You may be surprised at the number of popular entertainers and other public figures that hail from Canada.
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Robert Gordon ''Bobby'' Orr (born 1948)
Canadian hockey player.
- Born in Parry Sound, Ontario
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Bronislaw ''Bronko'' Nagurski (born 1908, died 1990)
Canadian-born American football player and wrestler.
- Born in Rainy River, Ontario
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David H. Hubel
Canadian-American physiologist known for his studies of the visual cortex.
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Frederick G. Banting (born 1891, died 1941)
Canadian research physician who co-discovered insulin.
- Born in Alliston, Ontario
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Gerhard Herzberg (born 1904)
German-born Canadian chemist known for his studies of free radicals (atoms with an odd number of electrons).
- A member of the National Research Council, Ottawa
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Gordon ''Gordie'' Howe (born 1928)
Canadian-American hockey player.
- Born in Floral, Saskatchewan
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Henry Taube (born 1915)
Canadian-American chemist known for his research on metal ions.
- Born in Neudorf, Saskatchewan
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James Montgomery Doohan (born 1920)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
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James Jerome Hill (born 1838, died 1916)
Canadian-American financier and railroad magnate.
- Born near Guelph, Ontario
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Jim Carrey (born 1962)
Canadian-American comedian and actor.
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John C. Polanyi (born 1929)
German-born Canadian scientist known for his work on the dynamics of chemical reactions.
- Teaches at the University of Toronto
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William Maxwell Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook (born 1879, died 1964)
Canadian-born British newspaper publisher, statesman, and political writer.
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Maurice Richard
Canadian hockey player known as ''The Rocket.''
- Played for the Montreal Canadiens
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Maynard Ferguson (born 1928)
Canadian jazz musician.
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Michael J Fox (born 1961)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Edmonton, Alberta
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Michael Smith (born 1932)
English-born Canadian biochemist who developed a key gene-splicing technique.
- Director of the biotechnology lab at the University of British Columbia
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Oscar Peterson (born 1925)
Canadian jazz musician.
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Samuel Cunard (born 1787, died 1865)
Canadian-born British merchant and shipping magnate.
- Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Sidney Altman (born 1939)
Canadian-American scientist known for his studies of RNA.
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Robbie Robertson (born 1944)
Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and actor.
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Raymond Burr (born 1917, died 1993)
Canadian-American actor. Played the title character on the TV series ''Perry Mason.''
- Born in New Westminster, British Columbia
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Jack Carson (born 1910, died 1963)
Canadian-born American actor.
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Monty Hall (born 1924)
Host of the TV game show ''Let's Make a Deal'' (1963-77). Original name: Monty Halparin.
- Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
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John Ireland (born 1915)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Victoria, British Columbia
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Art Linkletter (born 1912)
Canadian-American actor, entertainer and talk-show host.
- Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
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William Shatner (born 1931)
Canadian-American actor, director and author.
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Jay Silverheels (born 1922, died 1980)
Canadian-American actor best known for his portrayal of the Lone Ranger's sidekick, Tonto.
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Glenn Ford (born 1916)
Canadian-American actor. Original name: Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford.
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Walter Huston (born 1884, died 1950)
Canadian-born American actor. Father of director John Huston.
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Norman Jewison (born 1926)
Canadian-American director. Best known for Fiddler on the Roof.
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Raymond Massey (born 1896, died 1983)
Canadian-American actor and producer.
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Walter Pidgeon (born 1898, died 1984)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Mack Sennett (born 1884, died 1960)
Canadian-American director, producer and comedian. Original name: Michael Sinnott.
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Jack Warner (born 1892, died 1978)
Canadian-born American studio executive and producer. Co-founder of Warner Brothers.
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Paul Anka (born 1941)
Canadian singer and songwriter.
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Neil Young (born 1945)
Canadian musician, singer and songwriter.
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Wayne Gretzky (born 1960)
Canadian hockey player who is the NHL's all-time leading scorer.
- Infamous for leaving Canada to play for a U.S. team
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Conrad Bain (born 1922)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Lethbridge, Alberta
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Guy Lombardo (born 1902, died 1977)
Canadian bandleader known for his New Year's Eve performances.
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Rich Little (born 1938)
Canadian impressionist.
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Paul Shaffer (born 1949)
Canadian musician. Bandleader on ''Late Night with David Letterman.''
- Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario
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Christopher Plummer (born 1927)
Canadian actor.
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Ben Johnson (born 1961)
Canadian runner. 100-meter dash gold medalist who was disqualified after testing positive for steroids.
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Arthur Hill (born 1922)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan
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Bryan Adams (born 1959)
Canadian singer and musician.
- Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
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Bertram N. Brockhouse
Canadian scientist known for his studies of neutron beams produced by nuclear reactors.
- Born in Lethbridge, Alberta
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Lorne Greene (born 1915, died 1987)
Canadian actor.
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Dan Aykroyd (born 1952)
Canadian-American actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian.
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Lloyd Bochner (born 1924)
Canadian actor.
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John Candy (born 1950, died 1994)
Canadian comedian and actor.
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Thomas ''Tommy'' Chong
Canadian actor and comedian. Half of the Cheech and Chong counter-culture comedy team.
- Born in Edmonton, Alberta
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Hume Cronyn (born 1911)
Canadian actor. Husband of actress Jessica Tandy.
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Geraint Wyn Davies (born 1957)
English-born canadian actor.
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Chief Dan George (born 1899, died 1981)
Canadian tribal leader and actor. Original name: Geswanouth Slaholt.
- Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia
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Howie Mandel (born 1955)
Canadian comedian and actor.
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Rick Moranis (born 1953)
Canadian comedian.
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Mort Sahl (born 1927)
Canadian-American comedian.
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Martin Short (born 1950)
Canadian actor, producer, and comedian.
- Born in Hamilton, Ontario
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Joseph Wiseman (born 1918)
Canadian actor.
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Al Waxman (born 1935)
Canadian actor and director.
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John Vernon (born 1932)
Canadian actor. Original name: Adolphus Vernon Agopsowicz.
- Born in Regina, Saskatchewan
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Alan Thicke (born 1947)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario
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Donald Sutherland (born 1934)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Dave Thomas (born 1949)
Canadian comedian best known as Doug McKenzie of the McKenzie Brothers.
- Born in Saint Catherines, Ontario
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David Steinberg (born 1942)
Canadian actor, comedian and director.
- Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
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Michael Sarrazin (born 1940)
Canadian actor. Original name: Jacques Michel Andre Sarrazin.
- Born in Quebec City, Quebec
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Leslie Nielsen (born 1926)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Regina, Saskatchewan
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Gordon Pinsent
Canadian author and actor.
- Born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland
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John Mandt Qualen (born 1889, died 1987)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
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Franklin Carmichael (born 1890, died 1945)
Canadian landscape painter.
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Alex Colville (born 1920)
Canadian painter.
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Lauren Harris (born 1885, died 1970)
Canadian landscape painter.
- Born in Brantford, Ontario
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Frank H. Johnston (born 1888, died 1949)
Canadian illustrator and landscape painter.
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Yousuf Karsh (born 1908)
Turkish-born Canadian photographer.
- Official portrait photographer of the Canadian government, 1935-
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Arthur Lismer (born 1885, died 1969)
English-born Canadian painter.
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James E.H. MacDonald (born 1873, died 1932)
English-born Canadian painter.
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Tom Thomson (born 1877, died 1917)
Canadian landscape painter.
- Born in Claremont, Ontario
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Frederick Horseman Varley (born 1881, died 1969)
English-born Canadian landscape and portrait painter.
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Bjarni Tryggvason
Canadian astronaut.
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Dafydd Rhys Williams (born 1954)
Canadian physician and astronaut.
- Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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James Naismith (born 1861, died 1939)
Canadian-American athlete and educator who invented basketball.
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Stephen Leacock
English-born Canadian writer and humorist.
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Alex Trebek (born 1940)
Canadian television personality. Host of ''Jeopardy!'' since 1984.
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Doug Henning (born 1947)
Canadian magician.
- Born in Fort Gary, Manitoba
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Glenn Herbert Gould (born 1932, died 1982)
Canadian pianist and composer.
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Geddy Lee (born 1953)
Canadian guitarist and singer. A member of the band ''Rush.''
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Gordon Lightfoot (born 1939)
Canadian singer and songwriter.
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Oswald Avery (born 1877, died 1955)
Canadian bacteriologist who discovered the genetic role of DNA.
- Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Wilder Penfield
Canadian neurosurgeon known for his work on electricity and the brain.
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John Tuzo Wilson (born 1908, died 1993)
Canadian geophysicist known for his studies of plate tectonics.
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Cyrus Eaton (born 1883, died 1979)
Canadian industrialist. Founded the Republic Steel Corporation.
- Born in Pugwash, Nova Scotia
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James Cameron (born 1954)
Canadian screenwriter and director.
- Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario
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Arthur Hiller (born 1923)
Canadian-American film director. Best known for Love Story.
- Born in Edmonton, Alberta
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Ivan Reitman (born 1946)
Czech-born Canadian film producer and director.
- Directed Ghostbusters (1984)
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Lorne Michaels (born 1944)
Canadian writer and producer best known for his work on ''Saturday Night Live.''
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Roch Carrier
Canadian author.
- Author of the biculturalist farce La Guerre, yes Sir!
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Laurence J. Peter (born 1919, died 1990)
Canadian-American author best known for The Peter Principle.
- Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
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Mordecai Richler (born 1931)
Canadian author.
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Farley Mowat (born 1921)
Canadian author. Best known for Never Cry Wolf.
- Born in Belleville, Ontario
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John Kenneth Galbraith
Canadian-American economist.
- Born in Iona Station, Ontario
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Marshall McLuhan (born 1911, died 1980)
Canadian media theorist and author who coined the phrase ''the medium is the message.''
- Born in Edmonton, Alberta
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Donovan Bailey (born 1967)
Canadian sprinter.
- Though born in Jamaica, he calls Oakville, Ontario home
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W. Robertson Davies (born 1913, died 1995)
Canadian novelist and playwright.
- Born in Thamesville, Ontario
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Terrance Stanley ''Terry'' Fox (born 1958, died 1981)
Canadian runner and social activist. His 1980 attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research was cut short by the spread of his own cancer, which had earlier claimed most of his right leg.
- Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, nicknamed "Canada''s Greatest Hero"
