It might come as a shock, but some of Hollywood’s greatest stars weren’t basking in the California Golden State sun there are plenty enough Canadians among them. Though Celine Dion and Justin Bieber lead the way for Canada, there is a whole roster of other stars who have snuck south across the break to realize their dreams without most knowing where they had started off in the first place north of the break.
Canada’s contribution to the entertainment scene of the world is enormous. Ranging from those who have made the shows icons to those who have brought new music, they all carry something special with them that is a blend of talent and knowledge gained from where they were born. Whether when they first moved to Hollywood as teenagers or became famous later in life, their Canadian origin brings a special spin to their stories. Here are nine stars whose roots will shock even the most committed pop culture addicts testimony that Canada’s appeal reaches far, far into the Great White North.
1. Sandra Oh’s Ottawa Roots
Before astonishing viewers with her Cristina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy” and Eve Polastri on “Killing Eve,” Sandra Oh was cultivating her imagination in Nepean, a suburb just outside Ottawa. She started with ballet, but then the acting came along. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1996 with HBO’s “Arli$”, the beginning of her American life.
Though she is renowned everywhere else, Oh’s Canadian heritage is in her soul. She is also warm and earthy, but with that touch of humility and drive that makes Canadian actors great.
2. Keanu Reeves’ Toronto Roots
Keanu Reeves is the star in “The Matrix” films and “John Wick” films, but he began ages back from Hollywood. Born in Beirut, the precocious age of five found him being moved to Toronto where his young boy hobby was playing hockey. He even got to be a French Canadian goalie in a game against Patrick Swayze in “Youngblood” in 1986.
Reeves’ no-nonsense dignity and resolve owe to his Canadian heritage, a nation which is responsible for instilling in him an international outlook and sound work ethic.
3. Rachel McAdams’ Ontario Pride
Rachel McAdams, not to be outdone as Regina George in “Mean Girls” and Allie in “The Notebook,” was born, surprisingly enough, in London, Ontario. She started out with Canadian productions, her foot in the door before landing her Hollywood role, eventually receiving a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2014.
Her own career is marked by putting together Hollywood franchise tentpoles and indie gems, and she has testified regarding the way in which a childhood spent in Canada provided her with a balancing act and sense to Hollywood’s hyperactive film industry.
4. Toronto Influence of Drake
Drake’s rise from “Degrassi The Next Generation” thespian to international rap sensation is legend in the making. Toronto native Aubrey Drake Graham has integrated his city into music name-dropping sites like the Hazelton Hotel and nicknaming Toronto “The 6.”
Along with chart-topping singles, Drake has popularized Canadian music across the world and put Toronto acts such as The Weeknd on the map, while establishing OVO Sound, a record label that draws from his hometown.
5. Pamela Anderson Homecoming to Vancouver Island
The ascension of Pamela Anderson from discovery at a football game to “Baywatch” fame is well-documented, but few remember her roots in Ladysmith, British Columbia. She was celebrated in 2006 with induction onto Canada’s Walk of Fame and in 2020 on Vancouver Island in what she called a “homecoming.”
She was a model, an actress, and an activist, and part of Canadian heritage remains a source of pride of identity.
6. Brampton Origins of Michael Cera
Michael Cera’s offbeat cool in “Arrested Development” and “Superbad” is Brampton-bred, Ontario. Years and years in Hollywood and still Canadian film critic Richard Crouse wrote he’s “kept his disarmingly Canadian niceness.”
In 2014, Cera released a music album on Bandcamp, humorously proclaiming that he had been “born in Canada in 1988 at the tender age of zero,” referencing his humble roots and sense of humor.
7. Jim Carrey’s Newmarket Comedy
Jim Carrey’s comedic skills were honed in Newmarket, Ontario, with a neighbor who owned a wheel factory.
His first stand-up routines were American jokes at the expense of Canada and constructed cultural stereotypes into punchlines.
From “Ace Ventura” to “The Truman Show,” Carrey’s range is acid satire married to storybook sentimentality skills acquired by Canadian rearing.
8. Elliot Page’s Halifax Connection
Halifax-born Elliot Page, Oscar winner and lead actor in “Juno” and “The Umbrella Academy,” is the subject of the 2023 memoir “Pageboy,” which celebrates Halifax’s influence on his life.
That local connection has contributed to Page’s authenticity on and off screen, where their work can be self-explanatory.
9. Vancouver Comedy Roots of Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen started his comedy career in Vancouver, British Columbia, and later relocated to Los Angeles in 1999 to contribute to the show “Freaks and Geeks.” He was awarded a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2018 alongside co-worker Evan Goldberg. Low-key Canadian allusions by Rogen contrast with acid-tongued satire and good-natured, earthy style.
From blockbuster myths to indie darlings, these nine stars illustrate Canada’s pop culture influence in media is much broader than people may have thought. Their paths from Canadian cities and towns to global stardom show how landscapes of varying diversity create artists and how those origins are a humble but raucous force long after the stardom has passed.
