Mary Black and Kirk Caouette have been named recipients of the 2016 Sam Payne awards.
Black will receive the 2016 award for lifetime achievement. Having moved to Vancouver in 1995, Black beat the odds by restarting her career at age sixty after having left the entertainment industry to raise her children. Black’s credits now include some thirty-six films, twenty-plus television movies, and over thirty television series. The lifetime achievement award recognizes Union of BC Performers/Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (UBCP/ACTRA) members who demonstrate qualities of humanity, integrity and the encouragement of new talent.
Caouette receives the 2016 award for his accomplishments in the film industry and his charitable work. A multi-award winning filmmaker and actor, Caouette is also an accomplished stunt man, fight choreographer, screenplay writer, teacher, and musician. Through his martial arts and fight choreography classes, Caouette donates the proceeds to both international charities as well as providing much needed food and blankets for people living on the streets in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
The awards are posthumously named for the New Westminster-born Payne, who enjoyed a long and storied career on stage, radio and television in Canada. Payne was also well-known for his work in nurturing new talent.
UBCP/ACTRA is an autonomous branch of ACTRA, the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada.