The Great White North has produced some fine actors, writers, and directors within the entertainment industry over the years, including comedy legends, prominent stage actors, action heroes, and the like. Here, we celebrate Canada’s most successful actresses. The below-mentioned actresses began their careers in their humble homeland of Canada and eventually carved out a name for themselves in Hollywood. While many of them started their careers with local television productions, they have gone on to star in some of the greatest movies and television series ever made.
Collectively, they have starred in hit shows such asTrue Blood,Grey’s Anatomy,Lost, andHow I met Your Mother,as well as starred in blockbuster films and franchises such asScream,Ant-Man,The Avengers, andSherlock Holmes. While there are many amazing andtalented Canadian actressesto choose from, the women below have reached an unprecedented level of success in their careers across the border. From humble beginnings to Hollywood heavyweights, here are the six most successful Canadian actresses in Hollywood.
6Evangeline Lilly
Alberta-bornEvangeline Lillywas discovered by Ford Modelling Agency in her teens. She was eventually cast in some commercials and earned small non-speaking roles in the television seriesSmallvilleandKingdom Hospital. In 2004, Lilly beat out 75 other women to win the role of Kate Austen in the ABC primetime seriesLost.Lilly also starred in films such asThe Hurt Locker, J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-part adaptation ofThe Hobbit,and Marvel’sAnt-ManandAnt-Man and the Wasp.
Related:MCU Actors You Didn’t Know Were Canadian
5Anna Paquin
Winnipeg-bornAnna Paquinis the second-youngest person in history to ever have won an Academy Award. She won the prestigious Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 11 years old for her first acting role as Flora McGrath inThe Piano.Paquin lived a nomadic lifestyle, moving from Canada at age four to New Zealand, and then to the United States in her teens. She starred in severalhit 90s moviesincludingFly Away Home, She’s All That,X-Men, andAlmost Famous,and then focused on stage productions from 2001 to 2004, bouncing between New York and England. It was in 2007, however, that she landed her breakthrough role as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO dramaTrue Blood.More recently, she has starred in the Amazon original’sFlackandModern Love.
4Neve Campbell
Neve Campbellbegan her acting career on the Canadian-made teen dramaCatwalk, however, most would remember her for her next TV venture as Julia Salinger inParty of Five. Thecritically acclaimed television seriesopened up many doors for Campbell, and in 1996, she would earn a life-changing role as Sidney Prescott in the first installment of theScreamfranchise. Campbell also starred inThe Craft,Wild Things,The Company, and more recently in the popular seriesHouse of CardsandThe Lincoln Lawyer.She recently made headlines when she walked away from the popular horror franchise citing hercontribution was undervalued.
3Cobie Smulders
Before she rose to fame as Robin Scherbatsky in the comedy seriesHow I Met Your Mother,Cobie Smuldersstarred in several television series, including a recurring role on the Showtime dramaThe L Word.Since her time on the hit sitcom, she has starred in several films including a voice role as Wonder Woman inThe Lego MovieandTheLego Movie: The Second Part. She has also played the part of S.H.I.E.L.D agent Maria Hill in several MCU films and television series includingCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,The AvengersFranchise,Spider-Man: Far From Home, andAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Related:The Best Actors You Didn’t Know Were Canadian
2Rachel McAdams
Ontario-bornRachel McAdamsbecame interested in acting from a young age. In her youth, she attended acting summer camps and was a member of the Ontario Kids Theatre Company. In high school, she was persuaded by her drama teacher to pursue a professional acting career. In 2001, she graduated from York University’s theater program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. That same year, she made her film debut with the Italian-Canadian filmMy Name is Tonino.A year later, she made her Hollywood debut with the 2002 filmThe Hot Chick.Two years later, she appeared as Regina George inMean Girls, which marks her breakthrough role. Since then, she has starred in several hit movies includingThe Notebook,Wedding Crashers,Sherlock Holmes,Doctor Strange,andDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Throughout her career, she has won several Gemini and Genie awards as well as earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 2015 filmbased on a newspaper articleSpotlight.
1Sandra Oh
Ontario-bornSandra Ohwas active in the arts from a young age, starring in several school productions and participating in the Canadian Improv Games. After graduating from Montreal’s National Theatre School in 1993, Oh found success in the critically acclaimed Canadian dramaDouble Happiness, which won her a Genie Award. In the early 2000s, Oh starred in films such asDancing at the Blue Iguana,Under the Tuscan Sun,andSideways. She also earned praise for her role as Rita Wu in the HBO comedyArliss. In 2005, she won her most iconic role as Dr. Cristina Yang in the hit medical dramaGrey’s Anatomy, but would ultimately leave in the 10th season as she felt it was time to let go. SinceGrey’scame to an end, Oh has starred in several more films as well as the Netflix seriesThe Chairand the BBC seriesKilling Eve.Throughout her career, she has won a slew of awards for her work, among them two Golden Globes and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Oh recently voiced the delightful Disney Pixar animatedTurning Red, and in her most recent project, you can catch her on Prime Video in the Sam Raimi horror flickUmma. There is no denying Oh is currently the hottest Canadian actress in Hollywood.
