Famous Canadian College Grads

It's amazing just how many celebs in America got their start at colleges in Canada. Check out our roundup of the notables you know.  

Canadian College TV Stars
Evangeline Lilly, who plays Kate on cult-fave "Lost," studied at the University of British Columbia. Eric McCormack, best known as the Emmy award-winning star of "Will & Grace," studied at Ryerson University in Ontario. And Alan Thicke, star of '80s sitcom "Growing Pains," is also a Canadian college grad - he earned his degree from the University of Western Ontario.
 

Canadian College Game Show Hosts
Is it any surprise that Alex Trebek earned his degree in philosophy? The "Jeopardy!" host graduated from the University of Ottawa. And Monty Hall, the original host of "Let's Make a Deal" (now hosted by Wayne Brady), also went to college in Canada. Hall received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and zoology from the University of Manitoba. Does anyone know what ever happened to door #4?


Canadian College Musicians
Paul Shaffer, ubiquitous musical director for "The Late Show with David Letterman," earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Toronto. Steven Page, current solo artist and former lead singer for the Barenaked Ladies, studied at York University in Toronto. Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, graduated from Queen's University in Ontario with a degree in film; band members Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker graduated from Queen's too. Sounds like a Canadian college band success story to me.

Canadian College Movie Stars
Rachel McAdams, star of such blockbuster films as "The Time Traveler's Wife," "The Notebook," "Red Eye," "Mean Girls," and "Wedding Crashers," earned a BFA in theater - with honors - from York University. Malin Akerman, who played Katherine Heigl's bridezilla sister in the 2008 rom-com "27 Dresses" and more recently starred in "Watchmen" and "The Proposal," also studied at York. Nia Vardalos is yet another Canadian college grad - the writer and star of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" schooled at Ryerson University in Ontario.

Canadian College Movie Stars - The Older Generation
It's not just the younger generation of thespians who went to college in Canada. Prolific actor Donald Sutherland, star of "The Dirty Dozen," "M*A*S*H," and "JFK," earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto with a double major in engineering and drama. William Shatner, of "Star Trek" fame, earned a bachelor's degree in commerce from McGill University in Quebec. Christopher Plummer, star of the classic film "The Sound of Music," also earned his degree from McGill.

Canadian College Directors and Producers
There are plenty of behind-the-scenes celebs who got their start at colleges in Canada, too. Prolific Oscar-winning director and writer James Cameron, whose credits include "The Terminator" and "Titanic," majored in philosophy at the University of Toronto. Director and producer Ivan Reitman, who directed "Meatballs" and "Ghostbusters" and produced the recent Paul Rudd flick "I Love You, Man," received his bachelor's degree in music from McMaster University in Ontario. And Lorne Michaels, creator and producer of "Saturday Night Live," earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Toronto. Who says you can't do anything with an English degree?! 

Canadian College Comedians
Dan Aykroyd, original "Saturday Night Live" cast member and co-originator of "The Blues Brothers" and "Ghostbusters," studied sociology and criminology at Carleton University in Ontario. Speaking of "The Blues Brothers," original cast member John Candy earned his bachelor's degree from McMaster University. Eugene Levy, star of the "American Pie" movies, earned his bachelor's degree in film from McMaster, and longtime "SNL" star Martin Short received his bachelor's degree in social work from McMaster. It would appear that this Canadian college has a knack for attracting funny people.

Explore Canadian colleges, and you just might discover the next great entertainer.

 

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