Brilliant Canadian Actors/Actresses of 2013
This is a list of brilliant Canadians at the top of the game in 2013. Look for more of these people in years to come!
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Tatiana Gabrielle Maslany was born September 22, 1985 in Regina, Saskatchewan, to Renate, a translator, and Dan, a woodworker. She graduated from Dr. Martin LeBoldus High school in 2003. She was a well respected student, and participated as often as possible in school productions. She is well known for her participation in the Canadian Improv Games. Maslany starred in the 2006 television movie, Booky Makes Her Mark (2006) along with Megan Follows and Stuart Hughes.
She had supporting roles in the films Eastern Promises (2007) and The Vow (2012), and came to fame starring in the series Orphan Black (2013), playing multiple roles. Maslany also had a large role in the 2015 film Woman in Gold (2015), playing a young version of Maria Altmann, Helen Mirren's character.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Stephen Amell is a Canadian actor, known for portraying Oliver Queen / Green Arrow in the Arrowverse television franchise (based on the comic character of the same name) and Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).
Stephen Adam Amell was born on May 8, 1981 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra (Bolté) and Thomas Amell. His cousin is actor Robbie Amell. He is of English, Scottish, German, and one sixteenth French-Canadian, descent. Stephen decided to pursue a career in acting when he was in his teens. He appeared in two episodes of the fourth season of Queer as Folk as the Liberty Ride spinning instructor in 2004. Amell played Adam in the first season of the television series Dante's Cove; he was replaced in the second season by Jon Fleming. In 2007, Amell won a Gemini Award for his guest-starring role on ReGenesis. The same year he was also nominated for a Gemini Award in the Best Ensemble Cast Category for Rent-a-Goalie. He had recurring roles in the TV series Da Kink in My Hair and Heartland. On December 3, 2010, Amell joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as werewolf 'Brady' for season 2. Amell starred as Joran Van Der Sloot in the Lifetime film Justice for Natalee Holloway which originally aired in May 2011.
On October 2, 2011, season 3 of HBO's series Hung premiered with Amell starring as busboy-turned-prostitute Jason, a younger rival "ho" to Thomas Jane's Ray Drecker. He also appeared as Jim in the fourth season of 90210. Amell announced on October 28, 2011 that he had just finished filming the Christmas episode of New Girl with Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield. He touches on the experience of filming his first "network half hour comedy" in an interview with Daemon's TV. On November 9, 2011, Amell was announced for the recurring role of Scottie, a paramedic on ABC's Private Practice. He also plays the role of Travis in Blue Mountain State In January 2012, Amell was cast as the title character in The CW series Arrow, a re-imagining of the comic-book character Green Arrow. On March 31, 2015, Amell joined the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows as vigilante Casey Jones, which will be released on June 3, 2016. As an avid professional wrestling fan, Amell had long campaigned for a guest appearance on WWE's weekly Raw program, when in late May 2015 it was reported that he was tentatively set to wrestle Stardust at WWE's SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 23, 2015. Amell made his first WWE appearance on the May 25 Raw, where he had a confrontation with Stardust. However, after the real-life death of Stardust's father Dusty Rhodes in June 2015, reports speculated that the match had been scrapped. Despite this, Amell stated at the 2015 Comic Con International in July 2015, "I'm probably gonna do some stuff with the WWE. I don't know if that means a wrestling match. We'll see."
Amell returned to Raw on August 10, continuing his story-line with Stardust when he stepped into the ring after being assaulted in the audience by Stardust, attacking the wrestler until being contained by security. Following a backstage segment with Triple H, it was announced that Neville would team with Amell to face Stardust and King Barrett at SummerSlam. At the event on August 23, Amell and Neville defeated Barrett and Stardust in a tag team match. Neville and Barrett started and after Neville used his speed to control the action, Barrett tagged in Stardust. Stardust insisted that Amell enter the ring, a challenge accepted in a way that both imitated and bettered Stardust's own athletic ring entrance. Stardust first pushed Amell to the canvas, Amell then responded with a kip-up and a stiff front thrust kick to Stardust's chest. For the next few minutes Amell was controlled by Stardust and Barrett, and absorbed punches, kicks, knees, slams, falls from ring to floor, and an attack on the floor by the non-legal man, Stardust. Upon returning to the ring, and hitting Stardust with an Enzuigiri, Amell made a hot tag to Neville, who dominated both opponents. The conclusion of the match came after Amell dove off the top corner ropes onto Stardust and Barrett who were standing on the floor below. The match ended after Neville hit his finisher, the Red Arrow, on Barrett and pinned him. Behind the scenes, wrestlers were said to have been impressed with Amell's performance. There were also talks of a potential singles match with Stardust. On December 21, Amell was awarded a Slammy for the "Celebrity Moment of the Year" for his dive onto Stardust.
Amell has hosted a number of successful fund-raising campaigns via the crowd funded merchandise platform Represent.com. In 2014, Amell partnered with the charity Fuck Cancer to raise almost a million dollars with the release of a T-shirt featuring his face on the front (with a Post-it note on his forehead, and featuring the organization's name). He ended up selling over 60,000 shirts from this campaign. In January 2015, Amell launched his second Represent.com campaign featuring a word he made up, Sinceriously, to benefit two mental health charities: Paws and Stripes, and Stand For The Silent. In August 2015, Amell used his guest appearance on WWE Raw with Stardust to raise funds via his third campaign for children's hospice Emily's House in Toronto. The campaign raised $300,000, and Amell and Stardust presented a check together at Emily's House.
Amell married actress and model 'Cassandra Jean' on December 25, 2012 in a private ceremony in the Caribbean, and for a second time in New Orleans on May 26, 2013. The couple have a daughter, Mavi, born in 2013. Growing up, Amell was a fan of various local sporting teams, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays. Amell is still very involved with the sports; he often jokes with fans telling them to skip Maple Leafs games and watch Arrow when the team faces a tough opponent, and recently, Amell campaigned to have Jays' third baseman Josh Donaldson elected to the 2015 all-star game.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Pascale Hutton was born on 14 June 1979 in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Sanctuary (2008), Fantastic Four (2005) and Chaos (2005). She has been married to Danny Dorosh since 2002. They have two children.- Actress
- Producer
Born and raised in Vancouver Canada, Alisha Newton has been appearing in TV and film for over a decade and has been seen in well over 100 hours of prime time television. Her first big role came as a series regular for "The Wyoming Story", an Amy Sherman-Palladino pilot for CW/WarnerBros. Immediately following she made an appearance on the hit series "Supernatural". She subsequently played several leads in some challenging independent films before making her big screen debut in Twentieth Century Fox's "Percy Jackson - Sea of Monsters" starring Alexandra Daddario and Logan Lerman.
Alisha is best known for her lead role as Georgie on the hit CBC television series, "Heartland", which is viewed in 119 countries worldwide. She joined the cast at the age of 10 and has grown up on screen. During the four month hiatus when "Heartland" is not filming, Alisha takes on other interesting acting projects. She can be seen in the TV movie, "The Tree That Saved Christmas", the TV series "When Calls The Heart", a lead role in a horror for SyFy called "The Hollow", and in the action/sci-fi feature, "Scorched Earth". Alisha was honored to present live on CBC at the "Canadian Country Music Awards" at only 15 years of age, making her one of the youngest presenters ever at the event.
A talent described as natural, intuitive and professional, Alisha is well respected for her strong and compelling performances and displays impressive vulnerability and range. She is intrigued by flawed and damaged characters and enjoys the intense challenges that these roles present. She has starred in a variety of diverse roles and has been acknowledged and honored with several nominations and awards.
Alisha continues to fuel her passion for horses in her spare time. She is an accomplished rider and is focused on jumping and training her two horses. When the filming schedule allows she competes in show jumping events in Canada and the USA.- Actor
- Director
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Brendan Meyer is an accomplished actor in both theatre and film/TV. In addition to his global acting credits, he has written and directed several award winning short films and has a few features in development. Best known for his love for and extensive knowledge of live theatre, film, and TV, Brendan is a well respected contributor to the acting community. He performed in three seasons with the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Canada. His past theatre credits include Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors and Richard III (Freewill Players); and Beneath The Ice (Fringe Theatre Adventures). He also has numerous directing (Fourteen, The Tempest) and acting (The Haunting of Hathaway House, The Tempest, Twelfth Night and An Unnatural Turn) projects with Celsius Youth Theatre, where he is the co-founder and was a co-artistic director before his film/TV career took him to Los Angeles. A self-professed Shakespeare nerd who has written many of his own Shakespeare adaptations, Brendan is an avid theatre goer who has traveled to New York, London, and Stratford-Upon-Avon to see many great plays and musicals. He maintains an extensive library of plays and books on the industry. When he has free time, you can find him in front of a movie screen, studying the greats such as Humphrey Bogart ,Leonardo DiCaprio and anything by Alfred Hitchcock. Brendan is very committed to giving back. He has strong ties with One! International, an organization running schools for disadvantaged youth in India. He lives in Los Angeles but spends a lot of time in New York City, Vancouver, Canada and London, England where he has citizenship.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Gabrielle Rose is an award-winning actor, born in BC, Canada. She is married to actor Hrothgar Mathews. They have two children, Liam and Finn. Her grandfather was a producer, playwright, L Arthur Rose, known for writing the hit musical Me and My Girl. Gabrielle has worked in film, television, and theatre. She is known for her indie film work in Canada, most notably for 'The Sweet Hereafter', 'Maudie' and 'Kingsway'.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
John was born and raised in downtown Toronto to Italian parents who made the long journey to Canada to start a new life. He first caught the acting/filmmaking bug in Grade 8. It was then that Aiko Suzuki (sister of David Suzuki) came to his class and taught a course in super 8 filmmaking. John played his first leading role as a blind boy in a film shot in the then new Spadina subway station. Nevertheless, it would take some time and a diversion into athletics before John would return to his passion for the arts.
John would eventually find his focus in athletics at Central Tech High School. John would go on to be part of the record breaking 4x100m relay team alongside Olympian Atlee Mahorn. It was his speed that would catch the attention of the football team and in his senior year he would be awarded an Athletic Scholarship to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. It was in the Simon Fraser Theater program that John's passion for acting was ignited. John would waste no time, and after 2 years at the University John made the move to New York to join his older brother Frank to further his studies and commit to acting as a life choice. By day John studied with acclaimed acting teacher Julie Bovasso. At night John would go to what he calls "one of the greatest jobs I have ever talked my way into" - an usher at the renowned Vivian Beaumont Theater in the beautiful Lincoln Center. Nightly, John would seat his audiences and then get lost in the magic of the theater as he quietly perched at the top of the stairs.
John found his way back to Vancouver where he spent a few years doing plays, a variety of TV and film projects and eventually landed his first big Hollywood Feature Film- Alive. Soon after John was in Los Angeles for the Premiere of Alive, and quickly began landing roles, resulting in a permanent move to L.A.
While in LA John co-wrote, produced and starred in the award winning independent film Break A Leg starring Molly Parker, Jennifer Beals, Sandra Oh, Kevin Corrigan and Eric Roberts. Break A Leg went on to win over 10 Best Feature or Audience Awards at various US festivals including Best Actor for John at The Marco Island Film Festival.
John has dazzled audiences and reviewers alike with his acting range, having one reviewer state, "It's hard to believe this is the same performer who played the steely-eyed, borderline dangerous nightclub manager in Intelligence. Leslie Nielson and Cassini's scenes together in Robson Arms are the stuff of great comedy." (Can West Service - Alex Strachan).
In 2018 John was awarded the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Achievement and in 2020 he won the UBCP/ACTRA Award for Best Lead Actor for his performance in Daughter.
In the theatre world, John appeared on stage in the spring of 2012 in the play God Of Carnage at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Vancouver Playhouse. Most recently John was in the Vancouver Premiere of The Motherf**ker with The Hat where he was nominated for a Jessie Award for Best lead Actor. John has gone on to produce TV as well as indie features and In 2012 he co-founded and became Artistic Director of Railtown Actors Studio a renowned premiere acting studio. He has been a personal acting coach for over 20 years working with actors in both Canada and the US and continues to mentor the next generation of actors.- Actor
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Ian Tracey was born on 26 June 1964 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor and director, known for Continuum (2012), Open Range (2003) and Timecop (1994).- Actress
- Sound Department
- Soundtrack
Miranda Frigon is a Canadian Actress and Singer-Songwriter. Born in Edmonton, Alberta she began her acting career at the age of eight, appearing in numerous television commercials. Her childhood and adolescence revolved around competitive gymnastics, ballet and classical piano so performing was a huge part of her life from an early age. She traveled and competed across Canada with her gymnastics team all the while training professionally as a dancer. She then went on to dance in a ballet company for several years before joining and touring with a more diverse company that included more various styles of dance. She then attended the University of Alberta where she studied Theater and Psychology in addition to competing on the varsity gymnastics team. Shortly after, Miranda received a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City where she trained in musical theater before landing her first recurring television role on the Disney series "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids." This brought her back to Canada to where she began working and building her film, television and music career. After moving and settling into Vancouver, B.C. she immediately began booking numerous guest stars on hit network U.S. shows such as "The 4400", "Higher Ground", "The Chris Isaak Show", "John Doe" "True Calling" and "The Dead Zone" to name a few. In her spare time she was writing music and playing live with her band in venues in and around Vancouver. She then landed a 13 episode run on UPN's "Jake 2.0" and the producers also placed 2 of her original songs in the series. This kicked off Miranda's music career of placing her songs in film and television.
In addition to her numerous feature and indie film credits, her most notable pasts TV roles include guest stars on hit shows such as "Bones", ,"Ugly Betty", "Dexter", "The New Adventures of Old Christine", "V", "Motive" "Supernatural" and "The Magicians".
Miranda was nominated for a Canadian Leo Award in 2013 for her leading role on Syfy's "Primeval: New World", was recurring for 5 seasons on the hit drama "Heartland" and is now most recognized for her leading role on Hallmark's "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries" alongside Candace Cameron and Marilu Henner which films in Vancouver, B.C. She was nominated for a Canadian Leo award again in 2015, for her role in this series.
Miranda's original song "Hiding Place" was used in episode 5 of Syfy's "Primeval New World" and it unleashed a worldwide fan base for her music. Since, her original songs have been placed in television series, Indie and feature films by Fox, Paramount, The CW, NBC, UPN, CBC, Space, Syfy, Hallmark & Lifetime. Her placements have gotten her worldwide exposure and attracted new fans from all over the globe. Miranda just released her new Kickstarter fan-funded album "First" in 2017 which can be found on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and any additional online stores.
In addition to all of her creative and athletic talents, Miranda is also a skilled Mixed Martial Artist. She has been trained in Boxing and Thai Kickboxing for over 10 years.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Cory Monteith was born on May 11, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as Cory Allan Michael Monteith. He was an actor, known for playing the singing jock Finn on the American TV show Glee (2009) and films such as Monte Carlo (2011), and Final Destination 3 (2006). He died on July 13, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Actor
- Producer
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Canadian actor Michael Cera was born in Brampton, Ontario, to parents who worked for Xerox. His mother, Linda, who is from Quebec, has English, Irish, Scottish, and Dutch ancestry, and his father, Luigi Cera, is Italian (from Sicily). Michael is the middle child between two sisters. He was educated at Conestoga Public School, Robert H. Lagerquist Senior Public School and Heart Lake Secondary School until the grade nine. Cera then completed his high school education via correspondence.
During a childhood illness he repeatedly viewed Ghostbusters (1984), learning the dialogue. It was this that sparked his interest in performing. He went on to take classes in improvisation at The Second City Toronto. Roles followed in commercials and TV, but he first came to major public attention when he was cast as George Michael Bluth in the critically acclaimed comedy series Arrested Development (2003). After the cancellation of this series, Cera successfully transitioned into movies, scoring starring roles in various projects such as Superbad (2007), Juno (2007), Youth in Revolt (2009) and as the eponymous hero in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).
Alongside acting, Cera is also a musician - he sings and plays guitar and bass.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Joshua Carter Jackson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His Irish mother, Fiona Jackson, is a casting director originally from Dublin. His American father, John Carter Jackson, is from Texas. Josh spent the first eight years of his life in California before returning to Canada. At the age of 11, Josh decided he wanted to pursue acting. Knowing how cruel an acting career could be, his mother took him to his first audition in hopes of discouraging him. Instead, he landed a commercial for Keebler's potato chips. Since then, Josh has had a full career ranging from theater to television.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rachel Anne McAdams was born on November 17, 1978 in London, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra Kay (Gale), a nurse, and Lance Frederick McAdams, a truck driver and furniture mover. She is of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish descent. Rachel became involved with acting as a teenager and by the age of 13 was performing in Shakespearean productions in summer theater camp; she went on to graduate with honors with a BFA degree in Theater from York University. After her debut in an episode of Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson (1998), she co-starred in the Canadian TV series Slings and Arrows (2003), a comedy-drama about the trials and travails of a Shakespearean theater group, and won a Gemini award for her performance in 2003.
Her breakout role as Regina George in the hit comedy Mean Girls (2004) instantly catapulted her onto the short list of Hollywood's hottest young actresses. She followed that film with a star turn opposite Ryan Gosling in the adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks bestseller The Notebook (2004), which was a surprise box office success and became the predominant romantic drama for a new, young generation of moviegoers. After filming, McAdams and Gosling became romantically involved and dated through mid-2007. McAdams next showcased her versatility onscreen with the manic comedy Wedding Crashers (2005), the thriller Red Eye (2005), and the holiday drama The Family Stone (2005).
McAdams then explored the independent film world with Married Life (2007), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and also starred Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. Starring roles in the military drama The Lucky Ones (2008), the newspaper thriller State of Play (2009), and the romance The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) followed before she starred opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Guy Ritchie's international blockbuster Sherlock Holmes (2009). McAdams played the plucky producer of a failing morning TV show in Morning Glory (2010), the materialistic fiancée of Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011), and returned to romantic drama territory with the hit film The Vow (2012) opposite Channing Tatum. The actress also stars with Ben Affleck in Terrence Malick's To the Wonder (2012) and alongside Noomi Rapace in Brian De Palma's thriller Passion (2012).
In 2005, McAdams received ShoWest's "Supporting Actress of the Year" Award as well as the "Breakthrough Actress of the Year" at the Hollywood Film Awards. In 2009, she was awarded with ShoWest's "Female Star of the Year." As of 2011, she has been romantically linked with her Midnight in Paris (2011) co-star Michael Sheen.- Actor
- Producer
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Eric was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He attended Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute (the same school Mike Myers attended) and also attended Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate, named after Canada's first Prime Minister. With the support of his parents (his father was also an aspiring actor), Eric spent three years at the Ryerson Theater School in Toronto and the Banff Center for the Arts, and went on to spend five seasons with Canada's Stratford Festival - he graduated 'lead' status in such stage classics as "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Henry V" and "The Three Sisters". Eric then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also moved into television and movies and gained a devoted following of fans. Eric makes his home in both Vancouver and Los Angeles.- Actress
- Producer
Carrie-Anne Moss was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. At age 20, after studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she moved to Europe to pursue a career in modeling. While in Spain she was cast in the TV show Dark Justice which was produced in Barcelona for its first season and Los Angeles for its second. Once in LA, Carrie-Anne was cast in other series regular opportunities like Matrix (which coincidentally presaged the movie that would later make her famous), and then Aaron Spelling's Models Inc.
Carrie-Anne's work was gaining attention when the late great Mali Finn brought her in to audition for The Wachowski's, who offered her the opportunity to create the iconic cyber warrior "Trinity". Alongside her "One" Keanu Reeves, in stride with Laurence Fishburne and the multifaceted Hugo Weaving. Carrie-Anne Moss galvanized her place in cinematic history in one of the highest grossing sci-fi action franchises of all time.
Carrie-Anne began receiving a wide range of scripts but it was the complex screenplay Memento that stirred her creative senses and once meeting the then unknown writer/director Christopher Nolan, it was without hesitation that she accepted the role of "Natalie" in Nolan's directorial debut. Her remarkable performance won her the coveted Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female that year.
Prominent directors and producers continued to pursue her. She survived with Val Kilmer on the Red Planet for Warner Bros; sweetened Lasse Hallstrom's multi Oscar nominated Chocolat for Miramax and tracked Sir Ben Kingsley in Paramount's Suspect Zero. She mothered Shia LaBeouf in DreamWork's box-office hit Disturbia; and together with Samuel L. Jackson, led the intense interrogation of Michael Sheen in Sony's Unthinkable.
Carrie-Anne continued to collaborate on independent projects including The Chumscrubber with Ralph Fiennes and Glenn Close; the comedy noir Mini's First Time also starring Alec Baldwin and Luke Wilson; Snow Cake the touching drama with Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman; Fireflies in the Garden in the company of Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts and Willem Defoe; and the retro zombie rom-com Fido along with Billy Connelly and Dylan Baker.
Throughout her career, Carrie-Anne has joined compelling television projects such as Ryan Murphy's Pretty Handsome; CBS's Vegas for James Mangold and Marvel's Jessica Jones as "Jerry Hogarth" for show runner Melissa Rosenberg. She recently finished acting and also producing in her second season, the bi-lingual English/Norwegian detective crime series Wisting, as an FBI agent set in the Norwegian landscape.
Next up, Carrie-Anne returns once again to star as "Trinity" in the much anticipated fourth installment of Lana Wachowski's Matrix Resurrections opposite Keanu Reeves for Warner Bros, which launches globally December 22, 2021- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Elliot Page was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Martha Philpotts, a teacher, and Dennis Page, a graphic designer. Page wanted to start acting at an early age and attended the Neptune Theater School. They began their career at the age of 10 on the award-winning television series Pit Pony (1999), for which they received a Gemini nomination and a Young Artist Awards nomination. Later, Page appeared in Marion Bridge (2002), which won the award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. They won a Gemini Award for their role of Lilith in the first season of ReGenesis (2004), a one-hour drama for TMN/Movie Central, and for the cable feature, Ghost Cat (2004), for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series. In addition, Page appeared in the cult hit TV series Trailer Park Boys (2001).
As the lead in David Slade's Hard Candy (2005), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Page garnered much praise for their tour de force performance as a 14-year-old who meets a 30-year-old photographer on the Internet and then looks to expose him as a pedophile. Films that followed included the title role of Bruce McDonald's The Tracey Fragments (2007); An American Crime (2007), also starring Catherine Keener; and the third installation of the X-Men franchise, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where Page played Kitty Pryde.
With their breakout role in Jason Reitman's hit comedy Juno (2007), about an offbeat teenager who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, Page received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Best Actress nominations, and won the Independent Spirit Award for their performance. They followed up that turn with the lead in Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, the roller-derby comedy-drama Whip It (2009), Christopher Nolan's psychological thriller Inception (2010), the independent film Peacock (2010), and the dark comedy Super (2010), opposite Rainn Wilson and Liv Tyler.
Page co-starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Alison Pill, Alec Baldwin, and Greta Gerwig in the Woody Allen ensemble comedy To Rome with Love (2012), and appeared in the thriller The East (2013), a story centered on a contract worker (played by Brit Marling) tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group, only to find herself falling for its leader (played by Alexander Skarsgård).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Anna Paquin is the first millennial to have received an Academy Award nomination for acting, and the first to win.
She was born on July 24, 1982 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Mary (Brophy), an English teacher from Wellington, New Zealand, and Brian Paquin, a Canadian phys-ed teacher. Anna moved to her mother's native country when she was four years old. Her first acting job ever was at age nine in the movie The Piano (1993), which was shot in New Zealand. At age 16, she relocated to Los Angeles where she completed her last two years of high school (graduating in 2000). She then moved to New York where she attended Columbia University for one year. Between 2001 and 2004, she worked almost exclusively on stage in both New York and London. In 2007, Anna was cast in HBO's True Blood (2008), which concluded shooting its seventh and final season in 2014.- Actor
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Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the youngest of four children. His father, James Chester Reynolds, was a food wholesaler, and his mother, Tamara Lee "Tammy" (Stewart), worked as a retail-store saleswoman. He has Irish and Scottish ancestry. Between 1991-93, Ryan appeared in Fifteen (1990), a Nickelodeon series taped in Florida with many other Canadian actors. After the series ended, he returned to Vancouver where he played in a series of forgettable television movies. He did small roles in Glenn Close's Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995) and CBS's update of In Cold Blood (1996). However, his run of luck had led him to decide to quit acting.
One night, he ran into fellow Vancouver actor and native Chris William Martin. Martin found Ryan rather despondent and told him to pack everything: they were going to head to Los Angeles, California. The two stayed in a cheap Los Angeles motel. On the first night of their stay, Reynolds' jeep was rolled downhill and stripped. For the next four months, Ryan drove it without doors. In 1997, he landed the role of Berg in Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998). Initially, the show was reviled by critics and seemed desperate for any type of ratings success. However, it was renewed for a second season but with a provision for a makeover by former Roseanne (1988) writer Kevin Abbott. The show became a minor success and has led to additional film roles for Ryan, most notably in the last-ever MGM film, a remake of The Amityville Horror (2005). Ryan was engaged to Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, another Nickelodeon veteran, between 2004-2006.
He has been married to Blake Lively since September 9, 2012. They have three daughters. He was previously married to Scarlett Johansson.- Jean-Luc Bilodeau was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the son of Raymond and Barbara Bilodeau and has a sister, Danielle, a talent agent in Vancouver, BC. Jean-Luc attended Holy Cross Regional High School in Surrey, BC. He was a dancer for 9 years before becoming an actor, but dropped out because of a busy film schedule.
He has been acting since 2004, and is best know for play the role of Josh Trager in the TV series Kyle XY (2006), and also played the lead role (Ben Wheeler) on the new ABC Family series Baby Daddy (2012). - Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Douglas Alexander Smith is a Canadian actor known for his work on the HBO series Big Love as Ben Henrickson. His other work includes Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Terminator Genisys, Vinyl, Miss Sloane, When We Rise, The Alienist and the second season of HBO's Big Little Lies.- Actress
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- Producer
Elisha Ann Cuthbert (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress and model. She became internationally known for playing Kim Bauer in the series 24 (2001); Danielle in the teen comedy film The Girl Next Door (2004) and Carly Jones in the horror remake House of Wax (2005). She was voted the sexiest actress in the world in 2015 by the magazine Glam'Mag. In 2013, she was elected the most "Beautiful woman of American TV."
Cuthbert is considered a sex symbol, and she has often been cited as one of the "sexiest" women and as one of the "most beautiful" in the world.
At the age of 14, Cuthbert made her feature film debut in the 1997 family-drama Dancing on the Moon (1997). Her first major lead role came in the 1998 drama film Airspeed (1999) (No Control) alongside Joe Mantegna. In 2001, she starred in the movie My Daughter's Secret Life (2001), in which she received her first award, the Gemini Awards, but her career began in earnest in the decade of 2000 when she was listed to play Kim Bauer, daughter of Jack Bauer in the award-winning action series 24 (2001). Subsequently, Cuthbert appeared in the lead role in the films The Quiet (2005) and Captivity (2007).
From 2011 to 2013, Cuthbert starred as Alex Kerkovich, in the series Happy Endings (2011).
In 2011, Cuthbert was named one of "The 100 Hottest Women of the 2000s", and also entered the list of "The 25 Hottest Blonde Bombshell Actresses" by Complex magazine. In 2013 GQ Magazine listed her among "The 100 Hottest Women of the 21st Century."- Actor
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Best known for his portrayal of troubled high school football star "Tim Riggins" on NBC's acclaimed television series, Friday Night Lights (2006), actor Taylor Kitsch has scored big with audiences and critics on both the big and small screens.
Taylor Kitsch was born on April 8, 1981 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, to Susan (Green), who worked for the BC Liquor Board, and Drew Kitsch, who worked in construction. He grew up in Vancouver. During his childhood, he aspired to become an actor, which eventually was the real reason behind his move to New York. There, Taylor pursued his dreams by studying the art of acting with coach Sheila Grey. Not too long after that, Taylor was cast in several film and television roles, such as John Tucker Must Die (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006) and Kyle XY (2006).
Moving to New York in 2002 was the prize that Taylor received after being scouted by modeling scouts in Canada. Taylor was signed to "IMG Models" and became a regular face for the famous clothing lines, "Abercrombie & Fitch" and also "Diesel". Taylor was also signed under "Untitled Entertainment" during his two years stay in the city. While Taylor was living in New York, he found time to become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. In the year 2004, Taylor decided that it was time for him to move to Los Angeles to learn more about the acting course. Taylor stayed in Los Angeles for about eight months and did some print work with "Nous Modeling Management". It wasn't too long until Taylor realized that he didn't want to be in Los Angeles. Taylor thought that things were running a little bit too fast for him, then making the decision to move back to Vancouver for the summer of 2005 to spend more time with his family. In 2006, Taylor then signed with "Endeavour".
What shot him to bigger fame was his role in the movie, The Covenant (2006), with actors Steven Strait, Toby Hemingway and Chace Crawford. In the stylish thriller from Lakeshore Entertainment and Sony Screen Gems, four young witches do battle with a powerful, centuries-old supernatural force. In "The Covenant", fans got to know who Taylor really is. Even though the movie wasn't as successful as people hoped it would be, Taylor became more recognized since acting in the movie. In the movie, fans also got to see a more fit and toned version of Taylor.
Fortunately, after "The Covenant", casting directors from the football teen drama, Friday Night Lights (2006), saw the talent that Taylor had. They eventually hired Taylor to play the role of "Tim Riggins", one of the Dillon Panthers' main players. On "Friday Night Lights", Taylor managed to show his acting skills to fans and television critics who were very impressed with Taylor's acting skills. USA Today called the series "one of the best-acted, best-written, best-produced shows on television". After receiving fame and gaining a big fan base from "Friday Night Lights", Taylor received the acting publicity he had always been waiting for.
During the show's summer hiatus, Taylor filmed the feature Gospel Hill (2008), alongside Julia Stiles, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Giancarlo Esposito, the film focuses on the bigoted former sheriff of a southern town and a one-time civil rights worker whose intersecting lives are still haunted by events that took place decades earlier. Old wounds are reopened as residents of a black neighborhood are forced out of their homes to make way for a multi-million dollar development.
In February 2008, he signed on to play "Gambit" in the "X-Men" franchise spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). He subsequently starred in the films The Bang Bang Club (2010), John Carter (2012), Battleship (2012), and Savages (2012). Despite being famous, Taylor is still a very humble guy and has said that he'd prefer to skip the whole tabloid craze. During his free time, he enjoys doing charity work and listening to music, especially those in the country genre. With all the success and a humble attitude, we're pretty sure that Taylor is going to be one of the "Must Watch" stars for the coming years.
When he's not on set, Kitsch pursues children's charity work and enjoys spending time with family and friends.- Sophie Nélisse was born in Windsor, Ontario, but moved to Montréal with her family when she was just age four.
She began her career at the age of seven in commercials, then made her movie debut at age 10 in the 2012 French-Canadian film Monsieur Lazhar. For her performance in the film, she won a Genie and a Jutra award for Best Supporting Actress. Sophie then went on to play a role in Luc Picard's 2012 feature Esimésac before being asked to audition for the lead role of a German girl in the English-language feature film The Book Thief. She landed the part and starred alongside Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson. In 2019, she had the lead in the sequel thriller 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019).
When not working, Sophie enjoys gymnastic classes. Her younger sister, Isabelle Nélisse, is also an actress, who, among other credits, played a lead role in the 2013 horror movie Mama. - Canadian actress Emily Bett Rickards was born on July 24, 1991. She attended film school after graduating high school, and also attended Alida Vocal Studio. She played "Felicity Smoak" on the CW network's Arrow (2012) and The Flash (2014), and appears in the upcoming, acclaimed feature film, Brooklyn (2015), alongside Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Julie Walters. Emily currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Allan Hawco (Actor, Writer, Executive Producer) is one of the country's most recognizable stars, whose wide range of talents appeal to audiences of all ages. He has the unique ability to connect to the audience as an actor and from behind the scenes, as a writer and producer. He was born on Bell Island, and raised in The Goulds in Newfoundland.
Allan is well-known for his roles as co-creator, show-runner, writer, executive producer and star in the hit CBC television drama/comedy Republic of Doyle, under his own production company Take the Shot Productions. Allan played the lead, Jake Doyle, the roguish and irreverent private investigator. In addition to its six season run on CBC, Republic of Doyle was sold to markets around the world, including syndication across the US.
In addition to Republic of Doyle (2010-2014), Allan starred in some of the most acclaimed television productions in Canada including Murdoch Mysteries (2013), ZOS: Zone of Separation (The Movie Network, 2008), political thrillers H20 (CBC, 2004) and Trojan Horse (CBC, 2007), as well as World War II drama Above & Beyond (CBC, 2006). Allan also starred opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. in the CBC miniseries, The Book of Negroes (2015).
Allan's feature film credits include major roles in Director Bruce McDonald's Award Winning film Weirdos; and Director/Actor Paul Gross' Hyena Road. Prior credits include a starring role in Love & Savagery (2009), directed by John Smith, and in Sir Richard Attenborough's Closing the Ring (2007) with Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine. Recently Allan starred as Liam in Michael Melski's,The Child Remains (2017).
Allan's major accolades include such awards as the Gascon Thomas Award from the National Theatre School, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Canadian Television Hall of Fame, a Gemini nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series (Republic of Doyle) and an ACTRA nomination for Best Male Actor (Love & Savagery).
Beyond television and film, Allan has maintained his roots in theatre as the co-founder of the Toronto-based 'Company Theatre'. There, he garnered rave reviews as the star in its inaugural production of Tom Murphy's Whistle in the Dark, as well as critical acclaim for both his roles in Festen and Belleville. The Company Theatre has gone on to stage numerous productions, such as John, Domesticated, The Seagull, Speaking in Tongues, The Test, Marion Bridge, and the Dora Award winning Through the Leaves. Allan is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Take The Shot Productions, is in production for season 3 of the award winning Television show Frontier, starring Jason Momoa, a Netflix Worldwide and Discovery Channel Canada series filmed on location in St. John's, N.L., Northern England, Scotland, and Cornwall, U.K. Frontier was created and written by Rob and Peter Blackie. Acclaimed directors on the series include Brad Peyton and John Vatcher. In addition to producing the series, Allan also plays the leading character Douglas Brown in Season 1, 2, and 3 serves as Executive Producer to the show.
Allan's upcoming project Caught is another highly anticipated show by his production company. Allan's new series Caught, in which he stars alongside Paul Gross, Eric Johnson, Tori Anderson and Enuka Okuma will air on CBC Monday February 26th, 2018. Allan plays the lead David Slaney, as well as serving as the Showrunner and Executive Producer. Caught is adapted from Lisa Moore's acclaimed novel of the same name.- Jodelle Micah Ferland has built up an impressive resume filled with roles in film, television and, at the beginning of her career, commercials. Born on October 9, 1994, she got her start in an episode of CTV's Cold Squad (1998), before landing the lead role in her first film, Mermaid (2000) at an early age. Her portrayal of the heartbroken "Desi" earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in history, as well as a Young Artist Award.
Since then, she has appeared in films including They (2002), Trapped (2001) and Carrie (2002), and has made appearances on Smallville (2001), Dark Angel (2000) and The Collector (2004). She can also be seen starring in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (2004), playing a tortured young girl who haunts the hospital's halls. In 2004, she landed the lead role of "Jeliza-Rose" in Terry Gilliam's Tideland (2005), a film about a disturbed young girl who finds solace in her own imagination after the death of her parents. Several roles have followed, including taking on three characters in the horror, Silent Hill (2006), a despondent foster child in Hallmark's Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007), starring with Renée Zellweger in Case 39 (2009), Matthew Broderick's dour daughter in Wonderful World (2009), and a surprise character in Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods (2011). Her latest role is playing the newly-turned vampire, "Bree", on the highly anticipated "Twilight" movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). - Producer
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An actor, comedian and writer, Seth Rogen has come a long way from doing stand-up comedy as a teen.
Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Sandy (Belogus), a social worker, and Mark Rogen, who worked for non-profits. His father is American-born and his mother is Canadian. He is of Russian Jewish descent. He attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School (although he dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles) and was known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp. At sixteen, Rogen placed second in the 1998 Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest.
Soon after that he landed his first role in Judd Apatow's short-lived but well regarded TV series Freaks and Geeks (1999), taking on the role of Ken Miller. Though the show only lasted one season, it was the launching pad for many careers, including Rogen, Apatow, James Franco, and Jason Segel. This early work sharpened Rogen's keen improvisational skills, which he's used on many projects since.
Following Freaks and Geeks (1999), he participated in a few unsuccessful television projects, and then joined the American television version of Da Ali G Show (2000) as a writer during its second and last season, along with his childhood friend and writing partner Evan Goldberg. The writing team received an Emmy nomination. As a huge fan of the first season, Rogen was thrilled to get the chance to work with Sacha Baron Cohen.
Continuing his work with Apatow, he joined the cast of Apatow's debut film The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and is credited as co-producer. After that he took the lead in Knocked Up (2007), Apatow's second movie and a huge success. He's since been a frequent collaborator with Apatow, in projects such as Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008) and Funny People (2009). He co-wrote Superbad (2007), with Goldberg; the pair started the project when they were teens. They won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Writing in a Film in 2008. They later wrote Pineapple Express (2008) and The Green Hornet (2011), also starring Rogen.
A talented voice artist, Rogen is in the animated films Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Kung Fu Panda (2008), and Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and has voiced characters for The Simpsons (1989) and American Dad! (2005).
Rogen was named the Canadian Comedy Person of the Year by the Canadian Comedy Awards in both 2008 and 2009.
Rogen lives in Los Angeles with Lauren Miller Rogen, whom he met in 2004. They became engaged in September 2010 and married in October 2011.- Actor
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Toronto native, Chris Potter, is a veteran of the film & television industry.
Having appeared in over 450 episodes of various programs (including the Lead of 8 television series), in 10 feature films, in excess of 20 TV movies, and having directed 15 television episodes, Chris is without a doubt one of the hardest working individuals in the business!
Chris stars in CBC's internationally airing hit show Heartland.
Chris starred in the made-for-television feature The Good Witch and its six sequels. The films' success led to Hallmark turning it into a television series.
Chris has amassed an impressive list of credits over the years and has garnered much recognition for his work. He won the award for Best Actor in a Featured Drama at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival for his work for the thriller Rocket's Red Glare, and he received a Gemini nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of "Tom Harsburgh" in the provocative television movie Sex Traffic.
Chris was a Series Regular on projects such as Zoe Busiek: Wild Card; Queer As Folk; Silk Stalkings; and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (with the late David Carradine).
Guest appearances include: Law & Order: SVU; One Tree Hill; Andromeda; The Outer Limits; Lonesome Dove, Counterstrike, Street Legal and Will & Grace.
On the big screen, Chris has appeared in the feature films Spymate and The Pacifier (an action thriller starring Vin Diesel). He was also directed by Richard Benjamin in The Shrink Is In, a romantic comedy with Courtney Cox and David Arquette.
When not busy at work (which is a rarity these days) Chris spends his time with his lovely wife and four children in Ontario.- Actress
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Originally born in Cambridge, England, Williams is a corroborated triple-threat, touting a professional dance background and regularly releasing original music under her artist name, SIØBHAN.
Williams has starred alongside the likes of Steve Carrell, Juliette Lewis, Kelly Reilly, and Jason Alexander, and had lead roles in projects such as Robert Zemeckis' "Welcome to Marwen", AMC's "Hell on Wheels", Netflix's "Deadly Class, and Lifetime's "UnReal". Williams was most recently cast alongside Retta and Titus Burgess in NBC's comedy pilot "Murder by the Book", and can be seen in the upcoming CW series "Sight Unseen".
In recent years, Siobhan Williams has taken the world of motion capture by storm. Williams achieved widespread recognition for her portrayal of Laura Kearney in AAA hit "The Quarry", which earned her a BAFTA nomination for 'Best Performer'. She also starred in indie thriller "The Chant" and an additional unreleased AAA title. She has voiced characters in countless games, films, and television series.- Cindy Busby was born on 18 March 1983 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is an actress, known for The Big Year (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) and Supernatural (2005). She has been married to Christopher Boyd since 12 December 2020.
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Calum Worthy began his acting career at the age of nine and made his film debut in the BBC award-winning mini-series I Was A Rat. Worthy's most acclaimed roles include Hulu's The Act, Netflix American Vandal, Eminem's Bodied, and Disney Channel's Austin & Ally.
Worthy is a vocal activist for the environmental movement and is currently working with Al Gore's Climate Reality Project and Bono's One organization. He has millions of followers across his social media platforms which he dedicates to educating and empowering his young fan base on the climate crisis and gender inequality in developing countries.- Matreya Fedor is a Canadian actress born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 11th, 1997. She started her screen career in 2006 at the tender age of nine. Her first film appearance began with Slither (2006). Continued work came in the form of film shorts and a strong list of episodic television appearances on various series. Matreya is best known to television audiences for her roles on The Troop (2009) and more recently on Mr. Young (2011).
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Eliza Faria was born in New Westminster, British Columbia on March 24, 2004. At age 2 she booked her first commercial with her older sister Mikayla. Since then she has booked many national commercials and has been cast in lead roles in short films that have gone to several film festivals. In 2011, Faria landed a small role in the television movie Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story and the television series R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour. She was excited to be cast in 2012 in her first supporting role in the television movie The Christmas Consultant and to have the opportunity to work with David Hasselhoff, Caroline Rhea and others.
She enjoys participation in Hip Hop dance and gymnastics, reading books, bike riding and playing with her friends.- Actor
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Liam James is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Noah Curtis in the 2009 film 2012, young Shawn Spencer on the USA Network television series Psych, and the lead character, Duncan, in 2013's The Way, Way Back.He also starred as Jack Linden in AMC's The Killing and Adam Warren in ABC's The Family, playing the son of main characters. James is from Vancouver, British Columbia.