Oh, Canada! We know it, we love it, and blockbuster movies and shows love to film here. But it’s not just production studios who love our beautiful country. Big-name celebrities love it, too—enough to build or buy their little (or not so little) corner of the country. The roster of celebrities who spend at least some of their time on Canadian soil is as varied as our country’s landscape.

Let’s look at a less Canadian citizen-focused rundown of entertainers with homes in Canada, as well as a little bit about the locations they love. Who knows, that familiar looking face in line at the bakery might actually be who they resemble!

Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed-Simmons

In the world of blood-spitting, fire-breathing rock ‘n roll, sometimes you want just a bit of peace and tranquillity.  So, it’s no surprise that KISS rocker Gene Simmons supported his wife Shannon Tweed Simmons’ dream to build a home in Whistler, British Columbia. The build started in 2017, and in 2019 the rocker shared a picture on Twitter of Tweed-Simmons staring out over the balcony with the caption “Shannon finally finished building her dream house. 🤟😊.”

With docks galore, a beautiful lake, and a spectacular mountain vista that British Columbia does so well, it’s no wonder that Shannon, born in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, chose this spot for her dream home. The famous duo is also familiar with Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where Shannon grew up. Simmons referred to it as a “home away from home” while promoting his new vodka line in 2022, which is distilled and packaged in the prairie city.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Of course a celebrity home in Muskoka is going to be spectacular. Ontario’s prime cottage country has no shortage of amazing places, so you could expect a celebrity pied-à-terre to rate high on the scale. We can only imagine Hollywood power couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s Muskoka cottage is no slouch. While this one is still a bit of a rumour—Hanks and Wilson have never publicly spoken about their supposed cottage—Hello Magazine reported Hanks and Wilson spend their summer holidays in the Ontario town, and can often be found there when filming projects in Canada.

The Muskoka area is known for its lakeside properties and outdoor adventures, so maybe you’ll bump into Hanks and Wilson as you take a walk near Bracebridge Falls, visit the beloved Brooklands Farm, or as you take a cruise down the Muskoka River—either on your own boat or as you take a sunset cruise.

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell

Rumour has it that Goldie Hawn steered the Hanks in the direction of Muskoka. Hawn and Russell have long enjoyed a summer home on Lake Rosseau. As well, they owned a 1921 central Vancouver home in First Shaughnessy, British Columbia between 2002 and 2005. The property was part of the 2018 Vancouver Heritage Foundation tour, giving us a glimpse into how the Hollywood golden couple used to live. Russell was once an aspiring pro athlete, and Wyatt, the couple’s then-teenaged son, followed his hockey dream into the heritage district, created by the property development department of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 

Heritage Vancouver lists First Shaughnessy as a “heritage character neighbourhood,” designed in 1907 as the city’s “most exclusive residential enclave.” It’s full of pre-1940 neighbourhoods with stunning landscaping and century-old trees that surely make you feel like you’ve travelled back in time. The area ran into potential zoning issues which put the neighbourhood’s history at risk, but it’s now a designated heritage conservation area. 

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

The skiing at Quebec’s famed Mont-Tremblant is equalled only by its beauty, and the combination provides an insatiable lure for the well-known and the well-to-do. Sticking with the mini-theme of power couples, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones purchased a vacation home in Mont Tremblant in 2005, with Douglas posting a picture on Facebook in 2014 of the whole family skiing in Quebec.

Their real estate agent at the time, Michael Clark, told the Globe and Mail “it’s the most exclusive address that Tremblant will ever have. They’re both interested in spending significant time here. They like the climate, they like the culture, and the proximity to Bermuda.”

If you’re wondering, Bermuda is a two-hour flight from Mont-Tremblant…if you take a private jet.

Tom Cruise

Another sidestep around the current celebrity home in Canada trend presents a little-known residency for one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. It’s not a well-known fact that mega star Tom Cruise once lived in Ottawa’s Beacon Hill neighbourhood. A residential region on the east side of the city, Beacon Hill was a part of Gloucester until amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001. A student at Robert Hopkins Public School, Cruise first immersed himself in theatre there. 

Ottawa is also where Cruise first discovered his love of stunt work. 

“I’m an extreme guy, and I want to entertain. I remember [in Ottawa] climbing the roof, flipping off the roof, and a broken leg,” Cruise told the audience at the Cineplex Premiere Event of his 2015 movie, Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation. 

There’s no question that, when seeking beauty in exclusive and beautiful locales, Canada more than holds its own as a destination for those who want to escape the bustle of show biz, just as the rest of us turn to the wonders of Canadian geography to bypass bustles of our own. 

Play it cool if you happen upon a celebrity encounter, eh?