Québec Cinéma presents an annual award for Best Actor (French: Prix Iris de la meilleure interprétation dans un premier rôle masculin) to recognize the best in the Cinema of Quebec.
Until 2016, it was known as the Jutra Award for Best Actor in memory of influential Quebec film director Claude Jutra.[1] Following the withdrawal of Jutra's name from the award, the 2016 award was presented under the name Québec Cinéma.[1] The Prix Iris name was announced in October 2016.[2]
Luc Picard received the most nominations in this category, six, and received one award. Gilbert Sicotte received three nominations and won everytime, becoming the actor with the most wins in this category. Paul Ahmarani and Olivier Gourmet jointly received the award for Congorama, making Ahmarani the first actor to win the award twice and Gourmet the first non-Canadian to win the award. Roy Dupuis, Gabriel Arcand and Sébastien Ricard also won the award twice.
Natar Ungalaaq became the first indigenous actor to win the award for his performance in The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre). Les Boys III is the only film to receive three nominations in this category. Two actors were nominated twice for playing the same character in multiple films: Marc Messier for Les Boys II and Les Boys III and Patrick Huard for Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2. Jean-Carl Boucher was nominated for the all the films in Ricardo Trogi's autobiographical trilogy: 1981, 1987 and 1991.
Five actors received nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year: