Celebrities Who Speak Multiple Languages

Learning a new language earns you a lot of respect from your peers and if you’re anything like us, then as soon as you discover that a celebrity is a multi linguist, your opinion of them will go through the roof. As it happens though, we don’t hear a great deal about actors, singers or other men and women in the spotlight that speak more than one language, but that’s not because there aren’t many that do. In fact, as we shall discover in this article, there are many famous names that speak more than one language.

Bradley Cooper

Often rated as one of the sexiest men alive, Bradley Cooper made his name as an actor in the Hangover series of films, and since then his career has taken off. Cooper has starred in many blockbuster films, winning legions of fans (most of which are female) thanks to roles in everything from Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle (in both of which he stared alongside Jennifer Lawrence) as well as American Sniper and Limitless.

If, like many people out there, you already have a “thing” for Bradley Cooper, then be prepared to fall further in love as Bradley is fluent in French. This is something that he has kept relatively quiet, but something that will have many women swooning. Cooper has conducted interviews in French, but only recently, and he hasn’t made a big deal of his talents.

Emma Watson

The super-intelligent Harry Potter star has made a name for herself as an activist and a speaker, as well as a talented actress. She may have made her name as a plucky 12 year old in one of the biggest film franchises ever, but she has grown into a superstar with a deserved global following. One of Emma’s many talents is her ability to speak French, which is thanks to her French grandmother and an upbringing which involved a lot of time in Paris.

Natalie Portman

The American actress made her name as a youngster in the film Leon, and as she aged she became even more of a star, with roles in Star Wars, V for Vendetta and many other films. Natalie Portman also has an impressive set of credentials away from acting, as she was educated at Harvard and speaks Hebrew.

Edward Norton

One of the highest rated actors in Hollywood, and someone who commits to his roles like no one else, Norton has won starring roles in everything from Fight Club to Birdman and American History X. He is a man of many talents, but what you might not know is that one of those talents is his ability to speak Japanese. He isn’t fluent, but he knows enough to get by, all of which was picked up through a childhood spent in Japan. If you want to see this treat for yourself you can, as there are videos of Norton wowing a Japanese audience with his linguistic talents.

Colin Firth

The quintessential English actor has starred in films such as The King’s Speech, where he overcame a few language problems. However, Firth is more than well adept when it comes to language and he is actually fluent in Italian. He learned the language of love so he could talk with his wife, who is Italian. She speaks English and is fluent in his native tongue, but it seems he wanted to repay the favor by being fluent in her native tongue.

Shakira

The sultry songstress is not English by birth, so her fluency in the English language is impressive, but it’s not the only language she speaks. Shakira has been filmed on stage speaking Italian, and whilst she might not be fluent, she knows enough to converse with native speakers.

Mila Kunis

Rated as one of the most attractive women in the world, Mila Kunis is an American actress who has starred in films such as the Oscar winning Black Swan, whilst also being a regular on the hit comedy show Family Guy. Her exotic looks are thanks to the fact that she was born and raised in the Ukraine, which is why she is fluent in Russian. She is also very proud of her heritage and practices her native tongue as often as she can.

Ben Affleck

Both an actor and a director, with roles in films such as Gone Girl and Good Will Hunting, Ben Affleck also speaks Spanish. He is not fluent in the language, but knows enough to get by and learnt it all after spending a year living in Mexico with his brother (actor Casey Affleck) when they were teenagers.

Rita Ora

Perhaps best known as an English singer and actress, Rita Ora was actually born in Yugoslavia. She grew up in England, but her native tongue is Albanian, and she tries to speak the language as much as she can.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Perhaps best known for her work in the Iron Man series, where she co-stared alongside Robert Downey Junior, Gwyneth also writes and talks about better living and is a proponent of many diets and exercise regimes. One of the surprising facts about her though is that she speaks fluent Spanish, with a perfect Spanish accent. She is also set on raising her children in a bilingual household, teaching them Spanish from birth.

Sandra Bullock

The star of Miss Congeniality, Speed, Gravity and most recently, Minions, Sandra Bullock was born to a German mother and is fluent in the German language. She has even performed in a German opera, showing her performing talents at a very young age.

Charlize Theron

Although you might immediately think of French when you hear that Charlize Theron speaks another language, the star of Monster is actually from South Africa and she still speaks her native tongue, Afrikaans. It has also been reported that she speaks Dutch, which is closely tied to the Afrikaans language.

These are just the main ones that have come to our attentions, ones that speak other languages fluently, but there are many more. It has been reported, for instance, that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Johnny Depp speak a bit of French, albeit not fluently, and probably not enough to get by. Also, Will Smith loves to speak Spanish, whilst Kobe Bryant can speak Italian.

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