Steven Roberts Wins a 2021 Leo Award

Steven Roberts wins the 2021 Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture for his riveting role as Fresno in the feature film River Road

Steven’s life experiences have shaped him to bring intensity to his characters 

Steven Roberts’ recent 2021 Leo Award win for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture for his outstanding performance in the role of Fresno in the feature film River Road tops off being nominated three years in a row. His character is a heroin dealer who has a menacing presence that can explode any second after he is ripped off by a rock musician played by Cody Kearsley (Riverdale) and a free-spirited woman on a warpath of drug addiction and crime. Director/writer/producer Rob Wiley just announced that River Road will have a limited theatrical release in the fall being distributed by Four by Three in the USA and Greystone Pictures in Canada to be followed by a VOD release.

Steven’s other Leo Award nominations are for the feature films In God I Trust in 2019 and Beyond The Woods in 2020, for Best Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture where he plays an intense man with mental health issues who accidentally kills his wife. In 2019 he won the UBCP/ACTRA Award for the Best Emerging Performer and was nominated for Best Actor at the UBCP/ACTRA Awards the following year. He has also received a number of film festival nominations including Vancouver and Edmonton and won the Best Actor Award at The LA Crime and Horror Film Festival alongside Linda Hamilton who won Best Actress the same year. 

LEO AWARDS President Walter Daroshin congratulated Steven, “Your last three performances were amazing. The character Fresno in River Road was so intense that it bordered on documentary profile – it was so real. A resounding bravo from the jury.”

 In addition to his nominated roles, he has an impressive resume in television series and feature films, Steven made his big-screen debut playing the teacher in Academy Award nominee Jason Reitman’s 2018 Golden Globe nominated film Tully, starring Charlize Theron.  He credits Chris Haddock for giving him his first recurring role in the TV series Romeo Section. Other TV roles include Once Upon A Time and IZombie. He has also had a number of award-winning Short film credits including Cakeday, Velvet Cut, Best Laid Schemes, SIC, Clinch, and Fatal Rhapsody.

The most prolific moment for Steven’s journey to becoming an award-winning actor was a chance encounter with the great late Robin Williams turned into an impromptu scene study and coaching session that changed the direction of Steven’s life. He had just joined his first acting class that happened to have him working on a scene from “Good Will Hunting.” Robin walked with him to a park where he coached Steven for an hour giving him the confidence to forge ahead with his acting career. At the time Steven was going through a painful time in his life and was very guarded. There was something about Robin’s softness and playful side, which made Steven open up. Robin encouraged him saying, “You can do this. You should do this. You are meant to do this!” “Every time I’m told I’m too intense, or I’m too tall, or too short or not good looking enough, I remember his words,” adds Steven. 

Steven enjoys playing intense, damaged, and controversial characters. He has endured shooting films in 40 degrees below zero carrying his co-star through deep snow, blistering heat in the desert with a rattlesnake and scorpion. He has lost weight, gained weight, shaved all his hair on screen, and taken on physical challenges for roles that would scare off most others.  

Steven believes in giving back. He has spent years working on Vancouver’s Downtown East-side as a support worker/advocate with the homeless and recovery-based organizations. He grew up in foster care and homeless on and off the street. Helping others has become a great teacher for him. He is currently writing a memoir about his experiences titled ‘The Extraordinary Tales of Surviving Boyhood.’ Acting and writing have furthered his passion for helping people by having the ability to have a voice for those who don’t get to speak up for themselves.  Finding empathy for every character or person, no matter how ‘lost,’ ‘dark,’ or ‘mean’ they appear on the surface has helped him become the man and actor he is today. 

Born in Ontario Steven has lived on both the east and west coast and everywhere in between.  He currently resides in Vancouver with his fiancée actress Veronika Hadrava who he also credits for making him better at his craft.

Steven is available for interviews upon request.

For more information, photos, and interviews requests please contact: 

Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575

Agent: Andrew Webster| Andrew@Webstertalent.com | 604-828-7775

Agent: Andrew Webster| Andrew@Webstertalent.com | 604-828-7775

Photo credits: Headshot – Charles Zuckermann | @zuckermannwong

River Road photo credit: Courtesy of Tall Grass Films

River Road Screenings To-Date:  

  • The Vic Theatre in Victoria on October 2nd 
  • The Cinematheque Theater in Vancouver on October 19th

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