Alexander Skarsgård grew up acting in Sweden before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-2000s, slowly carving out a place in American film and television. U.S. audiences took notice with True Blood, but it was Big Little Lies that confirmed his dramatic weight and earned him major awards. Since then, roles across blockbusters, prestige TV, and demanding character films have shown an actor who refuses to stay in one lane. | © Netflix
Marion Cotillard built her career in French cinema before moving comfortably into American films, switching languages and styles without losing her footing. Her Oscar win for La Vie en Rose made history, proving a non-English performance could still dominate Hollywood’s biggest stage. Since then, roles in films like Inception, Public Enemies, and Allied have shown an actor valued for control and emotional accuracy rather than flash. | © StudioCanal
Saoirse Ronan was born in New York to Irish parents, raised in Ireland, and built a career that comfortably moves between American and European cinema. She broke out at just 13 with Atonement, earning an Oscar nomination early and never really slowing down afterwards. Roles in Brooklyn, Lady Bird, and Little Women show an actor drawn to emotional precision and quiet intelligence rather than easy typecasting. | © Apple TV+
Christoph Waltz spent decades working in European theater and television before American audiences discovered him later in life, a rarity in Hollywood. His breakthrough came with Inglourious Basterds, followed by another Oscar for Django Unchained, where his precision, timing, and command of language made each role feel unsettlingly sharp. Fluent across cultures and styles, Waltz carved out space in U.S. cinema without being boxed into a single type. | © Universal Studios
Salma Hayek became a household name in Mexico as a young telenovela star before taking the far tougher leap to Hollywood with limited English. She made history as the first Mexican actress nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, with Frida proving she could carry a major biographical film. Beyond acting, she’s built a lasting career as a producer and creative force, turning an unlikely start into a genuine immigrant success story. | © Miramax Films
Hugh Jackman was born in Australia to British immigrant parents, then gradually built a career that placed him at the center of American film and Broadway. His casting as Wolverine in X-Men made him a global star and tied his name to one of the longest-running superhero performances in cinema. Between blockbuster roles and award-winning stage work, he became a constant presence in U.S. entertainment rather than a passing success. | © 20th Century Studios
Daniel Day-Lewis was born in London to a British father and Irish mother, later becoming a naturalized Irish citizen while building one of the most selective careers in film history. He holds a record three Best Actor Oscars, earned through deeply immersive performances in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln. After retiring in 2017, he left behind a body of work so precise and intense that each role still feels like a benchmark rather than a memory. | © Miramax Films
Charlize Theron arrived in Los Angeles from South Africa with little more than a one-way ticket and spent months being turned away by agents before catching a break. Everything changed with Monster, where her full physical and emotional transformation into Aileen Wuornos earned her an Oscar and set a new bar for commitment in modern acting. She’s since balanced prestige roles with blockbuster action, still proving her range decades later in franchises like Fast & Furious. | © Universal Pictures
Mila Kunis spent her early childhood in Ukraine before immigrating to Los Angeles, where she broke out on That ’70s Show as a teenager after quietly fudging her age to land the role. What started as a sitcom career slowly shifted into something bigger through films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Ted, and eventually Black Swan. That jump from sitcom sidekick to serious Oscar-level performer remains one of the more surprising and convincing transformations in modern Hollywood. | © STX Entertainment
Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem and moved to the U.S. as a child, later building a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most intelligent actors while studying at Harvard. Her Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan confirmed her dramatic weight, well beyond the blockbuster visibility she gained from Star Wars. Balancing American stardom with her Israeli roots, she reflects the dual identity many immigrants quietly carry throughout their careers. | © Netflix
Antonio Banderas crossed into Hollywood in the early ’90s, first catching attention with a small appearance in Truth or Dare before proving his dramatic range opposite Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. That performance helped quiet doubts about his accent, opening the door to high-profile roles in films like Interview with the Vampire and Desperado. His turn as Zorro sealed his status as a global star, showing he could carry action, drama, and charisma across borders. | © StudioCanal
Penélope Cruz grew up in Madrid studying dance and theater before working steadily on Spanish television, then breaking into American films in the late 1990s. Hollywood fully embraced her after Vanilla Sky in 2001, and she later won an Oscar for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, confirming she wasn’t just a crossover novelty. Today, she’s a true transatlantic star, just as recognizable in the U.S. as she is in Spain. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment
Javier Bardem played a major role in pushing Spanish actors into mainstream American cinema, earning three Oscar nominations and a win for his terrifying turn as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. Raised in the Canary Islands, he started acting early in Spain before learning English and gradually moving into U.S. productions. Over time, he shook off his early reputation for unsettling roles and became one of Hollywood’s most respected leading men. | © MGM
Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in the U.S. from a small Austrian village with a thick accent, a bodybuilder’s physique, and ambitions most casting agents didn’t take seriously. Everything changed after The Terminator in 1984, and a run of massive hits like Predator, Total Recall, and Terminator 2 turned him into one of the highest-paid and most recognizable stars in the world. He later took that same drive into politics, serving as governor of California, making his path from immigrant outsider to global icon hard to top. | © Orion Pictures
Jackie Chan built his career on a rare balance of real kung fu skill and physical comedy, and by the mid-1980s, he was already the highest-paid actor in Hong Kong. He wasn’t just a star on screen, either – he set up his own production company, casting pipeline, and stunt training system to control how his films were made. American audiences caught on after Rumble in the Bronx broke out in 1996, and Rush Hour soon turned him into a global name known as much for his stunts as his acting. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Immigrant actors have shaped American cinema in ways that go far beyond accents or origins. Some arrived young, others broke through late, but all of them changed how Hollywood looks and sounds. These performers didn’t just find work in the U.S., they helped redefine it.
