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It's estimated that the U.S. welcomes about 2,100 new citizens per day. Most of those names, of course, aren't recognizable to most people. There are, however, a number of celebrities that hold dual citizenship in both the U.S. and other countries. From the newest to join the club — looking at you, Forrest Gump! — to others who might shock (or not surprise you at all), here's a list of stars that call both America and other far-flung countries home.
Two of the newest members of the celebrity dual citizenship club, Hanks and wife Wilson, who earlier this year were among the first well-known names to announce they'd contracted COVID-19, recently announced they became official Greek citizens after announcing "honorary" citizenship in 2019. Wilson is part Greek, Hanks is a Greek Orthodox convert, and the family has helped raise awareness about Athens-area wildfires that raged in 2018.
The "Old Guard" actor and producer was born in South Africa but earned U.S. citizenship in 2007. "Well, I've always wanted to be (a citizen) — they just didn't want to take me," Theron told David Letterman the following year. "It's quite a process you have to work hard, you know, study up … you have to know your stuff."
Carrey was born in Ontario, Canada in 1962 and, by 1983, had moved to Los Angeles where he got his first big break working on the comedy series "In Living Color." It wasn't until 2004, however, that he received American citizenship.
The "Frida" actress, who's also got producing and directing credits under her belt, was born in the southern Mexico town of Coatzacoalcos in 1966, and first came to the U.S. to attend the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, at age 12. Hayek became a U.S. citizen in 2013.
Although born in the U.S. — Arlington, Virginia, to be exact — Bullock was an Army brat whose father's career took the family to Nuremberg, Germany, and Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, for 12 years of her childhood. She applied for German citizenship in 2009.
This stand-up comic, actor, and screenwriter started out life in Karachi, Pakistan, but moved to the U.S. at 18. He noted in a 2018 tweet that getting his citizenship was anything but easy, saying: "I feel like people think immigrating to the US is super easy. The gates are wide open. Nothing could be further from the truth. It took me 15 years to get my Green Card. Getting any kind of visa is difficult. Becoming a citizen is extremely difficult and rare."
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The former governor of California with the recognizable accent moved from Austria to the States in 1968 at the age of 21 and never said "hasta la vista, baby" to his adopted home. He became a U.S. citizen in 1983 and, though Austria does not usually allow for dual citizenship status, it made an exception for the Terminator.
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The actress, former Playboy model, and animal rights activist was born in British Columbia but became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004. In 2019, she noted she had moved back "to my beautiful native Canada," and reportedly has been residing on Vancouver Island.
This American rapper, born Christopher Brian Bridges and whose wife is from Gabon, acquired Gabonese citizenship — along with his two daughters and his mother — in early 2020. He noted in an Instagram post dated Jan. 2: "Starting my new year off with dual citizenship. Africa, I'm official!"
This American actor also descends from Gabon — the Benga people, specifically, who are indigenous to that country and Equatorial Guinea. Jackson found out about his ancestry on the TV show, "Finding Your Roots." Afterward, he traveled to Gabon, met with President Ali Bongo Ondimba, and received his Gabonese passport.
While most know that Kidman is an Aussie, few know she was actually born in Hawaii — her parents were living there on educational visas. Country singer Urban was born in New Zealand but came to the U.S. in 1992.
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The English-born "Queer Eye" fashion guru earned his U.S. citizenship just recently, announcing on Instagram in June 2020 that, "A few minutes ago, I officially became a U.S citizen!! For me, this is monumental. It's something I've been working towards for literally 20 years, which makes this all the more emotional."
Much was made of Canadian Young's U.S. citizenship status in January, mostly because the longtime singer-songwriter has been so outspoken about his dislike of Donald Trump. He announced the news on his website, saying, "I'm happy to report I'm in!!" alongside a link for Democrats to register to vote.
This longtime British rocker was born in Great Britain, but his sister was born in the U.S. and he spent many years here as a child. Still, it wasn't until 2018 that he became a U.S. citizen, an event that was announced on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Twitter account: "It's a nice day for a naturalization ceremony. Congratulations Billy Idol on becoming a #newUScitizen today in Los Angeles, CA."
The "Modern Family" actress became a U.S. citizen in 2014, five years after the hit TV show she became famous for premiered. Born in Colombia in 1972, she told Jimmy Fallon in an interview that she aced her test. "It took me a lot of time to get my residence even though I was working here for a long time. But it was fun, and I got all my questions perfect."
Few people know that Van Halen and his bandmate brother, Alex, were born in Amsterdam. The family eventually resettled in Pasadena, California, when Eddie was just 7. "We came here with approximately $50 and a piano, and we didn't speak the language," he told a standing-room-only crowd at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2015. "Now look where we are. If that's not the American dream, what is?"
We'd argue that comedic actor and "Schitt's Creek" and "Home Alone" star O'Hara is also a dual national treasure. She was born in Toronto and was once a Gilda Radner understudy there before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. She's spent her life working in film and TV in both countries and currently resides in Los Angeles with her family.
Wales-born Hopkins moved to the U.S. twice — once in the 1970s and again in the 1990s — before earning his citizenship in 2000 in a ceremony that was attended by friends John Travolta and Steven Spielberg. The Welsh weren't very happy about the news, it was reported at the time, but as Hopkins noted: "America has been very generous to me, magnanimous really. I thought it would be good to give something back. It was a decision of the heart."
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Born Amanda Lee Rogers in Victoria, Australia in 1973, Rossi — best known for her roles in "Ally McBeal" and "Arrested Development" — became a U.S. citizen in 2011, three years after marrying Ellen Degeneres, who announced Rossi's new citizenship status on her daytime talk show.
The "Mary Poppins" actress started life in London in 1983, but became a U.S. citizen in 2015, a process that she told Jimmy Fallon she found "strange and slightly disarming." She also told a funny story about a fellow celebrity who was sworn in on the same day, saying: "It was the most bizarre day. Matthew McConaughey's wife [Camila Alves] was getting sworn in with me, who is so nice. McConaughey shows up looking like he's going on safari. I was like, 'You could have worn a shirt and tie. Like, Camila looks amazing.'"
Only one person on this list can claim triple citizenship, but over-achieving Musk — an engineer, industrial designer, CEO, and technology entrepreneur — is a citizen of South Africa (where he was born), Canada, and the U.S. His mother is Canadian and his father South African, and he acquired his U.S. citizenship in 2002.
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Born in Slovenia in 1970, Trump is the second first lady — after Louisa Adams — to be born outside the U.S., the first to become a naturalized citizen, and the first whose native tongue is not English. She moved to Manhattan in 1996 and became a dual citizen in 2001, four years before marrying the future president.