The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, also known as the Actor Awards and formerly as the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards) between 1995 and 2025, are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995, to recognize outstanding performances in film and primetime television. The awards have been one of the major awards events in the Hollywood film industry since then, along with the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards. The awards focus both on individual performances and on the work of the entire ensemble of a drama series and comedy series, and the cast of a motion picture.
Nominations for the awards come from two committees, one for film and one for television, each numbering 2,100 members of the union, randomly selected anew each year, with the full membership (165,000 as of 2012) available to vote for the winners. It is considered an indicator of success at the Academy Awards in acting categories. The awards were telecast on TNT from 1998 to 2022, with a simulcast on TBS from 2007 to 2022. In 2023, Netflix live streamed the awards on Netflix's YouTube channel. Netflix began to air the awards live beginning in 2024, as part of a new multi-year partnership.[1]
The inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards aired live on February 25, 1995, from Universal Studios' Stage 12. The second annual awards aired live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, while subsequent awards have been held at the Shrine Auditorium.[2] In the 2018 ceremony, actress Kristen Bell became the first host in the award show's history.[3] In November 2025, the SAG Awards was renamed to the Actor Awards.[4] As of 2026, Shakespeare in Love and One Battle After Another are the only films to have received nominations in all eligible categories,[5][6] and Everything Everywhere All at Once is the only film to receive four awards, including the ensemble award.[7]
The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor".[8] It is 16 inches (41 cm) tall, weighs over 12 pounds (5.4 kg), is cast in solid bronze, and is produced by the American Fine Arts Foundry in Burbank, California.[9]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, winner of the most awards (9)Alec Baldwin, winner of the most individual awards (7)Edie Falco, the most nominated performer, both in total (22) and in individual categories only (14)
^Rice, Lynette (January 11, 2023). "SAG Awards Find A New Home On Netflix in 2024; This Year's Show Will Stream On YouTube". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
^"History of the SAG Awards". Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
^Pedersen, Erik (December 4, 2017). "SAG Awards Sets Kristen Bell As First-Ever Host For Actors' Trophy Show". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
^ a b"SAG Awards will change name to Actor Awards in 2026". CBS News. November 14, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^Higgins, Bill (1999-01-27). "'Shakespeare' doth nab 5 of SAG noms". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
^Lattanzio, Ryan (2026-01-07). "'One Battle After Another' Dominates SAG Actor Award Nominations with 7, 'Sinners' Scores 5". IndieWire. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
^Coyle, Jake (2023-02-27). "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' dominates at SAG Awards". AP News. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
^"Screen Actors Guild Awards: Rules". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
^Meier, Gretchen (January 26, 2011). "The brains behind the bronze". Glendale News Press. Glendale, California. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
^Olsen, Mark (February 4, 2021). "Chadwick Boseman makes SAG Awards history with 4 film nominations". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Screen Actors Guild Awards.