Bayo Akinfemi – Human Cargo

A newcomer next to nominated costars Nicholas Campbell and Kate Nelligan, Bayo Akinfemi has been given the nod for his portrayal of Burundian refugee Moses Buntu in CBC’s hard-hitting miniseries Human Cargo.

The Nigerian-born actor moved to Canada in 1998 after studying performing arts at the University of Ilorin in his homeland, where he met his Canadian-born wife. Akinfemi played Shade in the Chow Yun Fat actioner Bulletproof Monk as well as a S.W.A.T. operative in Jackie Chan’s The Tuxedo, both of which shot in Toronto. He has also guested as Dr. Paul Leyton on the Global police drama Blue Murder.

Nicholas Campbell – Human Cargo

The much-revered Nicholas Campbell is best known for his portrayal of coroner Dominic Da Vinci on CBC’s popular crime series Da Vinci’s Inquest, for which he has one Gemini trophy and for which he is nominated again this year.

Campbell has also been recognized by the Academy for his performance as refugee lawyer Jerry Fisher in the CBC mini Human Cargo, which tracks the harrowing experiences of refugees fleeing dangerous homelands for Canada, which presents dangers of its own. Campbell plays Fisher as a refugee lawyer so dedicated to representing a couple of clients that he puts his family life at risk.

Brent Carver – Elizabeth Rex

Accomplished stage actor Brent Carver reprised his Stratford Festival role as Ned in Timothy Findley’s acclaimed play Elizabeth Rex for a small-screen Rhombus Media production that aired on CBC’s Opening Night.

Although best known for his theater work, the 52-year-old native of Cranbrook, BC has three Geminis to his name. The first came in 1996 for a supporting role on the lawyer series Street Legal, followed in 1998 with a win for a guest spot on Due South and for performance or host in a variety program for Young at Heart.

Carver recently won an ACTRA Toronto Award for his performance in Elizabeth Rex.

Nicholas Lea – The Investigation

Nicholas Lea’s performance in the MOW The Investigation may have flown somewhat under the radar, but the Academy was impressed enough to make him a Gemini finalist.

The controversial Anne Wheeler-helmed CTV movie was produced in 2002 but did not air until late 2003. The movie tells the true story of B.C. child serial killer Clifford Olson, who was apprehended but later freed due to red tape and police incompetence, and who soon committed more heinous crimes.

Lea stars as RCMP officer Les Forsythe, who wrote the book on which the MOW is based. It is the first Gemini nom for the 42-year-old Lea, who hails from New Westminster, BC.

Vincent Walsh – Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion

Vincent Walsh seems to be a good fit in period roles. In the heart-wrenching 2003 CBC miniseries Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion, he plays Captain Charlie Collins, a soldier on leave in Halifax with his family in 1917, at the time of the fateful collision between a French ammunition freighter and a Belgian relief ship. The subsequent explosion, the largest the world had known, killed 2,000 people.

The 32-year-old Walsh previously turned heads as Ernest Hemingway in the 2003 mini Hemingway vs. Callaghan. He also stars in Open Heart, the medical MOW up for five Geminis this year. This is Walsh’s first nomination.

Playback predicts:
* Brent Carver MD, IE, MH, PV
* Vincent Walsh LB, SD