From sports stars and pop stars, actors and artists, despite its ‘corporate’ exterior, a ton of well-known creatives call YYC home. Now, in the name of ‘shock value,’ we’ve left obvious names like Brett Hart, Jann Arden, and Paul Brandt off this particular list because together they’re practically the ‘poster children’ for the city. We love them, we know them and we promise we did not forget about them, we just thought we’d take this opportunity to hit you with something different! Hold on to your cowboy hats, folks, here are 10 famous people that are (technically) from Calgary.
TATE MCRAE
Tate McRae practically became a household name overnight after she released her song You Broke Me First. With 64 million streams on YouTube alone on her COVID-made video (which actually prominently features the Calgary Tower), we don’t think this 17-year old songwriter’s star will dim any time soon.
CORY MONTEITH
Known best for his role as Finn Hudson in the TV musical series Glee, Cory Monteith was a favorite among fans. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2009 but remains a recognizable and beloved face to those who watched the show.
TAYLOR HALL
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Despite playing the rival Edmonton Oilers for five seasons, 2010 first overall draft pick Taylor Hall was actually born in Calgary. Now he’s out in Buffalo, trying to make something out of not too much once again. Also, he broke a record once held by Wayne Gretzky and that’s pretty cool.
TEGAN AND SARA
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Multi-talented indie pop twins Tegan and Sara have, on more than one occasion, completely taken over the radio waves. Honestly, there was a time where we couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without hearing Closer on every speaker within several feet – but we’re not mad about it.
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TED CRUZ
Let’s be clear. We definitely don’t want to stake a claim here, but we’re all about the facts and those facts are 1. Ted Cruz is the absolute worst, 2. He exists, and 3. He was born in Calgary. Does he represent us in any way? Well, every city has a few controversial ducks, but we’d really like to believe that no, he doesn’t.
ELISHA CUTHBERT
From 0-10, we’ve carefully placed this particular actress here as a palate cleanser of sorts. This unproblematic, down-to-earth queen is the coolest of the cool, and despite often playing the ‘all American girl next door,’ she was actually born in a very Canadian city, Calgary. Oh, she’s also married to former Flame Dion Phaneuf!
STEVEN OGG
Having starred as some of the most unlikable characters in mega-shows like Westworld and The Walking Dead, it might be tough to imagine him going for a beer a the Ship or hanging out in Olympic Plaza, but there was time he very well could have been found just kicking it back in YYC because he was actually born and raised right here in Calgary. Also, he’s the inspiration and voice of GTA V character Trevor.
JESSI CRUIKSHANK
Redheaded broadcast baddie and Dan Levy’s BFF (we can’t confirm this to be true) Jessi Cruikshank is best known for being one of the most iconic MTV hosts that the network has ever had. Though she grew up in BC – Cruikshank was notably born in an A&W bathroom here in Calgary – and we think that more than qualifies her for this list.
CODY KO
Short King, Cody Ko, is a self-described “actor/comedian/YouTuber/podcaster/SoundCloud rapper” and “internet bad boy” (all true). Chances are that if you frequent the platform you’ve definitely seen him around – whether that be for his “That’s Cringe” series or from that one video that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around where he gets “called out” by covidiot, Jake Paul. With an audience of 5.28 million people, we think it’s safe to say that he’s earned his place as one of Calgary’s more notable exports.
JORDAN CONNOR
Known best for his role of Sweet Pea in Riverdale, some of you may be surprised to know that Jordan Connor is actually among one of the many famous people from Calgary. He didn’t live here for a very long time – but we strongly believe that even if you take the kid out of Calgary, you can’t take Calgary out of the kid. He might disagree, but for the sake of this listicle, that’s irrelevant.
Well, there you have it, Calgary. 10 famous people that are technically from Calgary. Who surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!
