And you thought the country was all mounties, moose and maples ;Ten

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Dec 14, 2003

William Shatner "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." This ruddy annoying catchphrase was first addressed to William Shatner, who played James T Kirk, the bold, go-getting cap'n of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek. Born in Montreal in 1931, Shatner studied commerce at McGill University before realising his destiny lay in seeking out new civilisations and communing with pointy-eared pedants.

Leonard Cohen Yet another McGill University alumnus, this Montreal boy was already pumping out the misery at 17 when he formed country and western trio The Buckskin Boys. After heading for Nashville, he released his first album, The Songs Of Leonard Cohen, which remains the standard soundtrack of bedsit depressives everywhere.

Pamela Anderson The Baywatch babe originally made headlines as the first Canadian born on the nation's 1967 centenary. After her face was spotted in the crowd at a Canadian Football League game, other parts of her anatomy found their way onto a Playboy cover two years before she donned that red swimsuit.

Keanu Reeves Reeves was actually born in Beirut and lived in Australia and New York before settling in Toronto. The Matrix hero, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was an international heart-throb until his disturbing resemblance to Michael Portillo was recognised.

Margaret Atwood Raised in the Canadian wilderness, the Booker- winning novelist lived much of her early life under canvas in the backwoods as her family accompanied their entomologist father on insect safari.

Sir William Osler Malingerers stung by accusations that their symptoms are "all in the mind" have this eminent doctor to blame. Dubbed "the father of psychosomatic medicine", he emphasised the medical importance of the patient's state of mind.

Linda EvangelistaBorn in St Catharines, Ontario, from working- class stock, Evangelista began her modelling career in New York then moved to Paris. During the 1980s, the supermodel famously remarked that she didn't get out of bed for less than $10,000.

Jack Warner The youngest of 12 in a family of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Jack was born in London, Ontario, in 1892. He and brothers Harry, Albert and Sam founded the Hollywood Warner Bros studios, which he later ran before becoming an independent film producer.

kd lang Born in Alberta one Kathryn Dawn Lang, the 42-year-old crooner is most famous for her cowboy boots, raw silk vocals and for appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair being shaved by Cindy Crawford.

Douglas Coupland Although born in a West German military base, Coupland grew up in Vancouver, where he still lives. The author of cult novel Generation X resisted attempts to brand him "the spokesperson for his generation", insisting he spoke only for himself.