The 2026 Actor Awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, held its ceremony on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, streaming live on Netflix. The event, presented by SAG-AFTRA, was a significant fixture in the 2026 awards season, unfolding amidst other major industry announcements from the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and DGA Awards.
"Sinners" was honored with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
"The Studio" and "The Pitt" also received top ensemble honors in comedy and drama television categories, respectively. Harrison Ford was presented with the prestigious SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.
2026 Actor Awards Ceremony and Key Highlights
The 32nd iteration of the Actor Awards ceremony was broadcast live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Kristen Bell hosted the star-studded event.
Actor Harrison Ford received the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, which was presented to him by Woody Harrelson. The awards are determined by votes from over 160,000 members of the SAG-AFTRA union.
Film Award Winners:
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Sinners
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Amy Madigan, Weapons
- Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Television Award Winners:
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: The Pitt
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Studio
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Keri Russell, The Diplomat
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen, The Studio
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Catherine O’Hara, The Studio (posthumous award)
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Owen Cooper, Adolescence (became the youngest winner in this category at age 16)
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex
- Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: The Last of Us
Nominations Overview
The nominations for the 2026 Actor Awards were announced on a Wednesday in Los Angeles by Janelle James and Connor Storrie.
Leading Film Nominations:
- One Battle After Another received seven nominations, marking the highest for a single film.
- Sinners followed with five nominations.
- Frankenstein, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme each garnered three nominations.
- Bugonia received two nominations.
Leading Television Nominations:
- The Studio led with five nominations.
- Adolescence and The White Lotus each received four nominations.
- The Beast in Me, The Diplomat, Hacks, Landman, Only Murders in the Building, The Pitt, and Severance each received two nominations.
Australian performers who received nominations included Rose Byrne for her role in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Jacob Elordi for his performance in Frankenstein, and Sarah Snook for All Her Fault.
Broader Awards Season Developments
The Actor Awards are frequently observed as key indicators for the Academy Awards, primarily because actors constitute the largest voting body within the Motion Picture Academy.
98th Academy Awards (Oscars)- Nominations: Announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026, by Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman.
- Ceremony: Scheduled for March 15, 2026, hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second consecutive year. It will air on ABC and stream on platforms including Oscar.com and ABC News Live. For audiences in Australia, the ceremony will be on March 16.
- Leading Nominations: Sinners received a record 16 nominations, followed by One Battle After Another with 13 nominations.
- Australian Nominees: Rose Byrne for Best Actress in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Jacob Elordi for Best Supporting Actor in Frankenstein.
- Future Broadcasts: The Oscars are scheduled to air on YouTube starting in 2029.
- The ceremony was scheduled for the weekend prior to the Oscar nominations.
- One Battle After Another led with nine nominations, and Sinners received seven.
- Comedian Nikki Glaser hosted the ceremony.
- Rose Byrne won a Golden Globe for her role in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
- Longlists: The Bafta Film Awards released longlists for various categories.
- Final Nominations: Scheduled for announcement on January 27.
- Leading Longlist Mentions: One Battle After Another led with 16 mentions.
- Notable Exclusions: Actors such as George Clooney (Jay Kelly), Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine), and Julia Roberts (After the Hunt) were not included on the longlists, despite receiving Golden Globe nominations. The animated film KPop Demon Hunters was deemed ineligible.
- Correlation: Historical data indicates a correlation between Bafta and Oscar acting awards.
- Nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film: Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Guillermo Del Toro for Frankenstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Chloé Zhao for Hamnet.
- Ceremony: Scheduled for Saturday, February 7.
- Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another was recognized as Best Picture, and Anderson received the Best Director award.
Industry Notes
Netflix, the streaming platform for the Actor Awards, recently withdrew from a bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the company behind films like Sinners and television series like The Pitt. Paramount, whose film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning won a stunt award, is actively pursuing a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $110 billion.