Canada Quiz: From Comedians to Sports Stars, Can You Name All of These Famous Canadians?

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From Justin Trudeau to Celine Dion to all the world's best Ryans, Canada has many famous exports and national celebrities. Whether it's your sports stars, like "the Great One," or your legendary musicians, like "The Godfather of Grunge," Canadians have contributed an enormous amount of talent into worlds of sports, politics, literature, entertainment, and more.

What Canadian celebrities and superstars do you know? Take this Famous Canadian Quiz to see whether your Canadian-radar needs to be retuned.

Test your Entertainment Knowledge

"Canada was built on dead beavers." – Margaret Atwood

It was also built on Canadian talent and tenacity. From Martin Short to Joni Mitchell, Canada has an overwhelming supply of amazing humans. Can you name the famous Canadians who have made Canada so great? Take our Famous Canadians Quiz to see who you knew was Canadian, and who you assumed was American.

Which Canadian actor is considered one of the nicest guys in Hollywood? What Canadian writer wrote The Handmaid's Tale? Which Canadian Olympic star was once the world's fastest man? If you know the answers to all these questions and more, then test your knowledge.

Do you think you know your Canadians? Then, take our Famous Canadians Quiz and name that famous Canuck.

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Steve Martin once said, "I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." 

Whether you're pure art or pure entertainment, look no further than our entertainment collection of quizzes. From celebrities to films to television and more, our entertainment section navigates the entertainment that aspires to be art and that which really doesn't.

Are you a fan of Broadway theatre? Then take our Broadway Quiz to see what you know about Broadway's biggest shows! Is fashion more your thing? Strut down the catwalk with this Fashion Icons Quiz. Whatever it is you find entertaining, we've got some trivia to satisfy your obsession!


Jessica Holom is a freelance writer and digital nomad with a background in literature, art, and writing. She believes curiosity never killed a single cat and enjoys learning, world-exploring, and writing about both.

Famous Canadians Quiz Questions

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Question 1

If you're a "trekkie," you probably know this Canadian actor for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek franchise.

  • A
    William Shatner
  • B
    Will Arnett
  • C
    Christopher Plummer
  • D
    Leslie Nielsen

Question 2

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." Perhaps the most popular hockey star of all time, who is "The Great One"?

  • A
    Mario Lemieux
  • B
    Gordie Howe
  • C
    Wayne Gretzky
  • D
    Lionel Conacher

Question 3

Known for his TV show, The Nature of Things, this Canadian scientist is an outspoken climate activist.

  • A
    David Suzuki
  • B
    Michio Kaku
  • C
    Neil deGrasse Tyson
  • D
    Carl Sagan

Question 4

"'Cause if you like the way you look that much, Oh baby, you should go and love yourself." Who is this teen heartthrob?

  • A
    Nick Jonas
  • B
    Shawn Mendes
  • C
    Khalid
  • D
    Justin Bieber

Question 5

What Jamaican-Canadian gold-medal Olympic sprinter was once known as the world's fastest man?

  • A
    Andre De Grasse
  • B
    Harry Jerome
  • C
    Penny Oleksiak
  • D
    Donovan Bailey

Question 6

Her heart will go on and on. Who is this Canadian-born Titanic singer?

  • A
    Kylie Minogue
  • B
    Alanis Morissette
  • C
    Celine Dion
  • D
    Kelly Clarkson

Question 7

This star hockey player later went on to invest in a popular chain of coffee and donut houses to which he lends his name.

  • A
    Connor McDavid
  • B
    Gordie Howe
  • C
    Tim Horton
  • D
    Maurice Richard

Question 8

After losing his leg to cancer, this pragmatist created a one-man marathon to raise money for cancer research. Name this hopeful martyr.

  • A
    Steve Nash
  • B
    Lou Marsh
  • C
    Sidney Crosby
  • D
    Terry Fox

Question 9

He's either dumb or dumber. Who is this Canadian comedian and, as of late, painter?

  • A
    Steve Martin
  • B
    Bill Murray
  • C
    Jim Carrey
  • D
    Jeff Daniels

Question 10

"My father raised us to step toward trouble rather than to step away from it." This current Canadian prime minister is the son of a former Canadian prime minister. Name that progressive national leader.

  • A
    Paul Martin
  • B
    Brian Mulroney
  • C
    Pierre Trudeau
  • D
    Justin Trudeau

Question 11

She is known for her roles on Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve. Name that Emmy-nominated actress.

  • A
    Sandra Oh
  • B
    Rachel McAdams
  • C
    Anna Paquin
  • D
    Cobie Smulders

Question 12

He has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Name that prime example of Canadian kindness.

  • A
    Keanu Reeves
  • B
    Hayden Christensen
  • C
    Joshua Jackson
  • D
    Eugene Levy

Question 13

"Man," this lady "feels like a woman". Name that country music singer.

  • A
    Carrie Underwood
  • B
    Reba McEntire
  • C
    Dolly Parton
  • D
    Shania Twain

Question 14

He made his name as Austin Powers. Who is this SNL alum?

  • A
    John Candy
  • B
    Mike Myers
  • C
    Dana Carvey
  • D
    Martin Short

Question 15

What famous Canadian nonfiction author of such works as Klondike to The Secret World of Og writes extensively on his home nation?

  • A
    Yann Martel
  • B
    Pierre Berton
  • C
    Joseph Boyden
  • D
    Lawrence Hill

Question 16

What original member of the SNL cast also starred in Ghostbusters and Blues Brothers?

  • A
    Dan Akroyd
  • B
    John Candy
  • C
    Howie Mandel
  • D
    Martin Short

Question 17

She's with a sk8er boi. Name that Canadian punk rocker.

  • A
    Katy Perry
  • B
    Avril Lavigne
  • C
    Carly Rae Jepsen
  • D
    Nelly Furtado

Question 18

Who is this Canadian – the first person born in the '80s to have been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar?

  • A
    Nathan Fillion
  • B
    Kiefer Sutherland
  • C
    Michael Cera
  • D
    Ryan Gosling

Question 19

Her prose includes The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments. Who is this two-time Booker Prize-winning author?

  • A
    Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • B
    Ayn Rand
  • C
    Margaret Atwood
  • D
    J.K. Rowling

Question 20

This popular astronaut released a David Bowie "Space Odyssey" video in zero gravity. Name that charismatic Canadian.

  • A
    Marc Garneau
  • B
    Chris Hadfield
  • C
    Jeremy Hansen
  • D
    David Saint-Jacques

Question 21

"And still, bad things, It's a lot of bad things, That they wishin' and wishin' and wishin' and wishin', They wishin' on me." Who is this rapper of "God's Plan"?

  • A
    Bryan Adams
  • B
    Kendrick Lamar
  • C
    Drake
  • D
    Andre 3000

Question 22

Yet another SNL alumn, what Canadian comedian, pictured here, is exalted as one of the most revered and recognizable comedians in Hollywood?

  • A
    Matthew Perry
  • B
    Rick Moranis
  • C
    Steve Martin
  • D
    Martin Short

Question 23

This musician "heard there was a secret chord". Who is this folksy "Hallelujah" singer-songwriter?

  • A
    Bob Dylan
  • B
    John Prine
  • C
    Leonard Cohen
  • D
    Woody Guthrie

Question 24

Singing hits like "Both Sides Now" and "Woodstock," who is this Canadian singer/songwriter?

  • A
    Shania Twain
  • B
    Alanis Morissette
  • C
    Ann Murray
  • D
    Joni Mitchell

Question 25

This legendary journalist got his start in small-town Canadian newspapers. Name that 60 Minutes reporter.

  • A
    Walter Cronkite
  • B
    Bob Woodward
  • C
    Morley Safer
  • D
    Dan Rather

Question 26

Canada is one of the biggest exporters of handsome Ryans. Who is this famous Ryan, known for his role in Deadpool?

  • A
    Ryan Gosling
  • B
    Ryan Reynolds
  • C
    Ryan Cartwright
  • D
    Ryan Seacrest

Question 27

“Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own.” What award-winning Canadian director brought us Titanic and Avatar?

  • A
    Christopher Nolan
  • B
    Steven Spielberg
  • C
    James Cameron
  • D
    David Fincher

Question 28

"It's better to burn out than to fade away..." Although he was active in American politics, what Canadian singer is known for his hits, "Like a Hurricane" and "Rockin' in the Free World"?

  • A
    Neil Young
  • B
    Jeff Healey
  • C
    Tom Cochrane
  • D
    Michael Buble

Question 29

This Canadian artist recently headlined the Super Bowl. Name that singer of "Blinding Lights".

  • A
    Paul Anka
  • B
    Gordon Lightfoot
  • C
    The Weeknd
  • D
    Randy Bachman

Question 30

This man is the creator of SNL, one of the longest-running sketch comedy shows on television. Name that hitmaker.

  • A
    D.B. Weiss
  • B
    Vince Gilligan
  • C
    Les Moonves
  • D
    Lorne Michaels

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