This is a list of notable people who were either born or lived in Ontario, Canada, or have spent a large part or formative part of their career in that province.
Film, television, and voice actors
Artists
- Troy Brooks (born 1972 in Chatham, Ontario) – painter
Comedians
- Kurtis Conner – Hamilton
- Derek Edwards – Timmins
- Dave Foley – Etobicoke
- Evan Fong – Toronto
- Tom Green – Pembroke
- Phil Hartman – Brantford[3]
- Jenny Jones – London
- Mike MacDonald – Ottawa
- Norm Macdonald – Ottawa
- Howie Mandel – Toronto
- Mark McKinney – Ottawa
- Russell Peters – Brampton
- Katherine Ryan – Sarnia
- Ron Sparks – Chatham-Kent
- Scott Thompson – North Bay
- Harland Williams – Toronto
- John Wing Jr. – Sarnia
Professional athletes
- Caleb Agada (born 1994) – Nigerian-Canadian basketball player in the Israeli Premier League and for the Nigerian national basketball team
- Bolade Ajomale – Olympic sprinter from Richmond Hill
- Kyle Alexander (born 1996) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Sean Avery – retired hockey player from North York
- Alon Badat (born 1989) – Israeli soccer player from Thornhill
- Josh Bailey – hockey player, New York Islanders – Bowmanville
- Rowan Barrett – basketball player from Scarborough, top scorer in the 2002 Israel Basketball Premier League
- Anthony Bennett – basketball player from Toronto
- Sam Bennett – hockey player from Holland Landing
- Shane Bergman – CFL player from Waterford
- Reno Bertoia (1935–2011) – Major League baseball player from Windsor
- Tajon Buchanan (born 1999) – soccer player – Brampton
- Marcus Carr (born 1999) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Tomer Chencinski (born 1984) – Israeli-Canadian football player from Thornhill
- Steve Christie – Hamilton
- Mike Craig – Thorndale
- Laura Creavalle – Toronto
- Nick Denis – North Bay
- Andre De Grasse – Olympic sprinter from Scarborough
- Phil Esposito – Sault Ste. Marie
- Tony Esposito – Sault Ste. Marie
- Simon Farine – basketball player from Toronto
- Sharon Fichman (born 1990) – Canadian/Israeli tennis player from Toronto
- Mike Fisher – hockey player from Peterborough
- Rick Fox – Toronto
- Mark Friedman (born 1995) – NHL player from Toronto
- Greg Gardner (born 1975) – ice hockey player and coach
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (born 1998) – Toronto
- Doug Gilmour – Kingston
- Claude Giroux – Hearst
- Wayne Gretzky (born 1961) – Brantford
- Brooke Henderson (born 1997) – Smiths Falls
- Jack Hendrickson (born 1936) – National Hockey League player from Kingston, Ontario and Midland, Ontario
- James Hinchcliffe – Oakville
- Tim Horton – Cochrane
- Jack Hughes (born 2001) – NHL ice hockey player from Toronto
- Zach Hyman (born 1992) – NHL ice hockey player from Forest Hill
- Cory Joseph – Pickering
- Curtis Joseph – Keswick
- Nazem Kadri (born 1990) – NHL player – London
- David Levin (born 1999) – Israeli ice hockey player – Toronto
- Jesse Levine (born 1987) – American-Canadian tennis player – Ottawa
- Alex "Mine Boy" Levinsky (1910–1990) – NHL hockey player – Toronto
- Eric Lindros (born 1973) – London
- Jamaal Magloire – Toronto
- Frank Mahovlich – Timmins
- Connor McDavid – Newmarket
- Jamal Murray – basketball, Kitchener
- Rick Nash – Brampton
- Josh Naylor – Mississauga
- Daniel Nestor – Toronto
- Bobby Orr – Parry Sound
- Pete Orr – Richmond Hill
- Bob Plager – hockey player, Kirkland Lake
- Milos Raonic – tennis player – Thornhill
- Samuel Rothschild (1899–1987) – ice hockey player – Sudbury
- Jim Rutherford – Beeton
- Samuel Schachter (born 1990) – Olympic volleyball player
- Denis Shapovalov (born 1999) – Israeli-Canadian tennis player – Vaughan
- Patrick Sharp – Thunder Bay
- Simisola Shittu (born 1999) – British-born Canadian basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League - Burlington[4]
- Darryl Sittler (born 1950) – Kitchener
- Trevor Smith (born 1985) – hockey player – Ottawa
- Eric Staal – Thunder Bay
- Jordan Staal – Thunder Bay
- Marc Staal – Thunder Bay
- Steven Stamkos – Markham
- Andrew Sznajder (born 1967) – English-born Canadian tennis player – Oakville[5]
- Tristan Thompson – Brampton
- Joe Thornton – St. Thomas
- Raffi Torres – Toronto
- Paul Tracy – Scarborough
- Mike Veisor (born 1952) – hockey player – Toronto
- Joey Votto (born 1983) – baseball player – Etobicoke
- Andrew Wiggins (born 1995) – Toronto
- Nigel Wilson (born 1970) – Oshawa
Politicians
- Laura Curran
- Philip Downing
- Stephen Harper – 22nd Prime Minister of Canada (2006–2015) and former Conservative Party leader – Leaside
- John T. Jarvis
- Michael Kerzner – Solicitor General of Ontario
- William Lyon Mackenzie King - 10th Prime Minister of Canada (1921-26, 1926-30, 1935-48) Longest serving Prime Minister in Canadian history - Berlin now Kitchener.
- Paul Martin – 21st Prime Minister of Canada (2003–2006) – Windsor
- James McMillan – Hamilton
- Lester B. Pearson – 14th Prime Minister of Canada (1963-1968) – Newtonbrook
- Justin Trudeau – 23rd Prime Minister of Canada (2015–present) – Ottawa
Olympic athletes
- Alex Baumann – Sudbury
- Nathan Brannen – Cambridge
- Patrick Chan – Ottawa
- Gabrielle Daleman – Newmarket
- Victor Davis – Guelph
- Meagan Duhamel – Sudbury
- Lori Dupuis – South Glengarry
- John Fitzpatrick – Toronto
- Chris Jarvis – Grimsby
- Becky Kellar – Hagersville
- Rosie MacLennan – King City
- Conlin McCabe – Brockville
- Scott Moir – London
- Penny Oleksiak – Toronto
- Brian Orser – Belleville
- Elvis Stojko – Richmond Hill
- Adam van Koeverden – Oakville
- Tessa Virtue – London
- Simon Whitfield – Kingston
Other notable celebrities
- Thalia Assuras – London
- Samantha Bee – Toronto
- Don Cherry – Kingston
- William Winer Cooke – Brantford
- Adam Copeland – Orangeville
- Linda Evangelista – St. Catharines
- Melyssa Ford – Toronto
- Frank Gehry – Toronto
- Danielle Graham – Guelph
- Chris Hadfield – astronaut, Sarnia and Milton
- Shalom Harlow – Oshawa
- James Hobson – engineer and Youtuber, Kitchener[6]
- Michiel Horn – Toronto
- Peter Jennings – Toronto
- Lynn Johnston – Collingwood
- Jason Jones – Hamilton
- Gail Kim – Toronto
- Lisa LaFlamme – Kitchener
- Ferdinand Larose – created the Larose Forest, Prescott and Russell
- Lainey Lui – Toronto
- Steve Mackall – Toronto
- Lorne Michaels – Toronto
- Daniel Negreanu – poker player, Toronto
- Kevin Newman – Toronto
- Jordan Peterson – professor, Toronto
- Quddus – Toronto
- James Randi – Toronto
- Ivan Reitman – Hamilton
- Jason Reso – Orangeville
- Sandie Rinaldo – Toronto
- John Roberts – Toronto
- Lloyd Robertson – Stratford
- Morley Safer – Toronto
- David Shore – London
- Lilly Singh – Toronto
- Trish Stratus – Richmond Hill
- John Saunders – sports reporter, from Ajax and other cities
- Alex Trebek – Sudbury
- Jack L. Warner – London
- Ken Westerfield – disc sports (Frisbee) pioneer, from Toronto
- Lauren Williams – Toronto
Bands, musicians, singers, and rappers
- Lee Aaron – Belleville
- Annihilator (band) – Ottawa
- Bryan Adams – Kingston
- Alexisonfire – St. Catharines
- Paul Anka – Ottawa
- Eva Avila – Ottawa
- Barenaked Ladies – Scarborough
- Justin Bieber – Stratford
- Billy Talent – Mississauga
- Jully Black – Toronto
- Blue Rodeo – Toronto
- Broken Social Scene – Toronto
- Cancer Bats – Toronto
- Candi & The Backbeat – North York
- Alessia Cara – Mississauga
- Keshia Chanté – Ottawa
- Bruce Cockburn – Ottawa
- Deborah Cox – Toronto
- deadmau5 – Niagara Falls; real name Joel Thomas Zimmerman
- Hugh Dillon – Kingston
- Fefe Dobson – Scarborough
- Drake – Toronto
- Finger Eleven – Burlington
- Five Man Electrical Band – Ottawa
- J.D. Fortune – Mississauga
- Nelly Furtado – Forest Hill, Toronto[7]
- Glenn Gould – Toronto
- Dallas Green – St. Catharines
- Hail the Villain – Oshawa
- Sarah Harmer – Burlington
- illScarlett – Mississauga
- Jeon Somi (born 2001) – Windsor
- Kardinal Offishall – Toronto
- Vikas Kohli – Mississauga
- James LaBrie – Penetanguishene
- Henry Lau – Toronto
- Avril Lavigne – Belleville and Greater Napanee
- Gordon Lightfoot – Orillia
- Lights – Timmins
- Little X – Toronto
- Guy Lombardo – London
- Brian Melo – Hamilton
- Shawn Mendes – Pickering
- Alice Merton – Oakville
- Metric – Toronto
- Kim Mitchell – Sarnia
- Alanis Morissette – Ottawa
- My Darkest Days – Toronto
- The Partland Brothers – Colgan
- Our Lady Peace – Toronto
- Peaches – Toronto
- Protest the Hero – Whitby
- Anastasia Rizikov – Toronto
- Rush – Toronto
- Saga – Oakville
- Paul Shaffer – Thunder Bay
- Sheriff – Toronto
- Silverstein – Burlington
- Snow – Toronto
- Wendy Son – Richmond Hill
- Sum 41 – Ajax
- Skye Sweetnam – Bolton
- Teenage Head – Hamilton
- Three Days Grace – Toronto
- Tokyo Police Club – Newmarket
- The Tragically Hip – Kingston
- Shania Twain – Windsor
- U.S.S. (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) – Stouffville, Markham and Toronto
- Vanity – Niagara Falls
- Walk off the Earth – Burlington
- Tamia Washington – Windsor
- The Weeknd – Scarborough
- Michelle Wright – Merlin
- Neil Young – Toronto
- Daniel Caesar – Toronto
Authors
- Margaret Atwood – Ottawa and Toronto
- James Cameron – Kapuskasing and Niagara Falls
- Julie Czerneda – Mississauga
- Robertson Davies – Thamesville
- Earl Doherty – Ottawa
- Malcolm Gladwell – Kitchener-Waterloo
- Alistair MacLeod – Windsor
- Alice Munro (1931–2024) – Wingham
- Michael Ondaatje – Toronto
- Robert J. Sawyer – Mississauga
- Eric Walters – Toronto
Scientists and physicians
- Sir Frederick Banting – co-discoverer of insulin
- Dr. Charles Best – co-discoverer of insulin
- Dr. Norman Bethune – physician, pioneered the use of in-field blood transfusions during the Spanish Civil War, joined the Communist guerillas in China in the 1930s
- Dr. Roberta Bondar – astronaut, neurologist, from Sault Ste. Marie
- Dr. Robert Buckman – oncologist, president of Humanist Association of Canada
- Mathew Evans – inventor, created and patented the first incandescent light bulb in 1874, five years before Thomas Edison's US patent
- Dr. Wilbur Franks – physician and inventor; developed first anti-gravity or "G-suit" now used by air crews and astronauts; also noted for his work in cancer research
- Dr. James Naismith – physician, inventor of basketball
- Daniel David Palmer – founder of chiropractic
Business people
| Name | Notable for | Connection to Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Corby (1806–1881) | Founder of Corby Spirit and Wine | lived in Belleville from 1832 until his death in 1881 |
| William Pratt (1928–1999) | 1988 XV Winter Olympics organizer, Calgary contractor | born in Ottawa[8] |
| Michael Rapino | CEO and President of Live Nation Entertainment | raised in Thunder Bay[9] |
| Howard Wetston (born 1947) | Chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission | |
| William R. White (born 1943) | economist, chaired the Economic and Development Review Committee at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris | born in Kenora |
Criminals
- Paul Bernardo
- Edwin Alonzo Boyd – led the Boyd Gang in Toronto
- Karla Homolka
- Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad – Palestinian former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; deported[10]
- Johnny Papalia
Others
- Margaret Hyndman – lawyer and women's rights advocate
See also
References
🔥 Top keywords: Main PageSpecial:SearchPage 3Wikipedia:Featured picturesHouse of the DragonUEFA Euro 2024Bryson DeChambeauJuneteenthInside Out 2Eid al-AdhaCleopatraDeaths in 2024Merrily We Roll Along (musical)Jonathan GroffJude Bellingham.xxx77th Tony AwardsBridgertonGary PlauchéKylian MbappéDaniel RadcliffeUEFA European Championship2024 ICC Men's T20 World CupUnit 731The Boys (TV series)Rory McIlroyN'Golo KantéUEFA Euro 2020YouTubeRomelu LukakuOpinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general electionThe Boys season 4Romania national football teamNicola CoughlanStereophonic (play)Gene WilderErin DarkeAntoine GriezmannProject 2025