Celebrities often get a reputation for only being able to speak one language. However, this is not the entire story, there are in fact some celebrity polyglots!
Many of these celebrity polyglots have given interviews with foreign media outlets in other languages. Others have even been in foreign language movies, speaking in their other language.
We recently covered the most famous polyglots, today we will cover the 15 most famous celebrity polyglots.
15. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman is certainly one of the most active polyglots, although isn’t quite a hyperpolyglot yet. She is most famous for her roles as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta.
Born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father and American mother, Portman lived in Israel until she was seven. At the age of seven, Portman moved to Washington DC, but relocated to Connecticut in the same year.
From living in the United States, and being bilingual in both English and Hebrew, Portman soon began learning other languages to supplement her then-current language abilities.
In recent years, Portman has been in several films where she has used her language abilities. To accompany the foreign-language films, Portman has similarly given interviews in these foreign languages.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Hebrew
- Arabic
- German
- Spanish
- Japanese
14. J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling is famous for having written the Harry Potter series of books, as well as serving as a consultant for the movies that followed. J. K. Rowling has also written written five further books, following on from the success of Harry Potter.
Before becoming the world-famous author she is today, J. K. Rowling was a French teacher. Rowling’s mother was half French, meaning that as a child, she did speak French at home.
At school, Rowling studied English, French and German, gaining A-Levels in all three (two A’s and a B). After completing her A-Levels, Rowling went to University, which included spending a year abroad in Paris.
After University, Rowling traveled to Portugal, where she began teaching English as a foreign language to Portuguese children. Whilst living in Portugal, Rowling married a Portuguese man, having a child with him.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Portuguese
- German
- French
13. Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh is one of the most famous television actresses in the entire world. She is most famous for her roles as Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy, Eve Polastri in Killing Eve and Geraldine Gupta in The Princess Diaries.
Oh was born in Canada to South Korean immigrant parents. As such, she spoke Korean at home with her parents and siblings and English at school and in public.
Whilst at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, Sandra Oh studied French. This was down to a lot of the lessons being in French, as well as several of them being in English too.
Thanks to her knowledge of French, Korean and English, Sandra Oh has become a high grossing actress. This is because she has been able to give interviews in all three languages she speaks, about her movies.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Korean
- French
12. Johnny Depp
John Depp is perhaps one of the most successful actors of all time. With that being said he is also one of the most famous celebrity polyglots too! Depp is perhaps most famous for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Depp was born in Kentucky to American parents, which has resulted in Depp being a native English speaker. However, becoming a Hollywood actor has been what caused Depp to develop his abilities as a polyglot.
Whilst being an actor, Depp met, and later fell in love with French actress, singer and model, Vanessa Paradis. Depp chose to move to France with Paradis, where he fell in love with not only the language, but the culture too!
This has resulted in Depp being known as “Hollywood’s Francophile”. After his separation from Paradis, Depp returned to the US where he has given several interviews in French about his upcoming movies.
Languages spoken:
- English
- French
11. Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana has become one of the most famous celebrity polyglots in recent years. Saldana is most famous for her roles as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and Neytiri in Avatar.
Saldana was born in New Jersey to a father from the Dominican Republic and a mother from Puerto Rico. Shortly after Saldana was born, the family moved to Queens in New York City.
When Saldana was nine, her father died in a car accident. This resulted in her mother taking Saldana and her siblings to the Dominican Republic, which incidentally began Sladana down the road of becoming an actress!
As such, she spoke both English and Spanish at home as well as English and/or Spanish at school. Saldana has repeatedly given interviews for the Spanish-speaking press in order to increase the publicity of her films.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Spanish
10. Shakira
Shakira is perhaps the most famous singer of the 2010’s, little do people know that she is actually a polyglot herself! She is most famous for her songs used in the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.
Shakira was born in Colombia to Colombian parents, however, moved abroad once her singing career took off. After dating several people, including the son of the Argentine president and an American, she married Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué.
Due to traveling so often, to so many different countries, as well as dating so many different people, Shakira was left fluent in a variety of languages. These include her native Spanish as well as, English, French, Arabic, Italian and Portuguese.
Many of Shakira’s social media posts are written in several different languages, allowing Shakira to maintain her language prowess. Shakira similarly gives interviews and sings in the languages she speaks.
Languages spoken:
- Spanish
- English
- French
- Arabic
- Portuguese
- Italian
9. Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston has made headlines in recent years due to the fact tat he is one of the best celebrity polyglots in the world. He is most famous for playing Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as his role in I Saw the Light.
Born in the UK, Hiddleston’s native tongue is, English, one of the most spoken languages in the world. Whilst at school, Hiddleston studied Spanish, leaving him fluent in the language.
Whilst at University, Hiddleston studied the classics. This led to Hiddleston becoming infatuated with languages and learning both Greek and French in his spare time at University.
Since this has become common knowledge, Hiddleston has given several interviews with global news outlets about his upcoming films, in the four languages he speaks.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Greek
8. Roger Federer
Roger Federer is best known for his abilities as a tennis player, however, few know that his career as a professional tennis player has led him to becoming a polyglot over the years.
Many know that Roger Federer is Swiss. As per Swiss culture and law, Swiss people need to be able to speak at least two of the four official languages of Switzerland. Federer, instead, has chosen to learn the three most spoken ones.
Federer speaks Swiss French, Swiss German and Italian as a part of being a Swiss national. However, this has not satiated Federer’s apparent love of languages, as he has also learned Swedish in recent years as well.
He has not stopped their either. Due to being one of the most traveled individuals on the planet, Federer has also come into contact with English-speakers, which has left him fluent in English too!
Languages spoken:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Swedish
- English
7. Audrey Hepburn
Despite not being alive any longer, Audrey Hepburn is one of the most famous celebrity polyglots. Audrey Hepburn is most famous for her roles in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade and My Fair Lady.
Hepburn was born in Belgium to an Austrian-British father and a Dutch mother. Throughout much of her childhood, Hepburn lived in the Netherlands, speaking English at home and Dutch everywhere else.
In fact, Hepburn’s Dutch was so good that when the Nazis took over the Netherlands, Hepburn was able to pass off as a Dutch woman, by changing her name. This is a skill she kept onto throughout her life.
Later on in her life, Hepburn also learned Spanish to further her acting career. After the war, Hepburn moved to Switzerland, which resulted in her learning both French and Italian.
Languages spoken:
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Dutch
- Italian
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio is most famous for being a teenage heartthrob, starring in films such as Catch me if You Can, The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed and The Revenant. He is also a very successful polyglot.
Born in Los Angeles to a German-Italian father and a German mother, as such, he often spoke German with his parents at home. At school, he would speak English with his peers and teachers.
As a child, Leonardo DiCaprio would also visit his Grandmother in Germany, so he was also able to practice with her a lot. Following that, Leonardo DiCaprio has also chosen to learn Italian in order to follow his Italian heritage.
Since this has become common knowledge, many German and Italian media outlets have interviewed Leonardo DiCaprio, in both English and German/Italian. Most commonly, it has been in either German or Italian.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Italian
- German
5. Mila Kunis
When it comes to the most famous celebrity polyglots, Mila Kunis is usually the one most people think of. Famous for her role in Black Swan as well as Meg Griffin in Family Guy and Rachel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Mila Kunis was born in modern-day Ukraine (formerly the Ukrainian SSR in the USSR) to Russian-Jewish parents. As a result, she spoke Russian at home with her parents as well as at school.
At the age of seven, after the USSR had fallen, the Kunis family moved to Los Angeles. Since then, Kunis has described the move as making her “Blind and deaf” in her new country.
With that being said, she soon learned English and eventually became one of the most famous actresses in the world. Sometime since her move to the US, Kunis has learned Ukrainian too.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Russian
- Ukrainian
4. Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper was once seen as a teen heartthrob. Famous for his roles as Chris Kyle in American Sniper, Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as Will Tippin in Alias.
Little did most know that Bradley Cooper is also one of the most famous celebrity polyglots. Bradley Cooper is a native English speaker, having been born in Pennsylvania.
Bradley Cooper has made headlines for being able to speak French, in which he has given over a dozen interviews to French media outlets in French, without any proper prior preparation.
What many don’t know, however, is that Bradley Cooper also speaks a little bit of Italian, which he learned from his Italian-American mother. If given the correct prior preparation, Cooper has done interviews in Italian.
Languages spoken:
- English
- French
- Italian
3. Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander is certainly one of the least well known celebrity polyglots. Famous for her supporting role in Jason Bourne, the robot in Ex Machina as well as Laura Croft in Tomb Raider.
Alicia Vikander was born in Sweden to Swedish parents, making her native language Swedish. At the age of 15, Alicia Vikander spent a summer in New York at the School of American Ballet, which led to her learning English.
In 2012, Alicia Vikander was cast as Queen Caroline Mathilde in the Danish film En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair), facilitating the need for her to learn Danish. By filming A Royal Affair, Vikander has become fluent in Danish.
Since learning both English and Danish, Vikander has also learned French. Vikander has given several interviews in all four languages she speaks, especially English and Danish.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Danish
- Swedish
- French
2. Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock is most famous for her roles in blockbusters like Speed, Crash, Ocean’s 8, The Heat and The Blind Side. However, not many know she is also a prolific polyglot as well as an actress!
Born in Virginia to a German-born opera singer (Helga Mathilde Meyer) and an American soldier, Bullock was often surrounded by foreign languages. With her mother, she’d speak German, but with her father, she’d speak English.
As a child, her mother was often on tour in her native Germany too. This resulted in a young Sandra Bullock becoming quite proficient in both German and English.
As an actress, these language abilities have served her well. She has often dubbed her own lines into their German-language version herself, not to mention promoting it extensively through German media outlets.
Languages spoken:
- English
- German
1. Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz is perhaps one of the most famous for being a Hollywood star, but she is also one of the most famous celebrity polyglots. She is most famous for her roles in Gothika, Noel and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Cruz was born in Alcobendas, in Spain to Spanish parents. This has led to her native language being Spanish. Many of her early films were in Spain, and in Spanish. In Hispanic countries, she is most well known for these movies.
Following her success in Spain, American directors began to become interested in casting her for American films. This facilitated her need to learn English, so that she could act in English-language films.
Soon after her success in both Spanish and English-language films, Italian directors became interested in Cruz for the possibility of her acting in Italian-language films.
Languages spoken:
- English
- Spanish
- Italian
Which celebrity polyglot would you like to speak to and in what language? Tell me in the comments!