Ryan Reynolds – The Deadpool Superstar Who Conquered Hollywood
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, entrepreneur and film producer. Despite being born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on October 23, 1976, many Americans assume he’s one of their own thanks to his prominent roles in major Hollywood blockbusters. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was among the world’s highest-paid actors, and his works have grossed $6.5 billion worldwide.
What makes Reynolds particularly deceiving to American audiences is his seamless accent adaptability and his complete immersion in American pop culture references throughout his films. Reynolds began his career in 1991 in the Canadian teen soap opera Hillside (1991–1993), which was distributed in the United States by Nickelodeon under the title Fifteen. However, his breakthrough came with American productions, making his Canadian origins fade into the background for most viewers. The comedic action movie Deadpool (2016), shot in Vancouver, became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time with a global box office take of over US$745 million.
Seth Rogen – Vancouver’s Gift to Comedy
Seth Aaron Rogen was born on April 15, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, into a Jewish family of Ukrainian and Russian origin. Despite his quintessentially American comedic roles in films like “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” many fans don’t realize he hails from Canada’s west coast. Rogen is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who once said “I definitely associate with being Canadian much more than being American” due to his upbringing in the former.
The confusion stems from his early work on American television shows and his collaboration with predominantly American comedic actors. Rogen started his career acting in Freaks and Geeks (1999), before writing for the final season of Da Ali G Show (2004), earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. After his film debut in Donnie Darko (2001), he solidified himself as a comedy star with The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007) and Funny People (2009). Sorry to hit you with this bombshell, but famous comedic actor Seth Rogen is in fact Canadian. The Hollywood star was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and in 2018, he was inducted to Canada’s Walk of Fame alongside his longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg.
Keanu Reeves – The Matrix of Mistaken Identity
The cool and stoic action hero, Keanu Reeves was born in Lebanon and the family moved around until his mother and stepfather relocated them to Toronto when he was around seven years old. His American-sounding name and iconic roles in distinctly American films like “The Matrix” and “Speed” have led countless fans to assume he’s from the United States. Like most young Canadians, Reeves excelled in hockey, and was an extremely successful goalie in high school. While an injury ended his hockey career, he has since moved on to become one of the most successful Canadian actors, best known for playing Officer Jack Traven in “Speed” and as Neo in “The Matrix”.
The confusion is particularly understandable given Reeves’ international upbringing and his seamless integration into American cinema. This may have helped him land a part in “Youngblood” as a Quebecois goalie, his first studio movie. His stoic demeanor and philosophical approach to acting have become synonymous with American action heroes, making his Canadian roots even more surprising to audiences. Following a period in which he enjoyed limited commercial success, he made a career comeback by playing the titular assassin in the action film series John Wick (2014–present). Reeves voiced Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 (2019) and portrayed Johnny Silverhand in the video game Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) as well as its expansion.
Michael J. Fox – Back to the Future, Forward to Canada
Fox most famously starred in the Americana-ridden Back to the Future series, but don’t be fooled: The actor and activist is actually Canadian. Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and was deservedly inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2000. His portrayal of the all-American teenager Marty McFly became so iconic that it cemented his image as the epitome of American youth in the 1980s. He was named in Time Magazine’s 2024 list of influential people in health.
Fox’s Canadian origins become even more surprising when you consider his role in “Family Ties,” where he played Alex P. Keaton, a character who embodied Reagan-era American conservative values. The irony wasn’t lost on audiences when they later discovered that this quintessentially American character was brought to life by someone from Edmonton. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. He has since become an activist and began the Michael J. Fox Foundation to increase research efforts to find a cure.
Matthew Perry – The Canadian Friend We Never Knew
The late Friends star Matthew Perry was both Canadian and American. Though he was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, he moved with his Canadian mother to Ottawa, Ontario, after his parents’ divorce. This dual nationality made Perry’s case particularly complex, but his formative years were spent in Canada, making him culturally more Canadian than many realize. After a book tour stop in Toronto in 2022, he wrote on Instagram, “Oh Canada, how I’ve missed you! So nice being back to my home country to share a glimpse of my story with you all.”
Perry’s portrayal of Chandler Bing on “Friends” was so quintessentially American that audiences never questioned his nationality. His sarcastic wit and neurotic Manhattan lifestyle seemed to epitomize New York culture. The revelation of his Canadian upbringing came as a shock to many fans who had watched him for a decade without ever suspecting his northern roots.
