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CANADA'S WALK OF FAME
Canada's Walk of Fame acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians. It consists of a series of stars in 13 designated blocks worth of sidewalks in front of Roy Thomson Hall, The Princess of Wales Theatre, and The Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. Created in 1998, it includes athletes, coaches and other sports figures; actors, directors, writer and producers of movies, television and stage; singers, songwriters and musicians; playwrights; authors; comedians; even cartoonists and supermodels.
Comparison between the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame
Although it initially seems much like its closest American counterpart, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Canada's Walk of Fame differs in many ways.
The Hollywood Walk allows only celebrities of the silver screen, television, radio and singers/musicians, Canada's Walk allows people of more diverse occupations, as listed above. While most celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are American or have achieved their fame in the USA, Canada's Walk of Fame is exclusive to Canadians. Very few Americans come to Canada and achieve fame, and so an international allowance is redundant. This is not to say immigrants are not allowed, only the celebrity must have held Canadian citizenship or had a primary residence in the country at one point. As Canada's entertainment industry grows, more actors, singers and other creative personalities might start to appear on the Walk.
Both Walks have stars signifying each celebrity's spot, but the American path requires an upkeep fee, unlike the Canadian counterpart which actually is a true hall of fame. Whereas any celebrity that meets criteria can finance their way into the American walk, Canadian are selected via a supervising committee, and thus must earn their honour. Finally, Canadians stars are inducted in an annual group ceremony; Hollywood rarely inducts more than two major stars at a time. As well, celebrities can have more than one star in the Hollywood Walk. The same celebrity can be honoured as many as five times under the various categories. This does not happen in Canada's Walk, although some may have an individual star but also be inducted as part of a larger group, such as John Candy, Martin Short and Eugene Levy who have their own star but also were in Second City Television.
Those that are eligible for Canada's Walk Of Fame must be born in, or have spent much of their early life in Canada, have had national or international impact on Canada's Heritage and must have at least 10 years of experience in their own field of service.
There have really been no true controversies about who has or hasn't been inducted. Some feel that there should be fewer producers and lesser-known artists and writers on the walk of fame, because although they are very successful, they are not as famous as many of those who are not inducted and thus make the Walk of Fame seem more like a "Walk of Success".
List of Inductees
This list of inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame is currently complete. Please note that some inductees are mentioned twice. This is not because they are inducted twice, but because they fall under more than one of the categories used here.
Actors and Radio/Television/Stage/Screen Personalities
- Pamela Anderson (Actress & Model, 2006, Ladysmith, British Columbia)
- Dan Aykroyd (Actor, 2002, Ottawa, Ontario)
- John Candy (Comedic actor, 1998, Newmarket, Ontario)
- Jim Carrey (Comedic actor, 1998, Newmarket, Ontario)
- Hume Cronyn (Actor, 1999, London, Ontario)
- Shirley Douglas (Actress, 2004, Weyburn, Saskatchewan)
- Michael J. Fox (Actor, 2000, Edmonton, Alberta)
- Brendan Fraser (Actor, 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana, raised in Ottawa, Ontario)
- William Hutt (Stage Actor, 2000, Toronto, Ontario)
- Lou Jacobi (Actor, 1999, Toronto, Ontario)
- Eugene Levy (Comedian, 2006, Hamilton, Ontario)
- Mike Myers (Comedic actor, 2003, Scarborough, Ontario)
- Leslie Nielsen (Comedic actor, 2001, Regina, Saskatchewan)
- Mary Pickford (Actress and film executive, 1999, Toronto, Ontario)
- Christopher Plummer (Actor, 1998, Toronto, Ontario)
- Buffy Sainte-Marie (Singer, Songwriter, Actress on Sesame Street in the 1980s, 1999, Piapot Reserve, Saskatchewan)
- William Shatner (Actor, 2000, Montréal, Quebec)
- Helen Shaver (Actress, 2004, St. Thomas, Ontario)
- Martin Short (Comedic actor, 2000, Hamilton, Ontario)
- David Steinberg (Comedian, Actor, Writer & Director, 2003, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Donald Sutherland (Film actor, 2000, Saint John, New Brunswick)
- Kiefer Sutherland (Television actor, 2005, London, England)
Artists and Illustrators
- Kenojuak Ashevak (Painter/sculptor, 2001, Cape Dorset, Nunavut)
- Alex Colville (Painter, printmaker, 2002, Toronto, Ontario)
- Lynn Johnston (Cartoonist, Creator of For Better or For Worse, 2003, Collingwood, Ontario)
- Jean-Paul Riopelle (Painter, 2000, Montréal, Quebec)
Comedians
- John Candy (Comedic actor, 1998, Newmarket, Ontario)
- Jim Carrey (Comedic actor, 1998, Newmarket, Ontario)
- Eugene Levy (Comedian, 2006, Hamilton, Ontario)
- Rich Little (Impressionist, 1998, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Lorne Michaels (Producer & Creator of Saturday Night Live, 2003, Toronto, Ontario)
- Mike Myers (Comedian, 2003, Scarborough, Ontario)
- Leslie Nielsen (Comedic actor, 2001, Regina, Saskatchewan)
- Royal Canadian Air Farce (Comedy Troupe, 2000, Montréal, Quebec)
- SCTV (Comedy Troupe, 2002, Toronto, Ontario)
- Martin Short (Comedic actor, 2000, Hamilton, Ontario)
- David Steinberg (Comedian, Actor, Writer & Director, 2003, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Wayne and Shuster (Comedy Duo, 1999, place of inception Toronto, Ontario in 1954)
Dancers and Performance Artists
- Cirque du Soleil (Circus troupe, 2002, Gaspé, Quebec)
- Rex Harrington (Ballet dancer, 2005, Peterborough, Ontario)
- Evelyn Hart (Ballet dancer, 2000, Toronto, Ontario)
- Karen Kain (Ballet dancer, 1998, Hamilton, Ontario)
- Veronica Tennant (Ballet dancer, 2001, London, Ontario)
Directors and Producers(Stage or Screen)
- Denys Arcand (Director who won an Academy Award in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions, 2004, Deschambault, Quebec)
- David Cronenberg (Film director, 1999, Toronto, Ontario)
- Arthur Hiller (Film director, 2002, Edmonton, Alberta)
- Norman Jewison (Feature film director, 1998, Toronto, Ontario)
- Robert Lepage (Film Director, Playwright, 2001, Montréal, Quebec)
- Lorne Michaels (Producer & Creator of Saturday Night Live, 2003, Toronto, Ontario)
- Ivan Reitman (Producer/director, 2001, Komárno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), raised in Toronto)
- David Steinberg (Comedian, Actor, Writer & Director, 2003, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Game Show Hosts
Hollywood Pioneers
- Louis B. Mayer (Producer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios, 2004, born Minsk, Belarus, raised in Saint John, New Brunswick)
- Mack Sennett (Producer, co-founded Keystone productions, 2004, Montreal, Quebec)
- Jack Warner (Producer, one of the famous Warner Brothers, 2004, London, Ontario)
- Fay Wray (Actress, 2005, Cardston, Alberta)
Humanitarians
Models & Supermodels
Music (Singers, musicians and producers, etc.)
NOTE: There are three bands inducted (Rush, The Guess Who and The Tragically Hip). The most famous members of these bands are listed. The official website of Canada's Walk of Fame lists the members that are listed as being the primary members, and thus, they are listed here. However, each member does not have their own star. They are all just considered part of the main band.
- Bryan Adams (Musician, 1998, Kingston, Ontario)
- Paul Anka (Singer, songwriter, 2005, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Jann Arden (Singer, 2006, Calgary, Alberta)
- Michael Cohl (Producer & Concert promoter), 2005, Toronto, Ontario)
- Pierre Cossette (Producer, Executive Producer of Gramy's for 35 years, 2005, Valleyfield, Quebec)
- Céline Dion (Singer, 1999, Charlemagne, Quebec)
- Maureen Forrester (Singer, 2000, Montréal, Quebec)
- David Foster (Music producer, 2002, Victoria, British Columbia)
- Glenn Gould (Musician, 1998, Toronto, Ontario)
- Robert Goulet (Singer, 2006, born Lawrence, Massachusetts, raised in Edmonton, Alberta)
- The Guess Who (Rock group, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Ronnie Hawkins (Country singer, 2002, born Huntsville, Arkansas, lived adult life in Peterborough, Ontario)
- John Kay (Frontman of Steppenwolf, 2004, Toronto, Ontario)
- Diana Krall (Jazz singer, 2004, Nanaimo, British Columbia)
- Juliette (Singer, 1999, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Daniel Lanois (Musician/Producer, 2005 Hull, Quebec)
- Gordon Lightfoot (Musician, 1998 Orillia, Ontario)
- Guy Lombardo (Bandleader, 2002, London, Ontario)
- Joni Mitchell (Singer, 2000, Fort Macleod, Alberta)
- Alanis Morissette (Singer, 2005, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Anne Murray (Singer, 1998, Springhill, Nova Scotia)
- Walter Ostanek ("The Polka King", 2001, Duparquet, Quebec)
- Luc Plamondon (Songwriter for artists like Céline Dion and Ginette Reno, playwright, 2003, Céline Dion)
- Ginette Reno (Singer, 2000, Montréal, Quebec)
- Robbie Robertson (Fronted The Band, 2003, Toronto, Ontario)
- Rush (Music group, 1999, place of inception Toronto, Ontario in 1968)
- Buffy Sainte-Marie (Singer, Songwriter, Actress on Sesame Street in the 1980s, 1999, Piapot Reserve, Saskatchewan)
- Paul Shaffer (Musical Director for The Late Show, 2006, Thunder Bay, Ontario)
- Teresa Stratas (Opera Soprano, 2001, Toronto, Ontario)
- The Tragically Hip (Music Band, 2002, Kingston, Ontario)
- Rob Baker (Lead Guitar, Kingston, Ontario)
- Gordon Downie (Lead Singer & Guitar,Kingston, Ontario)
- Johnny Fay (Drums, Kingston, Ontario)
- Paul Langlois (Rhythym Guitar, Kingston, Ontario)
- Gord Sinclair (Bass, Kingston, Ontario)
- Shania Twain (Singer, 2003, Born Windsor, Ontario, raised in Timmins, Ontario)
- Neil Young (Singer, 2000, Toronto, Ontario)
Sports Figures (Players, Coaches, etc.)
- Jean Béliveau (Hockey player, 2001, Trois Rivieres, Quebec)
- Scotty Bowman (Coach with the highest winning percentage in NHL history, 2003, Montreal, Quebec)
- Kurt Browning (Figure skater, 2001, Caroline, Alberta)
- George Chuvalo (Boxer, 2005, Toronto, Ontario)
- Toller Cranston (Figure skater, 2003, Hamilton, Ontario)
- Crazy Canucks (Downhill Skiers, 2006) (NOTE: All four were given the same star)
- Dave Irwin (Downhill Skier, 2006)
- Dave Murray (Downhill Skier, 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia)
- Steve Podborski (Downhill Skier, 2006, Toronto, Ontario)
- Ken Read (Downhill Skier, later would be head of Alpine Canada, 2006, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, raised in Calgary, Alberta)
- Jim Elder (Olympic equestrian, 2003, Toronto, Ontario)
- Nancy Greene (Downhill Skier, 1999, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Wayne Gretzky (Hockey Player, 2002, Brantford, Ontario)
- Gordie Howe (Hockey player, 2000, Floral, Saskatchewan)
- Ferguson Jenkins (Baseball player, 2001, Chatham, Ontario)
- Harry Winston Jerome (Sprinter, 2001, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan)
- Mario Lemieux (Hockey player, 2004, Montreal, Quebec
- Bobby Orr (Hockey player, 1998, Parry Sound, Ontario)
- Maurice Richard (Hockey player, 1999, Montréal, Quebec)
- Barbara Ann Scott (Figure skater, 1998, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Jacques Villeneuve (Race car driver, 1998, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec)
Writers (Literature, Press, Music, Screen)
- Margaret Atwood (Author, 2001, Ottawa, Ontario)
- Pierre Berton (Author, 1998, Whitehorse, Yukon)
- Timothy Findley (Novelist/playwright, 2002, Toronto, Ontario)
- Luc Plamondon (Songwriter for artists like Céline Dion and Ginette Reno, playwright, 2003, Saint-Raymond de Portneuf, Quebec)
- Buffy Sainte-Marie (Singer, Songwriter, Actress on Sesame Street in the 1980s, 1999, Piapot Reserve, Saskatchewan)
- David Steinberg (Comedian, Actor, Writer & Director, 2003, Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Wayne and Shuster (Comedy Duo, 1999, place of inception Toronto, Ontario in 1954)
2006 Inductees
The 2006 inductees were announced on March 8, 2006 . It was previously announced that WWE Diva Trish Stratus would host the induction ceremony Toronto's Hummingbird Centre, which took place on June 3, 2006. The 2006 inductees were Pamela Anderson (Playboy Model & Actress), Jann Arden (Singer), Brendan Fraser (Actor), Robert Goulet (Singer), Eugene Levy (Comedian), Paul Shaffer (Musician) and Alex Trebek (Game Show Host). Also inducted is a group of male skiers known as the Crazy Canucks. This group includes: Ken Read, Steve Podborski, Dave Irwin and Dave Murray . They will all be given the same star. There are three who were not born in Canada who are being inducted: Brendan Fraser, Robert Goulet and Ken Read. Last years group was considered weak because of its lack of star power, but this year the entire group are better known.
Trivia
- There is only one entire family on the Walk of Fame: Donald Sutherland, Shirley Douglas and their son Kiefer Sutherland.
- As of 2006, there are exactly 100 Stars on the Walk of Fame. This does not count the members of the various group inductees (such as bands or comedy troupes).
- Tom Greene hosted the induction ceremony in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, WWE Wrestler Trish Stratus took over hosting duties.
- Some of the more notable Canadians without stars who have a lot of fan support for induction:
External Links
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