Seeing that many famous Hollywood stars now live and work in the United States most of the time, it’s easy to assume that many of them were born here.
However, some of your favorite celebs that you thought were from America actually aren’t.
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Here are 10+ celebrities we thought were born in the United States of America who are actually from other counties.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams might be one of America’s sweethearts, but the country can’t claim that she originated here.
The actress was actually born in Vicenza, Italy, but she was an Army brat. So, she did have American citizenship, and her family eventually settled in Colorado.
Martin Lawrence
Lawrence is another actor whose parents were living abroad because of military duty when he was born. So, while he was born a United States citizen, his birthplace was Frankfurt, Germany.
He has spent the years of his successful career starring in films like Bad Boys and Big Momma’s House.
Kim Cattrall
With an iconic American role as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City , many people assume the actress is from the United States.
However, she’s half-British and half-Canadian and was born in Liverpool. This one is a tricky one since she doesn’t have a British accent.
Rachel Weisz
The actress, who is known for her roles in films like The Mummy and The Favourite, was born in Westminster, England.
While she worked using her green card for many years, she decided to become an American citizen so that she could vote in elections.
Camila Cabello
Cabello was born in CojÃmar, Cuba, but when she was six years old, she moved to the United States with her mother.
She has also spoken about being an immigrant.
“I’m a proud Cuban-Mexican immigrant, born in eastern Havana, standing in front of you on the Grammy stage in New York City, and all I know is, just like dreams, these kids can’t be forgotten and are worth fighting for,” she said at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Nicki Minaj
Fans of Minaj know that she often raps and talks about growing up in Queens, New York, but she wasn’t born there.
She was actually born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and her given name was actually Onika Tanya Maraj.
The Weeknd
Canadian celebrities often, although not on purpose, trick fans into assuming they have always lived in the United States.
However, some of your fave celebs, including The Weeknd, were born in Canada. He arrived into this world in Toronto, and his music career continues to thrive.
M. Night Shyamalan
But, while he was raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, he was actually born in Puducherry, India.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is yet another Canadian-born actor who many assume is from the United States.
While he was born in Newmarket, Ontario, he became a citizen of the United States back in 2004 so that he could vote in the election.
But, he kept his Canadian citizenship too.
Mila Kunis
The actress might have been raised mostly in the United States, but she was born in Chernivtsi, a city in Ukraine, on August 14, 1983.
Her parents then immigrated to the U.S. along with Mila and her older brother, Michael. Once in the States, she started taking acting classes.
Alex Trebek
Many fans were extremely sad when Trebek passed away earlier in 2020, and it’s easy to think he was born in America.
However, the Jeopardy! host was actually born in Sudbury, Canada, but he later became an American citizen in 1998.
Charlize Theron
It is sometimes difficult to tell when actors come from other English-speaking countries, especially if they don’t have much of an accent in their roles.
Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa, and she’s even done humanitarian work to help young people across the continent who are battling diseases.
Bruce Willis
Willis was born in Germany while his father was stationed there serving in the United States military.
He was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, and his mother was also a native of Germany. He was raised in the United States as his family moved to New Jersey while he was still a baby.
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling might be known as an American heartthrob, but he’s another famous celebrity who actually was born in Canada.
His birthplace is Ontario, Canada, but he soon started acting in the United States when he got his start in The Mickey Mouse Club as a kid.
Natalie Portman
Since Portman has lived in the United States since she was a young child, it’s easy to assume that she was born here.
However, she was actually born in Jerusalem, Israel, and she can speak both Hebrew and English fluently.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale has one of the best American accents you’re ever likely to hear. He’s so good that he used it during the press tour of Batman Begins .
It shocked audiences to learn that he was actually a Welshman .
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds is often mistaken for being American, but in his case, it’s somewhat understandable.
He hails from Vancouver, Canada , a mere two-hour drive from the American border. He may have lost his Canadian accent, but not his penchant for politeness.
Kiefer Sutherland
Right now, my fiancée and I are watching Keifer in Designated Survivor . I was floored to learn he wasn’t American; he plays the President of the United States, for goodness’ sake!
Although Keifer was born in the UK, he’s technically Canadian.
Henry Cavill
That’s right, comic book purists, both Batman and Superman are technically Brits!
Henry was born on Bailiwick of Jersey, which is a small colony of the British Crown, located in the Channel Islands.
Don’t ask me to draw you a map…
Charlie Hunnam
Charlie Hunnam’s American accent is nearly flawless but it isn’t perfect. If you watch him on Sons of Anarchy , there are certain words that always seem to trip him up, like the word “family.”
Originally, Charlie is from Newcastle, England .
Rose Byrne
I absolutely love Rose Byrne in the Insidious franchise and I’m hopeful that we’ll get to see her again in James Wan’s horror franchise masterpiece.
You might peg her as being a mid-westerner , but Rose is actually from Sydney, Australia.
Keanu Reeves
For once and for all: Keanu Reeves is NOT American. He was born in Beirut and moved to Toronto, Canada, shortly thereafter with his mother.
Like poutine and maple syrup, Keanu is one of Canada’s finest exports.
Idris Elba
Those who know Idris from his days on The Wire or his time spent on The Office will likely be stunned to learn that he’s actually from London, England .
When he isn’t acting, Idris can often be found DJing in nightclubs.
Rachel McAdams
Ironically, Rachel McAdams and her The Notebook co-star, Ryan Gosling, were both born in London, Ontario.
Rachel grew up in a small town called St. Thomas which is only about a 20-minute drive outside the city of London.
Anna Paquin
Are you starting to notice a trend with all of these secretly Canadian stars? While you might think that Anna hails from the Bayou, she’s actually from Winnipeg, Manitoba .
Winnipeg is known for having the coldest winters of any major Canadian city, with temperatures often plummeting to -30 degrees and below.
Justin Bieber
He’s arguably the biggest pop star in the entire world and he’s Canadian.
Justin Bieber grew up in the small village/town of Stratford, Ontario. Recently, the Biebs decided to move back home and dropped a cool $5 million on his gorgeous 101-acre property.
Toni Collette
Toni Collette has quickly become my new favorite actress. If there’s still anyone out there who hasn’t seen Hereditary , just bite the bullet already. I know it’s scary, but it’s worth it.
She comes from the Land Down Under, born in New South Wales , Australia.
Drake
You could be forgiven for assuming that Drake hails from Houston, but he’s a Toronto boy through and through.
Many of his music videos have been filmed at iconic Canadian landmarks, including the CN Tower and the Roger’s Center.
Andrew Lincoln
I was as shocked as the rest of you to learn that “Walking Rick” was a Brit !
I guess I should have been paying more attention during Love Actually . In hindsight, it was silly to think that Andrew was the lone American among an all-British cast.
Isla Fisher
Whenever I see Isla Fisher, I always think back to her role as Gloria Cleary in Wedding Crashers . This is likely where the American association comes from.
In reality, Gloria was born in Muscat, Oman. She spent her childhood in Scotland before finally settling in Perth, Australia.
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie can not only do an American accent, but she’s also become a mistress of dialects as well.
You’d never know that she was originally from Queensland, Australia . Here’s another fun fact: Her parents are both Scottish.
