Non-English-speaking actors and actresses who were able to conquer Hollywood (14 photos)

You can be a real movie superstar in your homeland and receive all the awards possible. Crowds of fans, crazy paparazzi, money, fame, success, cool roles... it would seem, what more could you want? Yes, right. Whatever one may say, Hollywood and the Walk of Fame are the very Olympus where every actor and actress wants to be. But it’s very difficult to get there, even despite all the merits in Asian or European cinema. But these talented people did it! They took Hollywood by storm and wrote their name in the history of world cinema.

Marion Cotillard





Marion is a native of Paris. We all know her for her role as the girlfriend of the main taxi driver in French cinema (the Taxi film series). In 2007, she played the famous singer Edith Piaf in the film La Vie En Rose, for which she was awarded an Oscar. Now the actress is actively acting in both French and American films and TV series.

Penelope Cruz



Penelope was born and raised in a small Spanish town. Only after graduating from the conservatory, where she studied ballet, did she move to the USA. At the beginning of her career, she starred in films by Spanish directors, but even then the American public noticed her (including People magazine wrote about her). In 2009, she was awarded an Oscar for her supporting role in the film Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).

Javier Bardem





Javier is the husband of Penelope Cruz, also of Spanish origin. They both gain fame through the film Ham, Ham (1992). The actor is known for the film No Country for Old Men (2007), for which he received an Oscar for his supporting role.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau



Real Hollywood fame came to this actor, of course, after the series “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019), but he started with the Danish theater, and only at the age of 30 began acting in American cinema.

Salma Hayek



Salma was born in Mexico, where she was diagnosed with dyslexia while attending Catholic school. But this did not stop her from becoming a national star: the film "Walk of Miracles" starring her received more awards than any other film in the history of Mexican cinema. But the actress did not stop there and went to conquer Hollywood, which, in fact, she did.

Arnold Schwarzenegger



The Austrian's path to American cinema was not easy, including due to his strong German accent. But according to Predator director John McTiernan, Schwarzenegger learned quickly. Success came to him after the film “Conan the Barbarian” (1982).

Antonio Banderas



Antonio Banderas is another actor from Spain, and he started out in Spanish cinema. The first film with his participation that gained fame abroad was “Mambo Kings” (1992). But real fame came to him with the film Philadelphia (1993).

Priyanka Chopra



The actress was born in India, where she began participating in beauty pageants and acting in Bollywood. In the USA, she begins her career as a singer and thereby attracts attention to her personality. Her first success in cinema came with the series “Quantico” (2015-2018), where she played the main role.

Christoph Waltz



It is interesting that the actor’s agent did not advise him to look for work abroad, because he would probably only have to play Nazis, but Christoph became famous precisely for his role as SS Standartenführer Hans Landa in the film “Inglourious Basterds” (2008), for which he received an Oscar.

Lupita Nyong'o



The actress grew up in Kenya, but moved to the United States to study acting. She played her first notable role in the film “12 Years a Slave” (2013), for which she was awarded an Oscar.

Jean Reno



Successful acquaintance of a French actor from Spainof Russian origin with Luc Besson, who became famous himself and made Renault famous (“Subway”, 1985, “Leon”, 1994), opens the doors to Hollywood for him. One of his most famous non-French films is Mission: Impossible (1996), where he plays Franz Kruger.

Michelle Yeoh



This Malaysian of Chinese origin, like Penelope Cruz, was a professional dancer (ballet) and, like Priyanka Chopra, participated in beauty pageants. All this, as well as joint advertising with Jackie Chan, helped draw the attention of foreign agents to her. She began her career in the Jackie Chan film Police Story 3 (1992). Already in 1997, she got one of the main roles in the film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” with which her worldwide fame began. And in 2023, she was awarded an Oscar for her leading role in the action comedy film “Everything Everywhere at Once” (2022).

Mads Mikkelsen



The Danish actor, who mainly plays antagonists, has been known in Hollywood since the 90s, but only in small roles. His most famous supporting work is the villain Le Chiffre in the film Casino Royale (2006). But real fame came to him with the role of Hannibal in the series of the same name.

Jackie Chan



The actor was born in Hong Kong into a poor Chinese family, and his story of climbing the Walk of Fame is truly amazing! From the status of a stuntman and filming in local cinema, he made it to Hollywood films in leading roles.