List of Canadian Americans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of notable Americans of Canadian descent, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and were the principal founders of the United States, and their American descendants.

Americans of Canadian descent[]

Walt Disney
Robin Thicke
Mark Wahlberg
  • Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), rodeo pioneer, inventor, actor, cowboy artist/sculptor, sports hall of fame inductee, father was Canadian citizen
  • Max Baucus (born 1941), politician, former long-time U.S. Senator from Montana (1978–2014), and former U.S. Ambassador to China (2014–2017)
  • Derek Chauvin, former police officer and convicted felon of French-Canadian descent.[1]
  • Madonna (full name Madonna Louise Ciccone) (born 1958), singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and businesswoman also known as "The Queen of Pop"
  • Lady Gaga (born 1986), singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and businesswoman also known as "The New Queen of Pop"
  • Walter Chrysler (1875–1940), automotive industry executive and founder of the Chrysler Corporation
  • Stephen Curry, basketball player
  • Roy Edward Disney (1930–2009), Walt Disney Company executive
  • Walt Disney (1901–1966), animator[2]
  • Will Durant (1885–1981), historian and philosopher[3]
  • Thomas Edison (1847–1931), inventor[4]
  • Alina Foley (born 2003), child actress known for her role as Leah in Shimmer and Shine; daughter of Dave Foley
  • Marcus Foligno (born 1991), ice hockey player
  • Nick Foligno (born 1987), ice hockey player; older brother of Marcus Foligno
  • Jorja Fox (born 1968), actress
  • Freddie Freeman (born 1989), baseball first baseman
  • Missy Franklin (born 1995), Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer[5]
  • Brendan Fraser (born 1968), film and stage actor[6]
  • Kenny G (born 1956), musician
  • Rene Gagnon (1925–1979), U.S. Marine hero[7]
  • Robert Goulet (1933–2007), singer and actor[8]
  • Mike Gravel (1930–2021), politician, former U.S. Senator from Alaska (1969–1981), and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate[9]
  • Matt Groening (born 1954), cartoonist, writer, producer, animator, voice actor, and creator of The Simpsons
  • Edwin S. Grosvenor, editor, publisher, nonprofit manager
  • Gene Hackman (born 1930), retired actor and novelist
  • Phil Hendrie (born 1952), radio personality and comedian[10]
  • Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (born 1972), actor, semi-retired WWE wrestler, and producer
  • Angelina Jolie (born 1975), actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian; one-quarter Canadian through her maternal grandfather
  • Jack Kerouac (1922–1969), poet and writer[11]
  • Matt LeBlanc (born 1967), actor
  • Paul LePage (born 1948), 74th Governor of Maine (2011 to 2019)[12]
  • Stephanie Lemelin (born 1979), actress and animal rights activist; Canadian through her father
  • Josh Manson (born 1991), ice hockey player
  • Joel McHale (born 1971), comedian, actor, writer, television producer, and television host
  • Grace Metalious (1924–1964), author[13]
  • Walter Mondale (1928–2021), politician, 42nd vice president of the United States, and 1984 Democratic presidential nominee
  • Elon Musk (born 1971), inventor, engineer, owner of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity
  • Tyler Myers (born 1990), ice hockey player[14]
  • Philip Nozuka, television actor
  • Matthew Perry (born August 19, 1969) actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the long-running NBC television sitcom Friends.
  • S. M. Stirling (born September 30, 1953), French-born author whose father descends from Canada; well known for his Draka series and later his Nantucket series and Emberverse series
  • Angus Sutherland (born 1982), producer, actor and paternal half-brother of Kiefer Sutherland
  • Kiefer Sutherland (born 1966), actor, producer, director, and singer-songwriter
  • Sarah Sutherland (born 1988), actress and daughter of Kiefer Sutherland
  • Robin Thicke (born 1977), R&B singer-songwriter
  • Rudy Vallée (1901–1986), saxophone player[15]
  • Vince Vaughn (born 1970), actor
  • Mark Wahlberg (born 1971), actor, and retired rapper[16]

Born in/lived in Canada, with American citizenship[]

Tommy Chong
Ted Cruz
Michael J. Fox
Alanis Morissette
Tara Strong
The Weeknd
  • Patrick J. Adams (born 1981), actor, photographer and director
  • James Naismith (November 6th, 1861 – November 28th, 1939), Inventor of Basketball as a Gym Professor in Springfield Illinois in 1891
  • Foluke Akinradewo (born October 5, 1987), Volleyball player
  • Stephen Amell (born 1981), actor best known for playing Oliver Queen, the title character in the TV series Arrow
  • Pamela Anderson (born 1967), actress[17]
  • Paul Anka (born 1941), singer-songwriter and actor[18]
  • Will Arnett (born 1970), actor and comedian
  • Dan Aykroyd (born 1952), actor and comedian
  • Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), rodeo pioneer, inventor, actor, artist/sculptor, hall of fame inductee, born in Utah and raised in Alberta, Canada
  • David Baszucki (born 1963), entrepreneur, engineer, inventor, and co-founder and CEO of Roblox Corporation
  • Eric Bauza (born 1979), comedian and voice actor
  • Sugar Lyn Beard (born 1981), actress, voice actress, television personality, and former host of YTV's The Zone from 2001–2007
  • Samantha Bee (born 1969), comedian, actress, writer, producer, political commentator, media critic and television host[19]
  • Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer especially notable for inventing and patenting the first practical telephone; co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885
  • Manjul Bhargava (born 1974), Fields Medal winning mathematician at Princeton University
  • Justin Bieber (born 1994), singer-songwriter and actor
  • Marty Biron (born 1977), ice hockey goaltender and commentator[20]
  • Paul Boyd (born 1976), reporter
  • Len Blum (born 1951), screenwriter, film producer, and film composer
  • Brett Boyko (born 1992), professional football player with the B.C. Lions
  • Dayana Cadeau (born 1966), Haitian-born Canadian/American professional bodybuilder
  • Jim Carrey (born 1962), comedian and actor[21]
  • Kim Cattrall (born 1956), British born Canadian-American actress, became an official U.S. citizen in 2020[22]
  • Rae Dawn Chong (born 1961), actress and daughter of Tommy
  • Tommy Chong (born 1938), comedian, actor, writer, director, activist, musician, and contestant from Dancing with the Stars season 19
  • Kim Coates (born 1958), actor, Tig Trager from Sons of Anarchy
  • Adam Cohen (born 1972), singer-songwriter, and son of Leonard
  • Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist
  • Claire Corlett (born 1999), actress and singer, daughter of Ian James Corlett
  • Ian James Corlett (born 1962), voice actor, musician, animator, and author providing voice work in both Vancouver and Los Angeles
  • Philip Corlett (born 1997), actor, son of Ian James Corlett
  • Nazneen Contractor (born 1982), Indian-born Canadian American actress most notable as Layla Hourani in The Border and Ruby in The Loud House
  • Laura Creavalle (born 1959), Guyanese-born Canadian/American female professional bodybuilder
  • Rafael Cruz (born 1939), Cuban-born Canadian/American Christian preacher and public speaker; father of Ted
  • Ted Cruz (born 1970), politician, U.S. Senator from Texas since 2013, and 2016 Republican presidential candidate
  • Geoff Davis (born 1958), politician and former U.S. Representative from Kentucky (2005–2012)
  • Chris Diamantopoulos (born 1975), actor and comedian, best known for his role as Green Arrow in the Batman Unlimited series, Unicorn in Go Away, Unicorn! and Mickey Mouse in the eponymous TV series
  • Michael Donovan (born 1953), voice actor and director for many animated series and feature films
  • Marie Dressler (1868–1934), actress[23]
  • Feist (full name Leslie Feist) (born 1976), singer-songwriter known for her 2007 hit single "1234"
  • Andrew Feustel (born 1965), NASA geophysicist
  • Nathan Fillion (born 1970), actor[24]
  • Brent Fitz (born 1970), musician and multi-instrumentalist
  • Dave Foley (born 1963), actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, and writer working out of both Canada and America with dual citizenship
  • Mike Foligno (born 1959), former professional ice hockey player and coach; currently a scout for the Vegas Golden Knights; father of Nick and Marcus Foligno
  • Michael Fougere (born 1956), politician and Mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan since 2012
  • Michael J. Fox (born 1961), actor, author, producer, and advocate
  • David Frum (born 1960), speechwriter and journalist[25]
  • Victor Garber (born 1949), actor and singer
  • Frank Gehry (born 1929), architect[26]
  • Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) (born 1986), rapper, singer-songwriter, and former actor
  • Jennifer Granholm (born 1959), politician and former Governor of Michigan (2003–2011)
  • Wayne Gretzky (born 1961), retired ice hockey player; considered the greatest ice hockey player of all time
  • Bruce Greenwood (born 1956), actor and producer, notable as Batman in Young Justice and two TV films
  • Jennifer Hale (born 1965), voice actress for various film and television series
  • Winnie Harlow (born 1994), fashion model and public spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo
  • Bret Hart (born 1957), professional wrestler[27][28]
  • Owen Hart (1965–1999), professional wrestler[27][28]
  • Phil Hartman (1948–1998), actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist[29]
  • Marieve Herington (born 1988), voice actress for various television films, anime, and series
  • Matt Hill (born 1968), comedian and voice actor for various television/cartoon series
  • Ernest "Tommy" Hughitt (born 1892, d. 1961), professional football player
  • Chris Irvine (born 1970), professional wrestler known as Chris Jericho; lead singer of Fozzy[30]
  • Rick Jeanneret (born 1942), sportscaster. Jeanneret has full residency rights in the U.S. and identifies as Canadian-American; he has not made it clear whether or not he secured citizenship[31]
  • Peter Jennings (1938–2005), TV journalist and anchor for ABC
  • Avan Jogia, Canadian-born actor raised in America
  • Jason Jones (actor) (born 1973), actor and comedian known for The Daily Show with John Stewart
  • Cory Joseph (born 1991), basketball player
  • Stana Katic (born 1978), actress
  • David Kaye (born 1962), actor most notable as Megatron in Beast Wars/Machines: Transformers, and in Transformers: Armada, Energon, and Cybertron
  • Brittany Kennell (born 1987), singer and contestant from NBC's The Voice season 10
  • Donnie Keshawarz (born 1969), actor
  • Margot Kidder (1948–2018), actress and activist (father was American)
  • Chris Kunitz (born 1975), NHL ice hockey player
  • Maurice LaMarche (born 1958), voice actor and comedian
  • Ashley Leggat (born 1986), actress best known for her role as Casey McDonald from Life with Derek
  • Mario Lemieux (born 1965), retired ice hockey player and current owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Rejean Lemelin (born 1954), retired ice hockey goaltender and father of American actor, Stephanie Lemelin
  • Stephanie Lemelin (born 1979), actress and animal rights activist; holding dual citizenship in Canada and the U.S.
  • Sydney Leroux (born 1987), soccer player (father is American)
  • Shin Lim (born 1991), magician and winner of America's Got Talent season 13
  • Simu Liu (born 1989), actor, writer, and stuntman best known for his roles as Jung Kim from Kim's Convenience and Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • Guy Lombardo (1902–1977), bandleader and violinist[32]
  • Erica Luttrell (born 1982), Canadian-born actor, although American through her father; returned to America in the early 2000s
  • William Lyon Mackenzie (1795–1861), Scottish-born Canadian/American journalist, politician, and the 1st Mayor of Toronto
  • Sean Patrick Maloney (born 1966), politician and U.S. Representative from New York since 2013
  • Rizwan Manji (born 1974), actor
  • Louis B. Mayer (1884–1957), film producer[33]
  • Eric McCormack (born 1963), actor, comedian, singer, voice actor
  • Kevin McDonald (born 1961), Canadian-born actor, voice actor and comedian best known for his roles as Agent Wendy Pleakley in Lilo & Stitch franchise, Waffle in Catscratch, and Almighty Tallest Purple in Invader Zim
  • Norm Macdonald (born 1959), stand-up comedian, writer and actor notable as Norm the Genie in The Fairly OddParents
  • Shawn Mendes (born 1998), singer-songwriter
  • Burt Metcalfe (born 1935), television and film producer, director, and writer
  • Joni Mitchell (born 1943), singer-songwriter and painter
  • Alanis Morissette (born 1974), singer-songwriter[34]
  • Caroline Mulroney (born 1974), Canadian businesswoman and politician; American citizenship by marriage to investment banker Andrew Lapham
  • Elon Musk (born 1971), South African-born Canadian/American businessman, investor, engineer, and inventor; founder of Tesla Motors
  • James E. Murray (1876–1961), politician and longtime U.S. Senator from Montana (1934–1961)
  • Mike Myers (born 1963), Canadian-born British/American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer
  • Timothy Naftali (born 1962), historian
  • James Naismith (1861–1939), inventor of basketball[35]
  • Leslie Nielsen (1926–2010), actor, comedian, and producer
  • Justin Nozuka (born 1988), singer-songwriter
  • Catherine O'Hara (born 1954), actress, writer and comedian
  • Sandra Oh (born 1971), actress
  • Marie Owens (1853–1927), first female police officer in the US and in the Chicago Police Department who enforced child labor and welfare laws
  • Dustin Penner (born 1982), ice hockey player
  • Frank Peppiatt (1927–2012), member of the variety show writing team Peppiatt and Aylesworth
  • Mary Pickford, actress and film executive[36]
  • Jason Pominville (born 1982), ice hockey player with the Buffalo Sabres
  • Jason Priestley (born 1969), actor and director[37]
  • James Randi (1928–2020), Toronto-born Canadian/American stage magician and scientific skeptic.
  • David Reale (born 1985), actor, voice actor, and voice of Kai Hiwatari and Tsubasa Otori from the Beyblade anime series
  • Leon Redbone (1949–2019), Cypriot-born Canadian-American singer
  • Charles Revson (1906–1975) cosmetics pioneer, founder of Revlon[38]
  • Ryan Reynolds (born 1976), actor
  • Caroline Rhea (born 1964), actor and comedian best known for her role as Hilda Spellman in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Eugenia Scrimmage in the Bruno & Boots movie franchise
  • Rino Romano (born 1969), actor
  • Seth Rogen (born 1982), actor, comedian and filmmaker
  • Jon Ryan (born 1981), professional football player with the Seattle Seahawks
  • Joe Sakic (born 1969), retired hockey player and current general manager of the Colorado Avalanche
  • Jack Scott (1936–2019), singer and songwriter[39]
  • Drew Scott (born 1978), television personality; host of the various Property Brothers TV shows
  • Jonathan Scott (born 1978), television personality; host of the various Property Brothers TV shows
  • Pablo Schreiber (born 1978), actor
  • Mack Sennett (1880–1960), film director[40]
  • Patrick Sharp (born 1981), retired ice hockey player
  • George Beverly Shea (1909–2013), gospel music singer-songwriter[41]
  • Martin Short (born 1950), actor, comedian, singer, voice actor
  • Joe Shuster (1914–1992), comic book artist, co-creator of Superman[42]
  • Lilly Singh (born 1988), YouTuber, actress, and host of A Little Late with Lilly Singh since 2019
  • Cobie Smulders, (born 1982), actress
  • Hank Snow (1914–1999), country music singer-songwriter[43]
  • David Sobolov (born 1964), voice actor and director most notable for his role as Drax the Destroyer
  • Paul Stastny (born 1985), ice hockey player with the Vegas Golden Knights
  • Stan Stephens (1929–2021), politician, broadcaster, and former Governor of Montana (1989–1993)
  • Geoff Stirling (1921–2013), broadcaster and eccentric (born in the then-independent Dominion of Newfoundland)
  • Tara Strong (born 1973), voice actress for various film and television series[44]
  • Cree Summer (born 1969), voice actress for various film and television series, born in Los Angeles but raised in Toronto.
  • Brad Swaile (born 1976), voice actor best known for roles such as Light Yagami from Death Note, and Kicker Jones from Transformers: Energon
  • The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) (born 1990), singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor
  • Daniel Thompson (1921–2015), inventor of the automatic bagel maker and the folding ping pong table[45]
  • Robert Tinkler (born 1973), voice actor for various film and television/cartoon series
  • Alex Trebek (1940–2020), former long-time host of the game show Jeopardy! from 1984-2020
  • Richard Verma (born 1968), politician and former U.S. Ambassador to India (2015–2017)
  • Sam Vincent (born 1971), voice actor for various television/cartoon series
  • Sugith Varughese, (born 1958), writer, director, and actor
  • Jack L. Warner (1892–1978), film executive[46]
  • Harland Williams (born 1962), actor, comedian, author, artist, singer, musician, and radio personality
  • Calum Worthy (born 1991), actor, writer, and producer most notable as Dez on Austin & Ally
  • Jason Wu (born 1982), Taiwanese-born Canadian/American fashion designer; dress designer of former First Lady Michelle Obama

References[]

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