Prestigious David Billington Award to be presented to Heartland star

on November 5

CALGARY – ACTRA Alberta congratulates local member Shaun Johnston on being named the recipient of the 2011 David Billington Award. The annual award is presented to an individual who has made an invaluable contribution to Alberta’s production community, and celebrates those individuals who, like David Billington, inspire us all with their vision, passion and dedication.

“Shaun is a proud Albertan and has been an ACTRA member for more than 20 years. He is one of those graceful people who are generous with his time in the community, from fundraising for the Actors Fund of Canada, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Calgary to being a supportive ACTRA Alberta union member. We join in the chorus of applause for Shaun,” said ACTRA Alberta President Duval Lang.

“Shaun Johnston is a gifted actor and a bona fide Canadian TV and film star,” says Ferne Downey, ACTRA National President. “The breadth of his resume speaks eloquently to that — from the lead role in Jake and the Kid to family head Jack Bartlett in Heartland, Shaun has always found a creative way to make his character deeply rooted in humanity and completely compelling to watch.”

In his first film, Shaun played the lead character in William Hornecker’s 1993 feature Two Brothers, a Girl and a Gun, for which he won an Alberta Film & Television Award for Best Actor. He won this same award a second time for his portrayal of Captain Fancher in Christopher Cain’s September Dawn. Shaun’s TV credits include playing Jake in Jake and the Kid, Sid Flemming in Da Vinci’s Inquest and he was a series regular on Traders. Additional credits include the Emmy Award winning Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and the Gemini winning Mayerthorpe. Shaun starred with Christopher Plummer in both TV movies Agent of Influence and Dinosaur Hunter.

Born and raised in Ponoka, Alberta, Shaun Johnston has lived in Edmonton since he graduated from the University of Alberta. Shaun was honoured to receive a Gemini Nomination for his portrayal as Jack in the first season of Heartland.

The Award, by the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) will be presented at a gala lunch on Saturday, November 5th, 2011 at the Westin Hotel in Calgary. For information on tickets, please go to www.ampia.com.

ACTRA Alberta is the local branch of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artists (ACTRA) representing 22,000 professional performers across Canada with over 600 performers represented across the province.  As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member driven organization that continues to secure the rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

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*photo available upon request

Contact: Tina Alford, ACTRA Alberta Branch Representative, Tel: 403.228.3123 ext 4

email: talford@actra.ca