The world of Hollywood may be dominated by the English language, but just like the US itself, its population boasts a huge number of people who are fluent in more than one tongue.
From popular Hispanic stars who have made the crossover, like Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, to US celebrities who have a secret skill for languages (Jodie Foster speaks French; Gwyneth Paltrow Spanish) to those who have learned a language for their partner (Colin Firth speaks Italian; Jonny Depp speaks French), the world of film is a multilingual place.
EF English Live takes a look at five bilingual celebrities.
Sandra Bullock – German
Actress, producer and Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock was born and raised in the US but she speaks fluent German. Why? Because her mother was a German opera singer, and indeed met her father whilst he was stationed in Nuremberg. Born in 1964, she made her first film in 1987. Most recently she won her Oscar for Best Actress for _The Blind Side i_n 2010. In 2000 she won a Bambi (a German equivalent of the Oscars) and made her acceptance speech in German.
Charlize Theron – Afrikaans
Born in South Africa, Charlize Theron’s first language is not English but Afrikaans, the language which is widely spoken in her native country. Now a Hollywood star, and a very respected and established one at that, it is easy to forget that English is not her mother tongue – especially as her South African accent has been replaced by a more Californian drawl. Yet this Oscar winner still speaks Afrikaans from time to time – such as this instance on CNN.
Mila Kunis – Russian
Actress Mila Kunis was born in the Ukraine and lived there until the age of seven – so Russian, rather than English, is her native language. What’s more she still speaks Russian with her family and her fluency and ease with both languages makes her a popular ambassador for her work in Russia and former Soviet states.
As well as defending co-star Justin Timberlake from the Russian media during a press conference for their film Friends with Benefits, she also has a very sharp wit and quick intellect to boot – not to be messed with, in either language! She even speaks Russian at the end of an episode of animated TV show Family Guy, in which she voices the character Meg.
Natalie Portman – Hebrew
A good friend of Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman goes a few better than her bilingual buddy – she can speak five languages fluently. Her two native languages are English and Hebrew. Natalie was born in Israel and her family moved to the US when she was three. In New York she attended Jewish schools which kept up both of her native languages.
She has dual citizenship of both Israel and the US and has often commented that she feels more at home in Israel. Now married to French ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied, Natalie is learning French and is likely to relocate to Paris in 2014. That will go nicely alongside the other languages she has taken time to learn – Spanish, German and Japanese!
Viggo Mortensen – Danish
Viggo Mortensen is a Danish-American citizen; so his dual nationality already sets him apart as an actor comfortable in more than one language. And, like Natalie Portman, he also has a passion and obvious talent for picking up other languages. He also speaks Spanish, as well as some Italian and French.
And unlike several of the celebrities also included on this blog, he uses his multi-lingualism at work. Mortensen is well-known in the US for English speaking roles from Lord of the Rings to The Road, but he has also been a big hit in his native Denmark, and enjoys acting in Spanish where he says he can get to the heart of the matter more quickly.
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FAQs
Johnny Depp is bilingual in French and English.
He is also bilingual in French and English, and speaks French in the 2023 movie "Jeanne du Barry," Deadline reported. He shares two children who are also bilingual, Lily-Rose Depp and Jack Depp, with former partner and French model Vanessa Paradis.
Is Johnny Depp bilingual? ›
Johnny Depp is bilingual in French and English.
He is also bilingual in French and English, and speaks French in the 2023 movie "Jeanne du Barry," Deadline reported. He shares two children who are also bilingual, Lily-Rose Depp and Jack Depp, with former partner and French model Vanessa Paradis.
What is Mila Kunis' first language? ›
Mila Kunis – Russian and English
Born in Ukraine, Mila's first language was Russian. So when she suddenly found herself enrolled in school in L.A at age seven, she had no choice but to learn English – quickly.
Is Natalie Portman fluent in French? ›
Natalie Portman Knows More than Five Languages
She has spoken in many interviews about her dual citizenship and her ability to speak Hebrew. She also speaks Spanish, French, Japanese, German, and Arabic, meaning she knows five languages other than English and Hebrew.
Can Rita Ora speak Spanish? ›
Rita Ora is known around the world for her mega pop hits, including 'How we do' and 'I will never let you down' was born in Kosovo and raised in London. She is proudly bilingual - she speaks English and Albanian.
Which actress speaks 5 languages? ›
A good friend of Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman goes a few better than her bilingual buddy – she can speak five languages fluently. Her two native languages are English and Hebrew. Natalie was born in Israel and her family moved to the US when she was three.
Does Will Smith speak fluent Spanish? ›
😲🎉 Check out this video of him speaking Spanish fluently, and let's all give him a round of applause for his. language skills!
What languages does Lady Gaga speak? ›
How good is Sandra Bullock's German? ›
Sandra Bullock
But Miss Congeniality has a well-kept secret: she speaks fluent German! Bullock was born in the US but lived in Nuremberg with her American father and German mother until the age of 12 and learned German during her education.
What actors speak fluent Italian? ›
Actors who speak Italian
- 1/7. Richard Roxburgh. It was on the set of Van Helsing that Richard Roxburgh, in the role of Dracula, met his now wife Silvia Colloca, who played one of Dracula's brides. ...
- 2/7. Ingrid Bergman. ...
- 3/7. Clint Eastwood. ...
- 4/7. Colin Firth. ...
- 5/7. Marisa Berenson. ...
- 6/7. Robert de Niro. ...
- 7/7. Audrey Hepburn.
Sandra Oh picked up French while studying acting at a university in Montreal.
Does Sandra Bullock speak Spanish? ›
With her we talked in New York about her future movie Bird Box for Netflix and her passion to convert male characters in female characters, and, by the way, she speaks four languages and one of them is Spanish.
Can Gwyneth Paltrow speak French? ›
Gwyneth is fluent in Spanish and also knows French pretty well. To learn these languages, she did great hard work.
Does Sandra Oh speak Spanish? ›
Canadian actress Sandra Oh is also a polyglot. She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Korean all fluently.
Does Jodie Foster speak Spanish? ›
Even though it's well-known she speaks several languages, we don't really get to listen to her in Spanish often, and I can't remember other video of her speaking Spanish other than in the movie Contact. So this is a small rarity I came across some time ago.
How does Gwyneth Paltrow speak Spanish? ›
“Why does Gwyneth Paltrow speak Spanish?” She studied/lived in Spain. Her accent shows the influence of having lived in Spain. Thirty-five years ago, when she was 15, she was an exchange student in Spain for a year.
What language does Jack Depp speak? ›
The two Depp children were both born in France, in the north-west Neuilly-sur-Seine commune in Paris. Both Jack and Lily-Rose are bilingual, and speak French with each other, their mother and their extended family.
Do Johnny Depp's kids speak French? ›
"When my brother and I were at the same school, whenever we wanted to say something that was going to stay just between us, we could say it in French and nobody would understand," Lily-Rose said, adding that they always spoke French at home with Paradis.
Who is the most famous polyglot? ›
If various sources are to be believed, the most proficient polyglot in human history would be Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong between 1854-1859, who was reputed to know around 200 languages, among which he could communicate in 100.
Does Johnny Depp have foreign accent syndrome? ›
It is also believed that the actor has developed Foreign Accent Syndrome. According to Marca, it is a, “speech disorder that causes a sudden change to speech so that a native speaker is perceived to speak with a foreign accent.” This rare condition develops after traumatic head injuries.
