45.5089° N, 73.5618° W

MONTREAL

Most Famous People Born in Montreal, Canada

Notable people
4,921
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1948
Most distinctive
Hockey 8.4×

Bilingual, with a comic streak. Montreal's distinctive profession is hockey at more than eight times the global rate, alongside an unusually thick column of actors, filmmakers, singers, and poets — the city's notables split almost evenly between French and English in every category. Hockey is the constant, but the comedy tradition that runs from the cabarets of Saint-Laurent through the National Film Board to the Just for Laughs festival is the cultural surprise the panel can't quite carry.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Montreal during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1960s with 594 notable births.

What Montreal Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Montreal's biggest profession — 12% of all notables (592).

Montreal over-indexes on hockey8.4× the global rate.

Montreal under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Actor592
  2. Politician522
  3. Hockey492
  4. Writer245
  5. Singer193
  6. Football157
  7. Film134
  8. Lawyer116
  1. Hockey4928.4×
  2. Actor5922.3×
  3. Film1342.2×
  4. Singer1931.9×
  5. Poet941.8×
  6. Business791.6×
  7. Writer2451.5×
  1. Football1570.3×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Montreal's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All4,921
Sort By

Showing 583 of 4,921 notable people

0010 ACTOR

Geneviève Bujold

Born 1942

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0032 ACTOR

Peter Cullen

Born 1941

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0036 BIOLOGIST

Ralph M. Steinman

1943 - 2011

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0039 SINGER

René Angélil

1942 - 2016

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0047 SINGER

Kate McGarrigle

1946 - 2010

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0055 PLAYWRIGHT

Michel Tremblay

Born 1942

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0070 PHILOSOPHER

Gerald Cohen

1941 - 2009

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0076 AUTHOR

Conrad Black

Born 1944

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0084 JUDGE

Louise Arbour

Born 1947

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0092 ASTRONOMER

David H. Levy

Born 1948

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0100 ACTOR

Rosemary Forsyth

Born 1943

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0106 ACTOR

Dayle Haddon

Born 1948

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0110 POLITICIAN

Gilles Duceppe

Born 1947

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0111 ACTOR

Ginette Reno

Born 1946

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0112 SINGER

Robert Charlebois

Born 1944

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0129 ACTOR

Lynda Bellingham

1948 - 2014

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0130 COMPOSER

Claude Vivier

1948 - 1983

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0131 HOCKEY

Jacques Lemaire

Born 1945

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0161 WRESTLER

Pat Patterson (wrestler)

1941 - 2020

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0163 THEOLOGIAN

D. A. Carson

Born 1946

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0168 WRESTLER

Ivan Koloff

1942 - 2017

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0170 ACTOR

Miquel Brown

Born 1945

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0173 HOCKEY

Bernie Parent

Born 1945

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0199 ACTOR

Daniel Pilon

1940 - 2018

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0206 SCREENWRITER

Pierre Falardeau

1946 - 2009

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0207 POET

Nicole Brossard

Born 1943

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0220 FILM

Jake Eberts

1941 - 2012

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0224 PIANIST

Frank Mills

Born 1942

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0234 ANIMATOR

Ryan Larkin

1943 - 2007

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0235 POLITICIAN

Pierre-Marc Johnson

Born 1946

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0236 SINGER

Diane Dufresne

Born 1944

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0239 SINGER

Andy Kim

Born 1946

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0253 HOCKEY

Serge Savard

Born 1946

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0286 FILM

Denis Héroux

1940 - 2015

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0288 HOCKEY

Rod Gilbert

Born 1941

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0306 ACTOR

Malcolm Stewart (actor)

Born 1948

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0311 SINGER

Michel Pagliaro

Born 1948

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0314 ACTOR

Louise Marleau

Born 1944

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0317 PARLIAMENT

Irwin Cotler

Born 1940

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0341 FILM

John N. Smith

Born 1943

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0348 HOCKEY

Guy Lapointe

Born 1948

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0355 ACTOR

Danny Wells

1941 - 2013

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0369 ASTRONOMER

Hugh Ross (astrophysicist)

Born 1945

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0393 ACTOR

Lewis Furey

Born 1949

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0394 FILM

Willie Dunn

1942 - 2013

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0402 ACTOR

Julien Poulin

Born 1946

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0415 MUSIC

Corky Laing

Born 1948

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0421 HOCKEY

Carol Vadnais

1945 - 2014

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0435 SCREENWRITER

Pierre Curzi

Born 1946

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0452 POLITICIAN

Jacques Demers

Born 1944

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0459 SINGER

Anna McGarrigle

Born 1944

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0477 WRITER

Gil Courtemanche

1943 - 2011

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0486 FILM

Pierre David

Born 1944

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0497 UNITED NATION

Louise Fréchette

Born 1946

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0506 POLITICIAN

Françoise David

Born 1948

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0510 POLITICIAN

Jean Doré

1944 - 2015

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0512 HOCKEY

Bobby Rousseau

Born 1940

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0526 GUITAR

Michael Laucke

Born 1947

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0532 SINGER

Plume Latraverse

Born 1946

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0535 NOVELIST

Denise Bombardier

Born 1941

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0551 POET

Serge Monast

1945 - 1996

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0563 HOCKEY

Michel Plasse

1948 - 2006

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0564 WRESTLER

Ron Garvin

Born 1945

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0568 CONDUCTOR

Walter Boudreau

Born 1947

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0575 SINGER

Pierre Lalonde

1941 - 2016

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0576 BIOLOGIST

Mark Wainberg

1945 - 2017

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0594 ACTOR

Suzanne Lebeau

Born 1948

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0603 ACTOR

Gilles Renaud

Born 1944

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0611 FILM

Robert Morin

Born 1949

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0623 PLAYWRIGHT

Carole Fréchette

Born 1949

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0624 POLITICIAN

Pierre Bourque (politician)

Born 1942

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0652 ACTOR

André Brassard

Born 1946

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0654 ACTOR

Marilyn Lightstone

Born 1940

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0658 ACTOR

Michel Forget

Born 1942

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0659 POLITICIAN

Daniel Johnson Jr.

Born 1944

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0660 SPORT

Michel Bergeron (ice hockey, born 1946)

Born 1946

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0664 TRADE UNION

Paul Rose (political figure)

1943 - 2013

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0678 SINGER

Claude Dubois

Born 1947

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0685 ACTOR

Gilbert Sicotte

Born 1948

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0692 SENATOR

Serge Joyal

Born 1945

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0695 PAINTER

Jack Goldstein

1945 - 2003

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0701 PAINTER

Stephen Lack

Born 1946

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0710 ACTOR

Iain Quarrier

Born 1941

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0713 ACTOR

Robert Gravel

1944 - 1996

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0721 MATHEMATICIAN

George A. Elliott

Born 1945

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0724 MUSIC

Steve Lang

1949 - 2017

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0727 CONDUCTOR

Boris Brott

Born 1944

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0736 LINGUIST

Mark Aronoff

Born 1949

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0737 SINGER

Christine Charbonneau

1943 - 2014

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0739 WRITER

Donald Alarie

Born 1945

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0740 HOCKEY

Claude Gauthier (ice hockey)

Born 1947

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0775 ECONOMIST

James Laxer

1941 - 2018

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0780 POLITICIAN

David Emerson

Born 1945

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0781 FILM

André Forcier

Born 1947

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0783 POET

Claude Péloquin

1942 - 2018

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0785 FOOTBALL

Terry Evanshen

Born 1944

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0788 SCULPTOR

Pierre Granche

1948 - 1997

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0798 ACTOR

Richard Monette

1944 - 2008

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0801 FILM

Douglas Jackson (filmmaker)

Born 1940

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0811 WRITER

Serge Bouchard

Born 1947

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0835 STOCKBROKER

David Walsh (mining)

1945 - 1998

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0837 PLAYER

Mike Belkin

Born 1945

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0858 SINGER

Patrick Norman (singer)

Born 1946

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0861 PRESENTER

Claude Charron

Born 1946

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0868 WRITER

François Barcelo

Born 1941

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0882 WRITER

Aude (writer)

1947 - 2012

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0887 FILM

Jean Pierre Lefebvre

Born 1941

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0889 POLITICIAN

Jacques Duchesneau

Born 1949

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0891 POET

Claudine Bertrand

Born 1948

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0896 FILM

Jean-Claude Lord

Born 1943

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0913 POET

Huguette Gaulin

1944 - 1972

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0923 FILM

Manon Barbeau

Born 1949

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0930 JOURNALIST

Nick Auf der Maur

1942 - 1998

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0936 HOCKEY

Bob Berry (ice hockey)

Born 1943

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0939 CINEMA

Pierre Mignot

Born 1944

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0941 ECONOMIST

Jean-Marie Dufour

Born 1949

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0956 MATHEMATICIAN

David Sankoff

Born 1942

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0958 CHEMIST

Howard Alper

Born 1941

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0960 COACH

Mike McNamara (ice hockey)

Born 1949

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0961 ACTOR

Darlene Gillespie

Born 1941

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0963 PRESENTER

Gilles Proulx

Born 1940

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0966 HISTORIAN

David Bercuson

Born 1945

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0970 PRIEST

Terrence Prendergast

Born 1944

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0976 ACADEMIC

Claude Corbo

Born 1945

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0978 POET

Denise Desautels

Born 1945

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0983 POLITICIAN

Liza Frulla

Born 1949

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1006 WRITER

Stéphane Venne

Born 1941

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1008 NATIONALIST

Francis Simard

1946 - 2015

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1011 PHILOSOPHER

Robert Nadeau (science historian)

Born 1944

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1037 ACTOR

Diana Leblanc

Born 1943

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1039 COMPOSER

Michel Longtin

Born 1946

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1040 WRITER

Pierre Nepveu

Born 1946

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1041 WRITER

André Major

Born 1942

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1050 FILM

Allan F. Nicholls

Born 1945

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1053 ACTOR

Nicole Jaffe

Born 1941

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1059 JOURNALIST

John Fraser (journalist)

Born 1944

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1116 WRITER

Louise Lanctôt

Born 1947

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1119 POET

Normand de Bellefeuille

Born 1949

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1123 LINGUIST

David G. Roskies

Born 1948

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1129 JOURNALIST

Jacques Doucet (sportscaster)

Born 1940

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1131 PRIEST

Nicholas Gruner

1942 - 2015

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1134 WRITER

Francine Allard

Born 1949

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1138 ACTIVIST

Irv Rubin

1945 - 2002

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1146 HOCKEY

Ron Harris (ice hockey)

Born 1942

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1147 POET

France Théoret

Born 1942

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1158 ACTOR

Don Ferguson (actor)

Born 1946

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1163 WRITER

Jacques Lanctôt

Born 1945

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1167 WRITER

Marie José Thériault

Born 1945

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1168 PERCUSSIONIST

Billy Bryans

1947 - 2012

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1172 HOCKEY

Gary Dineen

1943 - 2006

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1174 WRITER

Ginette Anfousse

Born 1944

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1179 ACTOR

Michelle Rossignol

1940 - 2020

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1191 FILM

Mireille Dansereau

Born 1943

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1196 CARICATURIST

Bado (cartoonist)

Born 1949

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1198 FILM

Robert Favreau

Born 1948

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1202 POLITICIAN

Gilbert Paquette

Born 1942

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1205 COMPOSER

John Hawkins (Canadian composer)

1944 - 2007

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1206 POLITICIAN

Colin Kenny

Born 1943

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1214 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Janice Stein

Born 1943

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1220 HOCKEY

Guy Charron

Born 1949

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1222 WRITER

Francine Ouellette

Born 1947

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1231 COMPOSER

Donald Steven

Born 1945

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1244 ARTIST

Pierre Fournier (comics)

Born 1949

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1252 FILM

Jacques Leduc

Born 1941

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1260 HOCKEY

André Boudrias

1943 - 2019

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1263 ECOLOGIST

Pierre Legendre (ecologist)

Born 1946

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1275 HOCKEY

Gilles Marotte

1945 - 2005

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1277 POLITICIAN

Lucienne Robillard

Born 1945

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1278 PHILOSOPHER

James Robert Brown

Born 1949

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1284 HOCKEY

Michel Parizeau

Born 1948

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1300 POET

Michel Beaulieu

1941 - 1985

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1301 ECONOMIST

Robert Lacroix

Born 1940

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1304 ECONOMIST

Michael D. Bordo

Born 1942

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1310 JOURNALIST

Lysiane Gagnon

Born 1941

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1324 POLITICAL

Serge Chapleau

Born 1945

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1332 POET

Jean Marcel

1941 - 2019

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1341 ACTOR

Serge Turgeon

1946 - 2004

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1343 JOURNALIST

Michel Girouard

Born 1944

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1369 POLITICIAN

Guy Joron

1940 - 2017

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1393 HISTORIAN

Camille Limoges

Born 1942

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1403 SPORT

Pierre Lacroix (ice hockey, born 1948)

Born 1948

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1412 ARTIFICIAL

Daniel Crevier

Born 1947

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1418 FILM

Beverly Shaffer

Born 1945

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1427 POLITICIAN

Judith Guichon

Born 1947

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1428 WRITER

Monique LaRue

Born 1948

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1438 WRITER

Francine Noël

Born 1945

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1450 PIANIST

Paul Baillargeon

Born 1944

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1462 POET

André Roy (writer)

Born 1944

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1468 JOURNALIST

Pierre Dubuc

Born 1947

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1473 NOVELIST

Christiane Duchesne

Born 1949

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1477 ACADEMIC

Raymond Taras

Born 1946

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1480 POLITICIAN

Liz McManus

Born 1947

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1494 AUTHOR

Seymour Mayne

Born 1944

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1496 POLITICIAN

Joe Oliver (politician)

Born 1940

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1500 NEWS PRESENTER

Bernard Derome

Born 1944

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1523 PRIEST

Louis Dicaire

1946 - 2020

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1524 WRITER

Michel David (auteur)

1944 - 2010

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1534 LAWYER

Marcel Massé

Born 1940

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1537 PRESENTER

Serge Laprade

Born 1941

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1540 PAINTER

Mario Bachand

1944 - 1971

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1542 PHOTOGRAPHER

Nina Raginsky

Born 1941

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1543 PHILOSOPHER

François Duchesneau

Born 1943

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1544 BUSINESS

Françoise Bertrand

Born 1948

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1551 POLITICIAN

Jean Dorion

Born 1942

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1554 WEIGHTLIFTER

Pierre St.-Jean

Born 1943

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1561 ACTOR

Frédérique Collin

Born 1944

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1567 BIOMEDICAL

Monique Frize

Born 1942

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1570 POET

Lisa Carducci

Born 1943

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1572 POET

Lucien Francoeur

Born 1948

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1575 CHOREOGRAPHER

Jean-Pierre Perreault

1947 - 2002

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1592 FILM

Gilles Maheu

Born 1948

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1595 BIOLOGIST

André Parent

Born 1944

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1599 NOVELIST

Barbara Fradkin

Born 1947

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1612 ACTOR

Daniel Gadouas

Born 1947

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1617 POLITICIAN

Lisette Lapointe

Born 1943

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1619 PIANIST

Michel Donato

Born 1942

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1630 POLITICIAN

Roy Cullen

Born 1944

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1638 COMPOSER

Richard Grégoire

Born 1944

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1653 WRITER

Hélène Rioux

Born 1949

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1671 HOCKEY

Robin Burns

Born 1946

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1676 ARTIST

Peter Esdaile

Born 1947

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1679 POLITICIAN

Michel Bissonnet

Born 1942

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1684 JOURNALIST

Rodger Brulotte

Born 1947

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1693 PHOTOGRAPHER

Gisèle Lamoureux

1942 - 2018

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1699 CRIMINOLOGIST

Maurice Cusson

Born 1942

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1707 TEACHER

Marie-France James

Born 1943

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1734 ACTOR

Angèle Coutu

Born 1946

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1744 WRITER

André Carpentier

Born 1947

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1745 PLAYER

Eric Kokish

Born 1947

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1748 ACTOR

Jean LeClerc (actor)

Born 1948

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1756 ACTOR

Danielle Ouimet

Born 1947

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1767 OCEANOGRAPHER

Louis Legendre (oceanographer)

Born 1945

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1776 NOVELIST

Richard Appignanesi

Born 1940

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1782 ACTOR

Jenny Arasse

Born 1948

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1786 POLITICIAN

Richard French (Canadian politician)

Born 1947

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1787 COMPOSER

Normand Roger

Born 1949

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1792 FILMMAKER

Terence McKenna (film producer)

Born 1945

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1806 POLITICIAN

Bernard Patry

Born 1943

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1809 PHILOSOPHER

André Moreau

Born 1941

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1820 WRITER

Carole Massé

Born 1949

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1821 WRESTLER

Jos LeDuc

1944 - 1999

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1827 ACTOR

Jean-Guy Moreau

1943 - 2012

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1831 HOCKEY

François Lacombe

Born 1948

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1833 WRITER

Louise Leblanc

Born 1942

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1840 DIPLOMAT

Jeremy Kinsman

Born 1942

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1847 SINGER

François Cousineau

Born 1942

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1851 SINGER

David Wilcox (Canadian musician)

Born 1949

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1874 POLITICIAN

Jacques Daoust

1948 - 2017

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1883 PLAYER

Joel Wapnick

Born 1946

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1888 HOCKEY

Moe L'Abbé

Born 1947

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1895 CHANTEUSE

Christine Chartrand

Born 1948

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1898 POLITICIAN

Monique Jérôme-Forget

Born 1940

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1905 ENGINEER

Lorne Trottier

Born 1948

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1908 PRIEST

Gilles Lussier

Born 1940

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1923 HOCKEY

Bob Lemieux

Born 1944

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1933 CRIMINAL

Richard Blass

1945 - 1975

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1939 POET

Gilbert La Rocque

1943 - 1984

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1940 LAWYER

Raymond Bachand

Born 1947

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1945 FOOTBALL

Pierre Desjardins

Born 1941

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1951 ROBBER

Monica Proietti

1940 - 1967

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1952 ACADEMIC

Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre

Born 1942

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1955 POLITICIAN

Yves Bérubé

1940 - 1993

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1977 HOCKEY

Bob Graham (ice hockey)

Born 1947

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1994 ACTOR

Louise Turcot

Born 1944

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1999 ACTOR

Pierre Hébert (cinéaste)

Born 1944

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2018 SOCIOLOGIST

Serge Proulx

Born 1945

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2025 SINGER

Pier Béland

1948 - 2013

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2048 WRITER

Raymond Plante

1947 - 2006

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2051 FILM

Brigitte Sauriol

Born 1945

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2057 POLITICIAN

Claude Trudel

Born 1942

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2068 WRITER

Bernard Avishai

Born 1949

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2069 POET

Marcel Labine

Born 1948

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2074 HOCKEY

Serge Aubry

1942 - 2011

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2100 WRITER

Micheline La France

1944 - 2014

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2101 POET

Jacques Renaud

Born 1943

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2110 ACTOR

Patricia Nolin

Born 1940

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2125 SINGER

Pierre Bertrand (chanteur)

Born 1948

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2155 LINGUIST

Richard Goulet

Born 1943

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2157 DIPLOMAT

Norman Spector

Born 1949

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2169 LAWYER

Serge Ménard

Born 1941

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2184 HOCKEY

Ron Buchanan

Born 1944

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2196 PRIEST

Robert Harris (bishop)

Born 1944

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2197 POET

André Gervais (écrivain)

Born 1947

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2211 POLITICIAN

Jacques Dupuis (politician)

Born 1948

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2229 FILM

Jimmy Kaufman

Born 1949

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2232 ARCHITECT

Peter Rose (architect)

Born 1943

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2259 RADIO

Eleanor Wachtel

Born 1947

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2268 JOURNALIST

Brian Stewart (journalist)

Born 1942

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2269 ACTOR

Alain Chartrand

Born 1946

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2272 GEOGRAPHER

Louise Filion

Born 1945

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2282 ANNOUNCER

Dave Hodge

Born 1945

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2294 LAWYER

Richard Guay (politician)

Born 1943

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2306 ESSAYIST

Jean-Marc Brunet

Born 1940

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2309 SINGER

Diane Juster

Born 1946

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2317 ACADEMIC

Sherry Simon

Born 1948

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2326 LIBERAL

Eddie Goldenberg

Born 1948

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2331 POLITICIAN

Jean-Pierre Jolivet

Born 1941

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2336 PSYCHIATRIST

Yves Lamontagne

Born 1941

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2342 POET

Claude Beausoleil

1948 - 2020

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2356 WRITER

Seymour Schulich

Born 1940

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