and comedy alike over the last two years.
Jay Baruchel has lived in all three of Canada’s NHL Atlantic Division cities, but his heart is in Montreal, as evidenced by his love for the Habs. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Montreal: Jay Baruchel
Though he has also lived in Canada’s two other NHL Atlantic Division cities, Baruchel confirms his steadfast Montreal connection with his Canadiens fanaticism. In this space, that suffices for supplanting even the city’s native son, William Shatner, who is in the twilight of a lengthy and distinguished career.
By comparison, the 35-year-old Baruchel is just getting started. He has won a handful of awards for less mainstream productions, followed by a shared honor from the 2014 MTV Movie guild for This Is the End. He has since amplified his profile in America by starring on FXX’s Man Seeking Woman. Although that show was recently unplugged, he can still score on the rebound.
Ottawa: Matthew Perry
Born in Massachusetts, Perry was raised in the Canadian capital, where he met and went to school with future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He subsequently returned south of the 49th parallel, where he has appeared on a slew of sitcoms and drama series.
And just when you thought his glory days on Friends had given way to a life of hopping from one short-lived show to another (read: Mr. Sunshine, Go On), Perry was this year’s favorite comedic TV actor at the People’s Choice Awards.
He has also successfully branched out to other genres won a Gold Derby in 2012 for his guest spots on The Good Wife and was up for a repeat in 2012. Earlier this year, he portrayed Ted on The Kennedys: After Camelot.
Tampa Bay: Channing Tatum
The People’s Choice favorite movie actor and a nominee for favorite dramatic actor at last year’s show, Tatum is no stranger to accolades. His history of winning popular votes goes back to when he attended Tampa Catholic High School, where his peers deemed him the most athletic among them.
Tatum’s teenhood in Tampa was also where he began working on, and flaunting, his trademark muscular sculpture. One of his first jobs in the town even inspired the Magic Mike movie series. Of the character he portrays onscreen, he told the Tampa Bay Times in 2012, “This is just me growing up in Tampa, loving it.”
Toronto: Rachel McAdams
McAdams is coming off her first Oscar nomination, which she garnered through her supporting part in Spotlight. Other guilds have combined to bestow her with 15 individual or group awards, dating back to various breakthrough honors for Mean Girls and Wedding Crashers.
Born in London, Ont., where she began her entertainment endeavors at age 10, McAdams has resided in Toronto since her days as an undergraduate at York University.
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