In 2015, a very special event took place. It took 15 years to come to fruition, but the purpose was well worth it. The 1st Annual Carney Awards honoring Outstanding Achievement in Character Acting took place on November 1. It was a simple idea, really. Give credit to, and reward, the unforgettable character actors whose faces we know and whose performances contribute to films and television shows so intrinsically that without them the show would be less than it is.
Oh, of course, there are the established award ceremonies. We can point to the Academy Awards with its illustrious history of ceremonies dating back to 1929. We can also consider the Emmy Awards which began in 1949. These have awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. These categories were created to honor the talents of character actors. But over time, the supporting roles were more increasingly played by leading men and women. True character actors were often forgotten.
To return recognition to Hollywood’s talented characters, a brand-new award show specifically for Character Actors was created. A Board of Directors was put into place over several years to keep things organized, and the news went out to actors who would participate in the process. Writers, directors, producers, actors and studio heads comprised of top Hollywood talents came together to work on the new project.
Selecting the namesake for the project was easy. Art Carney was the logical choice. He portrayed radio roles throughout the 1940s, impersonating celebrities and playing various characters. In 1950, Jackie Gleason recruited Carney for the Cavalcade of Stars, a comedy-variety series. Carney was a regular, appearing in many comedy sketches and the two actors had great chemistry together. One of the sketches, “The Honeymooners” became a show, and Carney’s creation of Ed Norton, the sewer worker made him popular in households everywhere.
Norton won six Emmy Awards for his acting roles. He was unforgettable as Santa Claus in The Twilight Zone; The Night of the Meek. He appeared with Walter Matthau on Broadway in The Odd Couple. He was the star of dozens of films. He won an Oscar for his role in Harry & Tonto. He was a brilliant actor who knew exactly how to use drama and comedy perfectly, and he brought his fans hours of excellence in entertainment.
The 10 nominees of the Class of 2015 were required to pass some heavy criteria. Each actor could not have won an Emmy or an Oscar. Each candidate must have been acting for at least 25 years, and each must have had at least 50 film and TV credits as a combined total. The Carney Award was created to acknowledge a lifetime of acting achievement. There were 4 actors chosen to receive The Carney Award, with the ballots tabulated by the New York accounting firm Chizner & Company. The Carney Award went to Bruce McGill, CCH Pounder, David Paymer, and Bob Balaban. One up and coming young actor was selected as the 2015 “Young Artist to Look At”, and that was Michael Ealy.
The Carney Awards were held in 2016 and 2017 as well, with Tom Bergeron taking on the duties of Host. The 2017 honorees included Xander Berkeley, William Fichtner, Richard Kind, William H. Macy and Wendie Malick. The Carney Award trophy is in the manufacturing process, and it will weight a bit over 10 lbs. Oh, and there’s a logo created by Dave Woodman. It’s a fabulous drawing of Art Carney capturing the essence of his personality.
When outstanding character actors are at work, they may play dozens of roles over their entire careers. They may have been seen many times, but are still unknown. That is because they are doing their jobs so well, that they are perceived as being the character they are portraying. In fact, they become their characters so well, that they often disappear into the fabric of the story.
The opposite can be true as well. They may become the perfect foil to a lead character, and create the show’s charisma in such a way that nobody else could do their job. They are the maids, the gangsters, the office workers, the bureaucrats and the neighbors. The Art Carney Awards have carved out a new way to honor the actors everyone loves but can’t always identify.
With the 3rd annual event done and dusted, it’s time to look forward to the next year. Who will be nominated next? Keep your eyes peeled, and see if you notice those character actors doing their jobs. You might just discover a 2018 nominee where you least expected one.
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