You would be in for a nasty awakening if you believed that the best performers solely come from the United States. Hollywood’s biggest stars include some foreigners. Due to its reputation as a nation of opportunities, America has attracted some of the top talents from around the globe, including Canada. Canadian actors continue to break through the film business, earning appearances in several prestigious productions.
#10: Dan Aykroyd
Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer who counseled Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and Lorraine Hélène (Gougeon), a secretary from a French-Canadian family, welcomed Daniel Edward Aykroyd into the world on July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Aykroyd studied sociology and criminology while attending Carleton University in 1969 but left before earning his degree. He performed as a comedian in different nightclubs around Canada and ran Club 505 in Toronto for several years.
He began his acting career at Carleton University with “Sock’n’Buskin,” the school theater/drama club, and has since performed with Second City Stage Troupe in Toronto. They have been together since 1983 and have three daughters. His brother Peter Aykroyd is a psychic researcher, and his parents are Peter and Lorraine. In 1994, Carleton University awarded Dan an honorary doctorate, and in 1998, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada.
#9: Tom Cavanagh
Tom Cavanagh, an actor and director nominated for a Golden Globe can be seen in Warner Bros. “The Flash” (2014) on the CW. In addition, he recently finished post-production on the short film Tom and Grant (2018), which he wrote, directed, and co-starred in with Grant Gustin from “The Flash.
Cavanagh has a long list of credits in theater, cinema, and television in addition to his current series. On NBC’s “Ed” (2000), he both directed and starred (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance). He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for “Bang Bang You’re Dead” on Showtime (2002).
Together with these shows, he has appeared in “Trust Me” (2009) on TNT and appeared opposite Eric McCormack in “Love Monkey” (2006) on CBS, “Eli Stone” (2008) on ABC, and “Scrubs” (2001) on NBC.
The suspense thriller “400 Days” (2015), the upcoming independent “Love & Debt” (2019), and “Yogi Bear” (2010) starring T.J. Theatrical achievements include Broadway turns in Shenandoah and, most recently, the Tony Award-winning Urinetown.
Film credits include “Two Weeks” (2006) with Sally Field, the contentious “Breakfast with Scot” (2007) that was nicknamed the “gay hockey movie,” and Miller and Justin Timberlake. Cavanagh’s primary area of interest is directing, and some of his additional credits include numerous theater plays, the 2008 NY film “Money Game,” and the feature film.
#8: Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland in a still from The Hunger Games pic.twitter.com/bAs0nBifbP
— Donald Sutherland FC (@donaldsuth_fans) November 19, 2014
Canadian actor Donald Sutherland’s towering presence and outstanding contributions to cinema are frequently noted. He has made approximately 200 distinct television and cinema appearances. Together with others, he is the father of well-known actor Kiefer Sutherland.
Dorothy Isobel (McNichol) and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and power, welcomed Donald McNichol Sutherland into the world in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has Scotch ancestry in addition to German and English. Sutherland, who graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in engineering, held a variety of occupations during his career—he was a radio DJ in his youth—and was nearly determined to pursue a career as an engineer.
Sutherland’s early roles were cameos in movies like Christopher Lee’s horror classic “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors” (1965), which featured Sutherland. Moreover, he had guest appearances in episodes of “The Saint” and “Court Martial.” But Sutherland would soon get his big break, which would come in the form of a war movie for which he was hardly even cast.
#7: Kiefer Sutherland
Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, two Canadian actors, went to Hollywood soon after Kiefer Sutherland was born. He was born in London, England, UK. Tommy Douglas was his maternal grandfather, a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as Saskatchewan’s premier for more than 17 years and as the party’s leader for nearly ten.
Kiefer’s debut performance in a movie was in the comedy-drama “Max Dugan Returns” (1983). Sutherland’s first significant performance came in the Canadian drama “The Bay Boy” (1984), for which he received nominations for best actor and best director Genie awards, respectively. Sutherland eventually relocated to Los Angeles after his success in “The Bay Boy” and received television roles in “The Mission,” an episode of “Incredible Tales” (1985), and the telefilm “Stuck in Silence” (1986), both starring Marsha Mason.
He now resides in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles in a former foundry that he purchased to serve as the headquarters for his record label, “Ironworks” Music. He shares the home with his daughter Sarah Jude, who was born in 1988 and frequently stayed with him, and his collection of vintage guitars.
His first union lasted two years and was to Sarah’s mother, actress Catherine Kath. His second marriage was to model Kelly Winn, and following their divorce, he fell in love with Julia Roberts. But, when she heard rumors that he was seeing a stripper, which he denied, she called off their wedding.
#6: Elliot Page
Dennis Page, a graphic artist, and Martha Philpotts, a teacher, welcomed their son Elliot into the world in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Page attended the Neptune Theater School because he wanted to start acting at a young age. They started working when they were ten years old on the acclaimed television show “Pit Pony” (1999), for which they were nominated for both a Gemini and a Young Artist Award. Afterward, Page starred in Marion Bridge (2002), which received the Toronto International Film Festival’s Best Canadian First Feature prize.
He received Gemini Awards for Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series and Best Performance in a Cable Feature for his portrayal of Lilith in the first season of “ReGenesis” (2004), an hour-long drama for TMNTMN/Movie Central. Moreover, Page was a part of the acclaimed television series “Trailer Park Boys” (2001).
Page received much recognition for their outstanding performance as the lead in David Slade’s “Hard Candy” (2005), which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Page played a 14-year-old who meets a 30-year-old photographer online and attempts to expose him as a pedophile.
In the films that came after, Page played Kitty Pryde in the third installment of the X-Men series, “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), as well as the title role in Bruce McDonald’s “The Tracey Fragments” (2007), “An American Crime” (2007), which also starred Catherine Keener.
#5: Ryan Reynolds
On October 23, 1976, Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His father, James Chester Reynolds, was a food distributor, while his mother, Tamara Lee “Tammy” (Stewart), worked as a salesperson in retail establishments. He is of Scottish and Irish descent.
Between 1991 and 1993, Ryan starred among many other Canadian performers in the Nickelodeon series “Fifteen” (1990), filmed in Florida. Following the conclusion of the series, he moved back to Vancouver and appeared in several forgettable television movies.
He played supporting roles in the 1995 films “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” starring Glenn Close, and “In Cold Blood,” updated by CBSCBS (1996). But his streak of good fortune had convinced him to give up acting.
One night, he met Chris William Martin, a fellow actor from Vancouver. Ryan looked somewhat down when Martin approached him and instructed him to pack everything because they were moving to Los Angeles, California. The two stayed in a budget motel in Los Angeles. Reynolds’ jeep was stripped on the first night of their stay after being rolled downhill.
Ryan operated it without doors for the following four months. He was cast as Berg in the 1997 film “Two Men, a Girl, and a Pizza Shop” (1998). The show was first derided by critics and appeared eager for any rating success. Nonetheless, a second season was ordered, with a clause calling for Kevin Abbott, the former writer of “Roseanne” (1988), to give it a makeover.
#4: William Shatner
As the square-jawed Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the spaceship USSUSS Enterprise, William Shatner has racked up an astonishing seventy-plus years in front of the camera, demonstrating solid comedic talent and being instantly recognizable to numerous generations of cult television fans.
Shatner was born to Anne (Garmaise) and Joseph Shatner, a clothes manufacturer, in Côte Saint-Luc, Montréal, Québec, Canada. His maternal grandparents were Jews from Lithuania, while his father was a Jewish immigrant from the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Bukovina.
He worked as an assistant manager for a small summer theater company after receiving his degree from college. Later, he appeared with the National Repertory Theatre of Ottawa as an understudy for actors like Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Anthony Quayle at the Stratford, Ontario, Shakespeare Festival. He caught the eye of New York reviewers and quickly began to appear in significant roles on popular live television programs.
He exercises outside of work by jogging and participating in other sports. He became the spokesperson for the American Health Institute’s “Know Your Body” initiative to promote nutritional and physical health due to his interest in health and nutrition.
#3: Dwayne Johnson
The Rock, also known as Dwayne Douglas Johnson, was born in Hayward, California, on May 2, 1972. He is the son of professional wrestlers Rocky Johnson and Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia) (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His mother is Samoan, while his father is black (of Black Nova Scotian origin) and from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada (her father was Peter Fanene Maivia, also a professional wrestler). Dwayne spent much of his childhood traveling with his parents and seeing his father compete in the ring.
Dwayne started playing football in high school, and the University of Miami quickly offered him a full athletic scholarship after noticing his prodigious talent. Dwayne’s back injury in 1995 prevented him from playing in the NFL. The Canadian League then offered him a three-year contract, but he quit after one year to pursue a career in wrestling.
He made his professional wrestling debut in the USWA as Flex Kavanah when he and Brett Sawyer won the tag team title. Dwayne became Rocky Maivia when he joined the WWE in 1996. There, he joined a group called “The Nation of Domination” and changed his character to a heel.
Rocky soon assumed control of the “Nation” and adopted The Rock’s persona. Once the “Nation” broke up, The Rock joined the “Corporation,” another prestigious organization of wrestlers, and they launched a famous rivalry with Steve Austin.
#2: Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey, an actor and producer born in Canada and a citizen of the United States since 2004, is renowned for his fluid facial expressions and rubbery body motions. Carrey made his stand-up debut in Toronto as his parents and siblings recovered. At Yuk-Yuk’s, one of the numerous neighborhood clubs that would serve as his training ground over the years to come, he made his (reportedly terrible) professional stand-up debut. He dropped out of high school, practiced impersonating famous people, and finally mustered the courage to relocate to Los Angeles in 1979.
He wrangled his way into a regular position at The Comedy Store, and Rodney Dangerfield was so impressed that he hired him as his opening act for a season. Carrey married Melissa Womer, a waitress, and they had a daughter (Jane). After going through a highly acrimonious divorce, Carrey was able to marry actress Lauren Holly for a brief second time.
Carrey started searching for alternative performing venues because he was reluctant to adopt the lounge-act lifestyle. In the flimsy sitcom “The Duck Factory” (1984), he earned a role as a beginning cartoonist. Despite the show’s failure, the experience provided Carrey with the self-assurance to pursue acting more actively.
#1: Keanu Reeves
Hawaiian for “cold breeze over the mountains,” Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964. He is the son of geologist Samuel Nowlin Reeves and a showgirl and costume designer Patricia Taylor. Keanu’s mother is originally from England, whereas Keanu’s father was born in Hawaii and has British, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese ancestry.
Keanu relocated to New York City and,1 subsequently, to Toronto with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, following the dissolution of his parent’s marriage. Reeves showed little interest in academics in high school but showed a strong passion for theatre and ice hockey, whereas the team’s goalkeeper, he earned the moniker “The Wall.” He eventually left school to pursue a career in acting.
After a few theatrical performances and a couple of made-for-TV movies, he landed a supporting part in the Canadian-shot Rob Lowe hockey movie “Youngblood” (1986). Reeves left the set shortly after it was finished and headed to Hollywood. With his portrayal in the dark teen drama “River’s Edge” (1986), Reeves caught the attention of the reviewers. He then landed a supporting part with director Stephen Frears in the Oscar-nominated “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988).
References
- Whitney Perry, Famous People From Canada (Yes, There Are a Lot), retrieved from https://www.glamour.com/gallery/famous-people-from-canada
- Lilian, Top 15 Famous Canadian actors, retrieved from https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/canada/top-10-famous-canadian-actors/
- Rebecca Brayton, Top 10 Canadian Actors, retrieved from https://watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-canadian-actors