Top 10 Celebs You Didn't Know Speak Multiple Languages
#10: Colin Firth
Just like his character in “Love Actually”, Colin Firth did not let language barriers get in the way of falling in love. In the late 90s, the Academy Award winning actor met his future wife, Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli. In an effort to progress their relationship, Firth took it upon himself to learn Italian and in 2017, even received dual citizenship in the aftermath of Brexit. After 22 years of marriage, the couple split. However, nothing can diminish this romantic gesture of learning a new language and embracing a new culture.
#9: Sandra Oh
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Growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Sandra Oh was an active student taking part in everything from dance to serving as school council president. At home, Sandra learned Korean from her parents, although she admits she’s not fluent. Her multilingual don’t didn’t stop there though. As a budding thespian, Oh studied the art of acting at the renowned National Theatre School in Montreal. During her time in the bilingual province, Oh learned French. With such a versatile and expansive filmography, we’re sure her knack for picking up language has served the “Killing Eve” star well.
#8: Penélope Cruz
Born in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, Penélope Cruz started acting as a teen and never looked back. During her school years, she learned French and in the late 90s spent time in New York City, where she picked up English. For her role in the 2004 drama, “Don’t Move”, she learned how to speak Italian. Her hard work paid off when she took home the David di Donatello award and European Film Award for her performance. Between the three learned dialects and her native Spanish, Penélope speaks a total of four languages making her a quadruple threat.
#7: Viggo Mortensen
As a polyglot, Viggo Mortensen is an expert when it comes to acting and language. Growing up in a bilingual environment, Viggo learned Spanish and English from a young age while living in Argentina. Later, he picked up Danish via his father, making him trilingual. For film roles, he had to relearn French from an Algerian dialect as well as Arabic. In addition, “The Lord of the Rings” actor also speaks some Italian and other Scandinavian languages like Norwegian and Swedish. At this rate, it seems like there’s no language the “History of Violence” star can’t master.
#6: Monica Belluci
Italian actress and model Monica Belluci has welcomed the challenges of learning new languages time and time again. With an ability to speak Italian, French, Spanish and English, Belluci has not only learned but performed each one in an onscreen role. When she was cast as Mary Magdalene in Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ”, she made sure to do her homework. Learning how to speak Aramaic for the role, Monica added another language to her already extensive vernacular toolbelt, making her one of the industry’s most sought after multilingual talents.
#5: Edward Norton
Before he was starring in films like “Fight Club” and “Birdman”, Edward Norton was a Yale College graduate who’d studied Japanese. After finishing his degree, Norton lived in Japan for a short period of time, working as a rep for his grandfather’s company. A video of the actor speaking the language at a press conference surfaced online years later. On top of that, he also knows how to speak French and Spanish, and we’re sure the three time Academy Award nominated actor will be adding more to his already impressive assortment of languages.
#4: Christoph Waltz
Known for his masterful skill at playing some of the best villains in modern cinema, “Inglourious Basterds” actor Christoph Waltz sure knows how to make the most of his screen time. The trilingual Austrian performer knows French, English, German and a little bit of Italian. Fans can see him put his verbal skills to work in films like “Basterds” and “Django Unchained”. In fact, Waltz has even provided the dubbing for the French versions of some of his films. With two Academy Awards under his belt, a Christoph Waltz performance is perfection in any language.
#3: Jodie Foster
Former child star turned two time Oscar winner, Jodie Foster has an illustrious career that’s taken her everywhere from in front of the camera to behind it. As a young child, Foster was enrolled in a French school where she picked up the language. Her education afforded her the opportunities to act in films that required French speaking performers and since then she’s also learned Italian, German and Spanish. To this day, the Yale University graduate uses her French speaking skills to dub her own films, adding to her already expansive skillset.
#2: Tom Hiddleston
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With at least basic knowledge of an astonishing nine languages, one would be hard pressed to find a language that “Loki” superstar Tom Hiddleston couldn’t master. From Italian to Greek to Spanish to French, Hiddletson has a broad knowledge of European languages. However, his multilingual understanding does not stop there. While he is not fluent, Tom also knows some Korean, Russian, German, Mandarin and even Latin. With an undergraduate degree in Classics from the University of Cambridge, it is no wonder this Marvel powerhouse has a flair for translation. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Joseph Gordon-Levitt An Enthusiastic Francophile Bradley Cooper Learned French at Georgetown University Diane Kruger Speaks German, English & French Kim Cattrall Picked Up German in Frankfurt Leighton Meester Speaks French
#1: Natalie Portman
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One of the most critically acclaimed actresses of her generation, Natalie Portman is also an academic. Born in Israel, Portman grew up speaking Hebrew as her first language. Her passions for learning led to discovering a love of languages and since then she’s also learned some German, Spanish, French, and Japanese. For her role in Sir Paul McCartney’s music video, “My Valentine”, the Harvard University grad learned some American Sign Language. For the Oscar winner, learning languages isn’t just a special skill that she can utilize in her performances but comes from a lifelong appreciation for connection and education.
