The Earle Grey Award is the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television at its annual awards ceremony (the Gemini Awards from 1986 to 2011 and the Canadian Screen Awards from 2013 to present). It is given to an actor in recognition of his or her body of work in television, or for their contribution to the international profile of Canadian television. It can be presented to an individual or a collaborative team.
The Earle Grey Award is named after the first president of the Toronto ACTRA branch (not Governor General Earl Grey). Nominations are submitted by Academy members to the Special Awards Committee, whose choice of recipient must then be approved by the Board of Directors. In May 2012, the Academy merged the Gemini and Genie Awards into the Canadian Screen Awards, which were first held in 2013.
Winners
1986 — Ed McNamara
1987 — Lorne Greene
1988 — Kate Reid
1989 — Sean McCann
1990 — Jan Rubes
1991 — awards not held
1992 — Colleen Dewhurst (awarded posthumously)
1993 — Barbara Hamilton
1994 — Ernie Coombs
1995 — SCTV (Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy, Harold Ramis and Dave Thomas)
1996 — Bruno Gerussi (awarded posthumously)
1997 — Gordon Pinsent
1998 — Kenneth Welsh and Al Waxman (Two Gemini Awards ceremonies were held in 1998; Welsh received the Earle Grey Award at the 12th Gemini Awards, Waxman at the 13th.)
1999 — Jayne Eastwood
2000 — Royal Canadian Air Farce (Roger Abbott, Luba Goy, Don Ferguson and John Morgan)
2001 — Jackie Burroughs
2002 — CODCO (Tommy Sexton, Andy Jones, Greg Malone, Cathy Jones and Mary Walsh)
2003 — Jennifer Dale
2004 — Graham Greene
2005 — Steve Smith
2006 — Donnelly Rhodes
2007 — Don Harron
2008 — David Gardner
2009 — Eric Peterson
2010 — not awarded
2011 — Cedric Smith
2012 — awards not held
2013 — not awarded
2014 — Colm Feore
2015 — Paul Gross
2016 — Wendy Crewson
2017 — Tantoo Cardinal