Natar Ungalaaq is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, filmmaker, and sculptor whose artwork is in many major collections of Inuit art worldwide. Before playing the lead roles in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) and Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (2008), Ungalaaq played major roles in other Canadian and American films, including Kabloonak

Kabloonak

Kabloonak is a 1994 film about the making of Nanook of the North, a 1922 film about an Inuk called Nanook and his family in the Canadian Arctic, more specifically in the Port Harrison area; which was known then as Cape Dufferin...

(1995), Glory & Honor (1998) and Frostfire (1994). He is also producer and director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation

Inuit Broadcasting Corporation

The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional...

.

He was the carving buddy of director Zacharias Kunuk

Zacharias Kunuk

Zacharias Kunuk, is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film Atanarjuat, the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced completely in Inuktitut...

 before they sold their handmade objets d'art to buy their first camera gear in 1981 and start a production company based in an Inuit community that didn't even have a TV.

Natar is also a renowned carver. He began carving when he was 9 or 10 years old, using his grandfathers tools. A carving of a Sedna made of white soapstone, "Sedna with a Hairbrush 1985", is featured in the National Gallery of Canada

National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...

's collection.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1994	Frost Fire (TV)	Inuit
	Trial at Fortitude Bay Trial at Fortitude Bay Trial at Fortitude Bay is a TV movie released in 1994 and directed by Victor Sarin. It stars Henry Czerny, Raoul Trujillo, and Lolita Davidovich. Davidovitch plays Giana Antonelli, an attorney assigned to defend an Inuit youth from charges of sexual assault against a minor...	Tommy
1995	Kabloonak Kabloonak Kabloonak is a 1994 film about the making of Nanook of the North, a 1922 film about an Inuk called Nanook and his family in the Canadian Arctic, more specifically in the Port Harrison area; which was known then as Cape Dufferin...	Mukpullu
1998	Glory and Honor (TV)	Ootah
2001	Atanarjuat Atanarjuat Atanarjuat is a 2001 Canadian film directed by Zacharias Kunuk. It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut...	Atanarjuat Atanarjuat Atanarjuat is a 2001 Canadian film directed by Zacharias Kunuk. It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut...
2004	Sleep Murder (TV)	Jimmy Tarniq
2006	The Journals of Knud Rasmussen The Journals of Knud Rasmussen The Journals of Knud Rasmussen is a 2006 Canadian-Danish film about the pressures on the traditional Inuit culture when explorer Knud Rasmussen introduces European cultural influences. Produced by Isuma, the film was directed by Zacharias Kunuk, who also directed the award-winning Inuit film...	Nuqallaq
2008	Ce qu'il faut pour vivre	Tiivii

Awards

Ungalaaq won the Genie Award

Genie Award

Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...

 for Best Actor

Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

The Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian actor.-1st Genie Awards:* Christopher Plummer, Murder by Decree...

 at the 29th Genie Awards

29th Genie Awards

The 29th Genie Awards were held on April 4, 2009 to honour films released in 2008. The ceremony was held at the Canadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, and was broadcast on Global...

 for his role in Ce qu'il faut pour vivre. He also won the Jutra Award

Jutra Award

The Jutra Award is a Canadian annual cinema award that recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in the province of Quebec...

 for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Best Actor award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

Palm Springs International Film Festival

Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...

 for the same performance.

In September 2009, Natar Ungalaaq was presented with an award of distinction by the Nunavut Film Development Corporation. This award recognized Natar's body of work and his contribution to Nunavut's film community.

External links