List of people from Alberta

This is a list of notable people who are from Alberta, Canada, or have spent a large part or formative part of their career in that province.

A

• William Aberhart – former Premier of Alberta
• 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
• Ernie Afaganis – sports broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Jack Agrios – lawyer
• David Albahari – Serbian-born author
• Melody Anderson – former actress
• Violet Archer – composer
• Jann Arden – singer
• Rob Armitage – curler
• Margaret-Ann Armour – chemist, academic, advocate for women in science, technology and engineering
• Mark Astley – National Hockey League player
• Geoff Aunger – soccer player

B

• Ruth B – singer/songwriter and musician
• Conrad Bain – actor
• Tommy Banks – musician
• Doug Barkley – hockey player
• Cori Bartel – curler
• Hank Bassen – National Hockey League goalie
• Nolan Baumgartner – professional ice hockey player
• Jay Beagle – National Hockey League player
• Will Beauchamp – filmmaker
• Michelle Beaudoin – actress
• Gary Beck – two-time world champion drag racer and member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
• Chelsey Bell – curler
• Jill Belland – television host and producer
• Richard Bennett – former Prime Minister of Canada
• Chris Benoit – professional wrestler
• Roloff Beny – photographer
• Moe Berg – singer/songwriter
• Cheryl Bernard – curler
• Blair Betts – ice hockey player
• Manmeet Bhullar – Progressive Conservative politician
• Martha Bielish – politician, farmer, feminist, teacher and Canadian senator
• Earle Birney – poet
• Ted Bishop – author of Riding with Rilke
• David Bissett – Olympic bobsledder
• Rosella Bjornson – first female pilot for a commercial airline in North America
• Heather Blush – singer
• Arthur Boileau – Olympic marathon runner
• Bill Borger – first Canadian to both swim the English Channel and climb Mount Everest
• Tyler Bouck – professional hockey player currently with the ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga
• Bill Bourne – folk and blues singer songwriter, three-time Juno Award winner
• Jay Bouwmeester – ice hockey player
• Trevor Boys – NASCAR driver
• Paul Brandt – country music singer
• Bertram Brockhouse – Nobel Prize winner
• Andrew Brook – philosopher, author of Kant and the Mind
• Brox Sisters – singers
• Gilbert Brulé – ice hockey player
• Johnny Bucyk – ice hockey player
• Georges Bugnet – French Canadian writer and plant hybridiser
• Ronnie Burkett – puppeteer
• Nate Burleson – professional American football player, Detroit Lions
• Pat Burns – rancher, businessman, and Canadian Senator

C

• Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton) – rapper
• Don Cairns – professional ice hockey player
• Pearl Calahasen – Canadian politician, first Métis woman elected to public office in Alberta
• Eric Cameron – visual artist
• Elaine Cameron-Weir – visual artist
• Tommy Campbell – actor and stand-up comedian
• Janet Cardiff – artist
• Celeigh Cardinal – singer-songwriter
• Douglas Cardinal – architect
• Gil Cardinal – filmmaker
• Tantoo Cardinal – actress
• Beatrice Carmichael – grand dame of the opera
• Mark Carney – Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the G20's Financial Stability Board; formerly governor of the Bank of Canada
• Thelma Chalifoux – Métis social justice activist, politician, and Canadian senator
• Sean Cheesman – dancer and choreographer
• Terry Chen – film and television actor
• Jason Chimera – ice hockey player
• Ken Chinn (a.k.a. Chi Pig) – lead singer, songwriter and bandleader of SNFU
• Rae Dawn Chong – Canadian-born American actress, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong
• Tommy Chong – comedian, actor and musician
• Erik Christensen – ice hockey player
• Joe Clark – businessman, writer, politician and 16th prime minister of Canada
• Karl Clark – U of A professor and inventor of oil sands extraction technology
• Allen Coage – professional wrestler known as "Bad News Allen"
• Mac Colville – early star in the National Hockey League
• Neil Colville – early star in the National Hockey League
• Mike Commodore – ice hockey player
• Mike Comrie – ice hockey player
• Michelle Conn – field hockey player
• Patrick Cox – shoe designer
• Paul Cranmer – former CFL player
• Gavin Crawford – actor
• Rafael Cruz – Cuban-born Canadian/American Christian preacher and public speaker; lived in Calgary and later Houston, Texas; father of Ted Cruz
• Ted Cruz – Canadian/American politician and current U.S. Senator for the state of Texas; born in Calgary but grew up in Houston, Texas
• Philip Currie – Canadian palaeontologist and museum curator
• Elisha Cuthbert – actress, moved to Montreal at a very young age, and remained there until she moved to Los Angeles

D

• Kirby Dach – professional hockey player
• John Dahmer – politician
• Cal Dallas – politician
• Carolyn Darbyshire – curler
• Alphonso Davies – professional soccer player for Bayern Munich
• Carol-Anne Day – voice actress
• Jason Day – mixed martial arts fighter
• Jake DeBrusk – professional hockey player
• Louie DeBrusk – former professional hockey player; current Hockey Night in Canada colour analyst
• Mac DeMarco – indie rock musician
• Kris Demeanor – poet, musician and actor
• Kent Derricott – actor
• Paula Devicq – actress
• Punch Dickins – aviator and bush pilot; the Dickinsfield community was named in his honour
• Shane Doan – professional hockey player
• Michael Dowse – film director
• Earl Dreeshen – politician
• Darren Dreger – sportscaster
• Trevor Dunn – guitarist, member of 1970s group Fifth Avenue Allstars
• Erica Durance – actress, born in Calgary but raised in Three Hills
• Ryan Duthie – ice hockey player

E

• Bernard Ebbers – WorldCom co-founder
• Brad Erdos – gridiron football player
• Darren Espanto – Filipino-Canadian child singer
• Lance Evers – professional wrestler known as "Lance Storm"

F

• Joyce Fairbairn – Canadian senator
• Anne Fanning – Canadian physician, academic, and expert in tuberculosis
• Tim Feehan – artist, singer/songwriter, producer, co-owner of Los Angeles recording studio Backroom, mix master
• Leslie Feist – singer/songwriter born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, then moved to Calgary as a child
• John Fennell – luger
• Randy Ferbey – multiple Canadian and World Men's Curling Champion
• Andrew Ference – ice hockey player
• Scott Ferguson – retired professional hockey player
• Nathan Fillion – film and television actor
• Brandon Firla – actor
• David Ford – kayaker
• Helen Forrester (June Huband Bhatia) – Anglo-Canadian author
• Malcolm Forsyth – composer
• Dianne Foster – film and television actress
• George Fox – country music singer/songwriter
• Michael J. Fox – film and television actor
• Brad Fraser – Canadian playwright
• Matt Fraser – ice hockey player
• Chrystia Freeland – journalist, politician, Deputy Prime Minister
• William Fruet – film and television writer and director
• Grant Fuhr – ice hockey player born in Spruce Grove, Alberta, an Edmonton suburb

G

• Forrest Gainer – rugby union player
• Brendan Gallagher – ice hockey player
• Lynn Garrison – aviator, author and mercenary
• Austin Gary – author and songwriter
• Mark Gatha – former voice actor
• Lucas Gilbertson – voice actor
• Onalea Gilbertson – voice actress
• Allan Gilliland – composer
• Patrick Gilmore – film and television actor
• John Glenn – Calgary's earliest recorded European settler
• Dwayne Goettel – musician, member of industrial band Skinny Puppy
• James Gosling – creator of the Java programming language
• Jurgen Gothe – radio broadcaster
• Robert Goulet – singer and film actor
• Henry Grattan Nolan – lawyer and soldier
• Josh Green – retired professional hockey player
• Mike Green – professional hockey player (Detroit Red Wings)
• Mary Greene (1843–1933) – mother superior and educator, established first Roman Catholic school board in Alberta
• Jessica Gregg – short track speed skater
• Randy Gregg – ice hockey player
• Adam Gregory – singer
• Paul Gross – actor
• Brion Gysin – artist and writer

H

• Taylor Hall – professional hockey player
• Owen Hargreaves – professional footballer, plays for Manchester City
• Stephen Harper – former politician and Prime Minister of Canada (2006-2015) and former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
• Richard Harrison – poet
• Bret Hart – professional wrestler
• Owen Hart – professional wrestler
• Stu Hart – professional wrestler, promoter and trainer
• Teddy Hart – professional wrestler
• Dr. Helen Hays – physician, medical pioneer in chronic pain and palliative care^[1]
• Dar Heatherington – politician
• Dany Heatley – professional ice hockey player (Minnesota Wild)
• Ben Hebert – curler
• Meghan Heffern – actress
• Jennifer Heil – freestyle skier born in Spruce Grove, Alberta
• Tricia Helfer – model and actress born in Donalda, Alberta
• Jill Hennessy – television actor
• Jimmy Herman – First Nations actor
• Peter Hide – British-born sculptor, living in Edmonton since 1977
• Stuart Hilborn – automotive engineer
• Arthur Hiller – Hollywood film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America
• David Hoffos – contemporary artist
• Lois Hole – gardener, Alberta's 15th Lieutenant Governor
• Carl Honoré – grew up in Edmonton; journalist and author of In Praise of Slowness
• Richard Hortness – Olympic swimmer
• Dakota House – Canadian actor, politician, writer and activist
• Kelly Hrudey – ice hockey player
• Jan Hudec – alpine ski racer
• Brian Hughes – smooth jazz guitarist
• William Humberstone – politician in Alberta; municipal councillor in Edmonton
• Tim Hunter – professional National Hockey League player (won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989)
• Mel Hurtig – publisher, author, and politician
• Nancy Huston – novelist; born in Calgary, left at age 15

I

• Jarome Iginla – National Hockey League player
• Mary Imrie – architect
• Earl Ingarfield, Sr. – hockey player
• Brad Isbister – ice hockey player
• Werner Israel – physicist

J

• Tom Jackson – Métis actor, singer and entrepreneur
• Roy Jenson – actor
• Eric Johnson – actor

K

• Athena Karkanis – actor
• Daryl Katz – chairman and chief executive officer of the Katz Group; owner of the Edmonton Oilers
• James Keelaghan – musician
• Jessica Parker Kennedy – actress
• Cassius Khan – Indian classical tabla player and ghazal singer, recipient of Salute to Excellence Award
• Kiesza – singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and dancer
• Matt Kinch – ice hockey player
• Cathy King – curler, from St Albert
• Ralph Klein – mayor of Calgary and premier of Alberta
• Cody Ko – YouTuber
• Andrew Kooman – author and playwright
• Brent Kosolofski – boxer
• Myrna Kostash – writer of eight books, including All of Baba's Children
• John Krizanc – playwright
• Chad Kroeger – lead singer and guitarist of Nickelback
• Ed Kucy – Canadian Football League player
• Norman Kwong – Canadian Football League player and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta

L

• Stephanie Labbe – Olympic soccer player
• Patti LaBoucane-Benson – Métis academic and senator
• Morgan Lander – singer/songwriter
• Daymond Langkow – ice hockey player
• Alvin Law – motivational speaker
• Tony Law – comedian
• Sheena Lawrick – Olympic softball player
• Raymond Lemieux – organic chemist
• Stewart Lemoine – playwright
• Evangeline Lilly – actress
• Jens Lindemann – trumpet soloist
• Trevor Linden – former professional hockey player, member of the Order of Canada, president of hockey operations for Vancouver Canucks and recipient of the Order of British Columbia
• Amanda Lindhout – journalist and humanitarian
• Bryan Little – ice hockey player
• Sam Livingston – Irish-born early settler in Calgary
• Rochelle Loewen – model who appeared briefly with WWE
• Paul Lorieau (1942–2013) – optician and national anthem singer for the Edmonton Oilers 1981–2011
• Peter Lougheed – Canadian Football League player and Premier of Alberta
• Lowell – electropop musician
• Pierre Lueders – bobsledder
• Ed Lukowich – curler
• Joffrey Lupul – ice hockey player

M

• Don MacBeth – jockey
• Jason MacDonald – Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter
• Jinder Mahal – professional wrestler
• Cale Makar – professional hockey player
• Ernest Manning – former Premier of Alberta
• Heather Marks – supermodel
• Kari Matchett – actor
• Bill Matheson – meteorologist
• Richard Matvichuk – National Hockey League player
• Wop May – pioneering aviator and bush pilot
• Ken McAuley – goaltender for the National Hockey League New York Rangers, husband of Mildred Warwick McAuley
• Frederick McCall – World War I fighter ace, businessman, stuntman
• Trent McClellan – comedian
• Nellie McClung – first woman appointed to the Board of Governors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (1936), one of the Famous Five
• Don McCrimmon – politician
• Bruce McCulloch – actor, writer, comedian, and film director
• Todd McFarlane – creator of the Spawn series of comics
• Kevin McKenna – professional soccer player
• Sherry McKibben – politician
• Marshall McLuhan – recipient of numerous awards and appointments, pioneer of media theory
• Tate McRae – singer/songwriter, dancer, and voice actress
• Anne-Marie Mediwake – broadcaster
• Jordan Mein – mixed martial arts fighter
• Joseph Meli – four-time Canadian Olympian (judo)
• Mark Messier – National Hockey League player
• Barb Miller – politician
• Big Miller – jazz and blues singer
• Gord Miller – sportscaster
• Joni Mitchell – singer-songwriter and painter; born in Fort Macleod, but grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Carl Mokosak – National Hockey League player
• Cory Monteith – singer and actor; born in Calgary but grew up in Vancouver
• Cory Morgan – blogger, Alberta independence politician and activist, and columnist
• William (Billy) Morin – Chief of Enoch Cree Nation
• Derek Morris – ice hockey player
• E. Roger Muir – creator of "Howdy Doody" TV show
• Emily Murphy – first female magistrate in British Empire and petitioned Supreme Court of Canada to allow women the vote; one of the Famous Five
• Ray Muzyka – co-founder of BioWare Corp.
• Curtis Myden – Olympic bronze medallist, swimming

N

• Issey Nakajima-Farran – professional soccer player
• Jim Neidhart – professional wrestler
• Natalya Neidhart – professional wrestler
• Naheed Nenshi – Mayor of Calgary
• Richard Newman – writer, broadcaster, and reality TV star, best known for participating in the seventh series of the British version of Big Brother
• Scott Nichol – ice hockey player
• Marjorie Nichols – journalist and writer
• Scott Niedermayer – ice hockey player
• Leslie Nielsen – film and television actor
• Amy Nixon – curler
• Rebecca Northan – actress

O

• Susan O'Connor – curler
• Steven Ogg – actor, best known for his roles as Simon in The Walking Dead and Trevor Philips in Grand Theft Auto V
• Kevin Ogilvie – vocalist for the industrial band Skinny Puppy
• Peter Oldring – actor
• Bud Olson – former Member of Parliament and Senator for Medicine Hat, former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
• Ben Ondrus – ice hockey player
• Melissa O'Neil – 2005 Canadian Idol winner
• Maren Ord – singer, songwriter
• Chris Osgood – former professional hockey player
• Kelly Oxford – writer, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar

P

• Jean Paré – author of Company's Coming cookbooks
• Ryan Peake – rhythm guitarist of Nickelback
• Chris Pearson – 1st Premier of Yukon
• Allen Pedersen – National Hockey League player
• Ron Pederson – stage and screen actor
• Nigel Pengelly – politician
• Jim Peplinski – former professional hockey player (Calgary Flames)
• Kelly Perlette – light middle-weight boxing gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
• P.J. Perry – jazz saxophonist
• Jordan Peterson – University professor
• Matt Pettinger – ice hockey player
• Michael Phair – politician and activist
• Dion Phaneuf – ice hockey player
• Chris Phillips – professional hockey player (Ottawa Senators)
• Rod Phillips – radio broadcaster for 630 CHED
• Annamay Pierse – swimmer born in Toronto and raised in Edmonton
• Gerry Pinder – professional hockey player
• Fernando Pisani – ice hockey player
• Justin Pogge – ice hockey player
• John "Red" Pollard – jockey of the famous horse Seabiscuit
• Tara-Jean Popowich – winner of So You Think You Can Dance Canada (Season 2)
• Glenn Price – conductor
• Doug Pruden – multiple world records in push ups
• Purity Ring – electronic duo
• Al Purvis (1929–2009) – assistant captain of the Edmonton Mercurys
• Jamie Pushor – hockey player
• Mark Pysyk – ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres

Q

• Quanteisha – singer
• Carl Quinn – singer-songwriter

R

• Theo de Raadt – programmer, founder of OpenBSD and OpenSSH software projects
• Lobsang Rampa – Tibetan Lama
• Jan Randall – composer
• Heather Rankin – curler
• Duncan Regehr – actor
• Steve Regier – ice hockey player
• Alyssa Reid – singer/songwriter
• Steven Reinprecht – ice hockey player
• Chris Reitsma – professional baseball player
• Nick Ring – professional mixed martial arts fighter
• Douglas Roche – O.C., former M.P., senator, U.N. ambassador, nuclear disarmament figure, author, and journalist
• Steve Rodehutskors – Canadian football player
• Stacy Roest – hockey player
• Hey Romeo – country singer/songwriter
• Chava Rosenfarb – author and Holocaust survivor
• Matthew Rowley – ski jumper
• Mark Rypien – quarterback and most valuable player in Super Bowl XXVI
• Rick Rypien – former NHL player (Vancouver Canucks)

S

• Jamie Salé – Olympic gold medallist skater
• Willie Saunders – Montana-born Hall of Fame jockey, won U.S. Triple Crown
• Mary Scott – visual artist
• Patrick Sharp – professional ice hockey player (Dallas Stars); born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, raised in Calgary and later Thunder Bay, Ontario and Burlington, Vermont
• Kyle Shewfelt – Olympic gold medallist
• Shiloh – singer/songwriter
• Keith Shologan – professional Canadian football player
• Barbara Sibbald – novelist and journalist
• Paula Simons – journalist and Canadian senator
• Rhonda Sing – professional wrestler
• Laurie Skreslet – first Canadian to climb Mount Everest
• Harry Smith – professional wrestler
• Jason Smith – retired professional ice hockey player
• Linda Smith – novelist
• Keegan Soehn – trampoline gymnast
• Monte Solberg – Conservative politician
• Ron Southern – businessman and founder of Spruce Meadows
• Donald H. Sparrow – businessman and Conservative politician
• Jay Sparrow – singer/songwriter
• Paul Spence – actor; portrays headbanger Dean Murdoch in FUBAR
• George Stanley – designer of the current Canadian flag
• Muriel Stanley Venne – Indigenous women's rights advocate^[2]
• Vic Stasiuk – hockey player
• David Stephan
• Stan Stephens – former Governor of Montana
• Stereos – pop rock band
• Richard Stevenson – poet
• Catherine Mary Stewart – film and television actor
• Ryan Stock – TV circus stuntman
• Charlie Storwick – musician, actress in Some Assembly Required
• Jason Strudwick – ice hockey player
• Darryl Sydor – ice hockey player

T

• Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers – Blackfoot and Sámi filmmaker, actor, and producer from the Kainai First Nation in Canada
• Theo Tams – winner of Canadian Idol Season 6 (2008)
• Barb Tarbox – anti-smoking activist
• Ari Taub – Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler
• Cora Taylor – Canadian author
• Ken Taylor – Canadian ambassador to Iran; helped six Americans escape from Iran during the Iran hostage crisis under operation nicknamed Canadian Caper
• Tegan and Sara – musicians
• Mark Tewksbury – Olympic gold medallist swimming
• Robert Thirsk – astronaut
• Tenille Townes – singer
• Arnold Tremere – executive director of the Canadian International Grains Institute
• Adam Trupish – boxer
• Kreesha Turner – singer/songwriter

V

• Shaun Van Allen – National Hockey League player
• Aritha Van Herk – Canadian writer, critic, editor, public intellectual, and university professor
• Alan Van Sprang – actor
• Pete Vandermeer – ice hockey player
• Chad VanGaalen – musician
• Greg Vavra – football player
• Mike Vernon – former professional National Hockey League player; won with the Calgary Flames in 1989
• Kris Versteeg – hockey player
• Doug Vogt – photojournalist
• Delwin Vriend – teacher and activist

W

• Allan Wachowich – former Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta
• Jean Wallbridge – architect
• Cam Ward – professional ice hockey goaltender (Carolina Hurricanes); born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Edmonton
• Max Ward – aviator and founder of Wardair airlines
• John Ware – pioneer rancher
• Dr. Lorne Warneke – activist, clinical psychiatrist, and founder of the Grey Nuns Community Hospital's gender clinic^[3][4]
• Bronwen Webster – curler
• Crystal Webster – curler
• Kenneth Welsh – film and television actor
• Michael Wex – novelist and playwright
• Ray Whitney – retired professional ice hockey player; played from 1991 to 2014
• TJ Wilson – professional wrestler
• David Winning – film and television director, Stargate: Atlantis, Andromeda, Syfy Channel movies

Z

• Alfie Zappacosta – singer, songwriter
• Greg Zeschuk – co-founder of BioWare Corp.

References