Most of the big stars in Hollywood live somewhat in the United States, especially near Los Angeles or New York City. So, it’s easy to assume that the majority of stars are from the United States.
Some celebs have lived here for a long time even if they weren’t born here, so you might not assume they are anything other than American.
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Here are 10+ actors you didn’t know were from Europe.
Andrew Lincoln
Andrew Lincoln might be best known now for his role as Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead , but fans who saw him in Love, Actually might have guessed that he was British.
His given name is Andrew Clutterbuck, but he took on the stage name of Andrew Lincoln.
Jamie Dornan
Jamie Dornan is best known for playing Christian Grey in the 50 Shades of Grey franchise, but despite having an American accent in these movies, he’s from Northern Ireland.
He was born in Belfast but has since transitioned to work in the States.
Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall might seem like an American woman after acting in Sex and the City , but she’s actually British and Canadian.
While she was born in Liverpool, England, she is a Canadian citizen and spends most of her time there still.
Ruth Negga
This gorgeous actress actually has ties to many different countries. She was born in Ethiopia, but she was raised in Limerick, Ireland where she lived with her mother.
She has also appeared in many American productions including the movie, Loving.
Diane Kruger
Kruger’s given name is actually Diane Heidkrüger, and she was born in Algermissen, near Hildesheim, Germany.
She began her career as a model while there and started acting in France before she started landing roles in the United States.
Charlie Hunnam
Given that Hunnam has played some pretty gritty American roles such as when he starred on Sons of Anarchy , many people think he is from the U.S.
However, despite having an American accent for many parts, he’s actually British.
Christian Bale
For the majority of Americans, it’s easy to guess that Bale is from the United States because he’s playing many roles with an American accent.
However, he is actually born in Wales. Both of his parents are English, and he spent the majority of his childhood in London.
Charlie Cox
Most people recognize Cox from his role as Matt Murdock on Daredevil. However, those who are familiar with his early career know that he’s British.
He started his career while he was still living in the U.K.
Freddie Highmore
If you know Highmore best for his roles on Bates Motel and The Good Doctor , you might assume he’s American.
However, he’s actually British and has his original accent in roles from his childhood such as in Finding Neverland.
Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya had an American accent when he was the lead in Get Out , and he was able to bring about many issues with American culture in that role.
However, despite this, he’s actually British, , and in Black Panther , he was using his real voice.
Famke Janssen
Fans of James Bond will recognize Janssen from her role in GoldenEye . Since then, she’s starred as Jean Grey in various X-Men films.
She was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands but moved to the United States as a young adult.
Isla Fisher
Fisher is another actress who has roots in more than one country. Her parents are Scottish, but she was actually born in Oman.
However, she lived in Scotland for a while before moving to Perth, Australia. But in most of her roles, she has an American accent.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Not everyone realizes that Coster-Waldau isn’t from the United States, but for those astute fans, it’s a good guess that at least his background is European given his name.
He was born in Rudkøbing, Denmark and started his career there.
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson is one actress that has fans confused. While she has played many roles with an American accent, she’s also played others with a British one.
The truth is that she was born in the United States but moved to England with her family as a child which is part of why she can switch accents easily.
Naomi Watts
Many people assume that Watts is Australian and confuse her with her friend Nicole Kidman in this way.
The truth is that Warrs was born in Kent, England, but she did spend half of her childhood and teen years in Australia.
Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman is a true Hollywood chameleon, whose mastery of accents makes his cultural lineage difficult to trace.
He might talk like a hard-nosed street cop, but in reality, he hails from the streets of London, England.
Tom Hardy
After witnessing Tom Hardy’s performances in films like The Revenant , and Lawless , I was convinced that he was from this side of the pond.
I can’t wait for him to dust off his Brooklyn accent once more for the upcoming sequel to Venom .
Daniel Brühl
Sure, the last name may be a bit of a giveaway, but you’d never guess that Daniel actually hailed from Barcelona, Spain , or that he had German ancestry.
Unless you saw the film Inglourious Basterds — that might have been a tip-off.
Daniel Day-Lewis
I’ve said this countless times over but Daniel Day-Lewis is a modern-day master of the cinematic arts. In my humble opinion — he’s the greatest actor who has ever lived.
Case and point: he (a Brit) won the Oscar for ” Best Actor ” playing Abraham Lincoln.
Rachel Weisz
I don’t know why I always mistake Rachel for an American , there’s really no excuse for it.
As a matter of fact, I honestly can’t think of a single film wherein she isn’t speaking in an English accent. Hmm…strange.
Michael Fassbender
Michael isn’t American at all and he isn’t British, either. The star of X-Men: First Class actually hails from Heidelberg — which at the time of his birth was still considered West Germany.
He’s also fluent in German.
James McAvoy
I think whenever a classic American superhero is portrayed on film or TV, the audience always defaults to the assumption that the actor is also American.
I certainly thought as much with James McAvoy — I know Xavier spoke with an accent but still!
Ewan McGregor
One of my all-time favorite films is Big Fish , starring Ewan McGregor. If you haven’t seen it, Ewan speaks with an incredibly convincing Southern/Lousiana accent that makes him appear as if he was born on the bayou .
Nothing could be further from the truth, as Ewan is a Scot.
Henry Cavill
Superman is referred to as “The Big Blue Boy Scout.” He’s often hailed as a champion of American idealism (ironic, considering he was co-created by a Canadian ).
Clark Kent might be from Kansas, but Henry Cavill is English.
Idris Elba
The first time I ever saw Idris was on The Wire . I don’t recall seeing him in anything again until he had a short recurring role in The Office .
When I heard his cockney accent, my jaw dropped to the floor.
Sacha Baron Cohen
It might be hard to believe but Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t from Kazakhstan.
He’s yet another proud Englishman who hails from the city of Hammersmith. Hearing Sacha speaking in his normal accent always weirds me out; it just doesn’t sound right.
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson has become my latest fascination. One of the young actor’s most impressive attributes is his ear for dialects. He quite literally becomes every character that he plays.
Far be it for anyone to guess that Robert is from Barnes, London, UK.
Tom Holland
Why is it that Americans are so dreadful at pulling off a passable English accent, yet our British counterparts make it seem so easy when the shoe is on the other foot?
I would have sworn Tom Holland was from Queens.
Helena Bonham Carter
I love Helena Bonham Carter. As far as I’m concerned, there’s never been a more marvelously macabre actress in all the world.
For some reason, I always pictured her being from Baltimore — when really she hails from Golders Green in London.
John Boyega
I don’t know why so many people were eagle to throw shade on John Boyega after seeing him in Star Wars: The Force Awakens .
I personally liked Finn, and I would have never known that John was actually from Peckham, UK , and not a galaxy far, far away. .
Stephen Moyer
I personally had never seen any of Stephen’s previous work before he walked into Merlotte’s that faithful day on True Blood .
Vampire Bill certainly didn’t sound like he was from the United Kingdom, but lo and behold Stephen Moyer certainly is.
