Sag awards 2026: surprise wins and emotional Catherine O’Hara honour dominate night

Michael B Jordan, Jessie Buckley and the late Catherine O’Hara were among the standout winners at the Sag awards 2026 on Sunday night in Los Angeles, as the ceremony introduced its newly rebranded title, the Actor awards.

Formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild awards, the event is voted on by more than 160,000 actors. Organisers said the name change was meant to give “clearer recognition” of the show’s focus.

Jordan won best male actor in a leading role for his dual performance as twins in the acclaimed vampire thriller Sinners, beating heavily tipped favourite Timothée Chalamet. In his speech, Jordan thanked director and longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler and acknowledged the “love and support” from fellow actors who watched him grow up in the industry. The weekend also saw him pick up the NAACP Image Award for entertainer and actor of the year.

The film’s cast, including Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, also secured the big screen ensemble prize. Accepting on behalf of the group, Lindo said the project was “anointed” and described the team as fortunate to be part of the journey.

Buckley continued her strong awards season run, following BAFTA and Golden Globe victories with the best female actor in a leading role prize for Chloé Zhao’s semi-fictionalised period drama Hamnet. She beat competition from Emma Stone and Rose Byrne and told the audience she had been “categorically changed” by many people in the room.

Sean Penn was named best supporting male actor for his performance in One Battle After Another, adding to his BAFTA win last weekend, although he was not present to accept the award.

In one of the night’s surprises, Amy Madigan won supporting female actor for her role in Weapons, defeating favourite Teyana Taylor. “It’s such an honour to be here. I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she said, adding that she felt nervous and overwhelmed.

On the television side, Apple’s industry comedy The Studio continued its awards momentum after major wins at the Emmys and Golden Globes. The series collected three trophies, including the comedy ensemble award against previous winners The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.

Co-creator Seth Rogen also won best male actor in a comedy series for the show, while the late Catherine O’Hara received a rare posthumous honour for her performance. Accepting to a standing ovation, Rogen called it a “very sad honour” and praised O’Hara’s generosity and talent.

The drama ensemble prize went to breakout medical drama The Pitt, which beat The White Lotus and Severance. Star Noah Wyle said he had “never been more proud of a group of people”. Wyle also won best male actor in a drama series and used his speech to highlight the importance of labour unions.

Netflix hit Adolescence added to its strong awards run, with Owen Cooper winning best male actor in a limited series. At 16, he became the youngest winner in the category. The actor, recently seen in Wuthering Heights, was not in attendance.

Michelle Williams won best female actor in a limited series for her role in Dying for Sex, marking her second Actor award after her 2020 win for Fosse/Verdon. She beat co-star Erin Doherty, who had already claimed Emmy and Golden Globe victories for the role.

In another surprise, Keri Russell secured her first win for best female actor in a drama series for The Diplomat, overcoming competition from Rhea Seehorn and The White Lotus stars Parker Posey and Aimee Lou Wood.

Harrison Ford received the life achievement award, presented by Woody Harrelson, who described him as “a true renaissance man”. On stage, Ford joked the honour was for “being alive” before delivering an emotional speech in which he called himself “a lucky guy”.

The stunt ensemble prizes went to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning for film and The Last of Us for television.

Hosted by Nobody Wants This actor Kristen Bell, the ceremony streamed live on Netflix. Bell opened the show by saying the world could use “some levity”.

While the ceremony itself was largely light on political commentary, Mosaku drew attention on the red carpet by wearing an “ICE out” pin and calling the agency “atrocious”.

Last year’s acting winners included Timothée Chalamet, Demi Moore, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña for film, and Anna Sawai, Jessica Gunning, Jean Smart and Colin Farrell for television.

This year’s Oscars, where Sinners leads the nominations, are set for 15 March.