The Most Famous

ACTORS from Canada

This page contains a list of the greatest Canadian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 440 of which were born in Canada. This makes Canada the birth place of the 4th most number of Actors behind United Kingdom, and India.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Actors of all time. This list of famous Canadian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Actors.

1. Jim Carrey (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 77.13, Jim Carrey is the most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 109 different languages on wikipedia.

James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian known for his energetic slapstick performances. After spending the 1980s honing his comedy act and portraying mostly supporting roles in films, Carrey gained wide recognition in 1990 when he was cast in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). He broke out as a film star after starring in a string of box office hits with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber (all 1994), which he followed up with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Batman Forever (both 1995). The success of these five films led to Carrey being the first actor to receive a $20 million salary for performing in films, beginning with The Cable Guy (1996). He continued to have success as a leading actor in comedies such as Liar Liar (1997), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) and Yes Man (2008). From the 2010s, Carrey appeared in fewer films, with notable works including Dumb and Dumber To (2014) and Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), in which he played the villain Dr. Robotnik. Although largely typecast as a comedic actor, Carrey has had success in dramatic roles. The dramatic performance he first received major praise for was in the Emmy Award nominated television film Doing Time on Maple Drive. His critically acclaimed performances include Truman Burbank in The Truman Show (1998) and Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999), winning Golden Globe Awards for each film. He later starred in the psychological science fiction romantic drama film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he was nominated for both a BAFTA Award and another Golden Globe Award. He also starred as Jeff Piccirillo in the Showtime tragicomedy series Kidding (2018–2020), for which he received his seventh Golden Globe nomination.

2. Leslie Nielsen (1926 - 2010)

With an HPI of 72.25, Leslie Nielsen is the 2nd most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 71 different languages.

Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. After high school, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943 and served until the end of World War II. Upon his discharge, he worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to study theatre at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his acting debut in 1950, appearing in 46 live television programs a year. He made his film debut in 1956, with supporting roles in several dramas and western and romance films produced between the 1950s and the 1970s. Although his notable performances in the films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure gave him standing as a serious actor, Nielsen later gained enduring recognition for his deadpan comedy roles during the 1980s and the 1990s, after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! In his comedy roles, he specialized in portraying characters oblivious to and complicit in their absurd surroundings. His performance in Airplane! marked a turning point which made him "the Olivier of spoofs", according to film critic Roger Ebert, and led to further success in the genre, starring in The Naked Gun film series, based on his earlier short-lived television series Police Squad!. He received a variety of awards and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

3. Donald Sutherland (1935 - 2024)

With an HPI of 70.35, Donald Sutherland is the 3rd most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 78 different languages.

Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards as well as a BAFTA Award nomination. Considered one of the best actors never nominated for an Academy Award, he was given an Academy Honorary Award in 2017. Sutherland was a prominent anti-war activist during the Vietnam War era. Sutherland rose to fame after roles in the war films The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), and Kelly's Heroes (1970). He subsequently appeared in many leading and supporting roles, including Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), The Day of the Locust (1975), 1900 (1976), Fellini's Casanova (1976), Animal House (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Ordinary People (1980), Max Dugan Returns (1983), A Dry White Season (1989), JFK (1991), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Disclosure (1994), Without Limits (1998), Space Cowboys (2000), The Italian Job (2003), and Pride & Prejudice (2005). He portrayed President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2015). On television, his performance in the HBO movie Citizen X (1995) won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. For his portrayal of Clark Clifford in the HBO film Path to War (2002) he earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. He also acted in Uprising (2001), Human Trafficking (2005), Trust (2018), and The Undoing (2020). Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 1978, raised to Companion (CC) in 2019, inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. He is the father of Kiefer, Rossif, and Angus Sutherland, all actors.

4. Christopher Plummer (1929 - 2021)

With an HPI of 68.43, Christopher Plummer is the 4th most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 93 different languages.

Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. His accolades included an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, making him the only Canadian recipient of the "Triple Crown of Acting". He also received a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award. Plummer made his Broadway debut in the 1954 play The Starcross Story. He received two Tony Awards, one for Best Actor in a Musical playing Cyrano de Bergerac in Cyrano (1974) and the other for Best Actor in a Play portraying John Barrymore in Barrymore (1997). His other Tony-nominated roles include in J.B. (1959), Othello (1982), No Man's Land (1994), King Lear (2004), and Inherit the Wind (2007). Plummer made his film debut in Stage Struck (1958), landed his first starring role that same year in Wind Across the Everglades. He became a household name as a result of his role as Captain Georg von Trapp in the musical film The Sound of Music (1965) alongside Julie Andrews. During this time he starred in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Waterloo (1970), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Plummer received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Beginners (2011); he was nominated for the same award for his performances in The Last Station (2009) and All the Money in the World (2017). His other notable films include The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Somewhere in Time (1980), The Man Who Planted Trees (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Insider (1999), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The New World (2005), Syriana (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Knives Out (2019).

5. Michael J. Fox (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 65.97, Michael J. Fox is the 5th most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 79 different languages.

Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American activist and retired actor. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989) and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990). Fox went on to star in films such as Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Success (1987), Casualties of War (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), and The Frighteners (1996). He returned to television on the ABC sitcom Spin City in the lead role of Mike Flaherty (1996–2000). In 1998, Fox disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He subsequently became an advocate for finding a cure, and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced him to reduce his acting work. Fox voiced the lead roles in the Stuart Little films (1999–2005) and the animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). He continued to make guest appearances on television, including comedy-drama Rescue Me (2009), the legal drama The Good Wife (2010–2016) and spin-off The Good Fight (2020), and the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2011, 2017). Fox's last major role was the lead on the short-lived sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show (2013–2014). He officially retired in 2020 due to his declining health. Fox has won five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, and was inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. For his advocacy of a cure for Parkinson's disease, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2022.

6. William Shatner (b. 1931)

With an HPI of 64.31, William Shatner is the 6th most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 71 different languages.

William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994). Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various U.S. television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo, and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000). Shatner's television career after his last appearance as Captain Kirk has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he played the alien "Big Giant Head" to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards, one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured east Asia and Europe. Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man. His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", and Elton John's "Rocket Man". His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing the overview effect.

7. Pamela Anderson (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 64.25, Pamela Anderson is the 7th most famous Canadian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 89 different languages.

Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian American actress, model, media personality, and author. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 Playboy Playmate of the Month, and went on to make regular appearances on the magazine's cover and holding the record for the most Playboy covers by any individual. She then received international recognition for starring as "C.J." Parker on the action drama series Baywatch (1992–1997), which further cemented her status as a sex symbol. In 1995, a sex tape of Anderson with her then-husband Tommy Lee was stolen and leaked, which resulted in a legal fight and made her the subject of controversy. She went on to play Vallery Irons on the syndicated series V.I.P. (1998–2002) and Skyler Dayton on the Fox sitcom Stacked (2005–2006). Her film credits include Raw Justice (1994), Barb Wire (1996), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Borat (2006), Superhero Movie, Blonde and Blonder (both 2008), The Institute, Baywatch (both 2017), City Hunter (2018), and The Last Showgirl (2024). Anderson also appeared in her own reality series Pam: Girl on the Loose (2008) and has been involved with a number of television shows such as Dancing with the Stars (2010, 2012), Bailando (2011), VIP Brother (2012), Dancing on Ice (2013), and Danse avec les stars (2018). She will host Pamela’s Cooking with Love, a Food Network Canada show in 2024. Anderson is also known for her activism, having publicly supported many charitable matters and causes, particularly animal rights and PETA activities. She is also the author of the autobiography Love, Pamela (2023) and the plant-based cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart (2024).

8. Dan Aykroyd (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 63.13, Dan Aykroyd is the 8th most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( AK-royd; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until his departure in 1979. During his tenure on SNL, he appeared in a recurring series of sketches, particularly featuring the Coneheads and the Blues Brothers. For his work on the show, he received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1977. After his departure, he has since returned to guest roles. Aykroyd gained prominence for writing, and starring as Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz in Ghostbusters (1984), and Ghostbusters II (1989) and has reprised his role in various projects within the Ghostbusters franchise. He also is known for his comedic roles in The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Spies Like Us (1985), Dragnet (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Coneheads (1993), and Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), a sequel to the 1980 film. In 1990, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Other dramatic roles include in My Girl (1991), Chaplin, and Sneakers (both 1992). Aykroyd has done supporting roles in Tommy Boy (1995), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), 50 First Dates (2004), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), The Campaign (2012), and Behind the Candelabra (2013). He starred as Reverend Mike Weber, in his sitcom Soul Man (1997–1998). He has since appeared on various television shows including It's Garry Shandling's Show (1990), Home Improvement (1997), Family Guy (2009), The Simpsons (2021) and The Conners (2019). Aykroyd is also a businessman, having co-founded the House of Blues chain of music venues and the Crystal Head Vodka brand.

9. Mary Pickford (1892 - 1979)

With an HPI of 62.52, Mary Pickford is the 9th most famous Canadian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 86 different languages.

Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress, producer, screenwriter and film studio founder. A pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood career that spanned five decades, Pickford was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era. Beginning her film career in 1909, by 1916 Pickford became Hollywood's first millionaire, and at the height of her career had complete creative control of her films and was one of the most recognizable women in the world. Due to her popularity, unprecedented international fame, and success as an actress and businesswoman, she was known as the "Queen of the Movies". She was a significant figure in the development of film acting and is credited with having defined the ingénue type in cinema, a persona that also earned her the nickname "America's Sweetheart". In 1919, she co-founded United Artists alongside Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith, and was also one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. She was awarded the second Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role in Coquette (1929) and received an Academy Honorary Award in 1976 in consideration of her contributions to American cinema. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Pickford as the 24th-greatest female star of Classical Hollywood Cinema.

10. Ryan Gosling (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 61.15, Ryan Gosling is the 10th most famous Canadian Actor. His biography has been translated into 79 different languages.

Ryan Thomas Gosling ( GOSS-ling; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in both independent films and major studio features, his films have grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Gosling has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Gosling began his acting career at age 13 on Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1995), and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1995) and Goosebumps (1996). His breakthrough role was that of a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he gained stardom in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook. He starred in the critically acclaimed independent dramas Half Nelson (2006), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; Lars and the Real Girl (2007); and Blue Valentine (2010). In 2011, Gosling had three mainstream successes in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, the political drama The Ides of March, and the action thriller Drive. After making his directorial debut with Lost River (2014), he starred in the financial satire The Big Short (2015), the action comedy The Nice Guys (2016), and the romantic musical La La Land (2016), the latter won him a Golden Globe and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Further acclaim followed with the science fiction film Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the biopic First Man (2018). In 2023, he played Ken in the fantasy comedy Barbie, which emerged as his highest-grossing release and earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Gosling's band, Dead Man's Bones, released their self-titled debut album and toured North America in 2009. He is a co-owner of Tagine, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. He is a supporter of PETA, Invisible Children, and the Enough Project and has traveled to Chad, Uganda and eastern Congo to raise awareness about conflicts in the regions. He has been involved in peace promotion efforts in Africa for over a decade. He is in a relationship with actress Eva Mendes, with whom he has two daughters.

People

Pantheon has 475 people classified as Canadian actors born between 1859 and 2006. Of these 475, 400 (84.21%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Canadian actors include Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, and William Shatner. The most famous deceased Canadian actors include Leslie Nielsen, Donald Sutherland, and Christopher Plummer. As of April 2024, 32 new Canadian actors have been added to Pantheon including Alexandra Stewart, Teresa Stratas, and William Hope.