Thinking of adoption? Welcome to the club!
And what a club it is. Below is just a small sampling of many of the notable people, past and present, from Canada, Hollywood and beyond, whose lives have been touched by adoption.
Did we forgot anyone? Let us know.
Famous Adoptees
Edward Albee, Playwright
Rodney Atkins, Singer
John J. Audubon, Naturalist
Michael Bay, Director
Richard Burton, Actor
Linda Carroll, psychotherapist, Courtney Love’s mother
Dan Chaon, Author
Lynnette Cole, Beauty Queen
Christina Crawford, Author
Sarah Culberson, Actress
Jenefer Curtis, Author
Faith Daniels, Journalist
Ted Danson, Actor
Toby Dawson, Skier
Eric Dickerson, Football Player
Christine Ebersole, Actress
Gerald Ford, US President
Scott Fujita, Football Player
Sarah Gilbert, Actress
Melissa Gilbert, Actress
Newt Gingrich, Politician
Scott Hamilton, Olympic Skater
Debbie Harry, Singer
Jeff Healey, Guitarist
Faith Hill, Singer
Herbert Hoover, US President
Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Apple Computer
Curtis “Cujo” Joseph, NHL Goalie
Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader
Jackie Kay, Poet
Colin Kaepernick, Athlete and Civil Rights Activist
Ray Liotta, Actor
Jessica Long, Paralympian
Charlotte Anne Lopez, Beauty Queen
Greg Louganis, Olympic Diver
Nimmy March, Actress
Darryl McDaniels a.k.a. DMC, Rapper
Frances McDormand, Actress
Sarah McLachlan, Singer
James Michener, Author
Tom Monaghan, Founder, Domino’s Pizza
Dan O’Brien, Athlete
Michael Oher, Football Player
Jim Palmer, Pitcher
Liz Phair, Singer
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Author
Dana Plato, Actress
Edgar Allen Poe, Author
Penny Priddy, Politician
Nancy Reagan, US First Lady
Nicole Ritchie, Actress
Ginger Rogers, Actress
Buffy Sainte-Marie, Singer
Amanda Smith, Kennedy Niece
Dame Kiri TeKanawa, Opera Singer
Dave Thomas, Founder, Wendy’s
Leo Tolstoy, Author
KT Tunstall, Singer
Mike Tyson, Boxer
Famous Adoptive Parents
Brooke Adams, Actress
Woody Allen, Actor
Kirstie Alley, Actress
Loni Anderson, Actress
Julie Andrews, Singer
Deny Arcand, Director
Josephine Baker, Singer
Harry Belafonte, Singer
Jack Benny, Comedian
Cate Blanchett, Actress
Connie Britton, Actress
Ed Broadbent, Politician
Charles Bronson, Actor
Art Buchwald, Humorist
Sandra Bullock, Actress
George Burns, Comedian
Ty Burrell, Actor
Kirk Cameron, Actor
Kate Capshaw, Actress
Nell Carter, Actress
Jim Caviezel, Actor
Jean Chretien, Former Prime Minister
Wei Chen, TV host
Wayson Choy, Author
Connie Chung, TV Host
Ethan Coen, Director
Joan Crawford, Actress
Sheryl Crow, Singer
Tom Cruise, Actor
John Cryer, Actor
Jamie Lee Curtis, Actress
Ted Danson, Actor
Bette Davis, Actress
Kristen Davis, Actress
Sammy Davis Jr., Singer
Viola Davis, Actress
Rosario Dawson, Actress
John Delorean, Entrepeneur
Oscar de la Renta, Designer
John Denver, Singer
Joan Didion, Author
Stephane Dion, Politician
Walt Disney, Walt Disney Founder
Patty Duke, Actress
John Gregory Dunn, Author
Christine Ebersole, Actress
Mary Jo Eustace, TV Host
Edie Falco, Actress
Mia Farrow, Actress
Jules Feiffer, Cartoonist
Joely Fisher, Actress
Calista Flockhart, Actress
Henry Fonda, Actress
Joan Fontaine, Actress
Barbara Frum, TV Host
Robert Fulghum, Author
Deborah Lee Furness, Actress
Ron Galotti, Publisher
Teri Garr, Actress
Willie Garson, Actor
Martha Gellhorn, Author
Havard Gould, Journalist
Sir Christopher Guest, Actor
Cathy Guisewaite, Cartoonist
Mariska Hargitay, Actress
Valerie Harper, Actress
Mike Harris, Premier of Ontario
Katherine Heigl, Actress
Tony Hillerman, Author
Bob Hope, Comedian
Hugh Jackman, Actor
Kate Jackson, Actress
Tama Janowitz, Author
Angelina Jolie, Actress
Magic Johnson, Basketball Player
Diane Keaton, Actress
David Kelley, Producer
Nicole Kidman, Actress
Jill Krementz, Photographer
Patti Labelle, Singer
Madeleine L’Engle, Author
Jerry Lewis, Actor
Ann-Marie MacDonald, Author/Actress
George Lucas, Director
Madonna, Singer
Dan Marino, Football Player
Willie Mays, Baseball Player
John McCain, US Senator
Darryl McDaniels, aka D.M.C., Rapper
Frances McDormand, Actress
Ewan McGregor, Actor
Ed McMahon, TV Personality
Glenn Miller, Band Leader
Donna Mills, Actress
Lorrie Moore, Author
Robert Munsch, Children’s Author
Paul Newman, Actor
Carroll O’Connor, Actor
Rosie O’Donnell, Actress
Ozzie Osbourne, Singer
Marie Osmond, Singer
Mary Louise Parker, Actress
Michelle Pfeiffer, Actress
Brad Pitt, Actor
Maury Povich, Journalist
Andre Previn, Conductor
Kirby Puckett, Baseball Player
Sally Jesse Raphael, TV Host
Ronald Reagan, US President
Jason Reitman, Director
Burt Reynolds, Actor
Denise Richards, Actress
Duke and Duchess of Richmond, Aristocrats
Guy Ritchie, Director
Lionel Ritchie, Singer
John Roberts, U.S. Chief Supreme Court Justice
Al Roker, Newscaster
Linda Ronstadt, Singer
Isabella Rossellini, Actress
Meg Ryan, Actress
Dan Savage, Columnist
Gerhard Schroeder, German Chancellor
Sonja Smits, Actress
Evan Solomon, TV Host/Author
Ben Stein, TV Personality
Sharon Stone, Actress
Phil Spector, Music Producer
Steven Spielberg, Director
Parker Stevenson, Actor
Sharon Stone, Actress
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Publisher
Gloria Swanson, Actress
Elizabeth Taylor, Actress
Charlize Theron, Actress
Billy Bob Thornton, Actor
Emma Thompson, Actress
P.L. Travers, Children’s Author
Gloria Vanderbilt, Fashion Designer
Nia Vardalos, Actress
Kurt Vonnegut, Author
Adam Wainwright, MLB pitcher
Barbara Walters, TV Host
DeMarcus Ware, Football Player
Hayley Wickenheiser, Hockey Player
Diane Wiest, Actress
Jo Beth Williams, Actress
Brian Wilson, Singer/Songwriter
Famous Birthparents
Roseanne Barr, Actress
Marilyn Churley, Ontario MPP
David Crosby, Singer
Albert Einstein, Physicist
Andy Kaufman, Comedian
Joni Mitchell, Singer
Kate Mulgrew, Actress
Anne Petrie, Broadcaster
Shari Ulrich, Singer
