Toronto is often hailed as one of the most multicultural cities in the world, so it’s no surprise that some of the world’s top comics hail from The Six — comedians and actors have been weaving their cultural experiences and everyday observations from growing up in the GTA into their acts for decades!
Here, we’ll celebrate 10 of the funniest people in Toronto’s history, many of whom have started out at local Yuk Yuk’s, Comedy Bar and Second City stages, but have evolved into global comedy legends. For this list, the comics hail from the GTA and surrounding areas, and are listed in no particular order.
Eugene Levy
The 78-year-old Hamilton native is known for playing unconventional, strait-laced comedic figures — like a clueless dad in the coming-of-age comedy American Pie, and most recently, as a former video store chain magnate in the hit Canadian series Schitt’s Creek — but his acting career traces back decades. From the mid 70s to early 80s, Levy teamed up with other Canadian greats for the iconic sketch comedy show SCTV. Here, he developed his skills as a performer, nailing hilarious impersonations of the likes of Alex Trebek and Sean Connery. Throughout the years, he’s won four Emmys (two for SCTV and two for Schitt’s Creek), a Grammy, two SAG awards, and 11 Canadian Comedy Awards. Although Levy’s $3.9 million Pacific Palisades home was destroyed in the recent Los Angeles wildfires, he and his family are also longtime residents of Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood (he’s a huge fan of Terroni Bar Centrale).
Catherine O’Hara
O’Hara, 71, is known for her comedic work on Schitt’s Creek (2015–2020) and for being one of the original members of SCTV (1976–1984). But the Toronto native’s face/voice will be recognized for generations to come due to her portrayal as Kevin’s mom in the holiday classic Home Alone, one of the top-grossing film comedies of all time! Throughout the years, she’s also done stellar work in mockumentaries like Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind.
Mike Myers
The Scarborough native is most known for his roles as Wayne from Wayne’s World, Austin Powers in the self-titled series and for voicing the green ogre himself in Shrek. The 61-year-old’s self-deprecating style of humour appeals to both young and old audiences alike, and although it’s been more than 20 years since the last Austin Powers flick, Myers is still making audiences crack up (most recently, in a surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live, where he portrayed tech billionaire Elon Musk).
Lilly Singh
The 36-year-old former Superwoman started acting in improvisational comedy skits on YouTube, playing caricatures of her fictional parents, Paramjeet and Manjeet (often intertwining real-life aspects of her life from growing up in Scarborough). The sketches were a hit, and she has since amassed more than 14.3 million YouTube followers and 13.7 million Insta fans. She eventually brought her comedic skills to late-night TV on A Little Late with Lilly Singh (2019-2021), being the first LGBTQ+ woman of Indo-Canadian descent to host a late-night series in the U.S.! Singh has written a string of hit books throughout the years, made guest appearances on shows like Dollface, and hosted Canadian series like Battle of the Generations and Canada’s Got Talent. It appears she’s now focusing on the next generation of actors/comedians. She recently launched Hyphen8 — a media network for social media content creators of South Asian descent.
Samantha Bee
The Toronto-born comic, 55, quickly became a fan favourite as a regular correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where she often coaxed people into satirizing themselves in the most hilarious way possible (always with deadpan delivery and a vacant stare). After 12 years on the show, Bee went on to host Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016-2022), becoming the first woman to host a late-night satire series.
Will Arnett
The 54-year-old Toronto actor is known for playing eccentric, somewhat dimwitted characters at a comedic level, and it works! His role as George Oscar “Gob” Bluth in Arrested Development, a character known for his self-delusions, became an instant fan favourite (and one of the main roles Arnett will forever be associated with). Throughout the years, he’s also appeared in shows like Sex and the City, The Sopranos, and Will & Grace, and as mega-fans know, he voices BoJack Horseman in the animated Netflix series.
Jim Carrey
The Newmarket native, 61, is known for his slapstick-style comedy performances, most recently portraying Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Professor Gerald Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which has raked in $485.7 million+ at the global box office, making it the actor’s highest-grossing movie of all time to date! Carrey’s career started off quite humbly in Toronto — he performed at Yuk Yuks and comedy clubs across the city at age 15, before heading to Los Angeles at 19. While performing a comedy skit at Mitzi Shore’s Comedy Store, he attracted the attention of legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield. The two began touring together, and soon, Carrey began landing small roles in (now cult classic) flicks like Peggy Sue Got Married and Earth Girls Are Easy. He became a regular in the satiric TV series In Living Color before becoming the leading man in hits like Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Bruce Almighty, and more!
Carolyn Taylor
Taylor is probably most known for co-creating/starring in the hit female-led CBC sketch comedy series the Baroness von Sketch Show (some critics have hailed it as “the funniest thing on Canadian television since Kids in the Hall”). The Toronto native perfected her improvisation skills at The Second City in Toronto, starring in five mainstage revues and receiving four Canadian Comedy Awards. Since then, she’s written and performed for This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Hour and made appearances in shows like Zoe Busiek: Wild Card, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Workin’ Moms and Ghosts.
Russell Peters
The 54-year-old Brampton native is perhaps one the most recognizable stand-up comics today — and he’s been performing his act since the late 80s! Peters, who was born to Catholic, Anglo-Indian parents, has dealt with a lot of stereotypes growing up, so his comic tropes are mainly based on race and ethnicity. Audiences love it though — his most recent tour spanned 23 countries and 375 shows, and he’s consistently ranked as one of the highest-paid comedians in the world.
John Candy
The late comic, born in Newmarket and raised in East York, started acting in small roles on Canadian TV series before perfecting his comedic timing as part of the original SCTV crew. He soon became a global fan favourite due to his larger-than-life personality, playing roles such as a carefree babysitter in Uncle Buck, a talkative traveller in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the coach of a Jamaican bobsled team in Cool Runnings, and the Polka King of the Midwest in Home Alone. He unfortunately passed away in 1994, but many fans still honour the actor every year on Oct 31 (his birthday). In, 2020, former Toronto Mayor John Tory officially proclaimed Oct 31 “John Candy Day” in honour of what would have been the comedian’s 70th birthday.
