Many famous people, past and present, have come from or to Winnipeg and other places in Manitoba.
This list in no way claims to be definitive; it is simply another part of my little effort to let the world know what we have to offer.
Submissions for additional entries gratefully accepted at: rmmark@canada.com
The Guess Who - Winnipeg Rock Band - formed by Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman | Burton Cummings - singer and songwriter went on to a solo career | Bachman-Turner-Overdrive - Formed by Randy Bachman after he left the Guess Who |
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Deanna Durbin - Real name-Edna Mae Durbin, born 14 December, 1921, Winnipeg-By fourteen she was the most highly paid female star in the world. | Richard Condie and Cordell Barker, cartoonists, have each received Academy Award nominations for "The Big Snit", "La Salla" and "The Cat Came Back", respectively. |
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Scientist Margaret Newton in 1925 was appointed head of the new Dominion Rust Research Laboratory at the University of Manitoba. She became the best-known Canadian expert in stem rust, a fungus which destroys wheat crops. |
Winnipeg-born author Alfred van Vogt, named a grandmaster of the genre by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - its highest honour - in 1997 for blazing a trail for Alien films. Raised in Winnipeg, Brendan Fehr, co-star of tv show Roswell |
Anna Paquin, actress, Oscar winner - date of birth: 24 July, 1982 - Winnipeg | Jack Carson (1910 - 1963), movie actor - born John Elmer Carson on October 27, 1910, in Carman | Dean Gunnarson - Winnipeg escape artist, set 3 Guinness Book Records for escaping from handcuffs and locked coffins |
Len Cariou-born 30 September, 1939, Winnipeg-Accomplished Broadway stage actor whose best-known roles include Frederick in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and Sweeney Todd in SWEENEY TODD, among others. Todd MacCulloch, first Winnipeg high school grad ever to play in the NBA; selected to the 2000 All-Rookie Team. His five-year career was cut short by a foot neuropathy believed to be Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome. Winnipeg born and raised Ken Kostick, host of top-rated What's For Dinner on Life Network and author of 3 bestselling cookbooks |
![]() Winkler-born bassist Phillip Ens, making his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on Feb.3/00 and upcoming performances at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, and the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Guy Maddin - filmmaker - born 28 February, 1956 - Winnipeg |
Margaret Laurence (1926-1987)-Author, born as Jean Margaret Wemys in Neepawa -A Jest of God (1966) won the Governor General's Award, filmed as Rachel, Rachel (1968). The Diviners (1974) won the Governor General's Award, filmed in 1993. (1995) Winner of the Telluride lifetime achievement award. Charles Thorason - Winnipeg's own - designed and christened Bugs Bunny Winnipeg's Kelly Stefanyshyn, winner of the Women's 200-metre backstroke title for 1999-2000 on the World Cup circuit. |
David Steinburg - comedian/actor - born 9 August, 1942, Winnipeg![]() The late Lenny Breau, world-reknown guitarist |
![]() Gabrielle Roy, author - The Tin Flute - born in St. Boniface, March 22, 1909 |
![]() Ed Evanko, Broadway singer, Sunset Blvd, with Glenn Close Physicist John F. (Jack)Allen, born 1908 in Winnipeg, co-discoverer of superfluidity. |
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![]() Lila Bell Acheson Wallace, who, along with her husband, DeWitt Wallace, founded the Reader's Digest in 1922, was born in Virden. tv and movie actor Scott Bairstow from Steinbach, roles in tv series Lonesome Dove and Party of Five Singer Ma-Anne Dionisio, lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon in Toronto and in Sydney, Australia ![]() |
![]() Ken Ploen First-team All-American QB 1956; MVP Big Ten conference and Iowa football team 1956, Rose Bowl Champs 1957; eleven years for Winnipeg Blue Bombers, CFL, all-pro 1957, '59, '65, and led team to four CFL Grey Cup titles in six games; member of CFL Hall of Fame, National Iowa Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. Resides in Winnipeg. ![]() |
![]() Behavioral Psychologist Doreen Kimura, world expert on sex differences in the human brain. |
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![]() Emma Robinson, reigning two-time world champion in pairs rowing, won a silver medal in 1996 Olympics with Canada's women eight's crew. Neil Young, rock n' roll great, from Winnipeg |
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Skip Don Duiguid accomplished what no one has been able to match since - he was the last to win two Men's World Curling Championships in back to back years - 1970 and 1971. He was the Canadian Champion in 1965, 1970 and 1971; Manitoba Champion in 1957, 1965, 1970 and 1971; Senior Provincial Champion in 1992, 1994 and 1995. |
![]() A hot-bed of curling, Manitoba swept all four major Canadian Championships on two occasions, winning the Men's, Women's, Junior Men's and Junior Women's in 1984 and 1995. 1984 also saw the Senior Men's title come to Manitoba. |
Rower Colleen Miller, from Matlock, Man., won three world
championships with partner Wendy Wiebe of St. Catharines in women's lightweight double sculls in the early 1990s. Third baseman Corey Koskie, from Anola, Man., named to the 1999 Topps All-Rookie team; hit .300 in 325 at bats with Minnesota Twins. |
![]() Cartoonists Susan Kelso and Carol Kemp, creators of the comic Horrorscope. Actor Donnelly Rhodes was born in Winnipeg Winnipegger Beth Torbert, better known as Bif Naked, alternate rock singer Loreena McKennitt - singer - born and raised in Morden, Manitoba Mimi Kuzyk - tv actress - born and raised in Winnipeg |
Internationally recognized sculptor and artist Leo Mol emigrated to Canada and made his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1989, he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his artistic contributions to his adopted country. More information is available on my
Winnipeg Arts Page.
Former Winnipeg actor Adam Beach is poised to make a major career breakthrough this summer. He will begin filming the movie The Adventures of Joe Dirt with David Spade May 18 in Los Angeles, and will co-star with Nicholas Cage in John Woo's Windtalkers, with filming to begin mid-August in Hawaii.
Monty Hall - tv host - Let's Make a Deal - born 25 August, 1923 - Winnipeg |
Internationally acclaimed Evelyn Hart is truly a Canadian legend. In 1980, Hart won a Bronze medal in the World Ballet Concours in Japan. Shortly after that she became the first Canadian to be awarded a Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, as well as the rarely awarded Certificate of Exceptional Artistic Achievement. More information is available at my Evelyn Hart page.
Winnipeg native Tyler Brule, founder and editorial director of Wallpaper magazine, lives in London, and is now trying his hand at sports with the glossy quarterly, Line. Wallpaper is a magazine about the lifestyle many think they'd like to have, featuring the best in fashion, architecture, furniture, travel; Line advises readers on which sports are chic and what to wear while playing. |
Clothing manufacturer Peter Nygard, of Tan Jay, alia, Bianca Nygard, and Nygard Collection. | Clothing manufacturer and restaurateurAsh Modha, founder of Mondetta Clothing and Mondetta World Cafe. | Abe Yanofsky, a chess child prodigy at age 11 and eight-time Canadian chess champion became Canada's first chess grandmaster in 1964. He was recognized with an Order of Canada in 1972. |
WWI Fighter Ace William George "Billy" Barker, awarded the VC, DSO*, MC**, CdeG, and Star of Valour (It), was born in Dauphin on Nov. 3, 1894 | Lynn Johnston was in the process of moving to Lynn Lake when she was contacted by Universal Press and offered a contract for her For Better or For Worse comic strip |
Group of Seven member,
Francis Hans Johnston, 1888 - 1949, moved to Winnipeg in 1921 to accept
the position of principal of the School of Art |
Sir William Stephenson, WWII spy; the real Intrepid, portrayed by actor David Niven in "A Man Called Intrepid", was born in Winnipeg Due to the efforts of the Souris Valley's Nellie McClung, along with the other members of the "Famous Five", women won the right to vote in Manitoba in 1916, the first Canadian province to do so. |
Gisele Mackenzie, born in Winnipeg, one of the first Candian singers to appear regularly on American tv, and hosted her own tv show for two years Entrepreneur Rod Bruinooge, founder of Abject Modernity Creations, inventor of the internet mystery game The Stone. |
Garth Pischke, former volleyball player and current coach of the National Men's Volleyball Team; a recent inductee to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame; was born and still resides in Winnipeg Lionel LeMoine Fitzgerald, the only western Canadian painter to become a member of the Group of Seven |