Natar Ungalaaq
Natar Ungalaaq (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓇᑕᕐ ᐅᖓᓛᖅ, born 1959) is a Canadian Inuk actor, filmmaker and sculptor whose work is in many major collections of Inuit art. Before playing the lead roles in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) and The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) (2008), Ungalaaq played major roles in other Canadian and American films, including Kabloonak (1995), Glory & Honor (1998). He is also a producer and director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.
Also recorded as Natar Ungalaq
Natar Ungalaaq
Riddu Riddu from Samuelsberg, Norge · Årets nordlige folk: inuitter fra Nunavut. Foto: Ørjan Marakatt Bertelsen · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Natar Ungalaaq
- Born
- 1959
- Birthplace
- Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
- Nationality
- Canada
- Occupation
- film director · actor · sculptor · artist
- Honours
- Genie Awards
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Documentary summary
Natar Ungalaaq (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓇᑕᕐ ᐅᖓᓛᖅ, born 1959) is a Canadian Inuk actor, filmmaker and sculptor whose work is in many major collections of Inuit art. Before playing the lead roles in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) and The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) (2008), Ungalaaq played major roles in other Canadian and American films, including Kabloonak (1995), Glory & Honor (1998). He is also a producer and director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.
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wikidata · Q3336449 · wikipedia · Natar Ungalaaq
In this article
Biography
Biography
Ungalaaq was the carving buddy of director Zacharias Kunuk. He began when he was 9 or 10 years old, using his grandfather's tools. His carving in white soapstone, "Sedna with a Hairbrush 1985",is featured in the National Gallery of Canada's collection. In 2016, he made his debut as a director, codirecting the film Searchers with Kunuk.
Spontaneous drum and dance session
Sabine Rønsen (WMNO)
The group Pisiit Nunattiniit - Arctic Song from Nunavut drum dancing
Sabine Rønsen (WMNO)
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Natar Ungalaaq • Birth Name — Natar Ungalaaq • Born — 1959 • Birthplace — Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada • Years Active — 1991–present
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role • 1994 — Frost Fire (TV) — Inuit • Trial at Fortitude Bay — Tommy • 1995 — Kabloonak — Mukpullu • 1998 — Glory & Honor (TV) — Ootah • 2001 — Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner — Atanarjuat • 2004 — Sleep Murder (TV) — Jimmy Tarniq • 2006 — data-sort-value="Journals of Knud Rasmussen, The" | The Journals of Knud Rasmussen — Nuqallaq • 2008 — data-sort-value="Necessities of Life, The" | The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) — Tiivii • 2013 — Maïna — Tadio • 2016 — Iqaluit — Noah • 2018 — data-sort-value="Grizzlies, The" | The Grizzlies — Pete
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1959
Natar Ungalaaq born at Igloolik.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3336449: Natar Ungalaaq
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Natar Ungalaaq”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
Ungalaaq was awarded the Best Actor award at the American Indian Movie Awards in 2002 for Atanarjuat. He won the Genie Award for Best Actor at the 29th Genie Awards for his role in Ce qu'il faut pour vivre. He also won the Jutra Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Best Actor award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for the same performance. In September 2009, 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. In 2016, Ungalaaq won Best Indigenous Language Production (2016) for "Maliglutit (Searchers)" at the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Inuit Art Quartlery- Vol 8. No 3 Fall 1993- https://web.archive.org/web/20091012225715/http://www.inuitart.org/pdf/IAQ%20Articles/Tools,%20Training,%20Quarrying/Interviews/V8N3_Interview_Natar%20Ungalaq%20talks%20about%20his%20art%20&%20his%20goals.pdf
- 2."Nunavut directors head for the red carpet at TIFF" . Nunatsiaq News, August 15, 2016.
- 3.American Indian Movie Awards
- 4.Natar Ungalaaq. IMDb.
- 5.Blair Gable. Natar Ungalaaq was named best actor, for his role in The Necessities of Life. www.montrealgazette.com. Reuters.
- 6.Natar Ungalaaq: Achievements.
- 7.Nunatsiaq News- http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article_print/7998/
- 8.2016 Award Winners A — imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival. 2017-05-21.
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Natar Ungalaaq is recorded as film director, actor, sculptor and artist.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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