James Doohan and William Shatner (Scotty and Capt. Kirk on the original Star Trek), Christopher Plummer (the Captain in The Sound of Music), Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson, Mike Myers, Will Arnett, Hayden Christensen, Michael Buble, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Celine Dion, Donald Sutherland, Dan Akroyd, David Furnish (Elton John's husband) are all well known Canadian actors, musicians and celebrities.
@@curtisberard7831 Definitely John Candy. Actually the majority if not all of SCTV were Canadian. And Lorne Greene of Bonanza fame and Lorne and Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal and so many, many more. This country produces a lot of very talented people!
One of my favourite Canadian performers is Paul Gross (born in Calgary, AB). He is an actor, director, writer, producer, and musician - he performed with David Keeley (born in Sarnia, ON) another Canadian actor and musician. Paul Gross has many TV and movie credits to his name including Due South, Slings and Arrows, Men with Brooms, and Passchendaele which he wrote, directed and produced. He had guest appearances on The Republic of Doyle, one of my all-time favourite Canadian TV shows with a great cast - starring Allan Hawco (born in Belle Island, NF) who is an actor, producer, and writer.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Canadian Best Actor Oscar winner, Brendan Fraser. I know he was born in the States but his parents are both Canadian and he lived in Ottawa for a time and also went to Upper Canada College in Toronto.
Hi, I'm Canadian! To answer your question about folks who mostly work in Canada: One such actor is Jay Baruchel who chooses to stay in Canada for work out of Toronto or BC and other provinces if needed. He's well known in Canada and internationally as an actor in the How to Train your Dragon series. He's talked publicly about supporting the entertainment industry in Canada. Gordon Pinsent is another. Canadians are so sarcastic! Especially if you're friends. If you're not friends then we're just polite humour. Before Ryan Gosling was super famous, he was on an adorable little tv show in Canada called Breaker High. He worked alongside fellow Canadian Tyler Labine who has a large filmography of Canadian work. Canada has so many great folks in the entertainment industry. We have a lot of people to be proud of. We just lost a Canadian Icon this week with the passing of Gordon Lightfoot.
Lorne Green, Leslie Nielsen, William Shatner and David Steinberg were popular 🇨🇦’n television actors that established huge US appeal very early on! We’ve had many great indigenous actors appear in many large US productions like Chief Dan George, Graham Green and Adam Beach. We definitely enjoyed British humour far more than in the US and the “Carry On” and “Monty Python” series ran here at the same time as well as the British soaps. Very popular. I remember being a cranky 14 year old because Monty Python’s Flying Circus was preempted for the Apollo 11 Lunar landing!!
Yes, there are also other Canadian Indigenous actors like Michelle Rush and Tom Jackson who have appeared in American productions. Graham Greene has always lived in Ontario and never moved south.
An actor i haven't see any one say yet is Alan Thicke, he was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host from Ontario Canada. I think most known for Growing Pains an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992.
His son, Robin Thicke, is a judge on "The Masked Singer" and a singer in his own right. I think Robin is Canadian-American, but he does let his maple leaf show quite often. Watching The Masked Singer, I'm often amazed at how much he looks and sounds like his father. And you can tell he is REALLY proud of his father. It was a sad day when he died.
Matthew Perry's step-father is Keith Morrison, a former news anchor for CTV and CBC, who became famous in America for Dateline with his distinctive voice and opening monologues, "She thought she had the perfect marriage. And then..."
Just a quick note that might be relevant. Cory Monteith, a lead actor on Glee and also Canadian, was told "Whenever you need an all American Boy or girl, cast a Canadian." It's been pretty much true for a lot of US media.
Yes, Canada shares the same sense of humour as the UK. We are capable of laughing at ourselves (Corner Gas; the Red Green Show), and you might get a kick out of The Kids in the Hall (older version), it is a little Monty pythonish in its silliness. The east coast is famous for its music and it's comedians.
The classic “famous in Canada” story would be the Tragically Hip. There are many theories about why they never really made it big abroad, though including the fact that whenever they played outside of the country, every Canadian living there bought up the tickets, meaning locals didn’t really get to see them. Their final concert was broadcast live and nationally, with hundreds of screenings taking place across the country. Before the concert began, Ontario police tweeted an apology, that Canada was closed for the evening for a family affair. The concert happened during the Olympics in Rio. In Rio “Canada House” the base for the Canadian team screened the concert for Canadians who were down there. Although “unknown” in the USA, the New York Times obituary said that if you combined Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe into one man, you’d be beginning the approach the importance of Gord Downie, their lead singer.
The Hip and Gord Downie were also honoured by sports stations in both Canada and the US, since they were known by so many NHL players, since their music was a regular fixture in NHL locker rooms. th-cam.com/video/eqNQib9fBx8/w-d-xo.html
I think one of the reasons is that the Hip often wrote about Canadian themes and places in their songs, which Americans, notoriously, don't seem to want to hear about. I mean the Hip actually wrote a song about the FLQ kidnapping during the War Measures Act crisis in 1970. What American is going to be interested in hearing that? Tina Keeper, who starred as Constable Michelle Kenidi in the CBC show North of 60, said the show never made it big in the US because in the show they kept on talking about Yellowknife, Edmonton, Vancouver and the like, and of course, the show featured the RCMP, and you can't get more Canadian than that.
One celebrity I can think of that is popular in Canada, but I don't believe is popular anywhere else is Steve Smith from the Red Green Show. Red Green's catch phrase is, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy". He is not handy. It's a pretty good comedy.
Back in the mid to late 70's, my eldest sister, a classically trained singer, was in 'Jason', Steve Smith's band. Steve, his wife Morag, Randy Reed, who had all been elementary school teachers, along with their large band, performed the hits, but even then, Steve was interspersing comedy into the show. Steve and Morag went from 'Jason' to do 'Smith and Smith' (1979-1985) and then 'Me and Max', 'The Comedy Mill' and finally 'The Red Green Show' in 1991 and his career really took off. Steve studied engineering at Waterloo but did all sorts of different jobs until he found his true calling as a comedian/author/actor/script writer. He is talented, but also a really lovely guy as well. He received the Order of Canada and the Earl Grey Award in 2005 . (My sister, formed a duo with Randy, and later went on to perform at the newly created 'Hello Vegas' show at Deerhurst, in Huntsville ON. At the time my sister was there, Shania Twain was singing in the lounge, supporting her siblings after her parents died. When my sister left the show, Shania took her place)
Ketchup chips are huge here in Canada! Great Canadians for me, Keanu Reeves and Terry Fox are among my favorite Canadians. There is also Gordon Lightfoot who sadly just past away, Michael J Fox, Jim Carey, Celine Dion, John Candy, William Shatner, Dan Aykroyd, Brendan Fraser this years Best Actor academy award winner, Evangeline Lilly from Antman and the Wasp, Catherine O'Hara, Mike Myers, Anna Paquin , Christopher Plummer, Ryan Reynolds, Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald Sutherland,Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen , Neil Young, Deadau5, Carrie-Anne Moss, The Guess Who aka Burton Cummings, James Doohan Scotty from the original Star Trek series, Alex Trebeck, Geneviève Bujold , James Cameron the Academy Award winning director, director, and so many more! Oh and one of the Ashmore twins is Iceman in X-Men the other was in Killjoys. I am Canadian borne and bred and proud of it!!! :D
Ketchup chips are quite popular here! #2: Shawn Ashmore is probably most well known for playing Iceman in the Marvel X-Men films. Aaron is currently known for his part in the hit Sci-Fi Tv series Killjoys. Keanu Reeves is known here for being incredibly kind and giving. He has done some amazingly generous acts.
Another famous Canadian duo of yesteryear would be Wayne and Shuster. They are pure Canadian, despite holding the record for the most appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed even basically told them to "Never leave Canada" to maintain their Canadian perspective on Humour. I've mentioned Royal Canadian Air Farce a few times (including below). They were a comedic group that started in the 70's with a radio show on CBC Radio, and they spun it into a TV show through the 90's and early 2000's. David Broadfoot is a comedian who showed up a lot on their show (The Honorable Member from Kicking Horse Pass). The main TV comedians were Don Ferguson, Ron Abbot and Luba Goy. They tended to skewer current events and politicians, and often had Canadian celebrities and politicians show up on the show. (something that 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report would also often do). And yes, Ketchup Chips are very much a thing up here. I love getting a bag of them. All Dressed are another popular flavour up here; which is basically a flavour made from mixing Ketchup, Salt and Vinigar, and BBQ (and maybe other) flavours). A variant that a local chip company has popularized is "Storm Chips", they're a big bag of chips with a mix of flavours (Plain, Salt and Vinigar, BBQ and Ketchup I think). They tend to make them in the Winter, and advertise them as "What you make sure you get when a blizzard is in the forecast". They have a similar mix of chips available in the Summer in a style called "The Weekender"
Don't forget John Morgan! One of the 5 original RCAF members.Personally, I really liked Broadfoot's character Seargent Renfrew of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (and his dog Cuddles 🤣)
A list going back to the dawn of film would be massive, in part due to the many influential Canadians in the industry. Louis Mayer, co-founder of MGM, a Canadian, made a point of hiring other Canadians. Jack Warner of Warner Bros, Mary Pickford (actress and co-founder of United Artists because other studios could no longer afford to hire her) are two more of the most influential people in film history, who also happened to be Canadian. Max Sennett (founder of a studio responsible for most of the early comedies including Keystone Cops and Charlie Chaplin) -- also Canadian. There were so many Canadians working in Hollywood they formed a Canadian social club. Three years in a row (1929 to 1931) early Oscars for Best Actress were won by Canadians. And THE first actor to receive screen credit, because she was so popular that she was the first person considered a box office draw, was Canadian Florence Lawrence. Heck, THE first actress to kiss on film, in the Edison short "The Kiss", was Canadian. Today there are other important figures like Lorne Michaels who has shaped modern comedy with the help of Canadian actors and directors. And, of course, multiplex systems and IMAX were also Canadian inventions. In 1985 there was a tongue in cheek documentary "The Canadian Conspiracy" about Canada's secret plot to take over the US film industry.
@@LeiaBranagh Definitely, although King Kong itself wasn't silent. She was also in the classic "The Most Dangerous Game" which was for decades the most widely ripped off story until Star Wars, Mad Max and Alien came along".
Also - Ryan Renalds, Pamela Anderson, John Candy, Bands - The Guess Who, RUSH, BTO, April Wine, Steppenwolf, Celine Dion, Brian Adams, Alanis Morissette, Lover Boy, Platinum Blonde, Triumph, Helix, Headpins, Toronto, Street Heart, Harlequin, Trooper, Neil Young....etc.....
Canadian humour does include sarcasm. We also get British humour, when a lot of Americans don't. We are born with sarcasm. We are raised with sarcasm. It's a national pastime. Well, maybe not, but we use it a lot in our humour.
Singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who just passed away, tried living in the States, but came back to Canada for the remainder of 50 years of his career. The Maritimes produces the majority of Canadian comedians.
Of course.... John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Will Arnett, Dan Akroyd, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Phil Hartman, Norm MacDonald, Howie Mandel, Mark McKinney, Tommy Chong, Rich Little, Scott Thompson and Seth Rogan are all from the Maritimes. Such a good point.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. He said he was homesick and came back to Canada. Jay Baruchel, the actor/comedian, said the same thing after living in LA for a few years. He also came back and now lives in Toronto. Some actors, like Gordon Pinsent, Paul Gross, Allan Hawcoe, Sheila McCarthy and others have always lived in Canada, even if they do work on American projects sometimes (Sheila McCarthy just starred in the American-produced movie Women Talking, which was directed by fellow Canadian Sarah Polley and was filmed somewhere in Southern Ontario). They are a lot less known internationally, of course, than those that move to and work in the US on a more regular/permanent basis.
Not an exhaustive list, but some Canadian "domestic" celebrities (not big in USA) who I can think of are Eric Peterson, Gordon Pinsent, Rick Mercer, Paul Gross, Cynthia Dale. For music: the Tragically Hip, Stompin' Tom Conners, Jann Arden. Bonus if you're a kid growing up in the 1960s to the 1990s: Ernie "Mr. Dressup" Coombs (sort of Canada's answer to Mr. Rogers).
Ernie Coombs and Fred Rogers worked together in Canada on kids TV. Fred took the show to USA and became Mr Rogers. Ernie stayed in Canada and became Mr Dress-up
Great reaction vid. When I was growing up you couldn't be famous in Canada until after you were famous in the US. So so much talent was lost to the US as a result. Neil Young, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Steppenwolf, etc all made it in the US - then Canadians approved. That has slowly changed over the ensuing decades so that now Justin Bieber, Drake, The Weekend, Celine Dion, Michael Buble, etc became famous.....in the US! We had a great band in Canada that stayed in Canada, the Tragically Hip, and weren't really famous outside of the country - but they are the exception, not the rule. It makes sense too - the US is the world's talent HQ.
Here's one that many might not know: Fay Wray, the actress who starred in the original King Kong (1933), was born in my hometown of Cardston, Alberta. There's a fountain and a plaque in her commemoration, plus a cut-out of King Kong lol! Great list that everyone has collectively filled out!
As a Canadian, we know that they are Canadian. It's mainly those outside of here that don't know it. And this list barely scratched the surface of canadians who've made it big outside of here. In Hollywood it started back in the days of the silent movies. Comedians have always been successful at crossing over the border and making it big, from David Steinberg in the 60s' (born and raised in Winnipeg who went on to help shape politcal and satircal comedy in the 60's and 70's) to Jim Carey, Rich Little, Russell Peters, Colin Mochrie (born in Kilmarnock, Scotland and then the faily emigrated to Canada when he was 7), Catherine O'Hara, John Canady, Eugene Levy... it goes on and on. And we won't even get into the music scene. LOL. Pick a genre, Canadians have not only been huge, they have helped shape the sound of music and yet many times people didn't know they were Canadian
Just for background, she was on television first in Canada "You can't do that on television" show filmed in her (my) hometown of Ottawa, local station CJOH.
I think they were focusing on actors, not singers. I know she starred on that tv show from Ottawa but I don’t really count that one. However, if we were counting singers, wow there is a lot of Canadian singers to list. Mojo would have to make a top 50 for that.
Mary Pickford, silent queen film star, Louis B Mayer, who immigrated to Canada, Raymond Massey, Walter Pidgeon, Deanna Durbin, Glenn Ford, Donald Sutherland, Keifer Sutherland Raymond Burr, Lorne Greene, John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Dan Ackroyd, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds
I'm a big fan of Mary Pickford; she was the first global superstar. I'd love to see a reaction video about her: th-cam.com/video/XqfrKaOIcPE/w-d-xo.html
Norman Jewison is a movie director from Canada who has won Academy Awards, Golden Globe awards, etc. some of his movies were In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck, And Justice For All, and far too many to name here. He was one of the most highly respected directors in the movie industry. He did a short biographical film several years ago where he talked about maintaining his home in Canada.
Rick Mercer, Mark Critch, Shaun Majumder and Paul Gross are 4 Canadian actors that come to mind that basically stayed in Canada and are only famous here.....
Putting in a few from the West Coast Nelly Furtado, David Foster, Jason Priestly, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, Carly Rae Jepsen, Michael Buble, Nickleback, etc.
As a Canadian, pretty much everyone on this list I knew were Canadian. I feel like whenever a Canadian learns that a celebrity is Canadian, we hold onto that knowledge and take great pride in it. Most Canadian celebrities will come from Ontario or British Columbia because there is quite a large entertainment scene in both provinces particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, but of course they can come from anywhere. Also many American shows film in Canada (Vancouver mainly) so a lot of Canadian actors have shown up on those shows. Some are established actors and some are just getting their big break. Also ketchup chips are very decisive here. Some people love them and some people hate them. Me, I love them. They're not my favourite (that honor goes to all-dressed), but I do love a good ketchup chip. Particularly Lay's ketchup chips because it's not too overpowered flavouring.
And a third of the population is already IN Ontario. Also, Quebecois actors are less likely to need to leave Quebec to get enough work. They can do original French content and dub international and English Canadian content, while also sometimes going to Ontario and New York for other work. They might be very limited in Hollywood or Toronto unless they can speak English without a French accent.
@@helenbaumander3953 Genvieve Bujold had a strong Hollywood career for many years and eventually returned to Québec I think. I saw her recently en français dans un film québécois.
This list barely scratched the surface of big Canadian actors. Ryan Reynolds, William Shatner, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Mike Myers, and on and on and on.
I’m loving seeing all your interest in Canada. Ketchup chips are a thing in Canada but they taste a lot different than the ones in Malaysia. Also All dressed chips are delicious. If you’re getting into Canadian culture you might want to check out a few things a movie called Canadian bacon, a TV show called SCTV, and another TV show called kids in the hall
Thanks for your great videos. Here are some other famous Canadian actors. Ryan Reynolds, Jason Priestly, Pamela Anderson, Kim Catrell and Michael J Fox are all from BC. William Shatner, Catherine O Hara, John Candy, Dan Ackroyd, Mike Myers and Eugene levy are also Canadian.
Paul Gross is one that comes to mind who is more known in Canada but didn’t go south. Gordon Pinsent, Nicholas Campbell, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, I could go on. Lol
My fav Canadian actors are Ryan Renyolds, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey- Ace Ventura Pet Detective (lol), and "Schitt's Creek," father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy. We have so many talented, funny and genius actors and comedians not mention singers up here in the Great White North which reminds me not to forget to mention, "Bob & Doug Mackenzie,' aka Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis! Four pounds of backbacon anyone? Lol. Oh and we cannot forget, Mike Meyers of "Wayne's World," and "Austin Powers."
Ryan Reynolds, Keifer Sutherland, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Gordon Pinsent, James Doohan, John Candy, etc. Until relatively recently there hasn't been a huge movie industry in Canada, so actors often went to the States.
Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany, she starred in a huge Canadian show, Orphan Black that was a hit in the US as well, and she then was cast as She Hulk in the Marvel Series. Its rare that a great Canadian actor doesnt end up in the US when they are so talented.
Sarcasm in Canada is definitely a thing yes. I once cracked Matthew Perry up at a bar in Montreal - he spent a lot of time there at one point in the early to mid 80s - with some sarcastic remark I made, before he was famous. Yes, we enjoy our sarcasm and are very comfortable with it. And I'm not saying this sarcastically.
totally sarcastic in my family. it greases the wheels of life and helps keep perspective. if non canadians knew how scathing we are they would hide from us. this side of our nature is usually only shared w friends and family, the politess is for social interactions. canadians arent nice, it is just manners, we are careful and reserved.
The reason that Canadians are comfortable with sarcasm, is that we are not raised to act like the sun shines out our arses. Americans tend to act like the sun shines out of their arses. All but Bill Shatner. His ego is bigger than the universe.
Nova Scotia has such a small population so fewer celebrities. I believe Ontario & BC have produced the most well known celebrities in terms of actors/actresses and singers. And you are correct Celine Dione is from Quebec. Another well known actor is Donald Sutherland who starred in M*A*S*H in the 70's, Italian Job, Eye of the Needle, The Mechanic and The Hunger Games. He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Tommy Chong was born and raised Canadian! Raymond Burr was Canadian his mother was Canadian and he used to come back and got medical attention at the royal Columbia hospital in New west minister BC near where he grew up when little my mother knew him in school! And yes ketchup and pickle crisps are a popular thing in Canada
*Brent Butt* is one of the funnies stand-up comedians and stars in his own Canadian sitcom called *"Corner Gas"* *"BRENT BUTT - Fabio on a Rollercoaster"*
John Candy, Carrie-Ann Moss (Matrix), Michael Cera (Juno), James Cameron, Neve Campbell, Anna Paquin, Evangeline Lily, Catharine O'Hara, Dan Akroyd, Martin Short, Mike Myers, Leslie Nielsen, Pamela Anderson, Michael J Fox, Kim Cattrall (Sex & the City), Jim Carrey, Eugene Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Elisha Cuthbert, Jason Priestley, William Shatner, Howie Mandell, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Alan Thicke, Will Arnott, Dwayne Johnson, Cory Monteith (Glee), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Mary Pickford, Lorne Greene, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Plummer, Rick Moranis, Brendan Fraser, and more.
To add to the list ...... Howie Mandel, Jason Priestley, Evangeline Lilly (Lost), Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), Bruce Greenwood (move Thirteen Days, TV - The Resident etc), Victor Garber, the late Alan Thicke, Dan & Eugene Levy and many. many, many more.
Canadians share the British humour as we were brought up watching On the Bus, Dr, Who, Coronation Street, we are huge Monty Python fans here! We have that dry, witty humour. Going way back Canadian actor William Shatner of Star Trek fame.
Here is a huge star in the film industry that never gets recognition. Not a movie star, but makes blockbuster movies. Canadian born James Cameron, academy award winner for best picture - Titanic, also known for huge blockbusters movie series ie. Avatar, Aliens, The Terminator, to name a few.
I could name Canadian celebrities all day long, and still miss out on some. We appear in every genre of entertainment, sports, movies, tv, music, comedy, pro wrestling, writing, UFC, etc. Just off the top of my head (not including those that were on the list you watched): Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, William Shatner, James Doohan, Pamela Anderson, Rocky Johnson (father of The Rock), Bret Hart, Ryan Reynolds, Simu Liu, Our Lady Peace, Trish Stratus, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, George St-Pierre, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Stana Katic, Martin Short, Alanis Morissette, Missy Peregrym, Nina Dobrev, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Kim Cattrall, Michael Buble, Michael J. Fox, Joshua Jackson, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Taylor Kitsch, Dan Aykroyd, Bryan Adams, Phil Hartman, Neil Young, Malin Ackerman, Vanessa Lengies, Natasha Henstridge, Tom Green, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tommy Chong, Paul Gross - and like I said, so many others! And of course, right after I commented all those names, I stumble across this video (th-cam.com/video/WaLWTpxdPz0/w-d-xo.html) - and I am ashamed of some of the names I left out/forgot... but clearly, they left some out too ;)
You asked about a Canadian actor who remained in Canada and had a successful career here. Check out Paul Gross. Terrific actor who played on hit shows in Canada, one called Due South, and also won major awards for his work on Passchendaele and was also in a hit movie Men with Brooms about curling (very Canadian) :) Cheers!
I am a big fan of Paul Gross and have seen the movies and shows you mention. I loved his guest starring stint in the Republic of Doyle as well (he played a bad guy for once).
Not only do Canadians play a huge part of N America's entertainment scene but many of the TV shows, block buster movies and animation are produced in Canada. Have you seen Schitt's Creek?
Ryan Gosling lived in my little city and his Mum still lives here, or she did. I saw Ryan at Bestbuy one Boxing Day, he was very cool about it. I just nodded and smiled at him
Many Canadian artists remain(ed) based in Canada: Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Sarah Polley, Paul Gross, Christopher Plummer, Gordon Pinsent, Adam Beach, Graham Greene...to name a few. Yes, Celine Dion is from Quebec, as is Leonard Cohen. But I think, among musical artists, it would be hard to find that any province dominates: Joni Mitchell (Saskatchewan), Neil Young (Ontario), Guess Who (Manitoba), Dianne Krall (BC), KD Lang (Alberta), Buffy Sainte-Marie (Saskatchewan)...a small sample! And of course, Gordon Lightfoot just passed away on Monday. Here is another list of actors or artists you might not know are Canadian: th-cam.com/video/WaLWTpxdPz0/w-d-xo.html And, if you want a break from Scandanavian series, you might check out "Orphan Black", a Canadian series that ran for 5 seasons. Won't try to describe it other than to say it will always keep you guessing! (It features many wonderful actors including Tatiana Maslany.)
There are a lot of famous Canadians who are Canada-Famous. A lot of them are musicians since Canadian acts tend to have an easier time becoming locally famous, but we do have a lot of local actors who only do Canadian shows. After muscicians, Comedians are probably the next biggest success we have. The "Just for Laughs" festivial in Montreal is world famous and has a lot of Canadian content, and we have a lot of other comedy festivals that help comedians make a living. Plus Comedy shows are popular (Corner Gas, Schitt's Creek, Trailerpark Boys, LetterKenny, etc...) and help comedians establish a name. Our humour especially tends to be dryer, more sarcastic as you noted. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia especially seem to be where a lot of popular comedians come from. This partly comes from some long running shows based in the region ( "This Hour has 22 Minutes" and "Trailerpark Boys" for example). Some Canada-famous actors/comediens would include: * Rick Mercer (Comedian) * Mark Critch (Comedian) * Mary Walsh (Comedian) * Basically anyone who has been on "This Hour has 22 Minutes" over it's 30 years run. (Along with anyone who has been on Royal Canadian Air Farce ) * Colin Mochrie (Comedian, famous in the US for "Who's Line is it Anyway"; he's Scottish-Canadian; his co-comedian Ryan Styles is American-Canadian; born in Seattle to Canadian parents) * Hugh Dillon (Actor and Musician; known for the TV show Flashpoint and the music group The Headstones.) * Graham Greene (Active, a famous First Nation actor ) * Enrico Colantoni (Actor on Flashpoint * Jonathan Torrens (Actor/Comedian; started on a children's edutainment show "Street Cents") Another thing for Acting in Canada, is the fact that there is a LOT of US production done in Vancouver and Toronto (and other Canadian places). So a lot of actors will be starring in US series, often in supporting roles, so people get used to seeing them, even if they never leave Canada.
My Daughter and son in law live in Vancouver, and we had to giggle when we visited in the summer in blazing heat (44C) and saw fake snow and Christmas decorations set up because a movie was being filmed.
Most Canadian artists do not become famous in Canada until they become famous in the States first. Our cultures are very intertwined. There are a few Canadian shows that became popular here such as "Road to Avonlea" or "Corner Gas". But a lot of American shows and movies are filmed in Canada so Canadian-based actors can technically get their big break while still at home even if they're working for Hollywood. One of the Ashmore twins was in my husband's favourite show: Warehouse 13. It was filmed in Vancouver so I recognized a lot of the extras and guest stars.
They become famous in Canada, they become world famous in the states. The Trailer Park boys, for example, became more widely known one they went to the states, but all their best content, what made them famous, was from in Canada.
Here's part of an interview discussing Mary Pickford (American Experience, PBS): Narrator: She studied her performances carefully and realized that the camera demanded a new style of acting. Scott Eyman: In Mary's era the prevailing acting method was the Delsarte method, specific emotions were indicated by fairly specific gestures. Anger would be you know the narrowing of the eyes; make them burn. Distress would be (gesturing.) Narrator: Pickford changed that. Tino Balio: She invented acting for film. She understood that you have a close, intimate relationship with the camera, and more subtle, more naturalistic gestures would be very effective. She stands out because she has more vibrancy, she has more immediacy, and she actually conveys more emotion in the process. Narrator: In her first year at Biograph, Pickford appeared in more than sixty films. She played mothers, deserted wives, prostitutes, and virgins. She realized that she was basically a comic or light actress. "It was a shock" she said, "but in stature, temperament and general appearance, I was not fitted for great emotional roles." She began to fight with Griffith to interpret parts the way she wanted. Jeanine Basinger: Griffith and Pickford were not a comfortable mix. He wanted a kind of ethereal, beautiful, romanticized version of a Victorian woman: vulnerable, just not who Mary Pickford was. Mary Pickford was resilient; she was tough; she fought back. Narrator: When they started filming Wilful Peggy in July 1910, she complained that she was tired of insipid heroines. Griffith told her to play the part the way she wanted. Wilful Peggy is peasant girl forced to marry an older nobleman. Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Film Historian: From the very beginning audiences could tell that she was something different. She just lights up the screen. You can watch Wilful Peggy (14 min, 36s) here: th-cam.com/video/94sP_rBmfEg/w-d-xo.html Note: as far as I know, Wilful Peggy is now considered to be in the public domain for copyright purposes.
Interesting you know so much about Mary Pickford. In school (1970s) we did a project on silent films. I wrote to her and got invited to Pickfair -- an unforgettable trip for a youngster. Mary got her Canadian citizenship restored shortly thereafter.
Over at Marvel, Simu Liu was big in Canada on "Kim's Convenience" before he became Shang Chi. Iman Vellani's (also Canadian) very first acting job was as Ms. Marvel.
Tommy Chong also was a very good guitarist and had his own band. He originally moved from Calgary Alberta to Vancouver BC to try and get his band "Little Daddy and The Bachelors" signed to a record deal. He brought his brother-in-law Floyd Sneed to play drums. BTW - Tommy and Maxine's daughter - Rae Dawn Chong - became a pretty famous actor in her own right. Anyway - Tommy's band did some gigs in LA and hooked up with a lead singer named Bobby Taylor and the reformed band was renamed Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. Tommy still played guitar and while they were performing in Vancouver they were noticed by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson of The Supremes who recommended the band to Barry Gordy of Motown. They were signed with Motown and recorded a song written by Tommy Chong called "Does Your Mama Know About Me?" It became a top 30 hit in the US and they were on their way. When the band was playing in Chicago, a family band opened for them that Bobby Taylor thought were pretty great. Bobby took the band to Barry Gordy and he signed them immediately after hearing their audition. That band was The Jackson 5. Bobby became their mentor and produced their first two albums. The band broke up and Tommy was back in Vancouver running his own club and chasing gigs. He ran into a kid from LA that was in Vancouver because his dad - a LA police Captain - didn't want his son to go to Vietnam so he sent him to Canada. His name was Cheech Marin. And that is how a guitar playing half-Chinese kid from Calgary, Alberta, who wrote a hit soul song for his Motown band, became a member of one of the biggest comedy duos of all time. BTW - remember I mentioned Tommy's bother-in-law? Well, he made his way to LA after the band broke up. A couple of guys - Chuck and Danny - were walking down a street in LA one fine evening and heard a pretty great drum solo as they passed by a bar. They went in and told the drummer that they were starting a band and would he like to be part of it? That is how Floyd Sneed - a Black kid born in Calgary Alberta - joined Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and the rest of the gang and became the drummer for the legendary Three Dog Night. Small world - ain't it? 🙂
I really enjoy your videos. It would be cool to see you review The Tragically Hip. The day Gord Downie passed away was a a day that Canada, as a country, truly mourned. They are icons in Canada. Thanks eh.
Matthew Perry went to high school with our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and apparently Matthew and his friends used to bully Justin. Matthews father is american and was a well known actor in the 70's and 80's and his mother is Canadian. As far as chips go Canada is known for ketchup chips and all dressed which is a combo of salt and vinegar and BBQ and a couple of other flavours which combines to make a really good flavour. One of the Ashmore brothers was in the earlier X men movies. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were both born in London Ontario which is where I was born.
I have seen Nathan Fillion while attemding a ballet in Edmonton, Alberta and also in lineup to get into a tbeatre production. He wasn't famous at the time and he was pretty young but he was just so tall and beautiful both times it was like seeing a smoking hot male model. Unforgettable. I honestly recognized him later on when I started to watch him in the Firefly TV series.
There are more Canadians lurking about in the entertainment industry. You might want to watch the 1985 “mockumentary” called “The Canadian Conspiracy”. Oh, and Mary Pickford co-founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith.
Hugh Dillon is an amazing actor. He's from Kingston, Ontario and he's more famous for being in shows like Flash Point, Yellowstone, Durham County, close friends with Jeremy Renny, but he's the front man for the hard rock bar band called the Headstones. He's one of my favourite famous Canadians!
I find us Canadians know most of the list of famous Canadians. There might be the occasional celebrity that I have forgot/don't know are Canadian but typically it is because they were not one I cared about. Americans on the other hand tend to be surprised despite the actor bring up the fact they are Canadian in interviews all the time.
I can't speak of all Canadians, however myself, have a very sarcastic sense of humour, as well as most of my friends. Haha. Hope everyone is taking care
I think the point of the list was not to show the most famous Canadians, but to focus on ones that's aren't widely known to be Canadian. So it's fine if you didn't know some of them were Canadian.
Back in the late 60s, 3 fave programs in the USA were 'Star Trek', Bonanza, and ABC Evening News. Willam Shatner was Capt. Kirk, then Lornen Green was 'Pa'....the father in the massively popular Bonanza, and on ABC Evening NEWS was Peter Jennings. Because of ALL this America saw ALL its authority coming from 3 Canadians!!! TOO funny! PS........................I'm sure you've opened up a WHOLE can of worms here! We like our 'stars' well hidden until anyone asks if there are famous Canadians......?
There are many, many great Québécois actors and actresses that are unknown in the USA and most of the rest of Canada because they are mostly in French speaking films, tv and theatre but are well known in the francophone world.
The really amazing part of all the great Canadian musician, actors and comedians is that it's only a country with 10% of the USA population so somewhere between 380 000 000 million to canada's 38 to 40 million. It's also the same for UK and Austrailian artists that Americans don't know are from other countries.
If you like the Scandinavian dramas, I’d recommend “The Handmaids Tale”. While it is nothing like a crime drama, it is one of the very few North American shows ever, to allow itself the pacing that that Scandi-drama has. It is also similar in feel, with its muted tones. Never garish, never glitzy. Written by Canadian Margaret Atwood and filmed in Toronto - and actually starring Toronto as itself!
Rick Mercer has had a great career in Canada. He is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant comedic minds we've produced, and everyone should watch everything he's ever done. And I am not at all related to him in any way!
Paul Gross has mainly stuck to Canadian acting/directing successfully. And he's national treasure 🇨🇦
He's so wonderful! I just love him, and he's gorgeous!
He's currently playing King Lear in Stratford. He's amazing.
Loved Due South as a kid. Mainly because of his dog Deifenbaker. 😂
@@ChrisJones-pi5mh Due South has been/always will be my jam!
He bought me a coke once at a tour of the Diefenbunker, cool guy
James Doohan and William Shatner (Scotty and Capt. Kirk on the original Star Trek), Christopher Plummer (the Captain in The Sound of Music), Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson, Mike Myers, Will Arnett, Hayden Christensen, Michael Buble, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Celine Dion, Donald Sutherland, Dan Akroyd, David Furnish (Elton John's husband) are all well known Canadian actors, musicians and celebrities.
Darcy, what about John Candy?! How could you forget him?
Rick Moranis , Eugene Levi, Catherine O'hair, Dan Aykroyd... SCTV 😅
@@julieclark784 Keanu Reeves was on the video, Dan Ackroyd was listed by the OP
Thank you for posting a more comprehensive list! 🇨🇦💗🇨🇦
*I'd like to add the great Gordon Lightfoot who just passed* RIP 🌹🕊
@@curtisberard7831 Definitely John Candy. Actually the majority if not all of SCTV were Canadian. And Lorne Greene of Bonanza fame and Lorne and Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal and so many, many more. This country produces a lot of very talented people!
As a Canadian I am officially bi-lingual: I speak English and sarcasm.
Me too! I am fluent in Sarcasm 😂
Yes. Canadian humour is dry sarcasm. I didn't think there was any other kind.
I'm pretty sure sarcasm is our default setting here.
Lol
I only speak sarcasm, you must be educated. :)
Part of our Canadian national identity is letting everyone know that famous people are Canadian.
But only if they're famous in usa.
True! 😂
One of my favourite Canadian performers is Paul Gross (born in Calgary, AB). He is an actor, director, writer, producer, and musician - he performed with David Keeley (born in Sarnia, ON) another Canadian actor and musician. Paul Gross has many TV and movie credits to his name including Due South, Slings and Arrows, Men with Brooms, and Passchendaele which he wrote, directed and produced. He had guest appearances on The Republic of Doyle, one of my all-time favourite Canadian TV shows with a great cast - starring Allan Hawco (born in Belle Island, NF) who is an actor, producer, and writer.
I was hoping that someone would mention Paul Gross!
I loved him for the movie Passchendaele
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Canadian Best Actor Oscar winner, Brendan Fraser. I know he was born in the States but his parents are both Canadian and he lived in Ottawa for a time and also went to Upper Canada College in Toronto.
His father’s from Cape Breton.
With a population under 40 million Canada has produced a hell of a lot of celebrity/academic/musical/athletic talent.
Lucid Dream- don’t forget the fine writers & poets
Lol - true!
Nothing compares to sweden per capita.
@@5th_Interaction So they got Bergman and were very happy, then ABBA just got them the #1 for eternity
Hi, I'm Canadian! To answer your question about folks who mostly work in Canada:
One such actor is Jay Baruchel who chooses to stay in Canada for work out of Toronto or BC and other provinces if needed. He's well known in Canada and internationally as an actor in the How to Train your Dragon series. He's talked publicly about supporting the entertainment industry in Canada. Gordon Pinsent is another.
Canadians are so sarcastic! Especially if you're friends. If you're not friends then we're just polite humour.
Before Ryan Gosling was super famous, he was on an adorable little tv show in Canada called Breaker High. He worked alongside fellow Canadian Tyler Labine who has a large filmography of Canadian work. Canada has so many great folks in the entertainment industry. We have a lot of people to be proud of. We just lost a Canadian Icon this week with the passing of Gordon Lightfoot.
Lorne Green, Leslie Nielsen, William Shatner and David Steinberg were popular 🇨🇦’n television actors that established huge US appeal very early on!
We’ve had many great indigenous actors appear in many large US productions like Chief Dan George, Graham Green and Adam Beach.
We definitely enjoyed British humour far more than in the US and the “Carry On” and “Monty Python” series ran here at the same time as well as the British soaps. Very popular.
I remember being a cranky 14 year old because Monty Python’s Flying Circus was preempted for the Apollo 11 Lunar landing!!
Canadian impersonator; Rich Little.
Yes, there are also other Canadian Indigenous actors like Michelle Rush and Tom Jackson who have appeared in American productions. Graham Greene has always lived in Ontario and never moved south.
Ya I was just talking about Chief Dan George the other day as a real Indian in the movies and that he was from Canada.
And Tantoo Cardinal and Tom Jackson are Canadian!
An actor i haven't see any one say yet is Alan Thicke, he was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host from Ontario Canada. I think most known for Growing Pains an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992.
His son, Robin Thicke, is a judge on "The Masked Singer" and a singer in his own right. I think Robin is Canadian-American, but he does let his maple leaf show quite often.
Watching The Masked Singer, I'm often amazed at how much he looks and sounds like his father. And you can tell he is REALLY proud of his father. It was a sad day when he died.
Matthew Perry's step-father is Keith Morrison, a former news anchor for CTV and CBC, who became famous in America for Dateline with his distinctive voice and opening monologues, "She thought she had the perfect marriage. And then..."
Just a quick note that might be relevant. Cory Monteith, a lead actor on Glee and also Canadian, was told "Whenever you need an all American Boy or girl, cast a Canadian."
It's been pretty much true for a lot of US media.
Yes, Canada shares the same sense of humour as the UK. We are capable of laughing at ourselves (Corner Gas; the Red Green Show), and you might get a kick out of The Kids in the Hall (older version), it is a little Monty pythonish in its silliness. The east coast is famous for its music and it's comedians.
My favourite skit of KITH is the pit of darkness.
Corner Gas is not to be missed.
Trailer Park Boys!! Tom Green Show!!
We never had a civil war like the states did
The whale was a amazing movie he did
The classic “famous in Canada” story would be the Tragically Hip. There are many theories about why they never really made it big abroad, though including the fact that whenever they played outside of the country, every Canadian living there bought up the tickets, meaning locals didn’t really get to see them.
Their final concert was broadcast live and nationally, with hundreds of screenings taking place across the country.
Before the concert began, Ontario police tweeted an apology, that Canada was closed for the evening for a family affair.
The concert happened during the Olympics in Rio. In Rio “Canada House” the base for the Canadian team screened the concert for Canadians who were down there.
Although “unknown” in the USA, the New York Times obituary said that if you combined Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe into one man, you’d be beginning the approach the importance of Gord Downie, their lead singer.
The Hip and Gord Downie were also honoured by sports stations in both Canada and the US, since they were known by so many NHL players, since their music was a regular fixture in NHL locker rooms. th-cam.com/video/eqNQib9fBx8/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/h3G2gzyBzAE/w-d-xo.html
I lived a short walk away from where that concert was held. I hid that evening. SO many people.
I think one of the reasons is that the Hip often wrote about Canadian themes and places in their songs, which Americans, notoriously, don't seem to want to hear about. I mean the Hip actually wrote a song about the FLQ kidnapping during the War Measures Act crisis in 1970. What American is going to be interested in hearing that? Tina Keeper, who starred as Constable Michelle Kenidi in the CBC show North of 60, said the show never made it big in the US because in the show they kept on talking about Yellowknife, Edmonton, Vancouver and the like, and of course, the show featured the RCMP, and you can't get more Canadian than that.
The Hip had a fantastic appearance on Saturday Night Live many years ago
th-cam.com/video/nOE8KeCbl_A/w-d-xo.html
One celebrity I can think of that is popular in Canada, but I don't believe is popular anywhere else is Steve Smith from the Red Green Show. Red Green's catch phrase is, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy". He is not handy. It's a pretty good comedy.
I love Red Green
Or the Corner Gas cast even though several of them showed up on X files.
Keep your stick on the ice.
Back in the mid to late 70's, my eldest sister, a classically trained singer, was in 'Jason', Steve Smith's band. Steve, his wife Morag, Randy Reed, who had all been elementary school teachers, along with their large band, performed the hits, but even then, Steve was interspersing comedy into the show. Steve and Morag went from 'Jason' to do 'Smith and Smith' (1979-1985) and then 'Me and Max', 'The Comedy Mill' and finally 'The Red Green Show' in 1991 and his career really took off. Steve studied engineering at Waterloo but did all sorts of different jobs until he found his true calling as a comedian/author/actor/script writer. He is talented, but also a really lovely guy as well. He received the Order of Canada and the Earl Grey Award in 2005 .
(My sister, formed a duo with Randy, and later went on to perform at the newly created 'Hello Vegas' show at Deerhurst, in Huntsville ON. At the time my sister was there, Shania Twain was singing in the lounge, supporting her siblings after her parents died. When my sister left the show, Shania took her place)
Ketchup chips are huge here in Canada! Great Canadians for me, Keanu Reeves and Terry Fox are among my favorite Canadians. There is also Gordon Lightfoot who sadly just past away, Michael J Fox, Jim Carey, Celine Dion, John Candy, William Shatner, Dan Aykroyd, Brendan Fraser this years Best Actor academy award winner, Evangeline Lilly from Antman and the Wasp, Catherine O'Hara, Mike Myers, Anna Paquin , Christopher Plummer, Ryan Reynolds, Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald Sutherland,Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen , Neil Young, Deadau5, Carrie-Anne Moss, The Guess Who aka Burton Cummings, James Doohan Scotty from the original Star Trek series, Alex Trebeck, Geneviève Bujold , James Cameron the Academy Award winning director, director, and so many more! Oh and one of the Ashmore twins is Iceman in X-Men the other was in Killjoys. I am Canadian borne and bred and proud of it!!! :D
Ketchup chips are quite popular here! #2: Shawn Ashmore is probably most well known for playing Iceman in the Marvel X-Men films. Aaron is currently known for his part in the hit Sci-Fi Tv series Killjoys. Keanu Reeves is known here for being incredibly kind and giving. He has done some amazingly generous acts.
Ketchup chips and All-Dressed chips are Canadian inventions.
Another famous Canadian duo of yesteryear would be Wayne and Shuster. They are pure Canadian, despite holding the record for the most appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed even basically told them to "Never leave Canada" to maintain their Canadian perspective on Humour.
I've mentioned Royal Canadian Air Farce a few times (including below). They were a comedic group that started in the 70's with a radio show on CBC Radio, and they spun it into a TV show through the 90's and early 2000's. David Broadfoot is a comedian who showed up a lot on their show (The Honorable Member from Kicking Horse Pass). The main TV comedians were Don Ferguson, Ron Abbot and Luba Goy. They tended to skewer current events and politicians, and often had Canadian celebrities and politicians show up on the show. (something that 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report would also often do).
And yes, Ketchup Chips are very much a thing up here. I love getting a bag of them.
All Dressed are another popular flavour up here; which is basically a flavour made from mixing Ketchup, Salt and Vinigar, and BBQ (and maybe other) flavours).
A variant that a local chip company has popularized is "Storm Chips", they're a big bag of chips with a mix of flavours (Plain, Salt and Vinigar, BBQ and Ketchup I think). They tend to make them in the Winter, and advertise them as "What you make sure you get when a blizzard is in the forecast". They have a similar mix of chips available in the Summer in a style called "The Weekender"
They were great!
Don't forget John Morgan! One of the 5 original RCAF members.Personally, I really liked Broadfoot's character Seargent Renfrew of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (and his dog Cuddles 🤣)
A list going back to the dawn of film would be massive, in part due to the many influential Canadians in the industry. Louis Mayer, co-founder of MGM, a Canadian, made a point of hiring other Canadians. Jack Warner of Warner Bros, Mary Pickford (actress and co-founder of United Artists because other studios could no longer afford to hire her) are two more of the most influential people in film history, who also happened to be Canadian. Max Sennett (founder of a studio responsible for most of the early comedies including Keystone Cops and Charlie Chaplin) -- also Canadian. There were so many Canadians working in Hollywood they formed a Canadian social club. Three years in a row (1929 to 1931) early Oscars for Best Actress were won by Canadians. And THE first actor to receive screen credit, because she was so popular that she was the first person considered a box office draw, was Canadian Florence Lawrence. Heck, THE first actress to kiss on film, in the Edison short "The Kiss", was Canadian. Today there are other important figures like Lorne Michaels who has shaped modern comedy with the help of Canadian actors and directors. And, of course, multiplex systems and IMAX were also Canadian inventions. In 1985 there was a tongue in cheek documentary "The Canadian Conspiracy" about Canada's secret plot to take over the US film industry.
Good points 😃 my husband was mentioning another in the silent film era. The lead actress in King Kong, Faye Ray was Canadian too. 😃
@@LeiaBranagh Definitely, although King Kong itself wasn't silent. She was also in the classic "The Most Dangerous Game" which was for decades the most widely ripped off story until Star Wars, Mad Max and Alien came along".
Loved the Canadian Conspiracy when it came out.
@@jschap712 This is true. It was part of the talkies, but still quite early on in cinema history.
Who were those 3 women who won the first Oscars? If you don't mind.
Also - Ryan Renalds, Pamela Anderson, John Candy, Bands - The Guess Who, RUSH, BTO, April Wine, Steppenwolf, Celine Dion, Brian Adams, Alanis Morissette, Lover Boy, Platinum Blonde, Triumph, Helix, Headpins, Toronto, Street Heart, Harlequin, Trooper, Neil Young....etc.....
Canadian humour does include sarcasm. We also get British humour, when a lot of Americans don't. We are born with sarcasm. We are raised with sarcasm. It's a national pastime. Well, maybe not, but we use it a lot in our humour.
I once posted on social media a meme that said, “Sarcasm. It’s how I hug.”
Oh. Well done mate.
Haha! Brit here!
Singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who just passed away, tried living in the States, but came back to Canada for the remainder of 50 years of his career.
The Maritimes produces the majority of Canadian comedians.
RIP Gordon
Majority? Many sure, but not a majority.
try bc for international fame. maritimes are local.
Of course.... John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Will Arnett, Dan Akroyd, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Phil Hartman, Norm MacDonald, Howie Mandel, Mark McKinney, Tommy Chong, Rich Little, Scott Thompson and Seth Rogan are all from the Maritimes. Such a good point.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. He said he was homesick and came back to Canada. Jay Baruchel, the actor/comedian, said the same thing after living in LA for a few years. He also came back and now lives in Toronto. Some actors, like Gordon Pinsent, Paul Gross, Allan Hawcoe, Sheila McCarthy and others have always lived in Canada, even if they do work on American projects sometimes (Sheila McCarthy just starred in the American-produced movie Women Talking, which was directed by fellow Canadian Sarah Polley and was filmed somewhere in Southern Ontario). They are a lot less known internationally, of course, than those that move to and work in the US on a more regular/permanent basis.
Not an exhaustive list, but some Canadian "domestic" celebrities (not big in USA) who I can think of are Eric Peterson, Gordon Pinsent, Rick Mercer, Paul Gross, Cynthia Dale. For music: the Tragically Hip, Stompin' Tom Conners, Jann Arden. Bonus if you're a kid growing up in the 1960s to the 1990s: Ernie "Mr. Dressup" Coombs (sort of Canada's answer to Mr. Rogers).
Ernie Coombs was actually American, but you never knew it. He was Canadian as anything else here. I knew he got his citizenship in 1994.
@NatoBro Really? Oh well. But we got him in the end!
I live in Kingston. Here, it feels kind of baffling that The Hip aren't more well known outside Canada.
Ernie Coombs and Fred Rogers worked together in Canada on kids TV. Fred took the show to USA and became Mr Rogers. Ernie stayed in Canada and became Mr Dress-up
Avil Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Rush.
Great reaction vid. When I was growing up you couldn't be famous in Canada until after you were famous in the US. So so much talent was lost to the US as a result. Neil Young, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Steppenwolf, etc all made it in the US - then Canadians approved. That has slowly changed over the ensuing decades so that now Justin Bieber, Drake, The Weekend, Celine Dion, Michael Buble, etc became famous.....in the US! We had a great band in Canada that stayed in Canada, the Tragically Hip, and weren't really famous outside of the country - but they are the exception, not the rule. It makes sense too - the US is the world's talent HQ.
You're not wrong, however this video is about film. Not audio
Bublé lives near Vancouver, very near his old high school apparently.
The US is not the talent HQ. It's the bullsh*t HQ.
Here's one that many might not know: Fay Wray, the actress who starred in the original King Kong (1933), was born in my hometown of Cardston, Alberta. There's a fountain and a plaque in her commemoration, plus a cut-out of King Kong lol!
Great list that everyone has collectively filled out!
As a Canadian, we know that they are Canadian. It's mainly those outside of here that don't know it. And this list barely scratched the surface of canadians who've made it big outside of here. In Hollywood it started back in the days of the silent movies. Comedians have always been successful at crossing over the border and making it big, from David Steinberg in the 60s' (born and raised in Winnipeg who went on to help shape politcal and satircal comedy in the 60's and 70's) to Jim Carey, Rich Little, Russell Peters, Colin Mochrie (born in Kilmarnock, Scotland and then the faily emigrated to Canada when he was 7), Catherine O'Hara, John Canady, Eugene Levy... it goes on and on. And we won't even get into the music scene. LOL. Pick a genre, Canadians have not only been huge, they have helped shape the sound of music and yet many times people didn't know they were Canadian
Alanis Morissette was famous in Canada first but she was a pop princess. She got much bigger when she went to the States
Just for background, she was on television first in Canada "You can't do that on television" show filmed in her (my) hometown of Ottawa, local station CJOH.
I think they were focusing on actors, not singers. I know she starred on that tv show from Ottawa but I don’t really count that one. However, if we were counting singers, wow there is a lot of Canadian singers to list. Mojo would have to make a top 50 for that.
Love Alanis
Mary Pickford, silent queen film star, Louis B Mayer, who immigrated to Canada, Raymond Massey, Walter Pidgeon, Deanna Durbin, Glenn Ford, Donald Sutherland, Keifer Sutherland Raymond Burr, Lorne Greene, John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Dan Ackroyd, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds
I'm a big fan of Mary Pickford; she was the first global superstar. I'd love to see a reaction video about her: th-cam.com/video/XqfrKaOIcPE/w-d-xo.html
Raymond Massey was from Winnipeg. There is a high school there named after his brother Vincent
Hello from Canada 🇨🇦! A large percentage of Hollywood talent is Canadian. There are actors that I was shocked to learn were from my home country.
Norman Jewison is a movie director from Canada who has won Academy Awards, Golden Globe awards, etc. some of his movies were In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck, And Justice For All, and far too many to name here. He was one of the most highly respected directors in the movie industry. He did a short biographical film several years ago where he talked about maintaining his home in Canada.
James Cameron.
@@elisa7881 Yes.
And Judd Apatow.
@@cattymajiv Judd Apatow is American but seems to like working with a lot of Canadians.
@@paulmcleod3255 Thank you. I see I was wrong, so you've saved me from doing it again. 😉 ✌🏼
I can’t believe Ryan Reynolds’s wasn’t on that list 😂😂
Famous female singers include Anne Murray of Springhill, Nova Scotia and Rita MacNeil of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Bryan Adams still lives in Canada! US and UK fans may think he's American but he became popular here first.
Rick Mercer, Mark Critch, Shaun Majumder and Paul Gross are 4 Canadian actors that come to mind that basically stayed in Canada and are only famous here.....
Putting in a few from the West Coast Nelly Furtado, David Foster, Jason Priestly, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, Carly Rae Jepsen, Michael Buble, Nickleback, etc.
As a Canadian, pretty much everyone on this list I knew were Canadian. I feel like whenever a Canadian learns that a celebrity is Canadian, we hold onto that knowledge and take great pride in it. Most Canadian celebrities will come from Ontario or British Columbia because there is quite a large entertainment scene in both provinces particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, but of course they can come from anywhere. Also many American shows film in Canada (Vancouver mainly) so a lot of Canadian actors have shown up on those shows. Some are established actors and some are just getting their big break.
Also ketchup chips are very decisive here. Some people love them and some people hate them. Me, I love them. They're not my favourite (that honor goes to all-dressed), but I do love a good ketchup chip. Particularly Lay's ketchup chips because it's not too overpowered flavouring.
Loved ketchup chips as a kid they were my fav but can’t stand the idea of them now it’s gross 😂must have grown out of childhood ketchup addiction
Lots of filming going on in Manitoba
And a third of the population is already IN Ontario. Also, Quebecois actors are less likely to need to leave Quebec to get enough work. They can do original French content and dub international and English Canadian content, while also sometimes going to Ontario and New York for other work. They might be very limited in Hollywood or Toronto unless they can speak English without a French accent.
@@helenbaumander3953 Genvieve Bujold had a strong Hollywood career for many years and eventually returned to Québec I think. I saw her recently en français dans un film québécois.
@@scds1082 That's only one person, and she could speak English without a French accent.
This list barely scratched the surface of big Canadian actors. Ryan Reynolds, William Shatner, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Mike Myers, and on and on and on.
I’m loving seeing all your interest in Canada. Ketchup chips are a thing in Canada but they taste a lot different than the ones in Malaysia. Also All dressed chips are delicious. If you’re getting into Canadian culture you might want to check out a few things a movie called Canadian bacon, a TV show called SCTV, and another TV show called kids in the hall
Thanks for your great videos. Here are some other famous Canadian actors. Ryan Reynolds, Jason Priestly, Pamela Anderson, Kim Catrell and Michael J Fox are all from BC. William Shatner, Catherine O Hara, John Candy, Dan Ackroyd, Mike Myers and Eugene levy are also Canadian.
Yes, and Shatner's from Montreal, as well as Leonard Cohen, and Donald Sutherland
Also Martin Short!
Sandra Oh doesn't really do Stand-Up; That clip was from the opening monologue for Saturday Night Live.
John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short - almost all the cast of SCTV
Paul Gross is one that comes to mind who is more known in Canada but didn’t go south. Gordon Pinsent, Nicholas Campbell, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, I could go on. Lol
My fav Canadian actors are Ryan Renyolds, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey- Ace Ventura Pet Detective (lol), and "Schitt's Creek," father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy. We have so many talented, funny and genius actors and comedians not mention singers up here in the Great White North which reminds me not to forget to mention, "Bob & Doug Mackenzie,' aka Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis! Four pounds of backbacon anyone? Lol. Oh and we cannot forget, Mike Meyers of "Wayne's World," and "Austin Powers."
Ryan Reynolds, Keifer Sutherland, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Gordon Pinsent, James Doohan, John Candy, etc. Until relatively recently there hasn't been a huge movie industry in Canada, so actors often went to the States.
Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany, she starred in a huge Canadian show, Orphan Black that was a hit in the US as well, and she then was cast as She Hulk in the Marvel Series. Its rare that a great Canadian actor doesnt end up in the US when they are so talented.
Sarcasm in Canada is definitely a thing yes. I once cracked Matthew Perry up at a bar in Montreal - he spent a lot of time there at one point in the early to mid 80s - with some sarcastic remark I made, before he was famous. Yes, we enjoy our sarcasm and are very comfortable with it. And I'm not saying this sarcastically.
totally sarcastic in my family. it greases the wheels of life and helps keep perspective. if non canadians knew how scathing we are they would hide from us. this side of our nature is usually only shared w friends and family, the politess is for social interactions. canadians arent nice, it is just manners, we are careful and reserved.
The reason that Canadians are comfortable with sarcasm, is that we are not raised to act like the sun shines out our arses. Americans tend to act like the sun shines out of their arses. All but Bill Shatner. His ego is bigger than the universe.
Nova Scotia has such a small population so fewer celebrities. I believe Ontario & BC have produced the most well known celebrities in terms of actors/actresses and singers. And you are correct Celine Dione is from Quebec. Another well known actor is Donald Sutherland who starred in M*A*S*H in the 70's, Italian Job, Eye of the Needle, The Mechanic and The Hunger Games. He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Tommy Chong was born and raised Canadian! Raymond Burr was Canadian his mother was Canadian and he used to come back and got medical attention at the royal Columbia hospital in New west minister BC near where he grew up when little my mother knew him in school! And yes ketchup and pickle crisps are a popular thing in Canada
Keifer Sutherland, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short
Keanu Reeves has been accused by a number of women for extremely appropriate behaviour. LOL, he's such an extremely nice guy.
*Brent Butt* is one of the funnies stand-up comedians and stars in his own Canadian sitcom called *"Corner Gas"*
*"BRENT BUTT - Fabio on a Rollercoaster"*
John Candy, Carrie-Ann Moss (Matrix), Michael Cera (Juno), James Cameron, Neve Campbell, Anna Paquin, Evangeline Lily, Catharine O'Hara, Dan Akroyd, Martin Short, Mike Myers, Leslie Nielsen, Pamela Anderson, Michael J Fox, Kim Cattrall (Sex & the City), Jim Carrey, Eugene Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Elisha Cuthbert, Jason Priestley, William Shatner, Howie Mandell, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Alan Thicke, Will Arnott, Dwayne Johnson, Cory Monteith (Glee), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Mary Pickford, Lorne Greene, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Plummer, Rick Moranis, Brendan Fraser, and more.
Great list
To add to the list ...... Howie Mandel, Jason Priestley, Evangeline Lilly (Lost), Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), Bruce Greenwood (move Thirteen Days, TV - The Resident etc), Victor Garber, the late Alan Thicke, Dan & Eugene Levy and many. many, many more.
Seth Rogen is a great guy he gives back to the community here in Vancouver a lot. Super humble and down-to-earth
Hey folks, lets not forfget
....The Guess Who...Bachman Turner Overdrive....some pretty big hits there
Canadians share the British humour as we were brought up watching On the Bus,
Dr, Who, Coronation Street,
we are huge Monty Python fans here! We have that dry, witty humour. Going way back Canadian actor William Shatner of Star Trek fame.
Here is a huge star in the film industry that never gets recognition. Not a movie star, but makes blockbuster movies. Canadian born James Cameron, academy award winner for best picture - Titanic, also known for huge blockbusters movie series ie. Avatar, Aliens, The Terminator, to name a few.
Yes, Canadians have plenty of sarcasm too. Often comes strong from our passive agressiveness...
I could name Canadian celebrities all day long, and still miss out on some. We appear in every genre of entertainment, sports, movies, tv, music, comedy, pro wrestling, writing, UFC, etc.
Just off the top of my head (not including those that were on the list you watched): Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, William Shatner, James Doohan, Pamela Anderson, Rocky Johnson (father of The Rock), Bret Hart, Ryan Reynolds, Simu Liu, Our Lady Peace, Trish Stratus, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, George St-Pierre, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Stana Katic, Martin Short, Alanis Morissette, Missy Peregrym, Nina Dobrev, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Kim Cattrall, Michael Buble, Michael J. Fox, Joshua Jackson, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Taylor Kitsch, Dan Aykroyd, Bryan Adams, Phil Hartman, Neil Young, Malin Ackerman, Vanessa Lengies, Natasha Henstridge, Tom Green, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tommy Chong, Paul Gross - and like I said, so many others!
And of course, right after I commented all those names, I stumble across this video (th-cam.com/video/WaLWTpxdPz0/w-d-xo.html) - and I am ashamed of some of the names I left out/forgot... but clearly, they left some out too ;)
You asked about a Canadian actor who remained in Canada and had a successful career here. Check out Paul Gross. Terrific actor who played on hit shows in Canada, one called Due South, and also won major awards for his work on Passchendaele and was also in a hit movie Men with Brooms about curling (very Canadian) :) Cheers!
I am a big fan of Paul Gross and have seen the movies and shows you mention. I loved his guest starring stint in the Republic of Doyle as well (he played a bad guy for once).
One of my favourite actors-loved Due South and Men with Brooms. Great singer too.
Not only do Canadians play a huge part of N America's entertainment scene but many of the TV shows, block buster movies and animation are produced in Canada. Have you seen Schitt's Creek?
Ryan Gosling lived in my little city and his Mum still lives here, or she did. I saw Ryan at Bestbuy one Boxing Day, he was very cool about it. I just nodded and smiled at him
Many Canadian artists remain(ed) based in Canada: Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Sarah Polley,
Paul Gross, Christopher Plummer, Gordon Pinsent, Adam Beach, Graham Greene...to name a few.
Yes, Celine Dion is from Quebec, as is Leonard Cohen. But I think, among musical artists, it would be hard to find that any province dominates: Joni Mitchell (Saskatchewan), Neil Young (Ontario), Guess Who (Manitoba), Dianne Krall (BC), KD Lang (Alberta), Buffy Sainte-Marie (Saskatchewan)...a small sample!
And of course, Gordon Lightfoot just passed away on Monday.
Here is another list of actors or artists you might not know are Canadian:
th-cam.com/video/WaLWTpxdPz0/w-d-xo.html
And, if you want a break from Scandanavian series, you might check out "Orphan Black", a Canadian series that ran for 5 seasons. Won't try to describe it other than to say it will always keep you guessing! (It features many wonderful actors including Tatiana Maslany.)
FYI Neil Young is from Winnipeg and relocated to Toronto.
@@kathygreenlay73 FYI - Neil Young was born in Toronto.
Keifer Sutherland! Tommy Douglas’ grandson!
There are a lot of famous Canadians who are Canada-Famous. A lot of them are musicians since Canadian acts tend to have an easier time becoming locally famous, but we do have a lot of local actors who only do Canadian shows. After muscicians, Comedians are probably the next biggest success we have. The "Just for Laughs" festivial in Montreal is world famous and has a lot of Canadian content, and we have a lot of other comedy festivals that help comedians make a living. Plus Comedy shows are popular (Corner Gas, Schitt's Creek, Trailerpark Boys, LetterKenny, etc...) and help comedians establish a name.
Our humour especially tends to be dryer, more sarcastic as you noted. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia especially seem to be where a lot of popular comedians come from. This partly comes from some long running shows based in the region ( "This Hour has 22 Minutes" and "Trailerpark Boys" for example).
Some Canada-famous actors/comediens would include:
* Rick Mercer (Comedian)
* Mark Critch (Comedian)
* Mary Walsh (Comedian)
* Basically anyone who has been on "This Hour has 22 Minutes" over it's 30 years run. (Along with anyone who has been on Royal Canadian Air Farce )
* Colin Mochrie (Comedian, famous in the US for "Who's Line is it Anyway"; he's Scottish-Canadian; his co-comedian Ryan Styles is American-Canadian; born in Seattle to Canadian parents)
* Hugh Dillon (Actor and Musician; known for the TV show Flashpoint and the music group The Headstones.)
* Graham Greene (Active, a famous First Nation actor )
* Enrico Colantoni (Actor on Flashpoint
* Jonathan Torrens (Actor/Comedian; started on a children's edutainment show "Street Cents")
Another thing for Acting in Canada, is the fact that there is a LOT of US production done in Vancouver and Toronto (and other Canadian places). So a lot of actors will be starring in US series, often in supporting roles, so people get used to seeing them, even if they never leave Canada.
You forgot Johnny Harris, who does the comedy show 'Still Standing." I have caught a few episodes of it and always found it funny.
My Daughter and son in law live in Vancouver, and we had to giggle when we visited in the summer in blazing heat (44C) and saw fake snow and Christmas decorations set up because a movie was being filmed.
Most Canadian artists do not become famous in Canada until they become famous in the States first. Our cultures are very intertwined. There are a few Canadian shows that became popular here such as "Road to Avonlea" or "Corner Gas". But a lot of American shows and movies are filmed in Canada so Canadian-based actors can technically get their big break while still at home even if they're working for Hollywood. One of the Ashmore twins was in my husband's favourite show: Warehouse 13. It was filmed in Vancouver so I recognized a lot of the extras and guest stars.
came here to mention Warehouse 13! and also you may recognise Shawn as Iceman in the xmen movies :)
North of 60 also started a few hollywood careers! Ex: Adam Beach
They become famous in Canada, they become world famous in the states. The Trailer Park boys, for example, became more widely known one they went to the states, but all their best content, what made them famous, was from in Canada.
Right like he said he didn't recognize Fringe which was a Canadian shoe.
@@tiffaniterris2886
One of the best on YT (over 2M views):
"Canada and The United States Compared"
Here's part of an interview discussing Mary Pickford (American Experience, PBS):
Narrator: She studied her performances carefully and realized that the camera demanded a new style of acting.
Scott Eyman: In Mary's era the prevailing acting method was the Delsarte method, specific emotions were indicated by fairly specific gestures. Anger would be you know the narrowing of the eyes; make them burn. Distress would be (gesturing.)
Narrator: Pickford changed that.
Tino Balio: She invented acting for film. She understood that you have a close, intimate relationship with the camera, and more subtle, more naturalistic gestures would be very effective. She stands out because she has more vibrancy, she has more immediacy, and she actually conveys more emotion in the process.
Narrator: In her first year at Biograph, Pickford appeared in more than sixty films. She played mothers, deserted wives, prostitutes, and virgins. She realized that she was basically a comic or light actress. "It was a shock" she said, "but in stature, temperament and general appearance, I was not fitted for great emotional roles." She began to fight with Griffith to interpret parts the way she wanted.
Jeanine Basinger: Griffith and Pickford were not a comfortable mix. He wanted a kind of ethereal, beautiful, romanticized version of a Victorian woman: vulnerable, just not who Mary Pickford was. Mary Pickford was resilient; she was tough; she fought back.
Narrator: When they started filming Wilful Peggy in July 1910, she complained that she was tired of insipid heroines. Griffith told her to play the part the way she wanted. Wilful Peggy is peasant girl forced to marry an older nobleman.
Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Film Historian: From the very beginning audiences could tell that she was something different. She just lights up the screen.
You can watch Wilful Peggy (14 min, 36s) here:
th-cam.com/video/94sP_rBmfEg/w-d-xo.html
Note: as far as I know, Wilful Peggy is now considered to be in the public domain for copyright purposes.
Interesting you know so much about Mary Pickford. In school (1970s) we did a project on silent films. I wrote to her and got invited to Pickfair -- an unforgettable trip for a youngster. Mary got her Canadian citizenship restored shortly thereafter.
@@bcdave91 Sounds like a fantastic trip!
Canadian celebrities that come to mind are Gordon Lightfoot, Eugene Levy, Megan Follows, Rick Mercer
Don't forget Winnie the pooh
Named after the city Winnipeg
He was a military mascot
Leslie Nielsen made it big in the U.S.. Gordon Pinsent decided to stay in Canada, despite getting numerous offers to star in U.S. productions.
Over at Marvel, Simu Liu was big in Canada on "Kim's Convenience" before he became Shang Chi. Iman Vellani's (also Canadian) very first acting job was as Ms. Marvel.
Brent Butt-Corner Gas!!! Great Canadian show also filled with great Canadian comedians that never left 💓
My parents said I sometimes was in the same playpen with him when we lived in rural Saskatchewan and my parents were visiting his
Everyone always forgets about Tommy Chong....from Cheech & Chong.
Tommy Chong also was a very good guitarist and had his own band. He originally moved from Calgary Alberta to Vancouver BC to try and get his band "Little Daddy and The Bachelors" signed to a record deal. He brought his brother-in-law Floyd Sneed to play drums. BTW - Tommy and Maxine's daughter - Rae Dawn Chong - became a pretty famous actor in her own right.
Anyway - Tommy's band did some gigs in LA and hooked up with a lead singer named Bobby Taylor and the reformed band was renamed Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. Tommy still played guitar and while they were performing in Vancouver they were noticed by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson of The Supremes who recommended the band to Barry Gordy of Motown. They were signed with Motown and recorded a song written by Tommy Chong called "Does Your Mama Know About Me?" It became a top 30 hit in the US and they were on their way.
When the band was playing in Chicago, a family band opened for them that Bobby Taylor thought were pretty great. Bobby took the band to Barry Gordy and he signed them immediately after hearing their audition. That band was The Jackson 5. Bobby became their mentor and produced their first two albums.
The band broke up and Tommy was back in Vancouver running his own club and chasing gigs. He ran into a kid from LA that was in Vancouver because his dad - a LA police Captain - didn't want his son to go to Vietnam so he sent him to Canada. His name was Cheech Marin.
And that is how a guitar playing half-Chinese kid from Calgary, Alberta, who wrote a hit soul song for his Motown band, became a member of one of the biggest comedy duos of all time.
BTW - remember I mentioned Tommy's bother-in-law? Well, he made his way to LA after the band broke up. A couple of guys - Chuck and Danny - were walking down a street in LA one fine evening and heard a pretty great drum solo as they passed by a bar. They went in and told the drummer that they were starting a band and would he like to be part of it? That is how Floyd Sneed - a Black kid born in Calgary Alberta - joined Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and the rest of the gang and became the drummer for the legendary Three Dog Night.
Small world - ain't it? 🙂
I really enjoy your videos. It would be cool to see you review The Tragically Hip. The day Gord Downie passed away was a a day that Canada, as a country, truly mourned. They are icons in Canada. Thanks eh.
Matthew Perry went to high school with our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and apparently Matthew and his friends used to bully Justin. Matthews father is american and was a well known actor in the 70's and 80's and his mother is Canadian.
As far as chips go Canada is known for ketchup chips and all dressed which is a combo of salt and vinegar and BBQ and a couple of other flavours which combines to make a really good flavour.
One of the Ashmore brothers was in the earlier X men movies.
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were both born in London Ontario which is where I was born.
"Oscar Peterson & Glenn Gould " Two of the finest piano players of the twentieth century.
Matthew Perry's humour in friends is very synonymous with Canada, that dry, sarcastic humour is a common theme between british and canadian humour
Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Keneau Reeves is also called the best ambassador Canada has ever produced.
I have seen Nathan Fillion while attemding a ballet in Edmonton, Alberta and also in lineup to get into a tbeatre production. He wasn't famous at the time and he was pretty young but he was just so tall and beautiful both times it was like seeing a smoking hot male model. Unforgettable. I honestly recognized him later on when I started to watch him in the Firefly TV series.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the man himself - Wayne Gretzky.
Denny Doherty from Mamas and Papas was from Nova Scotia, Canada
There are more Canadians lurking about in the entertainment industry. You might want to watch the 1985 “mockumentary” called “The Canadian Conspiracy”. Oh, and Mary Pickford co-founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith.
Hugh Dillon is an amazing actor. He's from Kingston, Ontario and he's more famous for being in shows like Flash Point, Yellowstone, Durham County, close friends with Jeremy Renny, but he's the front man for the hard rock bar band called the Headstones. He's one of my favourite famous Canadians!
I find us Canadians know most of the list of famous Canadians. There might be the occasional celebrity that I have forgot/don't know are Canadian but typically it is because they were not one I cared about. Americans on the other hand tend to be surprised despite the actor bring up the fact they are Canadian in interviews all the time.
Check out the Tragically Hip. They were popular in the USA, but they were always home-based in Canada. Truly loved by Canada!
I can't speak of all Canadians, however myself, have a very sarcastic sense of humour, as well as most of my friends. Haha.
Hope everyone is taking care
I think the point of the list was not to show the most famous Canadians, but to focus on ones that's aren't widely known to be Canadian. So it's fine if you didn't know some of them were Canadian.
Back in the late 60s, 3 fave programs in the USA were 'Star Trek', Bonanza, and ABC Evening News. Willam Shatner was Capt. Kirk, then Lornen Green was 'Pa'....the father in the massively popular Bonanza, and on ABC Evening NEWS was Peter Jennings. Because of ALL this America saw ALL its authority coming from 3 Canadians!!! TOO funny!
PS........................I'm sure you've opened up a WHOLE can of worms here! We like our 'stars' well hidden until anyone asks if there are famous Canadians......?
I think Canadian humour is heavily influenced by British humour.... Monty Python's Flying Circus...
I may be biased but Nova Scotia has so much musical talent many that have been known internationally, especially for the size of the province.
There are many, many great Québécois actors and actresses that are unknown in the USA and most of the rest of Canada because they are mostly in French speaking films, tv and theatre but are well known in the francophone world.
Genevieve Bujold
The really amazing part of all the great Canadian musician, actors and comedians is that it's only a country with 10% of the USA population so somewhere between 380 000 000 million to canada's 38 to 40 million. It's also the same for UK and Austrailian artists that Americans don't know are from other countries.
If you like the Scandinavian dramas, I’d recommend “The Handmaids Tale”. While it is nothing like a crime drama, it is one of the very few North American shows ever, to allow itself the pacing that that Scandi-drama has. It is also similar in feel, with its muted tones. Never garish, never glitzy. Written by Canadian Margaret Atwood and filmed in Toronto - and actually starring Toronto as itself!
th-cam.com/video/dVLiDETfx1c/w-d-xo.html
Actually, it's filmed in Hamilton.
@@Beatle4 yup. Waterford’s house is near where I live on Bay south
Love
Scandinavian cop shows. Favourites are the bridge from Sweden and trapped from
Iceland
Ooooo, I almost forgot : Amanda Tapping from
Stargate SG - 1.
Nathan Fillion has been in Castle, Firefly and now The Rookie.
And inspired the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavilion campaign 😂
Nathan got his first big break starring in a soap opera for several years.
Shawn Ashmore (one of the twins mentioned) is currently also in The Rookie.
Rick Mercer has had a great career in Canada. He is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant comedic minds we've produced, and everyone should watch everything he's ever done. And I am not at all related to him in any way!
The Greatest celebs from Canada, that would be the members of RUSH, eh?
and The Tragically Hip. R.I.P. Gord Downey & Neil Peart 😪
Céline Dion was an international French singer superstar before her English career took off. She’s from a small place in Québec.
You may be interested in watching I'm Not Crying by Ryan Reynolds.