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.

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 – 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
 * 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) – 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
 * 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
 * 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

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