Nicholas Campbell – Da Vinci’s Inquest

Nicholas Campbell, whom Da Vinci’s Inquest exec producer Chris Haddock says ‘portrays the true character of many Canucks,’ continues to be one of Canadian TV’s most acclaimed thesps.

Prior to this year, the 52-year-old Toronto native has been nominated for seven Geminis, winning in 1998 for the mini Major Crime, and then twice in 2001, for a guest spot on Blue Murder as well as for his ongoing role as coroner Dominic Da Vinci. CBC is currently airing the seventh season of the popular cop show.

Campbell has the distinction of also being nominated this year for his lead role in the mini Human Cargo.

Shawn Doyle – The Eleventh Hour

Word has come out that Shawn Doyle has left The Eleventh Hour for the greener pastures of HBO. In the first two seasons of the TV journo drama he plays righteous story producer Dennis Langley, and the third season promises a story arc that may write off the character in dramatic fashion.

Born in Newfoundland, the 36-year-old actor honed his performing skills at Toronto’s York University. He has been nominated twice before: for his supporting role in the series The City in 1999 and for his lead role in the mystery MOW A Killing Spring in 2002.

Doyle recently appeared on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Paul Gross – Slings & Arrows

Paul Gross is a Renaissance man of the Canadian film and TV scene – an actor, writer, producer, director and composer. His role in Slings & Arrows, set in a Stratford-like town in the Shakespeare business, sees him nominated for the 13th time at the Gems, and for the sixth time in an acting category. Gross won in 1995 and 1996 for his lead role in Due South, and again in 1998 for his writing on the popular series.

In the acclaimed Slings & Arrows, the 45-year-old Calgary native plays a theater director who went wacko after a performance of Hamlet.

The mini H2O, which stars Gross and which he cowrote and produced, recently aired on CBC.

Michael Riley – This Is Wonderland

Michael Riley seems to have this Gemini thing in his pocket. While not quite a household name, Riley is nominated this year for the ninth time and he already owns four of the trophies.

He ascended the victor’s podium twice for his lead role in the hockey-themed series Power Play (1998 and 1999), as well as for his work in the installment ‘The Lust of His Eyes’ for Adrienne Clarkson Presents (1996) and for the MOW The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (2003).

In CBC’s This Is Wonderland, the 42-year-old native of London, ON plays scraggly criminal defense lawyer Elliot Sacks.

Jeff Seymour – The Eleventh Hour

The reigning champ among drama series actors is Jeff Seymour, who took the prize last year – his first nomination – for his role as correspondent Kamal Azizi in The Eleventh Hour’s rookie season. Seymour is back to defend this year against an impressive field that includes costar Shawn Doyle.

Not one to slow down, Seymour, who was born in Washington, DC, also has a supporting role as David Exley on Showcase’s half-hour serio-comic sex series Show Me Yours. He has also made numerous TV guest appearances, on shows including Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, Mutant X, Stargate SG-1, Smallville and The Immortal.

Playback predicts:
* Nicholas Campbell LB, PV
* Paul Gross MD, MH
* Shawn Doyle IE
* Michael Riley SD