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Summary

9 Celebrities You Probably Didn't Know Have Lived In Ottawa, Canada

One of them is Tom Cruise!

Tom Cruise. Right: Ryan Reynolds.

Tom Cruise. Right: Ryan Reynolds.

Staff Writer

You don't need to visit Hollywood to walk in the footsteps of some celebrities. The city of Ottawa has been home to many famous faces and some may surprise you.

Famous actors, writers and singers have lived in Ottawa at some point in their lives and you may recognize some of these nine faces.

Annie Murphy

Known for her role as Alexis Rose in the hit series Schitt's Creek, Annie Murphy was born in Ottawa. She studied theatre at Elwood School, a private high school in the city, according to Capital Current. She remained in Ottawa until her teenage years when she moved to Kingston to study at Queen's University, then Montreal to attend Concordia.

Sandra Oh

The Canadian actress was born and raised in the Nepean neighbourhood of Ottawa, according to Britannica. Oh joined the drama club at her Ottawa high school and later graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. She is best known for her character Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy.

Tom Cruise

This iconic actor was born in the United States but for a period in his childhood Cruise lived in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Ottawa. Cruise moved around a lot as a kid so he wasn't in Ottawa for very long but, according to Ottawa Citizen, it is where he began acting in an amateur theatre group.

Matthew Perry

Canada Cool confirms that this Friends star was raised in Ottawa from the time he was a baby until he moved to Los Angeles as a teenager. There were rumours that he got in a fight with a young Justin Trudeau, but he cleared that up in an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Ryan Reynolds

Ottawans have a special place in their hearts for Ryan Reynolds and the city has even named a street after him. While he was born in Vancouver, Reynolds spent part of his childhood living in Ottawa's Vanier neighbourhood, according to a tweet from the Ottawa Food Bank.

Sarah Chalke

Sarah Chalke is best known for her roles as Dr. Elliot Reid in Scrubs and more recently as Kate Mularkey in Firefly Lane. She was born in the city of Ottawa, according to Famous Canadians, before moving to Vancouver.

Margaret Atwood

The famous writer was born in 1939 in Ottawa and has lived in areas around Northern Ontario, Quebec and Toronto, according to the National Arts Centre. She is known for writing The Handmaid's Tale, which has been adapted into a popular TV series.

Jay Baruchel

This actor is known for starring in a number of films such as Tropic Thunder and She’s Out of My League. According to IMDb, Baruchel was born in Ottawa, Ontario and later raised in Montreal, Quebec.

Alanis Morissette

This internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter is widely known for her album ​Jagged Little Pill which was the best-selling album of the 1990s. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, she was born in Ottawa and began singing in the city at age 11. 

  • Ottawa Staff Writer Megan Johnson was an Ottawa Staff Writer for Narcity Canada. Prior to joining the Narcity team she founded Ottawa River Lifestyle, a blog to promote the Capital Region and small towns along the Ottawa River. In addition to writing about Canadian businesses, local events and outdoor adventures, Megan has created content for Canadian brands and tourism boards. She has her B.Sc. in Honours Biochemistry and has always enjoyed various forms of writing and travel.

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