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Celebrities you may not know have Canadian roots

June 15, 2017

What do Matthew Perry, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Madonna have in common? Aside from being the #squad we didn’t know we needed, these three celebs are just a few of Hollywood’s elite that hail from “our home and native land.” We all know that Canada gifted the world with stars like Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Shania Twain and her royal highness Celine Dion, but there are many more starlets who have once called Canada home, or can trace their lineage back to the land of maple syrup and ketchup chips.

Tom Cruise

The Mission: Impossiblestar once called Ottawa home. He lived in Canada’s capital for several years in the early 1970’s when his father took a job in the city.

Photo: Getty Images

Lady Gaga

Mother Monster is a proud Italian American but thanks to her mom Cynthia, who is half Italian and half French Canadian, she has roots in the Great White North. I mean, it makes sense. She did pen a song called “Eh Eh.”

Photo: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Hillary Clinton

The politician is a very proud American but she also has some ties to the maple leaf. Her maternal great-grandmother, Delia Martin, has French Canadian roots. (Side note: Does this make her eligible to run for Prime Minister?!)

Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage

Matthew Perry

We’ve claimed the Friendsstar as homegrown talent, but actually, he was born in Massachusetts. Still, the fact that he was raised in Ottawa, not to mention his mother’s posting as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s press secretary, makes him a card-carrying member of the Canadiana club.

Photo: Walter McBride/WireImage

Ellen DeGeneres

The talk show host’s roots are pretty dated, but still count. Her ancestors lived in Canada in the mid-1700’s.

Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Dwayne Johnson

Yes, The Rock hails from the Great White North, kind of. His father is wrestler Rocky Johnson, who is from Nova Scotia. Dwayne even became a Canadian citizen in 2009.

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Rick Fox

The NBA star-turned actor flies the flag for both Canada and the Bahamas. Rick was born in Toronto, to a Canadian mother, but moved to the Caribbean when he was very young.

Photo: Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Madonna

MadonnaThe Queen of Pop was born in Bay City and raised in Michigan but her late mother Madonna Louise Fortin was of French Canadian ancestry. Who knew?!

Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for A+E

Paula Abdul

Paula is straight up half-Canadian. Her mother Lorraine was born in the small town of Minnedosa, located in southwestern Manitoba.

Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Brendan Fraser

Brendan was born in Indianapolis but grew up in Toronto after his Canadian parents moved back to their homeland.

Photo: Steve Zak Photography/FilmMagic

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