Rush fans, anyone?
Living the American Dream: 10 Canadians who made it big in America
Image: Andre Furtado
Our Big Northern Neighbor has contributed greatly to the world in terms of talent, and the United States has benefited immensely from its proximity. Countless individuals have crossed the border to the south to share their genius with us. Most people know that Jim Carrey and Celine Dion are Canadians, but did you know about James Cameron? Or Dan Aykroyd? Take a look at the following ten names. Which of these origins did you already know?
1
Jim Carrey
Image: Avel Chuklanov
Jim Carrey, the man with the "rubber face" himself, is a famously Canadian actor known for his comedic roles in Ace Ventura , The Mask , Dumb and Dumber , and for his more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show , among many other movies.
Jim was born in Newmarket, Ontario , to Kathleen and Percy Carrey. He was raised Catholic and has three older siblings: John, Patricia, and Rita. The family’s original surname was Carré.
2
Avril Lavigne
Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦
Early 2000s skate-punk rock teenage star Avril Lavigne recorded Let Go , the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist, in 2002 and was named the "Pop-Punk Queen" by the media at the time.
She was born in Belleville, Ontario , and, as the story goes, her parents recognized her vocal abilities when she was two years old and sang "Jesus Loves Me" on the way home from church.
3
Michael J. Fox
Image: Roger Ce
One of the most beloved Canadians of all time is Michael J. Fox, the actor who portrayed Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies. He began his career as a child actor on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and starred in many movies in the '80s and '90s, beyond his famous role as the time-traveling teenager.
Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta , and in 1998, he disclosed his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Since then, the actor has become an advocate for finding a cure and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms have since forced him to reduce his acting work.
4
Celine Dion
Image: Edward Cisneros
The Queen of Power Ballads, noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, was born into a large family in Charlemagne, Quebec . Despite starting her career singing in French, Celine Dion became internationally famous thanks to her best-selling albums Falling Into You and Let’s Talk About Love . Her song "My Heart Will Go On," the theme from the 1997 film Titanic , is probably her most famous work.
She was the youngest of 14 children and as a baby, Dion slept in a drawer instead of a crib to save money. With over 200 million records sold worldwide, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, the best-selling French-language artist, and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time.
5
Dan Aykroyd
Image: Lance Grandahl
Dan Aykroyd, known as one of the Blues Brothers and a member of the original Ghostbusters , is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and former SNL cast member. Despite being best known for his comedic roles, he was nominated in 1990 for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy.
Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Ontario , to Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer, and Lorraine Hélène Marie, a secretary. His mother was of French-Canadian descent, and his father was of English, Scottish, Irish, French, and Dutch ancestry.
6
Chris Hadfield
Image: Niketh Vellanki
It is always inspiring to see someone who is truly in love with their job and shares that same passion with the rest of us. And, while one could argue that being an astronaut is an easy job to fall in love with, very few astronauts, if any, have been able to convey what Canadian retired astronaut Chris Hadfield does.
Hadfield was born in Sarnia, Ontario . As the first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown on two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, he documented life onboard the space station by posting on various social media platforms. He appeared on television news and talk shows and gained popularity by performing David Bowie’s "Space Oddity" in space.
7
Alanis Morissette
Image: Jason Buscema
A 1990s phenomenon, Alanis Morissette stormed the charts with her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill , which sold more than 33 million copies worldwide and made her a star. She has released several albums since and has sold more than 75 million records.
Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario , to Georgia Mary Ann and Alan Richard Morissette. She has a twin brother, Wade (12 minutes older), who is also a musician.
8
Keanu Reeves
Image: Matthew Ball
A genuine on-screen tough guy and off-screen nice guy, Keanu Reeves is best known for his roles as Neo in the Matrix franchise and as John Wick in the films of the same name, among many other roles.
While Keanu was not born in Canada — he was born in Beirut —he is on this list because he was raised in Toronto and made his acting debut in the Canadian television series Hangin' In (1984). An avid motorcyclist, Reeves is the co-founder of the custom motorcycle manufacturer ARCH Motorcycle.
9
Neil Young
Image: Ahmed Rizkhaan
Legendary rocker Neil Young started his career in Winnipeg in the 1960s before joining Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles. He has released critically acclaimed albums like After the Gold Rush and Harvest , participated in the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and has been an active promoter of environmental causes in both his native Canada and the U.S.
Born in Toronto, Neil Young is one of the few people to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.
10
James Cameron
Image: Michal Mrozek
Most people would think that being a film director known for Terminator 2 , Titanic , and Avatar , among many other blockbusters, would be accomplishment enough. But not for James Cameron, who also decided to become the first person to make a solo descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of Earth's ocean.
Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario , and spent summers on his grandfather's farm. He attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls. Three of Cameron's films are among the top four highest-grossing films of all time: Avatar , Avatar: The Way of Water , and Titanic hold the positions of highest, third-highest, and fourth-highest-grossing films, respectively. Not bad, right?
