18 celebrities you didn't realize were immigrants

Jacob Shamsian,Erin McDowellJul 19, 2020, 20:14 IST

Natalie Portman was born in Israel.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

You may be surprised to know these celebrities aren't originally from the United States.
Some of Hollywood's biggest stars are from countries including India, Canada, Ireland, and Colombia.
Jim Carrey was born in Canada but became a US citizen to vote in the 2004 election.
Salma Hayek overstayed her visa and was undocumented before she got her green card.

Entertainers from all over the world flock to the United States since its entertainment industries — whether for movies, television, music, books, or theater — are some of the biggest in the world.

In addition to a surprising number of celebrities who are refugees from other countries, there are also quite a few celebrities who immigrated to the US before becoming citizens.

Here are 18 celebrities you probably didn't realize were immigrants.

Michael J. Fox, who was born in Canada, uses his fame to campaign for government-funded medical research in the US.

Michael J. Fox. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

When Neil Young came to the United States, he was an undocumented immigrant without a work visa.

Neil Young. Getty Images

Salma Hayek also spent some time in the US undocumented before she got her green card.

Salma Hayek. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

M. Night Shyamalan added "Night" to his name when he applied for citizenship.

M. Night Shyamalan. Matthew Eisman/Getty Images

"Modern Family" premiered in 2009, but Sofia Vergara didn't officially become a US citizen until 2014.

Sofia Vergara at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2019. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Kumail Nanjiani describes struggles and racism he's faced as an immigrant.

Actor and writer Kumail Nanjiani attends the 2018 Emmy Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Pamela Anderson is "the ultimate Californian girl," but she's from Canada.

Pamela Anderson. Getty Images / Venturelli

Jim Carrey became a US citizen to vote in the 2004 election.

Jim Carrey. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Eddie Van Halen, who was born in the Netherlands, gave a talk at the National Museum of American History about "What It Means to Be American."

Eddie Van Halen. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Natalie Portman's directorial debut was in Hebrew and honored her Israeli roots.

Natalie Portman at the SAG Awards in 2017. Eric Charbonneau/Invision for People Magazine/AP Images

Dave Matthews attended anti-apartheid rallies in South Africa.

Dave Matthews. Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Charlize Theron moved to the US to work as a model.

Charlize Theron at the Golden Globe Awards. Getty Images

Liam Neeson got turned down for a lot of roles because of his Irish accent.

Liam Neeson. Diana Yukari/Business Insider, Getty Images

Anthony Hopkins almost lost his knighthood when he got his US citizenship.

Anthony Hopkins. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Rachel Weisz wanted to vote in American elections.

Rachel Weisz on the red carpet at the Denial TIFF premiere. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Pierce Brosnan put off his US citizenship test for decades.

Pierce Brosnan. Getty Images / Stephen Lovekin

Emily Blunt felt sad about renouncing her full British citizenship.

Emily Blunt at the Mary Poppins Returns premiere. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Camila Cabello crossed the US border with her mother when she was 6 years old.

Camila Cabello. Christian Vierig/Getty Images

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