Toronto's top 5 homegrown actors according to Sun readers
· Toronto Sun
When it comes to Toronto Sun readers’ favourite homegrown actors, you apparently like them cute, funny, and intense — or maybe a combination of two or three.
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Coming in at No. 1 in our latest Top 5 readers poll was Keanu Reeves, who certainly fulfills all three characteristics.
1. Keanu Reeves
Reeves, 61, who was born in Beirut but raised in Toronto, frequently expresses his love of his Toronto upbringing, specifically growing up the Yorkville neighbourhood, and his love of both playing hockey and watching the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Other local landmarks figure prominently in his memory, too.
“Thank you to the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library,” Reeves said when he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2021.
“My whole high school years were spent on that fifth floor reading plays and learning about what to read from the performing arts librarians. Thank you, Toronto. Thank you, Canada. Thank you for all the experiences, adventure, teaching, support, friendships and for my life,” he said.
Reeves, who would go on to star in such huge film franchises as Bill and Ted, The Matrix, and John Wick, got his first acting gigs courtesy of such CBC shows as Going Great and Hangin’ In.
He’s currently starring in the dark comedy Outcome, streaming on Apple.
Here’s the rest of Toronto Sun reader choices when it comes to favourite homegrown actors:
2. John Candy
If you’ve forgotten how beloved the SCTV star (who played such memorable characters as Johnny LaRue on the sketch comedy TV show) was, check out the 2025 documentary (now on Crave) John Candy: I like Me . Featuring interviews with fellow SCTVers Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin and Martin Short, I laughed and cried a lot — mostly for the years we’ve been without Candy’s huge talent after he died in 1994 at the age of 43 from a heart attack. Born in Newmarket, he got his start at The Second City in Toronto before SCTV and went on to star in such Hollywood films as Stripes, Spaceballs, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Uncle Buck. He also co-owned the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts — he played on his high school football team — who won the 1991 Grey Cup under his leadership.
3. Jim Carrey
The slapstick comedian and actor, 64, was born in Newmarket but his family moved to Scarborough and Burlington, and when his dad lost his job, they all all ended up homeless for a time. After figuring out early he could do impressions, Carrey did standup and had supporting film roles before he broke out in the 1990s Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, and would later star in such box office hits as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Batman Forever, and The Cable Guy. However, he was equally good in dramas like The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. More recently, he threatened to retire .
4. Michael Cera
Some might say the Brampton-born actor, 37, is an acquired taste with his deadpan acting style but he broke through in the Fox show Arrested Development (2003-06, 2013-19), before hitting it big in between with two 2007 movies: Superbad and Juno. He took a leading role in the Hulu comedy series Life & Beth (2022-24), opposite Amy Schumer, but also appeared in Broadway productions This Is Our Youth in 2014 and Lobby Hero in 2018. In 2025, Cera played Norwegian entomologist Björn Lund in the Wes Anderson film The Phoenician Scheme for which he got rave reviews.
5. Kiefer Sutherland
The London, England-born actor, 59 , is part of a Canadian acting dynasty given his father is Donald Sutherland and his mother is Shirley Douglas, the latter whose father was politician and socialized medicine advocate Tommy Douglas. After the family had lived in Corona, Calif., Sutherland moved with his mother (now divorced from his dad) to Toronto in 1975. He moved out at age 15 and he and Robert Downey Jr. were roommates for three years when he first went to Hollywood. Despite his many film roles — including his first as The Bay Boy (1984), Sutherland is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series 24 (2001–20, 2014). He’s been memorable in such films as Stand by Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), Young Guns (1988), Flatliners (1990), and a Few Good Men (1992), and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005, just as both of his parents were before him.
Hey Toronto Sun Readers: What should our next Top 5 be?
Don’t be shy about letting us know what subject you’d like to see of a future Top 5 poll and vote.
The subject can be anything from local — like your favourite swimming area — to Ontario — like favourite places for weekend getaways — or even favourite ways of distraction online, be it entertainment, sports or lifestyle.
Send your ideas to [email protected] .