List of people from Ontario

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
• 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 – NFL placekicker – Hamilton
• Mike Craig – NHL player – Thorndale
• Laura Creavalle – bodybuilder – Toronto
• Nick Denis – mixed martial artist – North Bay
• Andre De Grasse – Olympic sprinter from Scarborough
• Zach Edey – basketball player from Toronto
• 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 – NBA player – 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 – NHL player – Kingston
• Claude Giroux – NHL player – 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
• Bo Naylor - Mississauga
• 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 – NHL player – Thunder Bay
• Marial Shayok (born 1995) – basketball player in the NBA and currently in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
• Simisola Shittu (born 1999) – British-born Canadian basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League - Burlington
• 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
• 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) – NBA player – 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 (2015–2025) – 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
• Gavin Michael Booth – Amherstburg
• William J. Bruce III – St. Catharines
• 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
• 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
• 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
• One to One – Ottawa
• 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
• William Arthur Deacon – Pembroke
• Earl Doherty – Ottawa
• J. S. Ewart (1849–1933) – advocate for Canadian independence, from Toronto
• Malcolm Gladwell – Kitchener-Waterloo
• Alistair MacLeod – Windsor
• Alice Munro (1931–2024) – Wingham
• Michael Ondaatje – Toronto
• Robert J. Sawyer – Mississauga
• Clara E. Speight-Humberston – Acton
• Eric Walters – Toronto

Scientists and physicians

• Sir Frederick Banting – co-discoverer of insulin
• Charles Best – co-discoverer of insulin
• 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
• Roberta Bondar – astronaut, neurologist, from Sault Ste. Marie
• 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
• 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
• James Naismith – physician, inventor of basketball
• Daniel David Palmer – founder of chiropractic

Businesspeople

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
• Johnny Papalia

Others

• Margaret Hyndman – lawyer and women's rights advocate

See also

• List of people from Toronto
• List of University of Toronto people

References