Canada is a breeding ground for world-class talent, but recognition for our homegrown stars often falls short.
Earlier this month, Donald Sutherland, an award-winning actor best known in recent years for his role as President Snow in The Hunger Games, passed away at age 88. As social media users mourned the loss, many were surprised to find out the actor was Canadian. Sutherland was born in New Brunswick and spent his teenage years in Nova Scotia before leaving Canada for Britain acting opportunities.
Canada Day is on the horizon, and Reddit users are sharing their favourite low-key Canadian stars ahead of the country’s 157th birthday.
Here are some Canadians you probably didn’t know were Canadian.
James Cameron hails from Kapuskasing, a small Northeastern Ontario town nearly 9 hours away from Toronto.
The filmmaker is behind some of the best classic American movies, including Terminator, Titanic and Avatar.
Film fanatics have drawn parallels between Cameron’s work and his life in Ontario. For example, Cameron has said he spent summers at his grandparents’ farm located around Hockley, a town nearby Caledon. In Titanic, the wealthy antagonist and fiancé of lead character Rose, is named Caledon Hockley.
His family farm is alleged to have been in existence for over 200 years. The Caledon area is historically built upon Indigenous land and some fans believe Avatar takes inspiration from this, comparing the movie’s fictional ‘Na’vi’ people’s name to the Anishinaabe.
The story of Winnie-the-Pooh, the honey-loving yellow bear, has Canadian origins.
The real-life Winnie was purchased for $20 in White River, Ontario by soldier and veterinarian Harry Colebourn. He named the female grizzly bear “Winnie,” short for Winnipeg Bear, an ode to his hometown in Manitoba.
Colebourn took Winnie overseas to England during World War I and was popular amongst the other soldiers in Colebourn’s brigade. Unfortunately, Harry had to release Winnie to the London Zoo as he left for France as the war continued.
Winnie became one of the most popular animals in the zoo, and one of her most frequent visitors became a young Christopher Robin Milne. A.A. Milne, the boy’s father, was inspired by his son’s collection of stuffed zoo animals, which included Winnie as well as a tiger, a pig, and a kangaroo.
Milne published his first book in 1926, introducing the world to the iconic fictional characters Tigger, Piglet, Kanga and Eeyore in the beloved lore of what we now know as Winnie-the-Pooh.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz was actually born in Calgary, Alberta at Foothills Medical Centre, a brand new hospital at the time.
The Republican politician was born to a Cuban father and an American mother, who both worked in the oil business in Alberta.
Cruz had left Canada to move to Texas by age 4, but concerns were raised regarding his eligibility to run for president back in 2015. The U.S. Constitution says presidential candidates have to be “natural-born citizens,” and there has never been an elected president that was not born on American soil. However, the Supreme Court has never weighed in with an exact definition of what that means, leaving it open to interpretation.
In 2013, Cruz publicly renounced his Canadian citizenship and rarely speaks about what life was like north of the border.
Sandra Oh was born in Nepean, Ontario, a former municipality now considered as the city of Ottawa.
The decorated actress has starred in several theatre productions, television series and films, but is possibly best known for her 10-season role in American show Grey’s Anatomy, as Dr. Christina Yang.
Oh began acting and dancing at a young age, which she continued throughout high school. When it was time to move onto post-secondary education, she rejected a journalism scholarship at Carleton University to study drama, enrolling at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal instead.
Now an award-winning actress, Oh has a long list of accolades. She has received two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as thirteen nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards.
She was made Officer of the order of Canada in 2022, a prestigious title earned for her role in Canadian media.
Marvel characters Wolverine and Deadpool are two of Canada’s few fictional superheroes.
Wolverine was born in Cold Lake, Alberta as James Howlett. The clawed superhuman later changes his name to Logan as his mutant powers form, named after Canada’s tallest mountain, Mount Logan.
Antihero Deadpool hails from Regina, Saskatchewan, and is the alter ego of a disfigured mercenary named Wade Wilson. The character is known for his regenerative healing abilities and breaking the fourth wall for comedic effect.
Hugh Jackman and Vancouver’s own Ryan Reynolds will star as the X-Men duo Wolverine and Deadpool, respectively, in a live-action film coming to theatres on July 26.
Marvel released a trailer for the movie, which features a cameo of the top of the CN tower toppled over in what looks to be an apocalyptic landscape.
