The Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series or Program is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best supporting performance by an actor in a Canadian dramatic television series or television film. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.
Originally, only a single award for supporting actor was presented, without regard to the distinction between series, miniseries or television films. At the 10th Gemini Awards in 1995, separate awards were instituted for supporting actor in a continuing television series and supporting actor in a television film or miniseries; the separate awards were presented until the Gemini Awards were merged into the Canadian Screen Awards, and since the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2012 there has again only been a single category presented for all three types of content.
In August 2022, the Academy announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, a gender-neutral award for Best Supporting Performance in a Drama Program or Series will be presented.Joseph Pugh, "Canadian Screen Awards switching to gender-neutral performance categories". CBC News, August 25, 2022.
1980s Year Actor Title Ref 1986 1st Gemini Awards Richard Farnsworth Anne of Green Gables "Green Gables big Gemini awards winner". Windsor Star, December 5, 1986. Bernard Behrens Turning to Stone Sid Adilman, "Anne leads field in Geminis race". Toronto Star, October 16, 1986. Thomas Peacocke Oakmount High Douglas Rain Love and Larceny R. H. Thomson Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks 1987 2nd Gemini Awards Eugene Clark Night Heat Bill Anderson, "Seeing Things shines in Gemini spotlight". Ottawa Citizen, December 10, 1987. Robert Joy The Prodigious Hickey John Haslett Cuff, "Seeing Things, Night Heat top Gemini nomination list". The Globe and Mail, October 22, 1987. Sean McCann Night Heat Albert Schultz Going Home R. H. Thomson Ford: The Man and the Machine 1988 3rd Gemini Awards Wayne Robson And Then You Die "Gemini awards ceremony reveals surprising winners". Windsor Star, December 1, 1988. Henry Beckman Family Reunion Henry Mietkiewicz, "Nominated for Canadian TV's best: The Gemini Awards". Toronto Star, October 13, 1988. Peter Boretski Chasing Rainbows Gary Reineke The King Chronicle Sandy Webster The King Chronicle 1989 4th Gemini Awards Jan Rubeš Two Men "Glory enough for all at CBC as docudrama wins 9 Geminis". Montreal Gazette, December 6, 1989. John Bayliss 9B "Banting series tops Gemini nominees". Edmonton Journal, October 26, 1989. Michael Ironside One Boy, One Wolf, One Summer Tony Rosato Night Heat Vladek Sheybal Champagne Charlie
1990s Year Nominee Title Ref 1990 5th Gemini Awards Joe Flaherty Looking for Miracles Antonia Zerbisias, "CBC celebrates at k.d.'s cafe as it sweeps Gemini awards". Toronto Star, December 4, 1990. Michael Ball The Private Capital "Canadian TV shows vie for Geminis". Edmonton Journal, October 4, 1990. Shawn Lawrence Saying Goodbye: "The First Snowfall" Eugene Lipinski Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher Karl Pruner E.N.G. 1991 6th Gemini Awards Kenneth Welsh Deadly Betrayal: The Bruce Curtis Story Christopher Harris, "CBC drama tops Gemini ceremonies: Journey into Darkness wins all six categories in which it was nominated". The Globe and Mail, March 9, 1992. Bruce Greenwood The Little Kidnappers "And the nominees are ...". Hamilton Spectator, March 7, 1992. Arthur Grosser Urban Angel Anthony Sherwood Street Legal Ian Tracey Rookies Gordon Michael Woolvett Princes in Exile 1992 7th Gemini Awards Jonathan Welsh E.N.G. Wendy McCann, "CBC has big night at Gemini Awards". Waterloo Region Record, March 8, 1993. Nigel Bennett Forever Knight Robert Joy Grand Larceny Michael Mahonen Road to Avonlea Kenneth Welsh Grand Larceny 1993 8th Gemini Awards Wayne Robson The Diviners "CBC's Boys of St. Vincent wins two more Geminis". Montreal Gazette, March 6, 1994. Brian Dooley The Boys of St. Vincent Greg Quill, "The Gemini nominees are...". Toronto Star, January 26, 1994. Peter MacNeill Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer Alex McArthur Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story R. H. Thomson Road to Avonlea 1994 9th Gemini Awards Bernard Behrens Coming of Age Tony Atherton, "Geminis come of age: Due South, Browning show score big". Ottawa Citizen, March 6, 1995. Aidan Devine Dieppe "Major Gemini Nominations". Toronto Star, January 18, 1995. Graham Harley Dieppe John Hemphill Sodbusters Ron Lea Street Legal 1995 10th Gemini Awards Dramatic Series Nigel Bennett Forever Knight Eric Kohanik, "Geminis flock Due South". Windsor Star, March 4, 1996. Dakota House North of 60 "Major Gemini nominees; Awards gala to be broadcast March 3". Montreal Gazette, January 25, 1996. Michael Mahonen Road to Avonlea Lubomir Mykytiuk North of 60 Beau Starr Due South Television Film or Miniseries Brent Carver Last Rights Robert Ito Trial at Fortitude Bay Gordon Pinsent Due South: "Victoria's Secret" Christopher Plummer Harrison Bergeron Rod Steiger Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story 1996 11th Gemini Awards Dramatic Series Lubomir Mykytiuk North of 60 "And the Gemini winners are ...". Ottawa Citizen, March 3, 1997. Nathaniel Arcand North of 60 Christopher Harris, "CBC-TV tops Geminis: News, current affairs lead nominations". The Globe and Mail, January 15, 1997. David Hewlett Traders Michael Mahonen Road to Avonlea Timothy Webber North of 60 Television Film or Miniseries Al Waxman Net Worth Graham Greene The Outer Limits: "A Stitch in Time" Stuart Margolin Mother Trucker: The Diana Kilmury Story Carl Marotte Net Worth Dean McDermott Lives of Girls and Women Peter Outerbridge Captive Heart: The James Mink Story 1997 12th Gemini Awards Dramatic Series Patrick McKenna Traders John McKay, "CBC piles up more honors on second Gemini night". Canadian Press, February 28, 1998. Matthew Ferguson Nikita John McKay, "CBC's 5th Estate leads the pack for 1997". Canadian Press, January 13, 1998. Chris Leavins Traders Richard McMillan Black Harbour Michael Wade Gullage's Television Film or Miniseries Aidan Devine The Arrow Kim Coates Dead Silence Peter MacNeill Giant Mine Saul Rubinek Hiroshima Brent Stait For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down 1998 13th Gemini Awards Dramatic Series Kris Lemche Emily of New Moon John McKay, "Bach series continues Gemini streak". Canadian Press, October 3, 1998. David Hewlett Traders John McKay, "CBC tops Gemini nominations but Bach doc gets single-show nod". Canadian Press, October 3, 1998. Michael Moriarty PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Gordon Pinsent Due South Rick Roberts Traders Television Film or Miniseries Diego Matamoros The Sleep Room Denny Doherty Pit Pony Vincent Gale Major Crime Jonathan Scarfe White Lies 1999 14th Gemini Awards Dramatic Series Gordon Pinsent Power Play "Complete list of Gemini winners". Toronto Star, November 8, 1999. Peter Blais PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal "Major Gemini Awards nominations". Toronto Star, September 22, 1999. Shawn Doyle The City Michael Sarrazin The City Timothy Webber Black Harbour Television Film or Miniseries Hrothgar Mathews Milgaard Michael Riley Win, Again! Garwin Sanford Milgaard Kenneth Welsh Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story Jaimz Woolvett Milgaard
2000s