Famous Canadian Actors

Canada has contributed some of the most recognizable names and faces to the marquees of Hollywood. Here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at their humble beginnings, discovery, successes and failures: bull; Jim Carrey, the man with the elastic face, w

In this enchanting autobiography celebrated actor Gordon Pinsent revisits stellar highlights of his 60-year career and the high and low points along the way, including his work with fellow artists Judi Dench, Shirley Douglas, Olympia Dukakis, Norman Jewison, Christopher Plummer, Sarah Polley, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, and Julie Christie, among others. Throughout Pinsent offers his advice to young actors, writers, and directors on how to succeed in film and theatre. Engaging, entertaining, and light-hearted, Next is a must-read account of a fascinating life spent in show business.

It seems that so many of today's Hollywood stars come from Canada, but at one time only a few could claim to have conquered Tinseltown.Here are the biographies of those Canadians who crossed the border and beat down the studio doors of Hollywood to leave an outstanding legacy that inspired later generations of talent:• Mary Pickford, a Canadian dubbed America's Sweetheart, was instrumental in creating the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and in helping to form United Artists• Lorne Greene, famed patriarch of Bonanza's Cartwright clan, was a generous father figure to a younger generation of Canadian actors • Fay Wray, a young girl from southern Alberta, became famous as Hollywood's Queen of Scream and is forever remembered for her role in King Kong• Raymond Burr, the actor who seemed indistinguishable from his two renowned television roles as Perry Mason and Robert Ironside• Christopher Plummer, who came to motion picture fame opposite Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, has enjoyed a long and diverse career in film and on stage• Norma Shearer, considered the very definition of glamour during her glory days in Hollywood, had a trophy case filled with five Oscars by 1936•William Shatner, forever an icon of film and television as Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, has more recently found fame again with his unique brand of self-deprecating humour• Leslie Nielsen, possibly one of the most original talents to come out of Canada, earned his fame through comedic roles in Airplane! and the Naked Gun seriesand more...

Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer, and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But as he says: "no description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian." He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland. His hilarious and heartfelt new book is part memoir, part history and pure entertainment. It is Mike Myers' funny and thoughtful analysis of what makes Canada Canada, Canadians Canadians and what being Canadian has always meant to him. His relationship with his home and native land continues to deepen and grow, he says. In fact, American friends have actually accused him of enjoying being Canadian--and he's happy to plead guilty as charged. A true patriot who happens to be an expatriate, Myers is in a unique position to explore Canada from within and without. With this, his first book, Mike brings his love for Canada to the fore at a time when the country is once again looking ahead with hope and national pride. Canada is a wholly subjective account of Mike's Canadian experience. Mike writes, "Some might say, 'Why didn't you include this or that?' I say there are 35 million stories waiting to be told in this country, and my book is only one of them." This beautifully designed book is illustrated in colour (and not color) throughout, and its visual treasures include personal photographs and Canadiana from the author's own collection.

This collection brings together first-hand stories from Canada's acting community. Funny, shocking, embarrassing and poignant, these are the stories actors tell each other, providing an intimate glimpse into the world behind the camera and beyond the footlights. Arranged thematically, it starts with a chapter that focuses on early acting experiences ranging from William Shatner's first stage appearance and the evolution of Martin Short's Ed Grimley character, to Wayne and Schuster's initial meeting with Ed Sullivan.

How Roland Rolls is a story about a wave named Roland who's afraid that, one day, when he hits the beach, his life will be over. But when he gets deep, he's struck by the notion that he's not just a wave - he's the whole big, wide ocean!