Famous personalities who were born outside of the U.S. but later became U.S. citizens include Nobel Prize winners like Albert Einstein and Martin Karplus. The “American Dream” has brought many a person to this wonderful country. And a remarkable number of them have lived and continue to live the dream life. Here is a list of politicians, entertainers, and other notable naturalized U.S. citizens who were not born on U.S. soil.
Pierce Brosnan
Actor Pierce Brosnan, the former James Bond is a very famous Irish-American actor and a film producer. He received his American citizenship in 2004 and he now has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Ireland. He says that though he found a new life and identity in the U.S., his heart and soul will always be Irish.
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright, the first woman to be U.S. Secretary of State, obtained her citizenship in the U.S. in 1957. The Czech-born diplomat has been a U.S. citizen for more than 50 years.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson became a U.S. citizen in 2004. The former Canadian-American “Baywatch” star said in a written statement that she chose to become a U.S. citizen because she wanted to vote in elections and take part in civic life.
Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton, who is well-known for her role in “The O.C.” was born in London and was brought up in the U.S. She has citizenship in the U.K and the U.S. Though she moved to the U.S. at a very young age, she says that she feels more comfortable in London, her birthplace.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest Russian-American ballet dancers of the 20th century, was born in the Soviet Union. In 1974, he defected from the Soviet Union and moved to Canada. Later he applied for and gained political asylum in the U.S. He then obtained U.S. citizenship in 1986.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, the 1921 Nobel Prize recipient, is a renowned German-born physicist. He renounced his German citizenship and became a Swiss citizen in 1901. He became a U.S. citizen in 1940 and remained a citizen of both Switzerland and America till his death in 1955.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman is also a dual citizen. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii while her Australian parents were temporarily in the United States on student visas. She holds U.S. citizenship and Australian Citizenship.
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek who starred in multiple films including Marvel’s Eternals was born in Mexico. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria but moved to the United States during his 20s and became an American citizen in 1983. Although Austria does not usually allow dual citizenship, they made an exception for Arnold.