2026 Actor Awards Recap: Big Wins, Big Laughs, and Heartfelt Moments

If Hollywood had a yearbook, this night would be the page covered in glitter ink and dramatic poses. On Sunday, March 1, the first-ever Actor Awards lit up Los Angeles with vintage fashion, emotional speeches, and a few unexpected twists. The ceremony, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, streamed live on Netflix and celebrated the performers who bring movies and television to life.

The 32-year-old awards show honored standout actors across film and TV. This year’s nominees included Kate Hudson, Jacob Elordi, Michael B. Jordan, Sarah Snook, and Sterling K. Brown. Stars like Connor Storrie, Timothée Chalamet, and Bridgerton's Yerin Ha filled the audience at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

The awards may have a new title, but the goal stays the same. SAG-AFTRA explained the change clearly. The new name will “provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences — we honor actors in film and television. Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show,” the show's official website reads.

There was also a fashionable twist this year. The red carpet followed a “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour from the ’20s and ’30s” theme. Think classic Hollywood sparkle, old-school silhouettes, and lots of confidence. The stars delivered.

Jessie Buckley, Amy Madigan, and Sean Penn strengthened their front-runner status in their categories. Meanwhile, a surprise win from Michael B. Jordan shook up the ultra-competitive best actor race.

The Actor Awards are often seen as a strong clue for who might win at the Oscars. Actors vote for these awards, and actors make up the largest group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Hosted by Kristen Bell, the ceremony ran well over its planned two-hour runtime. Frequent movie montages and a recurring backstage ping-pong bit slowed things down. Still, there were bright spots. Keri Russell and Michelle Williams gave genuinely surprised speeches. Hacks co-stars Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs had the crowd laughing when they sarcastically claimed they were cut from “Hamnet.”

Michael B. Jordan pulled double duty in Sinners, portraying twins in the vampire thriller. On Sunday, it paid off in a big way. He won Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, marking his first solo acting win at the Actor Awards.

"I don’t even know where to begin," Jordan said as he stood at the podium. "I wasn’t expecting this at all, and I just want to quickly say that I’m so honored and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love, and I love their work and what you contribute to our craft, and this ride has been unbelievable."

Jordan spoke about feeling supported by his peers and reflected on his childhood. "That kid from Newark, New Jersey, is standing here right now. Mom, thank you for driving me back and forth to New York when we didn’t have enough money to go through the Holland Tunnel. We were looking for gas money, parking spaces."

He continued, "Just being in this room right now with all these people who saw me grow up in front of the camera and in these rooms, and I feel the love and support that you’ve always given me and encouraged me to go on and do my best. So I just want to say thank you."

At 83, Harrison Ford received the life achievement award and handled it in classic Ford fashion. After a comically rambling introduction from his friend Woody Harrelson, the Star Wars icon took the stage looking emotional but ready with a joke.

“I feel incredibly grateful for this kind attention,” Ford said. “But to be clear, I also am quite humbled. I’m in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they are nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive.

“It’s a little weird to be getting a lifetime achievement award at the half point of my career,” Ford deadpanned. “It’s a little early, isn’t it? I’m still a working actor.”

He explained that he was not an “overnight success” and that “none of this would’ve happened on my own.” He thanked George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for giving him Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Looking back at his college years, he said, “in my third year of college, I was a little lost. I was failing at school. I felt isolated and alone. And then I found the company of people putting on plays. People I once thought were misfits and geeks turned out to be my people.”

He ended by thanking his “extraordinary” wife, Calista Flockhart, and the Screen Actors Guild. “This is very encouraging,” Ford joked.

Michael J. Fox made a rare public appearance during the opening “I Am an Actor” segment. He shared advice a teacher once gave him: “Before I left school and moved from Canada to LA, a teacher of mine told me, ‘Fox, you’re not going to be cute forever,’ ” Fox said. “So I said, ‘Maybe just long enough, sir.’ ”

After a few years of “dumpster diving,” Fox landed a starring role in “Family Ties,” where he received “the biggest gift of my life”: his wife, Tracy Pollan.

“And she gave me four gifts: Schuyler, Aquinnah, Esmé and Sam,” his children, Fox said. “Sometimes I like to remind them, ‘If it wasn’t for acting, you wouldn’t be here.’ ”

There were tears in the audience when Catherine O'Hara won best actress in a comedy series for The Studio. The award came after her passing on Jan. 30 from a pulmonary embolism. Her co-star Seth Rogen honored her onstage.

"She really showed that you can be a genius and be kind, and one of those things does not have to come at the expense of the other in any way, shape, or form," Rogen said.

He encouraged the audience to share her work with others. "Tell the people as they are laughing, 'That's Catherine O'Hara, and we were lucky that we got to live in a world where she so generally shared her talents with us,' " Rogen said.

Sarah Paulson introduced the In Memoriam segment with powerful words. "It is a tremendous privilege to work and to share such rich times with so many people," she said. "This year we have lost some true giants, our teachers, our coworkers, our inspirations and our friends."

Said Paulson, "We must remember how lucky we are to have been changed by them."

James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane began the video tribute. Others honored included Michelle Trachtenberg, Connie Francis, Loni Anderson, George Wendt, Diane Ladd, Rob Reiner, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Val Kilmer, Catherine O'Hara, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford.

Shortly after the tribute, Sinners star Miles Caton performed, adding a reflective tone to the evening.

Fans of The Office got a fun surprise when Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, and Ellie Kemper reunited onstage. The former Dunder Mifflin crew presented the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series to The Studio.

They joked about filming 22-episode seasons and the highs and lows of big Super Bowl episodes and filler installments. Fischer and Kinsey even promoted their podcast and teased Kaling, assuring her that people just do not care about writers’ behind-the-scenes stories. The playful reunion brought some light energy to a night full of big emotions.

Teyana Taylor may not have won best supporting actress, but she and her 5-year-old daughter, Rue Rose Shumpert, definitely won the red carpet. As Taylor posed for photos, Rue carefully fixed the train on her mom’s dress. The two shared hugs, kisses, and playful poses that quickly won over the crowd.

Amy Madigan also delivered one of the most memorable speeches of the night after winning best supporting actress for Weapons.

“It’s such an honor to be here. I’ve been doing this a long-ass time, and I’ve never been nominated by the SAG committee,” said Madigan.

Then she examined the Actor Awards statue and joked, "Let's see: What does he have here?” Madigan said. “It's like when you were little and you had Barbie and then you had Ken, and you whipped off those drawers and you said, 'Ken has nothing!' I never quite understood that. Anyway, I really am digressing. I apologize!"

The 2026 Actor Awards proved that even in a room full of stars, it is the honest laughs, heartfelt thanks, and unexpected surprises that shine the brightest.

See the full list of winners here.