25 famous Canadian actors who have left a mark on the global stage
Over the years, Canadian actors have continued making inroads into the film industry, starring in some high-profile productions. They have produced some of Hollywood’s biggest names, putting Canada on the global map. Explore some of the most renowned Canadian actors and actresses who have raised their career ranks to become household names in the entertainment industry.
Source: UGC
What pops into your head when you think of Canada? You might imagine a massive landmark or tons of snow. While these things are authentically Canadian, the country has much more to offer. Most Hollywood's favourites are a product of this great nation.
Popular Canadian actors
Renowned singers like Celine Dion, Drake and Justin Beiber are among the best Canadian talents. But did you know that some famous Hollywood stars originate from Canada?
The actors on this list are ranked according to their lifetime success (awards & nominations), along with their acting skills, versatility and role transformation.
| Name | Most famous movie |
| Kiefer Sutherland | 24 |
| Jim Carrey | In Living Color |
| Sandra Oh | Arliss |
| Shawn Ashmore | Animorphs |
| Eric McCormack | Will & Grace |
| Victor Garber | Godspell |
| Seth Rogen | Donnie Darko |
| Cobie Smulders | How I Met Your Mother |
| Finn Wolfhard | Stranger Things |
| Joshua Jackson | Dawson’s Creek |
| Matthew Perry | Friends |
| Mike Myers | Saturday Night Live |
| Ryan Reynolds | Deadpool |
| William Shatner | Star Trek |
| Elliot Page | Pit Pony |
| Alexander Ludwig | Race to Witch Mountain |
| Jay Baruchel | How to Train Your Dragon |
| Keanu Reeves | Speed |
| Rachel McAdams | Arrows |
| Ryan Gosling | The Mickey Mouse Club |
| Stephan James | Homecoming |
| Tatiana Maslany | Stronger |
| Michael Cera | Lobby Hero |
| Anna Paquin | The Piano |
| Alan Thicke | Growing Pains |
1. Kiefer Sutherland
Source: UGC
- Full name: Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland
- Date of birth: 21 December 1966
- Age: 58 years old (2024)
Kiefer Sutherland is best known for his appearance in the Fox drama series 24. With a career spanning over four decades, he has won various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sutherland has been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2. Jim Carrey
Source: UGC
- Full name: James Eugene Carrey
- Date of birth: 17 January 1962
- Age: 62 years old (2024)
Which name comes to mind considering the best Canadian voice actors? Of course, Jim Carrey! He gained notoriety in 1990, starring in the comedy series In Living Color. The on-screen star is popularly known for his slapstick performances, earning him Grammy, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations.
3. Sandra Oh
Source: UGC
- Full name: Sandra Miju Oh
- Date of birth: 20 July 1971
- Age: 53 years old (2024)
Sandra Oh rose to stardom for her portrayal of Jade Li in the film Double Happiness in 1994. Her other acting credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Killing Eve, Arliss and The Chair. In 2019, Time magazine named Miju one of the 100 most influential people worldwide.
4. Shawn Ashmore
Source: UGC
- Full name: Shawn Roberts Ashmore
- Date of birth: 7 October 1979
- Age: 45 years old (2024)
Shawn Ashmore is best known for starring as Bobby Drake/Iceman in the X-Men film series. He made his career debut in 1989 as a minor character in Katts and Dog, a French and Canadian-produced television series. According to his IMDb profile, Shawn has over 75 acting credits.
5. Eric McCormack
Source: UGC
- Full name: Eric James McCormack
- Date of birth: 18 April 1963
- Age: 61 years old (2024)
Eric McCormack gained worldwide recognition for playing Will Truman in Will & Grace in 1998. This performance earned him four Emmy and six Golden Globe nominations. The actor also starred in Trust Me, Street Justice, Top Cops and The Lost World.
6. Victor Garber
Source: UGC
- Full name: Victor Jay Garber
- Date of birth: 16 March 1949
- Age: 75 years old (2024)
Victor Garber made his film debut as Jesus Christ in the musical Godspell. Some of his accolades include three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards. Jay was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2022.
7. Seth Rogen
Source: UGC
- Full name: Seth Aaron Rogen
- Date of birth: 15 April 1982
- Age: 42 years old (2024)
Seth Rogen doubles as a stand-up comedian and filmmaker. His first movie appearance was a minor role in Donnie Darko. Some of his other acting credits are Superbad, Lon Shot, Pam & Tommy and The Fabelmans.
8. Cobie Smulders
Source: UGC
- Full name: Jacoba Francisca Maria
- Famous as: Cobie Smulders
- Date of birth: 3 April 1982
- Age: 42 years old (2024)
Smulders is best known for her roles in How I Met Your Mother as Robin Scherbatsky and The Avengers films as S.H.I.E.LD. agent Maria Hill. She has 57 acting credits and has been performing for over two decades.
9. Finn Wolfhard
Source: UGC
- Full name: Finn Wolfhard
- Date of birth: 23 December 2002
- Age: 22 years old (2024)
Finn Wolfhard is a musician and actor among the top young Canadian actors. He is widely recognized as Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series Stranger Things. In addition, Finn has also starred in It, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and It Chapter Two.
10. Joshua Jackson
Source: UGC
- Full name: Joshua Carter Jackson
- Date of birth: 11 June 1978
- Age: 46 years old (2024)
Joshua Jackson debuted in 1991 with a small part in Crooked Hearts. However, he is popularly known for starring in The WB’s teen drama Dawson’s Creek. His other credits include Little Fires Everywhere and When They See Us. In 2022, Carter was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Television Award.
11. Matthew Perry
Source: UGC
- Full name: Matthew Langford Perry
- Date of birth: 19 August 1969
- Date of death: 28 October 2023
- Age at death: 54 years old (2024)
Matthew Perry gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends. He moved from Ottawa to Los Angeles when he was 15 to pursue acting and graduated from The Buckley School in 1987. He made his film debut in 1988 with A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. Sadly, Perry died of acute effects of ketamine in 2023.
12. Mike Myers
Source: UGC
- Full name: Michael Myers
- Date of birth: 25 May 1963
- Age: 61 years old (2024)
Michael John Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He rose to prominence as a performer on Saturday Night Live, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Myers has won seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
13. Ryan Reynolds
Source: UGC
- Full name: Ryan Rodney Reynolds
- Date of birth: 23 October 1976
- Age: 48 years old (2024)
Rodney's major commercial success came with the X-Men films Deadpool and Deadpool 2. He was nominated for Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for this performance. In 2017, Ryan was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
14. William Shatner
Source: UGC
- Full name: William Shatner
- Date of birth: 22 March 1931
- Age: 93 years old (2024)
With a career spanning seven decades, William Shatner is best known for starring in the Star Trek franchise. He has 249 credits as an actor, including Enterprise, TekWar, Miss Congeniality and Columbo. The actor has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his zeal and natural talent.
15. Elliot Page
Source: UGC
- Full name: Elliot Page
- Date of birth: 21 February 1987
- Age: 37 years old (2024)
Elliot Page rose to prominence for starring in Pit Pony, for which he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. He has featured in various flicks, including Hard Candy as Hayley Stark and Inception as Ariadne. Page has 51 credits as an actor.
16. Alexander Ludwig
Source: UGC
- Full name: Alexander Richard Ludwig
- Date of birth: 7 May 1992
- Age: 32 years old (2024)
Alexander Ludwig made his career debut as a child but received recognition as a teenager for starring in the films Race to Witch Mountain and The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. He has also starred in Midway, Lone Survivor and Recon. Ludwig has various accolades, including the Teen Choice and Canadian Screen Awards.
17. Jay Baruchel
Source: UGC
- Full name: Alexander Richard Ludwig
- Date of birth: 7 May 1992
- Age: 32 years old (2024)
Jay Baruchel is a comedian, screenwriter, and director from Canada. In Are You Afraid of the Dark, he made his acting debut in 1995 at 12. Baruchel is well-known for his role as Hiccup Haddock in the How to Train Your Dragon film franchise.
18. Keanu Reeves
Source: UGC
- Full name: Keanu Charles Reeves
- Date of birth: 2 September 1964
- Age: 60 years old (2024)
Keanu Reeves debuted in the Canadian TV series Hangin’ In. He has also starred in Speed, Point Break, Street Kings and The Lake House. In 2022, Time named Reeves one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
19. Rachel McAdams
Source: UGC
- Full name: Rachel Anne McAdams
- Date of birth: 17 November 1978
- Age: 46 years old (2024)
Rachel McAdams worked in Canadian television and film productions after graduating from a theatre degree programme at York University in 2001. Perfect Pie, My Name Is Tanino, and Slings and Arrows are among her notable early works. She has 41 acting credits and one Oscar nomination.
20. Ryan Gosling
Source: UGC
- Full name: Ryan Thomas Gosling
- Date of birth: 12 November 1980
- Age: 44 years old (2024)
Ryan Gosling gained stardom at age 13 on Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club. He has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTAs.
21. Stephan James
Source: UGC
- Full name: Stephan James
- Date of birth: 16 December 1993
- Age: 31 years old (2024)
Stephan James rose to prominence by starring in the film Race after his appearance in a string of TV series as a teenager. In 2018, he played the role of Walter Cruz in the Amazon series Homecoming, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination.
22. Tatiana Maslany
Source: UGC
- Full name: Tatiana Gabriele Maslany
- Date of birth: 22 September 1985
- Age: 39 years old (2024)
Maslany’s elegant performances and vibrant on-screen persona have captivated audiences for years. Her credits include Stronger, Picture Day, Woman in Gold and Perry Mason. In 2016, Tatiana won the Canadian Screen Award.
23. Michael Cera
Source: UGC
- Full name: Michael Austin Cera
- Date of birth: 7 June 1988
- Age: 36 years old (2024)
As an actor, Austin is known for his awkward and offbeat characters. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children’s television show The Berenstain Bears and portraying a young Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. In 2018, Michael received a nomination for the Tony Award for starring in Lobby Hero.
24. Anna Paquin
Source: UGC
- Full name: Anna Paquin
- Date of birth: 24 July 1982
- Age: 42 years old (2024)
Paquin made her career debut at 11, starring in the drama film The Piano. She won an Academy Award for this role, making her the second-youngest winner in Oscar history. Amistad, Jane Eyre and Almost Famous are some of her acting credits.
25. Alan Thicke
Source: UGC
- Full name: Alan Willis Jeffrey
- Date of birth: 1 March 1947
- Date of death: 13 December 2016
- Age at death: 69 years old (2024)
The late actor was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2013. He is widely recognized for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the sitcom Growing Pains. Sadly, Alan died of type-A aortic dissection in 2016.
Which Canadian actor served in the military?
James Doohan is among the famous Canadian actors who served in the military. He joined the Royal Canadian Artillery's 14th (Midland) Field Battery of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division in 1939. James was in the military for seven years (1938-1945) before retiring at the end of WWII.
Why are so many Canadian actors in Hallmark movies?
Most Hallmark movies are produced in Canada due to tax breaks, beautiful weather, financial benefits, location, and the dependability of the talent and crew.
Canadian actors are making significant advances in the film industry, and these stars have proven their abilities on big and small screens. If you are a movie buff, you now know where your favourite actor is from.
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