10 Celebrities Who Graduated From Montreal's Concordia University
At times, Concordia can get a little bit overshadowed by the other universities that call Montreal home. That really shouldn't be so, because Concordia is an amazing school with a quality faculty and incredibly talented students.
Anyone who wants to contest that last point can simply gaze upon the list of individuals who attended Concordia below, all of which are successful to the point of celebrity-hood.
Some may surprise you, others you may have already known about, but all are celebrities who attended Concordia university at some point in their lives. No doubt the academic institution had a little something to do with their success.
Will Arnett
Admittedly, I had no clue that Will Arnett, the comedic actor known for Arrested Development and Bojack horseman, was actually Canadian. Even better, he's something of a Concordia alumnus.
Well, technically not quite an alumnus proper, because Arnett never actually graduated from Concordia. Arnett only attended Concordia for a semester, leaving the school behind to pursue his passion for acting. Good thing he did, because otherwise we may never have been able to enjoy the hilarious antics of GOB Bluth.
Régine Chassagne
One of Montreal's much-adored musical darlings, Régine Chassagne is best known for being a member of the internationally acclaimed band Arcade Fire, but you already knew that.
A lesser-known accomplishment of Chassagne's is her Concordia B.A. in communication studies.
In fact, we can actually credit Concordia to Chassagne's involvement in Arcade Fire entirely, as she met her future husband and band-mate Win Butler at an art opening at the university. Chassagne was a jazz singer at the event, Butler was immediately stricken by her talent, and the rest is history.
Mutsumi Takahashi
Consistently voted the best news anchor in Montreal, and for good reason, Mutsumi Takahashi learned the ropes of journalism at Concordia University, where she graduated from in 1979.
As a student, Takahashi actually helped created a live-action news program called "OUR CITY," which she co-hosted. It was Takahashi's first foray into broadcast journalism, a humble beginning to an obviously successful career.
Emily Haines
The front-woman for Metric, the Canadian rock band that continues to impress fans (myself included, as their latest album was solid stuff), Emily Haines only attended Concordia for about two years. During that time, however, Haines recorded her self-released album Cut in Half and Also Double, which many recognize as a stylistic precursor to her work with metric almost ten years later.
Todd van der Heyden
Yet another noted Montreal journalist to make this list, Todd van der Heyden studied journalism at Carleton University, but he also earned a graduate diploma in communication studies at Concordia in 2004.
Since, van der Heyden has become a regular face in Montreal, having been a news anchor for CTV Montreal for years. Van der Heyden actually departed from Montreal a couple of years ago and headed to Toronto, but his presence is still felt, as he has continued his role as radio host for Montreal's CJAD.
Richard Reed Parry
Régine Chassagne isn't the only member of Arcade Fire to have graduated from Concordia University, as the multitalented musician Richard Reed Parry is also an alumnus. The man who can professionally play over 6 instruments studied electroacoustics and contemporary dance at the university, graduating in the early 2000s.
Rufus Wainwright
Born in New York, Rufus Wainright, a famous musician who's recorded seven albums to date, is actually more of a Montrealer. When his parents divorced at a young age, Wainright then moved to Montreal with him mom and grew up in the city.
Wainright then went on to study music at both McGill and Concordia, but dropped out of both programs in order to devote more time to his professional musical career. Given the accolades he's received and his immense popularity, that was probably a good move.
Larry Carriere
Once an NHL defenceman who played for six different teams over the course of 367 games, Larry Carriere is now the Assistant General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Sure, the Habs' track record may not make you like Carriere very much right now, but he's still a rather notable and successful Concordia grad nonetheless.
Mordecai Richler
Way back in the day, what is now Concordia was known as Sir George Williams University, with the latter being merged with Loyola College to create the former.
During the era of Sir George Williams, noted Quebec writer Mordechai Richler attended the academic institution, although he never graduated. Obviously Richler didn't really feel the need to finish his degree, and given his long list of published works (some of which have been turned into films) we have to agree it probably wasn't necessary.
Michelle Rouillard
Don't call the former Miss Colombia and Miss Universe contestant "just a pretty face," because Michelle Rouillard has the brains to go with her bod. A graduate of Concordia's international business program, Rouillard can also speak three different languages, and has continued to have a presence in the world of fashion and modelling since her pageant days.
