The City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has been the birthplace or a significant home to numerous famous individuals. Additionally, many Edmontonians have become worthy of note through their various charitable activities, donations, and contributions.

Actors and actresses

  • Lisa Gilroy (born 1989), comedian and actress
  • Beverly Adams (born 1945), former actress
  • Dana Alexander, comedian
  • Melody Anderson (born 1955), former actress
  • Tori Anderson (born 1988), actress
  • Nathaniel Arcand (born 1971), actor
  • Gary Basaraba (born 1959), actor
  • Michelle Beaudoin (born 1975), actress
  • Genevieve Buechner (born 1991), actress
  • Terry Chen (born 1975), film and television actor
  • Rae Dawn Chong (born 1961), Canadian-born American actress; daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong
  • Tommy Chong (born 1938), comedian, actor and musician
  • Billy Chow (born 1958), Hong Kong actor and martial artist
  • Ben Cotton (born 1975), film and television actor
  • Trevor Devall (born 1972), voice actor, born in Edmonton
  • Paula Devicq (born 1965), actress
  • Rosemary Dunsmore (born 1953), TV, film, and theatre actress
  • Nathan Fillion (born 1971), film and television actor
  • Dianne Foster (1928–2019), film and television actress
  • Michael J. Fox (born 1961), film and television actor
  • Patrick Gilmore (born 1976), film and television actor
  • Grace Glowicki, actress and filmmaker
  • Robert Goulet (1933–2007), singer and film actor
  • Meghan Heffern (born 1983), actress
  • Jill Hennessy (born 1968), television actress and musician
  • Jimmy Herman (1940–2013), First Nations actor
  • Eric Johnson (born 1979), actor
  • Keltie Knight (born 1982), professional dancer, television presenter and 1/3 of the LadyGang podcast
  • Theresa Lee (born 1970), Hong Kong actress and Miss Hong Kong runner-up
  • Niall Matter (born 1980), actor
  • Bruce McCulloch (born 1961), actor, writer, comedian, and film director
  • Kathleen McGee, stand-up comedian
  • Wendel Meldrum (1959–2021), actress
  • Leslie Nielsen (1926–2010), film and television actor
  • Steven Ogg (born 1973), actor
  • Ron Pederson (born 1978), stage and screen actor
  • Chelsey Reist (born 1987), actress
  • Callum Keith Rennie (born 1960), film and television actor
  • Lisa Ryder (born 1970), actress
  • Nancy Sivak
  • Kavan Smith (born 1970), actor
  • Catherine Mary Stewart (born 1959), film and television actor
  • Ryan Stock, TV circus stuntman
  • Kenneth Welsh (1942–2022), film and television actor

Business

  • Greg Abel (born 1962), CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
  • Jack Agrios (born 1938), lawyer
  • Bernard Ebbers (1941–2020), WorldCom co-founder
  • Paul Graham, vice-president and executive producer of The Sports Network
  • Daryl Katz (born 1961), chairman and chief executive officer of the Katz Group; owner of the Edmonton Oilers
  • Ray Muzyka (born 1969), co-founder, BioWare Corp
  • Ricken Patel (born 1977), founding president and executive director of Avaaz
  • Barb Tarbox (1961–2003), anti-smoking activist
  • Allan Wachowich (born 1935), former Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta
  • Max Ward (1921–2020), aviator and founder of Wardair airline
  • Greg Zeschuk (born 1969), co-founder of BioWare Corp

Musicians

  • Violet Archer (1913–2000), composer
  • Ardn, rapper
  • Ruth B (born 1995), singer-songwriter
  • H. Hugh Bancroft (1904–1988), church musician and composer
  • Tommy Banks (1936–2018), musician
  • Moe Berg (born 1959), singer-songwriter
  • George Blondheim (1956–2020), pianist and composer
  • Bill Bourne (1954–2022), folk and blues singer-songwriter, three-time Juno Award winner
  • Harpdog Brown (1962–2022), blues musician
  • Brox Sisters, singers (Brock sisters)
  • Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton; born 1986), rapper
  • Beatrice Carmichael (1889–1964), grand dame of the opera
  • Ken Chinn (a.k.a. Chi Pig; 1962–2020), lead singer-songwriter and band leader of SNFU
  • Clinker, sound artist, composer, and visual artist
  • Stu Davis (1921–2007), singer-songwriter, guitarist, internationally known as "Canada's Cowboy Troubadour"
  • Mac DeMarco (born 1990), indie rock musician
  • Jean Dubé (born 1981), pianist
  • Trevor Dunn (born 1968), guitarist, member of 1970's group Fifth Avenue Allstars
  • Tim Feehan (born 1957), artist, singer-songwriter, producer, co-owner of Los Angeles recording studio Backroom, mix master
  • Malcolm Forsyth (1936–2011), composer
  • Jay Fung, Hong Kong Cantopop singer-songwriter
  • Allan Gilliland (born 1965), composer
  • G.NA (Choi Ji-Na; born 1987), Korean singer
  • Dwayne Goettel (1964–1995), keyboardist for Skinny Puppy
  • Adam Gregory (born 1985), singer
  • Brian Hughes (born 1955), smooth jazz guitarist
  • JackEL (born 1996), DJ, record producer and songwriter
  • Cassius Khan, Indian classical tabla player and ghazal singer, recipient of Salute to Excellence Award
  • Morgan Lander, singer-songwriter
  • k.d. lang (born 1961), singer-songwriter
  • Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire, singer-songwriter
  • Jens Lindemann, trumpet soloist
  • Cameron Melnyk, lead singer of Canadian rock band State of Shock
  • Big Miller (1922–1992), jazz and blues singer
  • Maren Ord, singer-songwriter
  • P.J. Perry, jazz saxophonist
  • Quanteisha, singer
  • Lester Quitzau, Folk and blues guitarist
  • Jan Randall, composer
  • Carmen Rasmusen (born 1985), country music artist
  • Alyssa Reid, singer-songwriter
  • Josh Sahunta, pop/R&B singer-songwriter
  • Sean Nicholas Savage, indie singer-songwriter
  • Shiloh, singer-songwriter
  • Jay Sparrow, singer-songwriter
  • Mark Spicoluk (born 1979), musician
  • Kreesha Turner, singer-songwriter
  • Ella May Walker, composer
  • Tom MacDonald (born 1988), rapper, singer-songwriter
  • Alex Calder (1989–2026), indie musician

National service

  • Russ Bannock (1919–2020), Canada's second-highest scoring ace of World War II
  • Roy Brown, Canadian flying ace in World War I, officially credited with shooting down the Red Baron, though this is now subject to debate
  • Edmund De Wind, Irish-Canadian British Army officer in World War I, recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Wop May, Canadian flying ace in World War I, the last pilot to be pursued by Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, prior to his death, also a celebrated bush pilot
  • Nellie McClung (1873–1951), first woman appointed to the Board of Governors of the CBC (1936); one of The Famous Five
  • Emily Murphy (1868–1933), first female magistrate in British Empire and petitioned Supreme Court of Canada to allow women the vote; one of the Famous Five; has received modern scrutiny for her support for eugenics
  • Douglas Roche (born 1929), O.C., former M.P., Senator, U.N. Ambassador, nuclear disarmament figure, author, and journalist
  • William Smith Ziegler (1911–1999), artillery commander of the 1st Canadian Division in the Second World War

Politicians

  • Mark Carney (born 1965), 24th Prime Minister of Canada, former Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the G20's Financial Stability Board; former governor of the Bank of Canada
  • William Humberstone (1836–1922), politician in Alberta, and a municipal councillor in Edmonton
  • Don Iveson (born 1979), mayor from 2013 to 2021
  • Marcel Lambert (1919–2000), politician
  • Stephen Mandel (born 1945), mayor from 2004 to 2013, Alberta minister of health from 2014 to 2015, and leader of the Alberta Party from 2018 to 2019
  • Sherry McKibben (born 1944), politician
  • Rachel Notley (born 1964), 17th Premier of Alberta
  • Michael Phair (born 1950), politician
  • Richard R. Verma (born 1968), diplomat

Religion

  • Seraphim Storheim (born 1946), former senior hierarch for the Orthodox Church in America

Scientists

  • John Acorn, naturalist, lecturer at the University of Alberta, research associate at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, and research associate at the E.H. Strickland Entomology Museum
  • Karl Clark (1888–1966), University of Alberta professor and inventor of oil sands extraction technology
  • Jillianne Code (born 1976), researcher and learning scientist
  • Werner Israel (1931–2022), physicist
  • Raymond Lemieux (1920–2000), organic chemist
  • Diane Loranger, geologist, paleontologist
  • Jordan Peterson (born 1962), clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto
  • Gary Purdy (born 1936), materials scientist and engineer, professor
  • Gordon Walter Semenoff (born 1953), theoretical physicist
  • Dr. Lorne Warneke (1942–2020), clinical psychiatrist and gender identity specialist at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital; transgender rights activist

Sports personalities

Bobsledding

  • David Bissett (born 1979), Olympic bobsledder
  • Jennifer Ciochetti (born 1984), bobsledder
  • Pierre Lueders (born 1970), bobsledder
  • Jesse Lumsden (born 1982), bobsledder and football player
  • Neville Wright (born 1980), bobsledder

Boxing

  • Al Ford (born 1950), professional boxer and CBF Lightweight Champion
  • Ryan Ford (born 1982), professional boxer and retired mixed martial arts fighter
  • Kelly Perlette, light middle-weight boxing gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
  • Adam Trupish (born 1979), boxer

Curling

  • Jessica Amundson (born 1984), curler
  • Joanne Courtney (born 1989), curler
  • Randy Ferbey (born 1959), multiple Canadian and World Men's Curling Champion
  • Heather Kalenchuk (born 1984), curler
  • Cathy King (born 1959), curler, from St Albert
  • Jamie King (born 1973), curler
  • Renée Sonnenberg (born 1971), curler

Ice hockey

  • Dave Babych (born 1961), ice hockey defenceman
  • Wayne Babych (born 1958), ice hockey player
  • Shawn Belle (born 1985), ice hockey defenceman
  • Brian Benning (born 1966), ice hockey defenceman
  • Jim Benning (born 1963), ice hockey defenceman and executive
  • Matt Benning (born 1994), ice hockey defenceman
  • Blair Betts (born 1980), ice hockey player
  • Tom Bladon (born 1952), ice hockey defenceman
  • Roger Bourbonnais (born 1942), ice hockey player
  • Jay Bouwmeester (born 1983), ice hockey defenceman
  • Johnny Boychuk (born 1984), ice hockey defenceman
  • Gilbert Brulé (born 1987), ice hockey player
  • Johnny Bucyk (born 1935), ice hockey player
  • Jason Chimera (born 1979), ice hockey player
  • Erik Christensen (born 1983), ice hockey player
  • Mac Colville (1916–2003), early star in the NHL
  • Neil Colville (1914–1987), early star in the NHL
  • Marcel Comeau (born 1952), Canadian ice hockey coach and NHL executive
  • Mike Commodore (born 1978), ice hockey player
  • Eric Comrie (born 1995), ice hockey goaltender
  • Mike Comrie (born 1980), ice hockey player
  • Kirby Dach (born 2001), ice hockey player
  • Jake DeBrusk (born 1996), ice hockey player
  • Gerald Diduck (born 1965), ice hockey defenceman
  • Tyler Ennis (born 1989), ice hockey player
  • Andrew Ference (born 1979), ice hockey defenceman
  • Vernon Fiddler (born 1980), ice hockey player
  • Mark Fistric (born 1986), ice hockey defenceman
  • Matt Frattin (born 1988), ice hockey right winger
  • Brendan Gallagher (born 1992), ice hockey player
  • Donald Gauf (1927–2014), ice hockey player
  • Randy Gregg (born 1956), ice hockey defenceman
  • Noah Gregor (born 1998), ice hockey player
  • Dylan Guenther (born 2003), ice hockey player
  • W. G. Hardy (1895–1979), President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association
  • Kelly Hrudey (born 1961), ice hockey player
  • Jarome Iginla (born 1977), ice hockey player
  • Brad Isbister (born 1977), ice hockey player
  • Ken Johannson (1930–2018), Canadian-born American ice hockey player, coach and executive
  • Eddie Joyal (born 1940), ice hockey player
  • Dustin Kohn (born 1987), ice hockey player
  • John Kordic (1965–1992), ice hockey player
  • Daymond Langkow (born 1976), ice hockey player
  • Bryan Little (born 1987), ice hockey player
  • Jamie Lundmark (born 1981), ice hockey forward
  • Joffrey Lupul (born 1983), ice hockey player
  • Bruce MacGregor (born 1941), NHL player and management
  • Richard Matvichuk (born 1973), ice hockey player
  • Ken McAuley (1921–1992), goaltender for the NHL New York Rangers; husband of Mildred Warwick McAuley
  • Mark Messier (born 1961), ice hockey player
  • Derek Morris (born 1978), ice hockey player
  • Scott Nichol (born 1974), ice hockey player
  • Scott Niedermayer (born 1973), ice hockey defenceman
  • Ben Ondrus (born 1982), ice hockey player
  • Greg Parks (1967–2015), ice hockey player
  • Eric Paterson (1929–2014), ice hockey player
  • Alex Petrovic (born 1992), ice hockey defenceman
  • Matt Pettinger (born 1980), ice hockey player
  • Dion Phaneuf (born 1985), ice hockey defenceman
  • Fernando Pisani (born 1976), ice hockey player
  • Justin Pogge (born 1986), AHL hockey player
  • Art Potter (1909–1998), president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association
  • Mark Pysyk (born 1992), ice hockey player
  • Steve Regier (born 1984), ice hockey player
  • Steven Reinprecht (born 1976), ice hockey player
  • Phil Russell (born 1952), ice hockey defenceman
  • David Schlemko (born 1987), ice hockey player
  • John Scott (born 1982), ice hockey player
  • Danielle Serdachny (born 2001) – ice hockey player
  • Stuart Skinner (born 1998), ice hockey goaltender
  • Colin Smith (born 1993), ice hockey player
  • Harold Snepsts (born 1954), ice hockey defenceman
  • Jared Spurgeon (born 1989), ice hockey player
  • Jason Strudwick (born 1975), ice hockey defenceman
  • Brian Sutherby (born 1982), ice hockey centre
  • Darryl Sydor (born 1972), ice hockey player
  • Shannon Szabados (born 1986), ice hockey goaltender and two-time Olympic Women's gold medal winner
  • Garry Valk (born 1967), ice hockey player and broadcaster
  • Cam Ward (born 1984), ice hockey goaltender
  • Darcy Werenka (born 1973), Canadian-Austrian ice hockey defenceman
  • Ray Whitney (born 1972), ice hockey player
  • Zarley Zalapski (1968–2017), ice hockey defenceman

Skating

  • Jamie Gregg (born 1985), long track speed skater
  • Jessica Gregg (born 1988), short track speed skater
  • Josie Morrison (born 1994), speed skater
  • Natasha Purich (born 1995), pair skater

Skiing

  • Stanley Hayer (born 1973), Canadian freestyle skier of Czech descent
  • Jennifer Heil (born 1983), freestyle skier born in Spruce Grove, Alberta
  • Dusty Korek (born 1995), Canadian ski jumper of Polish descent
  • Ed Podivinsky (born 1970), Canadian Alpine skier of Czech descent
  • Stefan Read (born 1987), ski jumper

Soccer

  • Asmir Begović (born 1987), goalkeeper who represented the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team
  • Alphonso Davies (born 2000), captain of the Canadian national soccer team
  • Chuck Dubuque (1932–2020), HB soccer player
  • Daniel Fernandes (born 1983), Portuguese Canadian professional soccer player
  • Lars Hirschfeld (born 1978), soccer goalkeeper
  • Stephanie Labbé (born 1986), soccer goalkeeper for the Canadian Women's National Team, Olympic gold medalist
  • Erin McLeod (born 1983), soccer goalkeeper, Olympic bronze medalist
  • Tosaint Ricketts (born 1987), soccer player

Wrestling

  • Chris Benoit (1967–2007), professional wrestler
  • Gene Kiniski (1928–2010), professional wrestler

Other sports

  • Marco Arop (born 1998), track and field
  • Ewan Beaton (born 1969), judoka
  • Gary Beck (born 1941), two-time world champion drag racer and member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
  • Art Boileau (born 1957), Olympic marathon runner
  • Robin Clegg (born 1977), biathlete
  • Michelle Conn (born 1963), field hockey player
  • John Ducey (1908–1983), baseball executive and umpire
  • Robert Easton (born 1960/1961), Paralympian, wheelchair athlete, won three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics
  • David Ford (born 1967), kayaker
  • Forrest Gainer (born 1979), rugby union player
  • Blythe Hartley (born 1982), diver
  • Chuba Hubbard (born 1999), NFL running back
  • Mary Imrie (1918–1988), architect
  • Ed Kucy (born 1971), CFL player
  • Lawrence Lemieux, sailor, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the Star class and at the 1988 Summer Olympics in the Finn class
  • Jason MacDonald (born 1975), UFC fighter
  • Rod Phillips (born 1941), radio broadcaster for 630 CHED
  • Annamay Pierse (born 1983), swimmer born in Toronto and raised in Edmonton
  • John "Red" Pollard (1909–1981), jockey of the famous horse Seabiscuit
  • Doug Pruden, multiple world records in push ups
  • Mike Robertson (born 1985), snowboarder
  • Alison Sydor (born 1966), cross country mountain cyclist
  • Lwal Uguak (born 2000), CFL defensive end
  • Delwin Vriend (born 1966), teacher and activist
  • Jean Wallbridge (1912–1979), architect
  • Mildred Warwick (1922–2006), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player; wife of Ken McAuley

Writers and artists

  • Robert T. Anderson, poet
  • Makram Ayache, playwright
  • Will Beauchamp, filmmaker
  • Ted Bishop, author of Riding with Rilke
  • Andrew Brook (born 1943), philosopher, author of Kant and the Mind
  • Can Man Dan (Dan Lee Johnstone) (born in Edmonton in 1987), anti-poverty and social activist, philanthropist, and author
  • Gil Cardinal (1950–2015), filmmaker
  • Judith Clute (born in Edmonton in 1942), painter, graphic designer, print-maker, and illustrator
  • Patrick Cox (born 1963), shoe designer
  • Harold F. Cruickshank (1893–1979), pulp-fiction author
  • James DeFelice, playwright and screenwriter
  • Gordon R. Dickson (1923–2001), science fiction writer
  • Brion Gysin (1916–1986), artist and writer
  • W. G. Hardy (1895–1979), professor, writer, ice hockey administrator, Member of the Order of Canada
  • Peter Hide (born 1944), British-born sculptor, living in Edmonton since 1977
  • Arthur Hiller (1923–2016), Hollywood film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America
  • Carl Honoré (born 1967), grew up in Edmonton; journalist and author of In Praise of Slowness
  • Mel Hurtig (1932–2016), publisher, author, and politician
  • Drew Karpyshyn (born 1971), video game scenario writer, scriptwriter, and novelist
  • Conor Kerr (born 1988), author of Avenue of Champions
  • W. P. Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe which became the film Field of Dreams; tournament Scrabble player
  • Samuel Edward Konkin III, founder of the libertarian social philosophy agorism
  • Myrna Kostash, writer of eight books including All of Baba's Children
  • Stewart Lemoine, playwright
  • Austin Mardon (born 1962), author, community leader and advocate for the disabled
  • Ryan McCourt, visual artist
  • Marshall McLuhan, recipient of numerous awards and appointments, pioneer of media theory
  • Conor McNally, documentary filmmaker
  • Iman Mersal, poet
  • Richard Newman, writer, broadcaster, and reality TV star, best known for participating in the seventh series of the British version of Big Brother
  • Wendy Orr (born 1968), Canadian-born Australian writer
  • Kelly Oxford, writer, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar
  • T. W. Peacocke, television and film director
  • Jean Paré (1927–2022), author and publisher of the Company's Coming cookbook series
  • Robert Young Pelton, author
  • Tom Radford, documentary filmmaker
  • Phyllis Seckler (1917–2004), ninth degree (IX°) member of the "Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis" of Ordo Templi Orientis
  • Brent Shaw (born 1947), historian
  • Robert W. Smith, historian
  • Gail Sidonie Sobat, poet, novelist, educator, founder/director of “Youthwrite” and “Spoken Word Youth Choir”
  • Ella May Walker, artist and writer

Others

  • Kerry Pawluski, medical doctor and pilot
  • Krew, group of YouTuber siblings consisting of ItsFunneh, GoldenGlare, DraconiteDragon, LunarEclipse, and PaintingRainbows
  • Gene Principe, sports newscast, sports field reporter
  • Steve Wallis, "Camping With Steve" YouTuber

See also

  • List of people from British Columbia
  • List of people from Calgary
  • List of people from Montreal
  • List of people from Ontario
  • List of people from Quebec
  • List of people from Quebec City
  • List of people from Toronto
  • List of people from Vancouver

References

  • Edmonton toasts 100 top citizens of past century