Besides the obvious stars (Céline Dion and Leonard Cohen), a handful of well-known actors were raised in Montreal.
For this list, we’re not focusing primarily on actors who were born in La Belle Province. We’re looking at actors who grew up in Montreal, even if it was just for a little while.
The biographical information, courtesy of the IMDB, might surprise you in terms of which stars spent time in Montreal.
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Jay Baruchel
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Jay Baruchel was born in Ottawa but grew up in NDG. The This Is It star is a very outspoken fan of the Montreal Canadiens.
In his book, “Born Into It: A Fan’s Life,” Baruchel talks about his lifelong love for the Habs and how he still lives in NDG.
Sandra Oh
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Sandra Oh was born to Korean parents in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean. Oh began her performing career as a ballet dancer and studied drama at the National Theatre School of Montreal in the early 80s.
Will Arnett
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While the Arnett family is originally from Winnipeg, Will Arnett was born in Toronto. His father served as president and CEO of Molson Breweries from 1997 to 2000. The Arrested Development star attended Lakefield College in Ontario before attending Concordia University in Montreal for a semester before dropping out.
He then moved to New York City to study acting and eventually moved to Los Angeles.
Elisha Cuthbert
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Elisha Cuthbert was born in Calgary and moved to Greenfield Park of the South Shore with her family as a child. She starred in the Canadian production Popular Mechanics For Kids from 1997 to 1999, alongside Jay Baruchel.
She graduated from Centennial Regional High School in 2000 and moved to Los Angeles when she was 17.
She is now married to former NHL defenceman Dion Phanuef.
Gerard Butler
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To a certain degree, the Scottish actor is a Montrealer.
When he was six months old, Butler’s parents moved to Montreal for just over a year before heading back to Scotland.
Rachelle Lefevre
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Rachelle Lefevre was born in Monteal. She speaks English and French and studied creative arts at Dawson College before beginning a degree in education and literature at McGill University.
Michael J. Fox
IMDB
Michael J. Fox was born in Edmonton but lived in Montreal before rocketing to superstardom after the classic Back to the Future franchise.
Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer/The Academy
The late Academy Award-winning actor was born in Toronto but was raised in Senneville, after his parents divorced. He spoke English and French fluently and started acting while attending the High School of Montreal.
He attended the Montreal Repertory Theatre alongside fellow Montrealer William Shatner.
William Shatner
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Speaking of, William Shatner amassed an impressive acting career, spanning more than five decades. Perhaps best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the cult TV show Star Trek, the Montreal-born Shatner has also appeared in Miss Congeniality, Futurama, The Big Bang Theory, and plenty more.
Peter Cullen
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You may not recognize Peter Cullen’s face but you would his voice.
Cullen was born in Montreal and spent his formative years here before moving to the United States. He has been providing the voice of Optimus Prime in the highly-lucrative Transformers franchise since the 1990s.
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