Famous Canadians a to z

Hugh Acheson is a celebrity chef and owner of three restaurants in Georgia. He is also a judge on Top Chef and a cookbook author.

Pamela Anderson first gained fame in the pages of Playboy and rose to international fame with her role on Baywatch. She garnered more fame in 2010, when she competed on Dancing with the Stars.

One of the biggest classic pop performers, Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka moved from teen heartthrob to adult artist with a slew of hits.

Beauty pioneer Elizabeth Arden opened the red doors of her first spa in 1910.

Will Arnett is a comedic actor known for his wacky role as G.O.B. on TV's Arrested Development and his voice-over work in film.

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian award-winning writer best known for her poetry, short-stories and novels such as The Circle Game, The Handmaid’s Tale, Snowbird and The Tent.

Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian actor and comedian known for his performances on Saturday Night Live, and in the hit films The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

Conrad Bain was a Canadian-American actor best known for his role as Philip Drummond on the hit show Diff'rent Strokes.

Sir Frederick Grant Banting was a Canadian scientist and doctor, whose research led to the discovery of insulin to treat diabetic patients.

Chris Benoit was a popular professional wrestler who, in 2007, killed his wife and son and then committed suicide.

Justin Bieber is a Canadian pop star who was discovered via YouTube. His debut album, My World, went platinum in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Media magnate Conrad Black once owned The London Daily Telegraph and The Chicago Sun Times, before he was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice.

Canadian actor Raymond Burr is best known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside.

Comedian John Candy was a regular performer for the Second City comedy troupe’s TV show, SCTV, and co-starred with Tom Hanks in the movie Splash.

Jim Carrey is a comedian and actor best known for comedic and dramatic film roles in movies including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Truman Show.

Joe Clark became Canada's youngest prime minister in 1979, serving until 1980. He later served as special representative to the secretary-general of the United Nations for Cyprus.

Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen is known for his poetic lyrics and baritone voice. He's received acclaim for such songs as "Hallelujah" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye."

Sidney Crosby is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2007, he became the youngest captain of a National Hockey League team.

Deadmau5 is a Grammy Award-nominated and Juno Award-winning electronic DJ/dance artist known for his trademark helmet and popular live shows. He's released albums like 4x4=12 and >album title goes here<.

Actress Yvonne De Carlo was Moses' wife in DeMille's The Ten Commandments, but is better known for playing the matriarch on TV's The Munsters.

French-Canadian singer Celine Dion dominated the pop charts in the 1990s. She remains a popular entertainer and is the second-highest earning musician in history.

Denny Doherty was an original member of the 1960s harmonizing rock group the Mamas and the Papas.

Actor James Doohan will forever be remembered as the Scottish chief engineer Scotty in the popular science fiction television and film series Star Trek.

TV and rap star Drake is best known in Canada for playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and for hit songs like "Best I Ever Had" and "Take Care."

Linda Evangelista is a Canadian-born model who was one of the leading faces of the supermodel era of the 1990s.

Sandford Fleming was a civil engineer and scientist best known as the chief railway engineer of Canada in the 19th century.

Dave Foley was a founding member of the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall and was one of the leads on the TV sitcom NewsRadio.

Actor Glenn Ford rose to fame after serving in World War II, thanks to several film roles in the '30s and beyond.

Actor Michael J. Fox first achieved stardom as Alex P. Keaton on the popular sitcom Family Ties and went on to have great success with other film and TV roles.

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado topped the charts with songs like "I'm Like a Bird" (2000), "Promiscuous" (2006) and "Say it Right" (2007).

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye is best known for his explorations of the northern U.S. and Canadian provinces.

Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect known for postmodern designs, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Prominent book author and magazine writer, Adam Gopnik is a leading arts and culture writer.

Ryan Gosling is a Canadian actor best known for his film roles in The Notebook, Half Nelson and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Arguably hockey's greatest player, Wayne Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers during his long career.

Corey Haim was a Canadian actor who was a teen hearthrob in the 1980s (often paired with Corey Feldman). He battled addiction and died of an overdose in 2010.

World Wrestling Federation fans knew Owen Hart as "the Rocket" or "the Blue Blazer." He died tragically during a pre-match publicity stunt when he fell 90 feet.

Canadian-born American actor Phil Hartman is best known for his performances on Saturday Night Live.

Jill Hennessy is an actress, singer, musician and restaurateur known for her work in TV series like Law & Order and Crossing Jordan.

Doug Henning was a magician known the world over for his tricks performed on TV and Broadway and in Las Vegas.

Escaped slave and minister Josiah Henson became involved in the Underground Railroad, leading slaves to freedom and developed his own Afro-Canadian community.

Author and activist Jane Jacobs wrote about preserving urban neighborhoods, in books like The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Dark Age Ahead.

A respected television journalist, Peter Jennings served as ABC's nightly news anchor from 1983 to 2005.

Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen released the hit 2012 single, "Call Me Maybe," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Candian Hot 100 chart.

Louis Joliet was a 17th century Canadian explorer who, aided by Native American communities, explored the origins of the Mississippi River.

Versatile singer and songwriter k.d. Lang is known for such country hits as "Crying" and "I'm Down to My Last Cigarette," and for the successful pop single "Constant Craving."

Mixing rock, punk and a rebellious style, Canadian singer Avril Lavigne's first album sold 15 million copies, thanks to hit singles "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi."

Painter Ernest Lawson is known for his impressionistic urban landscapes using thick, intense color. His major work includes Spring Night, Harlem River.

Canadian actress Rachelle Lefevre is known for her film and television roles, most notably appearing in What About Brian, Off the Map and the Twilighti saga.

Marc Lepine went on a shooting spree in 1989 that became known as the Montreal Massacre, which killed 14 people.

Lennox Lewis was the first British boxer to hold the undisputed world heavyweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons (who won the title in 1899). Lewis won Olympic gold in 1988.

William Lyon Mackenzie was a journalist and political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Canadian government in 1837.

American actor, comedian and television personality Howie Mandel is best known for creating the cartoon series Bobby's World and hosting Deal or No Deal.

Lois Maxwell was an actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film series.

Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress best known for her roles in Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes and The Vow.

Elijah McCoy was a 19th century African-American inventor best known for inventing lubrication devices used to make train travel more efficient.

Founder of female musician showcase Lilith Fair, McLachlan's emotional ballads include "I Will Remember You," "Sweet Surrender," "Adia" and "Angel".

Aimee Semple McPherson was a controversial Pentecostal evangelist whose International Church of the Foursquare Gospel had tens of thousands of followers.

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, responsible for hits such as "Both Sides Now" and "Big Yellow Taxi," is widely considered 1960s and '70s folk royalty.

Graphic designer Clarence Mok sold his design firm Studio Archetype to Sapient Corp. in 1998, marrying their technical prowess to his graphic design.

Canadian musician Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album Jagged Little Pill established her as one of alternative rock's foremost female vocalists of the 1990s.

Moving from Saturday Night Live into feature films, including the Austin Powers trilogy, Mike Myers is one of Hollywood's most bankable comedy stars.

James Naismith invented tha game of basketball in 1891.

Leslie Neilsen was an actor known for his deadpan comic delivery in such films as Airplane! and The Naked Gun

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Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin has appeared in such films as The Piano and X-Men, and the television drama True Blood.

Mary Pickford was a legendary silent film actress and was known as "America’s sweetheart." She was a founder of United Artists and helped establish the Academy.

Canadian poet E.J. Pratt is the author of several collections of verse, including The Titans (1926) and Brébeuf and His Brethren (1940).

Jason Priestley is a Canadian-American actor best known for his role as Brandon Walsh on the hit TV series Beverly Hills, 90210.

Magician James Randi, known as "The Amazing Randi," has spent much of his career debunking the claims of self-proclaimed psychics and paranormalists.

Actor Keanu Reeves starred in the movies Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, Speed and The Matrix and its sequels.