# List of people from Nova Scotia

This is a list of notable people who were either born or lived in Nova Scotia, Canada, or have spent a large part or formative part of their career in that province.

## Actors

* Cory Bowles – Canadian actor
* Lucy DeCoutere – Canadian actress and air force officer
* Richard Donat – Canadian actor
* Ellen Dubin – Canadian actress
* Arlene Duncan – Canadian actress
* Barrie Dunn – Canadian actor, producer and lawyer
* John Dunsworth – Canadian actor and comedian (1946-2017)
* Sarah Dunsworth-Nickerson – Canadian actress and costume designer
* Lex Gigeroff – Television writer and actor
* Leslie Hope – Canadian actress
* Michael Jackson – Canadian actor, grip and gaffer (born 1970)
* Shauna MacDonald – Canadian actress
* Martha MacIsaac – Canadian actress (born 1984)
* Marguerite McNeil – Canadian actress (1935–2021)
* Mary-Colin Chisholm – Canadian actress
* Elliot Page – Canadian actor and producer (born 1987)
* Mona Louise Parsons – Canadian actress
* Gordon Pinsent – Canadian actor and writer (1930–2023)
* Laura Regan – Canadian actress (born 1977)
* Nancy Regan – Canadian actress, journalist, and news anchor
* Patrick Roach – Canadian actor and investor (born 1969)
* Tara Spencer-Nairn – Canadian actress (born 1978)
* Shelley Thompson – Canadian actress
* Jonathan Torrens – Canadian actor and television personality
* Robb Wells – Canadian actor and screenwriter

## Architects

* Andrew R. Cobb – Canadian-American architect (1876–1943)
* David Ewart – Canadian architect (1841–1921)
* Leslie R. Fairn – Canadian architect (1875–1971)
* William Critchlow Harris – Canadian architect (1854–1913)

## Artists

* Earl Bailly – Canadian artist (1903–1977)
* Frances Bannerman – Canadian painter and poet (1855-1944)
* Alex Colville – Canadian artist (1920–2013)
* William E. deGarthe – Finnish painter (1907–1983)
* Nancy Edell – Canadian artist (1942-2005)
* Gerald Ferguson – Canadian-American conceptual artist and painter
* Tom Forrestall – Canadian realist painter (1936–2024)
* Carol Hoorn Fraser – American-born Canadian artist (1930–1991)
* Jack L. Gray – Canadian artist
* Randolph Hewton – Canadian painter
* Ursula Johnson – Canadian Mi'kmaq artist
* George Lang – Scottish stonemason and master builder (1821-1881)
* Arthur Lismer – English-Canadian painter (1885-1969)
* Maud Lewis – Nova Scotian folk artist
* Maria Morris Miller – Canadian artist (1813–1875)
* Elizabeth Styring Nutt – British-Canadian artist and educator
* John O'Brien – Canadian marine artist
* Henry Mortikar Rosenberg – Canadian artist (1858-1947)
* Edith Smith – Canadian artist (1867-1954)
* William Valentine – Nova Scotian painter (1798–1849)

## Businesspeople

* Ezra Churchill – Canadian politician
* Enos Collins – Nova Scotian merchant, banker, and privateer
* Samuel Cunard – British-Canadian shipping magnate (1787–1865)
* Cyrus S. Eaton – Canadian-American investment banker, businessman and philanthropist
* Rose Fortune – Canadian businesswoman
* Alfred Fuller – Canada-born American businessman
* Alexander Keith – Canadian politician
* Gilbert McKenna – Canadian politician
* Joseph Salter – Canadian businessman and politician
* Frank H. Sobey – Canadian businessman
* Frank Stanfield – Canadian entrepreneur and politician (1872–1931)
* John Stanfield – Canadian industrialist and politician (1868–1934)
* James McGregor Stewart – Canadian lawyer
* William Stevens Fielding – Canadian politician (1848–1929)
* Sandford Fleming – Scottish-Canadian engineer and inventor (1827–1915)
* Charles Frederick Fraser – First superintendent of the Halifax School for the Blind

## Cartoonists

* Kate Beaton – Canadian comics artist (born 1983)
* Bob Chambers – Canadian cartoonist and illustrator
* Hal Foster – Canadian-American illustrator (1892–1982)

## Diplomats

* Audri Mukhopadhyay – Canadian diplomat and economist

## Doctors

* William Johnston Almon – Canadian surgeon and politician (1816–1901)
* Maria Louisa Angwin – First woman licensed to practice medicine in Nova Scotia, Canada
* William Bruce Almon – Nova Scotian physician and politician
* Clement Ligoure – Trinidadian doctor in Canada (1887–1922)
* Eva Waddell Mader Macdonald – Canadian academic (1902–1997)
* Charles Tupper – Prime Minister of Canada in 1896
* Alfred Waddell – Trinidadian physician (1896–1953)

## Filmmakers

* Mike Clattenburg – Canadian filmmaker and producer
* Phil Comeau – Canadian film and television director
* Paul Donovan – Canadian television and film writer, director and producer
* Jason Eisener – Canadian film writer, editor and director
* Thom Fitzgerald – American film director
* Daniel MacIvor – Canadian actor and director
* Daniel Petrie – Canadian film, television, and stage director
* Noah Pink – Canadian screenwriter

## Inventors

* Alexander Graham Bell – Canadian-American inventor of telephone (1847–1922)
* Walter Harris Callow – Canadian veteran and inventor
* Charles Fenerty – Canadian inventor and poet (1821–1892)
* Abraham Pineo Gesner – New Brunswick and Nova Scotian physician and geologist (1797–1864)

## Military
### 17th-18th century

* Charles de Menou d'Aulnay – Governor of Acadia and Seigneur of Port Royal
* Françoise-Marie Jacquelin – Acadian woman
* Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin – French military officer (1652–1707)
* Sébastien Rale – French Jesuit missionary
* Jean-Baptiste Cope – Mi'kmaq leader (1698–1758-60)
* Jean-Louis Le Loutre – Catholic priest, missionary & military leader (1709-1772)
* Charles Lawrence – British Army officer
* Silvanus Cobb – Massachusetts provincial army captain
* Jonathan Eddy – American military officer and politician
* John Allan – Canadian politician and officer with the Massachusetts Militia
* Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste – Famous privateer
* Joseph-Nicolas Gautier – Acadian merchant and leader
* John Gyles – American soldier and interpreter
* John Handfield – British military officer
* Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour – Governor of Acadia and Seigneur of Port Royal
* Madockawando – Penobscot Chief during King William's War
* Pierre Maillard – French-born priest
* Charles Morris – Canadian army officer, officeholder and judge
* Pierre II Surette – Acadian man

### 19th century

* Provo Wallis – British admiral (1791–1892)
* John Charles Beckwith – British army officer
* Edward Belcher – British naval officer (1799–1877)
* Fenwick Williams – 19th-century Nova Scotian officer of the British Army
* John Eardley Inglis – British army officer
* William Hall (VC) – Canadian Royal Navy hero
* George Augustus Westphal – Royal Navy admiral

### Post-Confederation

* Philip Bent – Recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Harold Lothrop Borden – Canadian military officer
* Walter Harris Callow – Canadian veteran and inventor
* John Croak – Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Clarence Dunlap – Canadian Air Force officer (1908–2003)
* Leonard W. Murray – Canadian admiral in WW II (1896–1971)
* James Peter Robertson – Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (1883-1917)
* William Grant Stairs – Canadian-British explorer, soldier, and adventurer

## Musicians
### People

* Brian Ahern (producer) – Canadian record producer and guitarist (born 1945)
* Carroll Baker – American actress (born 1931)
* Gary Beals – Canadian singer
* Buck 65 – Canadian hip hop artist
* George Canyon – Canadian country music singer
* Wilf Carter – Canadian singer and yodeler (1904–1996)
* Classified – Canadian rapper and record producer (born 1977)
* Holly Cole – Canadian jazz singer
* J. P. Cormier – Canadian musician
* Melanie Doane – Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and music educator.
* Denny Doherty – Canadian singer and musician (1940–2007)
* Todd Fancey – Canadian musician
* Leslie Feist – Canadian musician
* J.D. Fortune – Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1973)
* Bruce Guthro – Canadian singer (1961–2023)
* Rebekah Higgs – Canadian indie rock singer and songwriter
* Ashley MacIsaac – Canadian musician
* Natalie MacMaster – Canadian musician
* Kevin MacMichael – Canadian guitarist (1951–2002)
* Rita MacNeil – Canadian singer-songwriter (1944–2013)
* Matt Mays – Canadian musician
* Sarah McLachlan – Canadian musician (born 1968)
* Matt Minglewood – Canadian musician
* Anne Murray – Canadian singer (born 1945)
* Joel Plaskett – Canadian singer-songwriter
* Steve Poltz – Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* Heather Rankin – Canadian singer, songwriter and actor (born 1967)
* Jimmy Rankin – Canadian musician
* Stan Rogers – Canadian folk musician (1949–1983)
* Gordie Sampson – Canadian musician
* Tara Slone – Canadian singer
* Laura Smith – Canadian singer-songwriter (1952–2020)
* Hank Snow – Canadian musician (1914–1999)
* Scott Storch – American record producer and songwriter (born 1973)
* Portia White – Canadian opera singer
* JRDN – Canadian singer
* Jody Upshaw – Canadian musician

### Bands

* April Wine – Canadian rock band
* The Barra MacNeils – Canadian musical group
* The Rankin Family – Canadian music group
* Rawlins Cross – Canadian Celtic band
* Sloan – Canadian rock band
* The Trews – Canadian hard rock band

## Politicians

* Jeremy Akerman – English-Canadian politician, writer and actor (born 1942)
* David H. Armstrong – American politician
* Robert Chisholm – Canadian politician (born 1957)
* Noël Doiron – Leader of the Acadians
* Chris d'Entremont – Canadian politician
* Myra Freeman – Canadian politician (born 1949)
* Paul Hatfield – Canadian politician
* Joseph Howe – Canadian politician (1804–1873)
* Gordon Benjamin Isnor – Canadian merchant and politician
* Rocky Jones – Canadian politician
* Mary Theresa King-Myers – First female municipal councillor in rural Canada
* Leonard Arthur Kitz – First Jewish mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia
* John Lohr – Canadian politician
* Peter MacKay – Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1965)
* Allan MacMaster – Canadian politician
* Alexa McDonough – Canadian politician (1944–2022)
* Derek Mombourquette – Canadian politician
* John William Ritchie – Canadian Father of Confederation
* William Roche – Canadian politician
* John Savage – Canadian politician
* Michael Savage – Lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia since 2024
* Mike Smith – Former mayor of Colchester County, Nova Scotia
* Robert Stanfield – Canadian premier and opposition leader (1914–2003)
* Charles Tupper – Prime Minister of Canada in 1896
* Richard John Uniacke – Canadian politician
* Bill White – Canadian activist and first Black candidate for federal office
* William Young – Canadian politician (1799–1887)
* Lenore Zann – Canadian actress and politician

## Religion

* Henry Alline – American–Canadian minister, evangelist, and writer
* Moses E. Kiley – American prelate

## Scientists

* Robert Ackman – Canadian chemist and professor
* Karen Beauchemin – Canadian agricultural scientist
* Willard Boyle – Canadian physicist (1924–2011)
* Allen C. Eaves – Canadian scientist
* Abraham Pineo Gesner – New Brunswick and Nova Scotian physician and geologist (1797–1864)
* Naomi Ginsberg – American physicist, chemist and engineer
* Dana G. Goski – Material scientist
* Donald O. Hebb – Canadian neuropsychologist (1904–1985)
* Charlotte Keen – Canadian geologist
* William Li – Canadian biological oceanographer (born 1952)
* Alan Longhurst – British-born Canadian oceanographer (1925–2023)
* Kinnon MacKinnon – Canadian researcher (born 1985)
* Glenda MacQueen – Canadian medical researcher (1965–2020)
* Arthur B. McDonald – Canadian astrophysicist
* Thomas Mason – American physicist (born 1964)
* Simon Newcomb – Canadian-American polymath (1835–1909)
* Elizabeth Patton – Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, professor of chemical genetics
* Keith R. Porter – Canadian-American cell biologist (1912–1997)

## Sports
### Sports announcers

* Danny Gallivan – Canadian sportscaster
* Paul Hollingsworth – Canadian sports reporter and author

### Baseball players

* Vince Horsman – Canadian baseball player
* Fred Lake – Canadian baseball player (1866–1931)

### Canoeists

* Richard Dalton – Canadian sprint canoeist
* Stephen Giles – Canadian sprint canoeist
* Michael Scarola – Canadian canoeist

### Kayakers

* Jillian D'Alessio – Canadian sprint kayaker
* Karen Furneaux – Canadian sprint kayaker
* Sue Holloway – Canadian retired cross-country skier and sprint canoeist
* Anne Dodge – Canadian sprint kayaker
* Michelle Russell – Canadian sprint kayaker

### Bodybuilders

* Angus MacAskill – Strongman champion

### Boxers

* Chris Clarke – Canadian boxer (born 1956)
* Buddy Daye – Canadian boxer
* George Dixon – Canadian boxer
* Ray Downey – Canadian boxer (born 1968)
* Bryan Gibson – Canadian boxer
* Kirk Johnson – Canadian boxer (born 1972)
* Sam Langford – Canadian boxer (c.1885–1956)
* Carroll Morgan – Canadian boxer (1947–2018)
* Marty O'Donnell – Canadian boxer
* Randall Thompson – Canadian boxer

### Curlers
#### Men’s Curling

* Shawn Adams – Canadian curler
* Mark Dacey – Canadian curler
* Andrew Gibson – Canadian curler
* Rob Harris – Canadian curler
* Bruce Lohnes – Canadian curler

#### Women’s Curling

* Mary-Anne Arsenault – Canadian curler (born 1968)
* Nancy Delahunt – Canadian curler
* Meredith Harrison – Canadian curler
* Colleen Jones – Canadian curler and television personality
* Kim Kelly – Canadian curler
* Jill Brothers – Canadian curler

### Equestrians
#### Harness racing

* Bill O'Donnell – Canadian harness race driver

#### Show jumping

* Ian Millar – Canadian equestrian

### Football players
#### NFL players

* Buck MacDonald – Canadian gridiron football player (1894–1985)
* Eddie Murray – Canadian football player (born 1956)
* Tyrone Williams – Canadian gridiron football player (born 1970)

#### CFL players

* Tyrone Williams – Canadian gridiron football player (born 1970)

### Rugby union players

* Morgan Williams – Canadian rugby union player (born 1976)

### Soccer players

* Stephen Hart – Trinidad and Tobago footballer and manager
* Ante Jazić – Canadian soccer player
* Jacob Shaffelburg – Canadian soccer player

### Gymnasts

* Ellie Black – Canadian artistic gymnast (born 1995)

### Ice hockey people
#### Administrators

* Frederick E. Betts – Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman (1870–1942)
* Hanson Dowell – Canadian ice hockey administrator and politician (1906–2000)

#### Men

* Paul Andrea – Canadian former ice hockey right winger
* Drake Batherson – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1998)
* Dennis Bonvie – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1973)
* Eric Boulton – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1976)
* David Brine – Canadian-born Croatian ice hockey player
* John Brophy – Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* Sidney Crosby – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987)
* Mal Davis – Canadian ice hockey player
* Ryan Flinn – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1980)
* Danny Gallivan – Canadian sportscaster
* Flash Hollett – Canadian ice hockey player
* Don Koharski – Canadian-American professional ice hockey referee
* Craig MacDonald – Canadian ice hockey player
* Lowell MacDonald – Canadian ice hockey player
* Parker MacDonald – Canadian ice hockey player
* Al MacInnis – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1963)
* Nathan MacKinnon – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1995)
* Cail MacLean – Canadian lice hockey player and coach
* Paul MacLean – French-born Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* Al MacNeil – Canadian ice hockey player and coach (1935–2025)
* Brad Marchand – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1988)
* Mike McPhee – Canadian ice hockey player
* Dean Melanson – Canadian ice hockey player
* Glen Murray – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1972)
* Pokey Reddick – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1964)
* Bill Riley – Canadian ice hockey player
* Jody Shelley – Canadian ice hockey player
* James Sheppard – Canadian ice hockey player
* Zach Sill – Canadian ice hockey player
* Jon Sim – Canadian ice hockey player
* Bobby Smith – Canadian ice hockey player, executive (b. 1958)
* Colin White – Canadian ice hockey player
* Matthew Highmore – Canadian ice hockey player
* Ryan Graves – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1995)

#### Women

* Jill Saulnier – Canadian ice hockey player
* Blayre Turnbull – Canadian ice hockey player (born 1993)
* Carly Jackson – Canadian ice hockey goaltender

### Sports journalists

* Alex J. Walling – Canadian sportscaster (1946–2023)

### Sailors

* Howard Blackburn – Canadian-American fisherman
* Joshua Slocum – 19th-century Canadian-American seaman; first to circumnavigate the world solo
* Angus Walters – Canadian sailor and first captain of Bluenose

### Cross-country skiers

* Sue Holloway – Canadian retired cross-country skier and sprint canoeist

### Swimmers

* Nancy Garapick – Canadian swimmer (born 1961)
* Sandy Goss – Canadian swimmer (born 1968)

### Track and field athletes

* Duncan Gillis – Canadian hammer and discus thrower
* Aileen Meagher – Canadian athlete (1910–1987)

### Professional wrestlers

* Rocky Johnson – Canadian professional wrestler (1944–2020)
* Great Antonio – Croatian-Canadian strongman, photomontage artist and wrestler

### Powerlifters

* Jackie Barrett – Canadian powerlifter

## Suffragettes

* Anna Leonowens – British educator (1831–1915)
* Edith Archibald – Canadian suffragist and writer
* Eliza Ritchie – Canadian suffragist (1856–1933)
* Laura Borden – Canadian politician

## Writers

* John Boileau – British baronet and archaeologist (1794–1869)
* William Coates Borrett – Nova Scotia radio pioneer and author
* Ernest Buckler – Canadian writer
* Lesley Choyce – Canadian writer and educator
* George Elliott Clarke – Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic (born 1960)
* Darren Greer – Canadian writer (born 1968)
* Thomas Chandler Haliburton – Canadian politician
* Wendy Lill – Canadian politician
* Hugh MacLennan – Canadian writer (1907–1990)
* Alistair MacLeod – Canadian writer and academic (1936-2014)
* Helen McCully – Canadian writer (1902–1977)
* Leo McKay Jr. – Canadian writer
* Maria Morris Miller – Canadian artist (1813–1875)
* Thomas Head Raddall – Canadian writer
* Spider Robinson – Canadian science fiction author (born 1948)
* Margaret Marshall Saunders – Canadian author (1861–1947)
* John Stiles – Canadian writer
* Michael Ernest Sweet – Canadian photographer, writer, and educator
* Budge Wilson – Canadian writer (1927–2021)