Hosting the 14th annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards emotionally overwhelmed Canadian actor Adam Beach, whose film and television roles have made him a rising star.

Adam Beach got so emotional that he doesn't know how emotional he got.

"I almost cried at my opening speech because I was so overwhelmed," said Beach, the red-hot Canadian actor from Law & Order: SVU and the movie Flags of our Fathers, who played host to the 14th annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in Edmonton earlier this month.

The ceremony will air on Global and APTN tonight, and Beach said he's curious to see how noticeable it was when his eyes teared up.

"I have to wait to find out," Beach said with a chuckle.

"But the ceremonies were amazing. It's our biggest Aboriginal showcase on TV, so it's an honour being part of it."

Beach, 34, obviously is proud of both his Canadian and First Nations roots. In fact, he laughs about having to remind people he's from Canada.

"I've had my manager call and say to somebody, 'Hey, Adam wants to audition for that role,' " Beach said. "And they go, 'Oh, we only have room for Canadian actors.' And I'm like, 'What did you just say? Dammit!' I've been in so many American movies, they forget I'm Canadian."

Regardless, Beach is very focused on using his influence and celebrity status to give something back. And he is humbled by the fact he is in a position to do so.

Nothing came easily for Beach, though.

Some of the roles he was offered on his way up the acting ladder were broadly drawn Aboriginal stereotypes, and he turned many of those down.

"I had to say no to a lot of projects that could have given me money in hard times," Beach said. "But I believe in the integrity that, as an actor, you have to do stuff that speaks to you. And I think it's a testament to the work I have now."

Beach entered the wider public consciousness with his poignant performance in Clint Eastwood's Flags of our Fathers last year. There had been some buzz about a possible Academy Award nomination for Beach, but it didn't happen.

"It was disappointing, dude," Beach said. "You have to pay your price, I guess."

Since then, Beach has been working on films such as Older Than America and Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, as well as TV movies Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (HBO) and Comanche Moon (with Val Kilmer).

But most significantly, Beach recently became a permanent fixture on Law & Order: SVU.

"We just finished an episode where I'm officially on the show, where they say, 'Chester Lake (Beach's character) is going to be with us for awhile,' " Beach said. "And I'm thinking, 'Yes! I'm part of the family now!' So I start up again in mid-April, and people will see me next season every week, and it'll be for the next three years."

Beach is just coming to realize how significant it is to have an Aboriginal face appearing regularly on a high-profile, network TV show.

"Law & Order: SVU gets 12 million viewers per week, right? Sometimes more," Beach said. "The movie Flags of our Fathers, it made like $40 million (US). That's what, five million viewers, total? So there are a lot of people watching these TV shows. And I'm lucky to be in one of the top ones."

In other words, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Adam Beach, starting tonight with the NAAAs.

"With success, when it rains, it pours," said Beach, whose enthusiasm is contagious. "So don't quit, man."

More Artists