Artists
- The Group of Seven - male painters
- The Beaver Hall Group - female painters
- Robert Bateman, (1930-), painter
- Paul-Émile Borduas[?], abstract painter
- Emily Carr[?], (1871-1945), painter
- Jack Chambers[?]
- Greg Curnoe, (1936-1992)
- Charles Daudelin, (1920-2001), sculptor
- Marcelle Ferron, (1924-2001), glazier
- Jack Harman[?], (1927-2001), sculptor
- Jean-Paul Mousseau, (1927-1991), muralist
- Lauren Harris[?] - group of seven, early Canadian abstraction
- A.Y. Jackson[?] - last member of Group of Seven
- Karen Kain - ballerina
- Yousuf Karsh, (1908-2002), photographer
- Keith Moreau[?], (born 1951), Canadian author
- Norval Morrisseau[?] - founded 'Woodland' school of art
- Jack Reid[?]
- Jean-Paul Riopelle[?], (1923-2002), painter
- Tom Thompson[?] - ill fated wilderness painter
- Jeff Wall[?] - photographer
Astronauts
Authors
- Milton Acorn, (1923-1986), poet, has published 18 volumes of poetry
- Charlotte Vale Allen[?], (born 1941), romantic novels
- Grant Allen, (1848-1899), The Woman Who Did
- Gilles Archambault - novelist, essayist, critic
- Margaret Atwood, (born 1939), poet, novelist, essayist
- Margaret Avison, (born 1918), poet, has published 8 volumes of poetry
- Gary Barwin, Canadian writer
- Pierre Berton, (born 1920), popularizer of Canadian history, TV personality, columnist
- Dennison Berwick, (born 1956), 1956 - , literary travel author now working in fiction
- Carol Biberstein, children's book Great Grandma's Rocking Chair
- Earle Birney[?], (1904-1995), anti-conventional poet, also wrote novels, short stories, drama
- Bill Bissett, (born 1939), poet, famous for incorporating sound and the visual into poetry
- Di Brandt, (born 1952), Manitoba poet and literary critic
- Morley Callaghan, (1903-1990), novelist, short story writer
- Barry Callaghan, (born 1937), author/poet
- Bliss Carman, (1861-1929), poet, wrote Low Tide on Grand Pre
- Roch Carrier, (born 1937), author
- Anne Carson, (born 1950), Canadian writer
- Wayson Choy, (born 1939), Canadian writer, novelist
- Leonard Cohen, (born 1934), poet/singer
- Douglas Coupland, (born 1961), author
- Robertson Davies, (1913-1995), author
- William Henry Drummond[?], (1854-1907), poet, The habitant
- C. J. Everon, (born 1971), historian and novelist: Justice Better Attained
- Timothy Findley, (1930-2002), (See also France)
- Raymond Fraser - author
- Louis Fréchette[?], (1839-1908), poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist
- Mavis Gallant, (born 1922), (See also France)
- William Gibson, (born 1948), author
- Barbara Gowdy, The Romantic; The White Bone and short stories
- Arthur Hailey, (born 1920), author
- Louis Hémon[?], (1880-1913), novelist and journalist, Maria Chapdelaine
- Jack Hodgins, Canadian writer, novelist
- Hugh Hood[?] - author
- Nancy Huston, (born 1953), (See also Canada)
- J. Robert Janes, (born 1932), Canadian writer
- Guy Gavriel Kay, fantasy genre fiction
- Robert N. Kucey, (born 1940), Canadian novelist, writer
- Margaret Laurence[?], (1926-1987), author
- Stephen Leacock, (1869-1944), author/humorist
- Dennis Lee[?] - writer of children's poetry
- Malcolm Lowry, (1909-1957), wrote Under the Volcano in Canada (1947)
- Bernell MacDonald, (1966-1996), Canadian writer
- Hugh MacLennan, (1907-1990), novelist and essayist, wrote Two Solitudes and Barometer Rising
- Alistair MacLeod, (born 1936), Canadian writer, novelist
- John Marlyn, (1912-1985), Canadian writer
- Yann Martel, (born 1963), 2002 Booker Prize Winner
- James McIntyre, (1827-1906), the "Cheese Poet," known as the worst poet in Canadian history
- John Metcalf, Canadian writer
- Rohinton Mistry, (born 1952), author
- W.O. Mitchell, Who has Seen the Wind
- Lucy Maude Montgomery, (1874-1942), Anne of Green Gables
- Susanna Moodie[?], (1803-1885), Roughing it in the Bush
- Edythe Morahan de Lauzon, poetess
- Tara Moss[?], (born 1973), author of Fetish
- Farley Mowat, (born 1921), Never Cry Wolf, My Discovery of America
- Alice Munro[?], (born 1931), short story writer
- Robert Munsch[?] - American-born writer of children's books
- Emile Nelligan, (1879-1941), French-Canadian poet
- B. P. Nichol, (1944-1988), poet
- Michael Ondaatje, (born 1943), author
- Jean Baptiste Proulx[?], (1846-1904), dramatist and essayist
- David Adams Richards, (born 1950), Canadian writer, novelist
- Mordecai Richler, (1931-2001), author
- Gabrielle Roy, (1909-1983), author
- Alvin Schwartz, Canadian writer
- Carol Shields, (born 1935), author
- Elizabeth Smart (author), (1913-1986), Canadian writer, novelist
- Samuel Strickland[?], (1804-1867), Twenty-seven Years in Canada West
- George Swede, Canadian writer
- John Thompson, (1845-1913), Canadian writer
- Catherine Parr Trail[?], (1802-1899), Life in the Backwoods of Canada
- Michel Tremblay, (born 1942), author, playwright, poet
- Jane Urquhart, (born 1949), novelist
- George Woodcock, (1912-1995), poet, critic and anarchist author of Anarchism
See also List of Canadian writers
Business Personalities
- Max Aitken, (1879-1964), "Lord Beaverbrook" - publishing baron, entrepreneur
- Conrad Black, (born 1944), "Lord Black of Crossharbour", entrepreneur, publisher
- Roy Thomson, (1894-1976), "Lord Thomson of Fleet", entrepreneur, publisher
- Samuel Bronfman[?] - founded the "Seagrams" distillery empire
- Robert Campeau[?] - bankrupted Bloomingdale's Department Store, NYC
- Jack Kent Cooke[?] - owner of the Washington Redskins
- Samuel Cunard, (1787-1865), Cunard Steamship Lines
- Paul Desmarais[?] - Chairman: Power Corporation of Canada
- Timothy Eaton, (1834-1907), founder of Eaton's department stores
- Bernie Ebbers[?] - CEO (former) of WorldCom - largest bankruptcy in world history
- Alfred Fuller, (1885-1973), Fuller Brush Company
- Milton and Nelson Good[?] - first Canadian Automobile
- K.C. Irving[?] - Industrialist
- Isaac Walton Killam[?] (Sir)
- Louis B. Mayer[?], (died 1957), co-founder: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios
- Harrison McCain[?] - French Fries
- Sam McLaughlin - Buick Automobile Manufacturer
- John Molson, (1763-1836), founder of Molson Breweries
- Jimmy Pattison[?] -West Coast billionaire
- Paul Reichmann[?] - sunk by Canary Wharf
- John Roth - CEO (former) Nortel Networks - "the most successful businessman in modern Canadian history"....Time Europe 12/25/00
- John F. Stairs, (1848-1904), entrepreneur, statesman
- E.P. Taylor[?] - entrepreneur, thoroughbred horse breeder
- Jack Warner, (1892-1978), founder: Warner Bros. Studios
- Moses Znaimer[?] - television mogul Bravo, MuchMusic[?]
Cartoonists
Criminals
- Robert Pickton[?] -- charged with largest number of serial killings in Canadian history, and still counting
- Nicholas Ribic -- charged with having taken UN hostages during the war in the Balkans
- David Milgaard[?] - served 23 years for a murder he did not commit
- Donald Marshall Jr.[?] - wrongfully convicted of murder; subject of a Supreme Court of Canada case regarding First Nations rights to natural resources
- Guy Paul Morin[?] - was not only tried twice for the same crime but spent 10 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Explorers
- Louis Joliet, (1645-1700), explorer
- John Rae, (1813-1893), travelled widely through the Canadian Arctic
- Charles de Salaberry, (1778-1829), soldier
- William Grant Stairs, (1863-1892), Victorian explorer, discovered one source of the Nile River, first non-African to ever climb Mt.Ruwenzori
- Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye, (1685-1749), explored Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg
Humanitarians
- Norman Bethune, (1890-1939), surgeon,inventor, socialist, battlefield doctor in Spain and China
- Terry Fox, (1958-1981), died on one legged cross county run, Canadian Hero
- Rick Hansen[?], "Man in Motion" Foundation
Inventors
- Alexander Graham Bell, (1847-1922), Invented the telephone in Canada, developed it in US. (Canadian/American/Scot)
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier - invented the snowmobile
- J. Brown[?] - invented the washing machine
- Thomas Carroll[?] - first self-propelled combine harvester
- Mathew Evans - co-inventor of the first electric light bulb
- Charles Fenerty[?] - pulp to paper process
- Reginald Fessenden - inventor the Radiotelephone and sonar - produced 1st radio broadcast
- Sir Sandford Fleming, (1827-1915), inventor of the system of time zones in use today
- James Gosling, (born 1956), invented Java computer language
- Larry Hanson[?] - co-inventor of green plastic garbage bag
- Rasmus Lerdorf[?] - invented PHP computer language used on internet
- Elijah McCoy, (born 1844), inventor, automatic machinery lubricator, lawn sprinkler, the "real McCoy"
- Samuel McKeen[?] - invented the Odometer
- Gideon Sundback[?] - invented the zipper
- Harry Wasyluk[?] - co-inventor of green plastic garbage bag
- Henry Woodward - co-inventor of the first electric light bulb
Military Figures
Motion Pictures, Radio, & Television
- See also: Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
- Pamela Anderson, (born 1967), actress
- Dan Aykroyd, (born 1952), actor/comedian
- Karen Black, (born 1942), actress
- Bernard Braden[?] - comedian and satirist
- Raymond Burr, (1917-1993), actor
- James Cameron, (1954-), director
- Neve Campbell, (born 1973), actress
- John Candy, (1950-1994), actor/comedian
- Jim Carrey, (born 1962), actor/comedian
- Tommy Chong[?], (born 1938), actor/comedian
- David Cronenberg, (born 1943), director
- Hume Cronyn, (1911-2003), actor
- Yvonne De Carlo[?] - actress
- Dave Cash[?] - disc jockey
- Fifi D'Orsay, (1904-1983), actress
- Colleen Dewhurst[?], (1924-1991), actress
- Dudley Do-Right - cartoon character
- James Doohan, (born 1920), actor
- Atom Egoyan[?] - director (The Sweet Hereafter)
- David Foley[?] - actor
- Michael J. Fox, (born 1961), actor/comedian
- Brendan Fraser[?], (born 1968), actor/comedian
- Victor Garber[?] - actor
- Chief Dan George[?], (1899-1981), actor
- Rick Green[?] - actor/comedian
- Tom Green, (born 1971), actor/comedian
- Graham Greene, (born 1952), actor: Dances With Wolves
- Lorne Greene, (1915-1987), actor (Pa Cartwright on Bonanza), TV news anchor
- Paul Gross[?] - actor
- Peter Gzowski[?] -- radio personality
- Monty Hall[?], (born 1921), game show host
- Phil Hartman, (1948-1998), actor, Saturday Night Live
- Jillian Hennessy[?] - actress, Law & Order
- Foster Hewitt, (1902-1985), broadcaster
- Arthur Hiller[?], (born 1923), winner of 2001 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar
- Peter Jennings[?], (born 1938), News anchor
- Norman Jewison, (born 1926), director, received The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
- Margot Kidder, (born 1948), actress - "Superman's Lois Lane"
- Kids In The Hall - comedy troupe
- René Lecavalier[?] -- broadcaster
- Eugene Levy[?] - actor/comedian
- Art Linkletter, (born 1912), TV personality
- Rich Little[?], (born 1938), impressionist
- Howie Mandell[?] - actor/comedian
- Andrea Martin[?] - actor/comedian
- Norm MacDonald, (born 1963), actor/comedian, Saturday Night Live
- Robert MacNeil[?] - journalist: "PBS- MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour"
- Rick Mercer[?] - actor/comedian, This Hour Has 22 Minutes
- Lorne Michaels, (born 1944), originator of Saturday Night Live
- Rick Moranis[?], (born 1954), actor
- Carrie-Anne Moss, (born 1967), actor, The Matrix
- Mike Myers, (born 1963), actor (Austin Powers), Saturday Night Live
- Leslie Nielsen, (born 1926), actor
- Catherine O'Hara[?] - actress
- Sidney Olcott - (1873-1949) - directed (1907) Ben-Hur
- Jason Priestly[?] - actor Beverly Hills 90210
- Mary Pickford, (1892-1979), actress and producer
- Christopher Plummer[?], (born 1927), actor
- Gilda Radner, (1946-1989), actress, Saturday Night Live
- Keanu Reeves, (born 1964), actor
- Ivan Reitman[?], (born 1946), Director and Producer
- Gloria Reuben[?], (born 1964), actor: ER[?]
- Morely Safer[?] - journalist: "60 Minutes"
- Frank Schuster[?] - comedian
- Mack Sennett, (1880-1960), movie director
- William Shatner, (born 1931), actor
- Martin Short[?] - actor/comedian, Saturday Night Live
- Jay Silverheels, (1912-1980), actor: "Tonto"
- Steve Smith[?] - actor/comedian, The Red Green Show[?]
- Dorothy Stratten[?] (1960-1980) - Playboy Playmate & Actress
- Donald Sutherland, (born 1934), actor
- Kiefer Sutherland[?], (born 1966), actor
- Terrance & Phillip[?] - cartoon characters
- Dave Thomas[?] - actor/comedian
- Alex Trebek[?], (born 1940), game show host
- Nia Vandalos[?] - actor/screenwriter, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding[?]"
- Lyman Ward - actor
- Johnny Wayne[?] - comedian
- Fay Wray, (1907-), actress
Musicians
- Bryan Adams, (born 1959), singer
- Paul Anka, (born 1941), singer
- Randy Bachman, (born 1943), singer
- The Band (excepting Levon Helm)
- Bruce Cockburn, (born 1945), singer
- Stomping Tom Conners, Canadian country/folk singer/songwriter
- Celine Dion, (born 1968), singer
- Georges Dor[?], chansonnier, composer and singer of "La Manic"
- Percy Faith[?], (1908-1976), band leader
- Maynard Ferguson, (born 1928), band leader, trumpet
- Nelly Furtado, pop singer
- Glenn Gould, (1932-1982), pianist, composer
- Paul Horn, flute player
- Chantal Kreviazuk, singer
- k.d. lang, (born 1961), singer
- Avril Lavigne, (born 1984), singer/songwriter
- Geddy Lee, (born 1953), singer, bassist, keyboardist rush
- Gordon Lightfoot, (born 1938), singer/songwriter
- Guy Lombardo, (1902-1977), his band's instumental version of Auld Lang Syne brought in the new year across North America for more than a generation.
- Sarah McLachlan, (born 1968), singer/songwriter
- Joni Mitchell, (born 1943), singer/songwriter
- Alanis Morissette, (born 1974), best known for her album "Jagged Little Pill," playing God in "Dogma," and her groundbreaking work on "You Can't' Say That On Television"
- Anne Murray, (born 1945), In addition to her 1970 most popular hit Snowbird she recorded some 40 albums, and won numerous Grammys. Her melodic style appeals to a slightly more adult audience, and much of her music has been adapted to elevator service.
- Geoffrey O'Hara, (1882-1967), Canadian songwriter
- Walter Ostanek[?] - Polka, three-time Grammy Award winner
- Oscar Peterson - (1925- ) jazz pianist
- Stan Rogers, (died 1983), folk musician
- Paul Shaffer, (born 1949), Musical director "Letterman" show
- Jane Siberry, (born 1955), singer entrepreneur
- Sarah Slean, singer, songwriter, pianist
- Hank Snow, (1914-1999), country & western singer
- Shania Twain, (born 1965), singer
- Gilles Vigneault[?] - his song Mon pays has been a significant rallying song among the Québécois.
- Neil Young, (1945-), singer/songwriter
Political Leaders
- William Aberhart, (1878-1943), premier of Alberta 1935-09-03 to 1943-05-23
- Robert Baldwin, (1804-1858)
- Henri Bourassa, (1868-1952), Quebec politician
- Rosemary Brown, (1930-2003), Canadian politician
- John E. Brownlee, (1884-1961), premier of Alberta 1925-11-23 to 1934-07-10
- Gordon Campbell, premier of British Columbia 2001-06-05 to ...
- Georges-Étienne Cartier, (1814-1873), French statesman
- Jean Charest, Quebec politician
- Glen Clark, (born 1957), premier of British Columbia1996-02-22 to 1999-08-25
- Amor De Cosmos, (1825-1897), premier of British Columbia 1872-12-23 to 1874-02-11
- Ujjal Dosanjh, (2000-2001), premier of British Columbia 2000-02-24 to 2001-06-05
- Maurice Duplessis, (1890-1959), premier of Quebec
- Lord Durham, (1792-1840), (John George Lambton)
- Andrew Charles Elliott[?], premier of British Columbia (1876-02-01), to 1878-06-25
- Donald Getty, premier of Alberta 1985-11-01 to 1992-12-13
- Herbert Greenfield, (1869-1949), premier of Alberta 1921-08-13 to 1925-11-23
- Michael Harcourt, (born 1943), premier of British Columbia 1991-11-05 to 1996-02-22
- C.D. Howe[?]
- Joseph Howe[?]
- Rita Johnston, (born 1935), premier of British Columbia 1991-04-02 to 1991-11-05
- William Lyon Mackenzie King, (1874-1950), Canadian prime minister
- Ralph Klein, (born 1942), premier of Alberta 1992-12-14 to ...
- Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, (1807-1864)
- Wilfrid Laurier, (1896-1911), Canadian prime minister
- René Lévesque, (1922-1987)
- Peter Lougheed, (born 1928), premier of Alberta 1971-09-10 to 1985-11-01
- William Lyon Mackenzie
- Ernest C. Manning, (1908-1996), premier of Alberta 1943-05-31 to 1968-12-12
- Thomas D'Arcy McGee, (1825-1868), promoter of a federal union for the Canadian provinces
- Louis-Joseph Papineau, (1786-1871)
- Richard G. Reid, (1879-1980), premier of Alberta 1934-07-10 to 1935-09-03
- Louis Riel, (1844-1885), controversial Canadian figure (hanged for treason)
- Alexander C. Rutherford, (1857-1941), premier of Alberta 1905-09-02 to 1910-05-26
- Louis Stephen Saint Laurent, (1882-1973), prime minister
- Jeanne Sauvé, (1922-1993), governor general
- Arthur L. Sifton, (1858-1921), premier of Alberta 1910-05-26 to 1917-10-30
- Charles Stewart (1868-1946), premier of Alberta (1868-1946), 1917-10-30 to 1921-08-13
- Harry E. Strom, (1914-1984), premier of Alberta 1968-12-12 to 1971-09-10
- John Sparrow David Thompson, (1845-1913), prime minister
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau, (1919-2000), Prime minister of Canada
- William N. Vander Zalm, (born 1934), premier of British Columbia 1986-08-06 to 1991-04-02
(See also lists: Prime Minister of Canada, Canadian Confederation)
Religious personalities
Scholars
- Louise Arbour, (born 1947), jurist, controversialist
- Northrop Frye, (1912-1991), influential critic, Shakespeare and Blake scholar
- John Kenneth Galbraith, (born 1908), economist
- Marshall McLuhan, (1911-1980), Communications theorist, "The medium is the message"
- John Ralston Saul, businessman, essayist, diplomat
- Charles Taylor -- philosopher
Scientists
- Sid Altman[?] - Molecular Biology
- Frederick Banting, (1891-1941), medical scientist, co-discovered insulin
- Charles Best, (1899-1978), medical scientist, co-discovered insulin
- Wilfred Bigelow[?] - first artificial pacemaker
- Bertram Brockhouse[?] - designed the Triple-Axis Neutron Spectroscope
- William Logan, (1798-1875), founded the Geological Survey of Canada, knighted by Queen Victoria, awarded the French Legion of Honor.
- Charles Edward Saunders[?] - Marquis Wheat
- David Suzuki, (born 1936), Geneticist and science popularizer
For a more detailed list of renowned Canadian scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, see the outside link:
Sports Personalities
- Donovan Bailey, (born 1967), sprinter
- Marilyn Bell, first person to swim Lake Ontario
- Tommy Burns, (1881-1955), World Heavyweight boxing Champion
- Myriam Bédard, (born 1969), Olympic Gold Medal
- Don Cherry (hockey), ice hockey coach and commentator
- Catriona LeMay Doan, (born 1970)
- Marc Gagnon, (born 1975), Olympic Gold medalist
- [[Nancy Greene), (born 1943), Olympic Gold Medal in Downhill Skiing
- Wayne Gretzky, (born 1961), ice hockey legend
- Ned hanlan[?], world champion sculler[?]
- John Hayes, (1917-1998), harness racing driver
- Paul Henderson, ice hockey player, scored winning goal in 1972 Canada/Russia match
- Clara Hughes, (born 1972), speed skating and cycling medalist in both summer and winter olympics
- Bobby Hull, (born 1939), The "Golden Jet" first player in the NHL to score more than 50 goals in a season.
- Russ Jackson, Canadian footballer
- Ferguson Jenkins, (born 1943), baseball pitcher[?], MLB Hall of Fame member
- Gordie Howe, (born 1928), ice hockey player
- Ben Johnson, (born 1961), sprinter, disqualified from Olympic gold medal for doping
- Joe Krol, Canadian footballer
- Joseph Lannin, owner of the Boston Red Sox who signed Babe Ruth
- Mario Lemieux, (born 1965), ice hockey player
- Greg Moore[?], (1975-1999)
- Bronko Nagurski, (1908-1990), player with Chicago Bears
- James Naismith, (1861-1939), YMCA instructor[?] who invented the game of Basketball
- Bobby Orr, (born 1948), ice hockey player, considered by many to be the best ever, revolutionized the role of a defenceman
- Jacques Plante, (1929-1986), pioneer ice hockey goaltender
- Terry Puhl, baseball player
- Maurice Richard, (1921-2000), ice hockey player, "The Rocket," first player to score 50 goals in a season
- Sandra Schmirler, (1963-2000), curler
- Barbara Ann Scott, figure skater, Olympic Gold Medal
- Matt Stairs, (born 1968), professional baseball player
- Ron Turcotte, (born 1941), jockey[?] of Secretariat
- Gilles Villeneuve, (1950-1982), race car driver
- Jacques Villeneuve, (born 1971), race car driver
- Mike Weir, (born 1970), golfer, Masters tournament winner
- Percy Williams, (1908-1982), sprinter
- Steve Yzerman, (born 1965), ice hockey player
See List of famous Canadian sports personalities
Other Personalities
See also: Asian-Canadian, List of people by nationality
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