Famous People Born In Ottawa

Alanis Morisette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress. Renowned for her mezzo-soprano voice, Morisette has been named by Rolling Stone as the Queen of Alt-Rock Angst. A recipient of 13 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, Morisette has released several successful albums, including Jagged Little Pill, which was named in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Paul Anka is a Canadian-American actor and singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, he has contributed to the success of popular musicians, such as Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. He has also contributed to the theme of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Also known for his business ventures, Anka is credited with opening the popular restaurant and club, Jubilation.

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet and novelist. Her works encompass themes, such as religion and myth, climate change, and gender and identity. An award-winning writer, many of Atwood's works have been made into films and television series; her work, The Handmaid's Tale, has had several adaptations. Perhaps, Margaret Atwood's most important contribution is her invention of the LongPen device.

Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and filmmaker. He is credited with co-founding the popular blues and soul revivalist band The Blues Brothers along with legendary comedian John Belushi. The Blues Brothers was conceived as a musical sketch for Saturday Night Live; its popularity turned it into an actual band and was later made into a film.

Emma Portner is a popular dancer and choreographer, who has choreographed music videos for celebrities like Justin Bieber. One of the few dancers to have been featured on the covers of both Dance Magazine and Dance Spirit, Portner serves as an inspiration to the LGBT community as she publicly married actress Ellen Page in 2018.

Canadian actor, radio personality, and singer, Lorne Greene, is remembered for his appearance in the original science-fiction TV series, Battlestar Galactica. As a young man, he studied to become a chemical engineer. However, he quit engineering for a career in entertainment. He was successful both as a radio personality and an actor in a career spanning almost five decades.

Canadian actress Vanessa Morgan is best known for her role in the Disney Channel/Teletoon film My Babysitter's a Vampire. She began singing at community events as a child and was spotted by a Hollywood agent who encouraged her to join the show business. She made her acting debut in 2000 and has since acted in many TV shows and films.

Tom Cavanagh is a Canadian actor well-known for his association with American television. He played the title character in NBC's comedy-drama series Ed, for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. Also a humanitarian and basketball enthusiast, Tom Cavanagh founded a celebrity basketball tournament called Cavanagh Classic, which raises money for Nothing But Nets, a campaign to fight malaria. 

Justin Trudeau is one of the most popular and good-looking Canadian politicians of all time. His good looks have made women and men go weak in their knees. After becoming the second-youngest prime minister of Canada, Justin went on to become one of the most liked politicians around the world.

Canadian actor, Brendan Penny, rose to fame with his role in the TV series Whistler. Even though he had appeared in many shows prior to his appearance in Whistler, he became a popular face only because of his role in the series. Since then, he has acted in many other TV shows and has even appeared in a few films.

Rachel Homan is a Canadian professional curler best known for winning the gold medal at the 2017 World Curling Championships. Previously, she had won the bronze medal and the silver medal at the 2013 and 2014 World Curling Championships respectively. In 2019, The Sports Network named Rachel Homan the fourth-greatest Canadian female curler of all time.

Kaniehtiio Horn is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Kayleigh in the television film Moccasin Flats: Redemption, for which she received a Gemini Award nomination. Although she focused on water polo and swimming as a teenager, Horn went on to become an actress. She is also known for voicing a couple of video game characters.

Michel Trudeau was a Canadian amateur skier and the younger brother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On November 13, 1998, Michel died in an avalanche while skiing with his friends in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. In the 2010 World Rose Festival, a varietal of rose named Michel Trudeau Memorial Rosebush was presented by his Aunt Betsy Dening.

Vice co-founder and CEO Shane Smith is a renowned journalist and entrepreneur whose work has taken him to remote and war-torn places such as North Korea and Liberia. Listed as one of Canada's Richest People in 2015, he is a self-made millionaire with riches such as an 8-bedroom California mansion.

Andrew Scheer is a Canadian politician who served as leader of the Official Opposition from 2017 until 2020. At the young age of 32, he became the speaker of the House of Commons and held this role for the entirety of the 41st Canadian Parliament. He is considered pro-life and opposes same-sex marriage. He is a firearm owner and hunter. 

The brother of former Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau and the brother of the current PM Justin Trudeau, Alexandre Trudeau is a documentary filmmaker and journalist who has covered events from Baghdad to the Balkans. He is also the author of Barbarian Lost, his reflection on his experiences in China.

Keshia Chanté is a Canadian singer-songwriter, TV personality, and actress. Interested in music from an early age, she began her career as a teenager. She became popular quickly and got the chance to open for Destiny's Child when the band was touring Canada. As her popularity grew, she ventured into TV as well and has appeared in many shows. 

Stephen Lewis is a Canadian politician, public speaker, and diplomat. The son of a labor lawyer and social democratic politician, Lewis dropped out of law school to take up a clerical position with the Socialist International. He later ventured into politics and became the leader of the social-democratic Ontario New Democratic Party. He is married to journalist Michele Landsberg. 

Andrew Coyne is a Canadian columnist who has worked with popular publications like Maclean's and National Post. He is currently working for The Globe and Mail. In 1994, Andrew Coyne was honored by the Public Policy Forum with the prestigious Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism.

Virginie Silla is a Canadian-French film producer best known for producing a wide variety of films, such as action films, comic adaptations, romantic films, and biographical films. Some of her most popular films include Lucy, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, and Once Upon an Angel.

Dai Vernon was a Canadian magician best remembered for his sleight of hand technique, which involves close-up magic and card tricks. Respected by fellow magicians, Vernon served as a mentor to his contemporaries and aspiring magicians. His life and career inspired a documentary film titled Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic, which released in 1999.