It’s July 1, and that means it’s Canada Day!
Canadians show their pride in their country’s history, culture and accolades on the national holiday. While Canada Day is not celebrated in the United States, we shout out our neighbors to the north with a list of Canadians who have brought their talents to the States.
Canada has been celebrating Canada since 1868, with festivities being hosted across the nation. The holiday, which was once called “Dominion Day” and commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution Act, which merged three territories into a single nation that we know today as Canada.
From Ryan Reynolds, to Sandra Oh, here are all the famous folks who were born in Canada or hold Canadian citizenship.
Céline Dion
Six-time Grammy award winning artist Celine Dion originally hails from Charlamagne, Canada. The living legend is best known for her hit tracks “All By Myself” and the signature “Titianic” theme song, “My Heart Will Go On.”
Tommy Chong
“Cheech and Chong” actor Cheech Marin was born in Edmonton, Canada. He is also well-known for playing Leo on Fox’s “That ‘70s Show.”
Ryan Gosling
“Barbie” actor Ryan Gosling is best-known for his role as Noah in “The Notebook.” He was born in London, Canada and moved to Orlando, Florida at the age of 12 after nailing a “Mickey Mouse Club” Mouseketeer audition.
Shay Mitchell
“Pretty Little Liars” and “You” star Shay Mitchell was born in Mississauga, Canada.
Michael Cera
Michael Cera has made his mark in Hollywood, from “This Is the End” to “Superbad” and the upcoming “Barbie.” He is originally from Brampton, Canada.
Elliot Page
Actor Elliot Page hails from Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada. He’s starred in several shows and films, including “Juno” and “The Umbrella Academy.”
Director X
Music video, commercial and film director Director X was born in Toronto, Canada. He’s directed more than 100 music videos for several artists, including Usher, Drake and Ariana Grande.
Elon Musk
The billionaire Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa but moved to Canada at the age 18. He acquired citizenship through his Canadian-born mother, supermodel Maye Musk.
Rachel McAdams
Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Rachel McAdams got her film debut in comedy working alongside Robert Schneider in “The Hot Chick.” Her “Notebook” costar Ryan Gosling was also born in Canada.
Seth Rogen
Originally a stand-up comedian, Seth Rogen departed Vancouver for Los Angeles in 1999 to star in Judd Apatow’s series “Freaks and Geeks.”
Keanu Reeves
Born in Beirut but raised in Toronto, Keanu Reeves has starred huge blockbusters, including “The Matrix” and “John Wick” franchises.
Avril Lavigne
This Belleville, Canada singer-songwriter is best known for her hits “Complicated,” “Girlfriend” and “Sk8er Boi.”
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson hails from Ladysmith, Canada and shares dual citizenship with the States and her home country. The model and actress made a big splash in the beach series “Baywatch.”
Justin Bieber
The pop star has behind hits “Baby” and “Boyfriend” has yet to receive American citizenship, though he’s been in the States since he was 13. He was born in London, Canada.
Michael J. Fox
Actor and activist Michael J. Fox was born in Edmonton, Canada. He moved to the U.S. in 1978, landing his breakout role on the sitcom “Family Ties.”
Kim Cattrall
Emmy award-winning British-Canadian actress Kim Cattrall is best known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO’s his series “Sex and the City.” Although she was born in England, her family emigrated to Canada when she was just three-months old.
Matthew Perry
American-Canadian actor Matthew Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, but was raised by his mother in Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
Joshua Jackson
Born in Vancouver, actor Joshua Jackson is known for his roles in the series “Dawson’s Creek” and Paramount+’s series remake of “Fatal Attraction.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Hollywood mega star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t born in Canada but he obtained Canadian citizenship because of his father’s lineage as a Nova Scotian-born native.
Dan Akroyd
The “Ghostbusters” star was born in Ottawa, Canada. Akroyd is also known for his roles in “Boneheads” and “The Blues Brothers.”
David Foster
David Foster, the songwriter behind hit tracks “The Best of Me,” “After the Love Has Gone” and “After Tonight,” was born in Victoria, Canada.
Winnie Harlow
Fashion model Winnie Harlow, who gained prominence after competing on “America’s Next Top Model,” was born in Mississauga, Canada.
Sandra Oh
Canadian-American actress Sandra Oh moved to Los Angeles to film the HBO comedy “Arli$$” in 1996. She is originally from Nepean, Ottawa, Canada.
Drake
Born in Toronto, Canada, rapper Drake grew to stardom while playing Jimmy Brooks on “Degrassi.” He’s now a five-time Grammy winning hip-hop artist.
Ryan Reynolds
The “Deadpool” star moved to Los Angeles from Vancouver in the late 1990s.
The Weeknd
Singer, songwriter, record producer and now “The Idol” actor The Weeknd was born in Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland’s most recent projects include “They Cloned Tyrone” and “Rabbit Hole.” The British-Canadian actor and musician was born in London but moved to Toronto, Ontario after his parents divorced in 1970.
Will Arnett
Will Arnett, the star of “Arrested Development” and voice of BoJack on Netflix’s adult animated series “BoJack Horseman,” was born in Toronto, Canada
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s fame blossomed after the actress starred in Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.” She also voiced the character Priya in Disney’s “Turning Red.” Ramakrishnan is from Mississauga, Canada.
Anna Cathcart
Anna Cathcart started her acting career in the PBS Kids series “Odd Squad.” The Vancouver native most recently starred in Netflix’s “XO Kitty” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
Neil Young
Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young moved to Los Angeles and joined the rock group Buffalo Springfield. He is originally from Toronto, Canada.
Evangeline Lilly
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” star Evangeline Lilly is from Fort Saskatchewan, Canada.
Mike Myers
From “Wayne’s World” to the entire “Austin Powers” universe to “The Cat in the Hat,” Mike Myers impact in the Hollywood is massive. The Canada-born actor was born in Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.
William Shatner
What would the “Star Trek” franchise be without William Shatner? Shatner, who originally hails from Montreal, also starred in the series “Boston Legal” and the film “Miss Congeniality.”
Deadmau5
Hailing from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is home to electronic music producer and DJ Joel “Deadmau5” Zimmerman. Some of his most well-known tracks are “Bot,” “Alone With You” and “Hi Friend.”
