These Famous Icons Built Their Careers in America and Became Citizens by Choice

Voting is a fundamental right in the United States, but so many citizens take this privilege for granted. While millions of Americans skip elections each year, others who were born outside the country work hard to gain U.S. citizenship so that they can fully participate in democracy. For some of the world's most influential people, becoming an American wasn't just about career opportunity; it was also about having a voice in the nation's future.

247 Tempo has uncovered the famous individuals who pursued citizenship after years of living, working, and contributing to American culture. Some were motivated by political convictions, while others simply wanted to embrace the rights and responsibilities of this nation after decades of calling the U.S. home.

Here are the icons of entertainment, politics, and innovation who all share one thing in common: they weren't born American citizens, but chose to become one.

This post was updated on July 23rd, 2025, to reflect additional information.

• Country of origin: Russia
• Occupation: Writer

Best known for her influential and controversial works including "The Fountainhead", best-selling author Ayn Rand became an American citizen in 1931. Prior to this, the Russian writer had visited Chicago to stay with relatives and remained for several months. She moved on to Hollywood where she became a junior screenwriter on "The King of Kings." In 1929 she married a young actor named Frank O'Connor.

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Musician

John Lydon, later known as Johnny Rotten, had a difficult start in life. He contracted spinal meningitis as a young child which took a year to get over. The musician was the lead singer of punk band the Sex Pistols. They had a stream of hits including "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen."

When the Sex Pistols broke up in 1978 he founded Public Image Ltd (PiL). His decision to become a U.S. citizen in 2023 was allegedly inspired by Obamacare. In 2015, Lydon told Vice "America has the potential to be a nation that cares for its afflicted and wounded and ill and disenfranchised."

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Musician

Saul Hudson, otherwise known as 'Slash', is the lead guitarist of rock band Guns N' Roses. The talented musician also formed Slash's Snakepit and Velvet Revolver. He was born in London but moved to Los Angeles as a young child and even though he has lived in America since 1971, he did not get a U.S. passport until 1996.

• Country of origin: Australia
• Occupation: Musician

Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player, Michael Peter Balzary, made the switch from Australian to American citizen as an adult. That said, his childhood had been spent between Rye, New York and Australia after his parents split. Eventually settling in California, he also played bass for several other bands including Nirvana, Jane's Addiction, and Rocket Juice & the Moon.

• Country of origin: Netherlands
• Occupation: Musician

Van Halen may have been a hugely popular American rock band but their frontman, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, was born in Amsterdam. He moved with his family to Pasadena, California, in 1962. This highly respected musician popularized the tapping guitar solo technique but sadly suffered a series of health issues. He died of a stroke in 2020.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Famous actor, Nathan Fillion, has gained cult status as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on the sci-fi series "Firefly." He is originally from Alberta, Canada but became a U.S. citizen in 1997. This also happened to be the same year as he left daytime soap "One Life To Live." His other credits include "Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Just ahead of the 2020 election, Cobie Smulders gained dual citizen of the United States and Canada, so she could vote for Joe Biden. The successful actress originally hails from Vancouver and considered studying marine biology at the University of Victoria before she got her big break. She starred as "S.H.I.E.L.D." agent Maria Hill in Marvel movies and as Robin Scherbatsky in the series "How I Met Your Mother."

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Actor Dan Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Canada and has starred in several hit movies including "Ghostbusters" and "Trading Places." However, he first made his name as an original "Saturday Night Live" cast member. He is now a U.S. citizen but previously appeared in short-lived Canadian sketch comedy series, "The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour with Lorne Michaels."

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Athlete

Another Canadian national who secured U.S. citizenship (in 2020) is NBA star Tristan Thompson. He left his home in Ontario to attend Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. This was in his sophomore year and he went on to become a basketball superstar. He has played for the Texas Longhorns and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Country of origin: Czechoslovakia
• Occupation: Secretary of State

Despite being a U.S. household name, and a former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright actually comes from Czechoslovakia. Her diplomatic and scientific career, however, have been entirely pursued in America.

Having moved here as an 11 year old in 1957, she went on to help assemble President Bill Clinton's National Security Council. She gained American citizen status as a child and went on to hold the post of United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997 and Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001.

• Country of origin: Pakistan
• Occupation: Comedian

The Pakistani-American actor, comedian, and screenwriter struggled to get a green card and did not become a U.S. citizen until 2018. He is originally from Karachi but moved to attend Grinnell College in Iowa eventually graduating with a double major in computer science and philosophy.

Then he moved on to Chicago where he performed stand up before his acting success which included an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the 2017 rom-com "The Big Sick."

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Actor

The smouldering good looks of Cary Grant sum up for many the glamor of 1940s Hollywood. Yet, Grant was born and raised in Bristol, England. His initial U.S. visit was as part of a touring show in New York at just 16 years old. He loved it so much that he chose to stay, moving to Hollywood in the 1930s.

He became a U.S. citizen in 1942 and in 1999 he was ranked by the American Film Institute as the second greatest male star of the Golden Age Hollywood cinema behind Humphrey Bogart.

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Actor

Helen Mirren may seem the quintessential English actress but she became an American citizen in 2017 which allowed her to vote in the 2020 election. Her legendary career has seen her work both sides of the Atlantic to both critical acclaim and appreciation of audiences of all ages.

In total she has been awarded an Academy Award, four British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globes, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award! And the career of the London-born actress is far from over.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Musician

Singer and songwriter, Neil Young, took his time to apply to be a U.S. citizen. He reportedly finally took the plunge so that he could vote against Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Prior to that, he had a green card but didn't even get that until 1970 having worked illegally here since the mid-196os. The Canadian's well-known hits include "Ohio" and "Teach Your Children Well" and he has won Grammy Awards for his music.

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Actor

Anthony Hopkins is another artist celebrity who took his time to seek U.S. citizenship. Hopkins is originally from Wales, U.K where he first appeared onstage at the Swansea Little Theatre in 1957. Having been talent-spotted by Laurence Olivier, he joined the Royal National Theatre in London and eventually moved to the U.S. in the late 1970s to progress his career in Hollywood.

So far, his achievements include a knighthood, two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, a British Academy Television Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Michael J Fox is originally from Canada and even starred in a Canadian series, "Leo and Me" at just 15 years of age. However, at 18 years he moved to Los Angeles and became the teen star of multiple TV series and movies. He is best known as Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" series and Alex on "Family Ties." In common with other celebrities, he became a U.S. citizen in 2000 to vote in that year's elections.

• Country of origin: Columbia
• Occupation: Actor

Actress Sofía Vergara has stated that she had some challenges attaining her U.S. citizenship in 2014 even though she allegedly aced her 100-question naturalization test. He career started out in her native Barranquilla, Colombia where she was spotted on a beach by a photographer.

First came various modeling and acting gigs and eventually a job co-hosting two shows on the Spanish-language television network Univision in the late 1990s. Later, she would star in several feature films and she was the highest-paid actress in American television from 2013 to 2020

• Country of origin: Romania
• Occupation: Actor

Sebastian Stan gained U.S. citizenship in 2002 but has had an international career. He was born in Constanța, Romania – he and his mother moved to Austria. He attended Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, which have him the chance to spend a year at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London honing his acting skills. However, it was after another move, this time to the U.S., that his career took off. He is perhaps best well known as the Winter Soldier of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Country of origin: Ireland
• Occupation: Actor

It may surprise you to know that Irish native and a Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, is now a U.S. citizen! His career kicked off in London but he moved to Southern California in 1982. Shortly after starring in the NBC detective series "Remington Steele" he landed the much-coveted role of 007 with the Bond franchise in 1994 – the fifth actor to receive that honour.

• Country of origin: South Africa
• Occupation: Actor

South African born Charlize Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007. She moved from her home town of Benoni, and modelled in Europe before arriving in the U.S. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in "Monster" becoming an international sensation in the 1990s with leading roles in "The Devil's Advocate" and "The Cider House Rules."

• Country of origin: Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia)
• Occupation: Inventor

Nikola Tesla made a huge contribution to the development of electric technology. He discovered both the alternating-current (AC) and the rotating magnetic field. Once he arrived in America from his native Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia) in 1884, he established laboratories and companies in New York developing a range of electrical and mechanical devices. His U.S. citizenship was granted in 1891 and he went on to make a fortune from licensed electrical patents.

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Actor

The star of "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Into the Woods" is Emily Blunt. She has been ranked as one of the world's highest-paid actresses and even though she was born in Britain, she has been a U.S. citizen since 2015. Blunt has won both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award – her other work includes "The Girl on the Train," and "A Quiet Place" (directed by husband John Krasinski).

• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Actor

Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson may have been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000 but that did not stop him deciding to became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009 after his wife's death.

He became known after his leading role in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," and later starred in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York, along with many other acclaimed movies. He has also been praised for his theater work – he earned a Tony Award for his performance in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie."

• Country of origin: Mexico
• Occupation: Actor

Salma Hayek became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. Here early work included the telenovela "Teresa" and the romantic drama "El Callejón de los Milagros." It was in Hollywood, however, that she became established when she appeared in "Desperado," "From Dusk Till Dawn," and "Dogma."

Her title role in the Frida Kahlo biopic, "Frida" earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a British Academy Film Award nomination.

• Country of origin: Australia
• Occupation: Actor

Nicole Kidman did not have to apply for U.S. citizenship because she was awarded dual citizenship at birth. Her Australian parents were staying in Honolulu on student visas when she was born. Her A-list status has been earned here in the U.S. Kidman can list an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy awards, and six Golden Globes amongst her achievements.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Jim Carrey became a household name in the mid-1990s thanks to movies such as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Mask," and "Dumb and Dumber." However, the Canadian born actor already had a successful career as an impressionist and standup comic in Toronto before he came to the U.S. in 1983.

He became a U.S. citizen in 2004 and can add "The Truman Show," "Man on the Moon," and "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to his many achievements.

• Country of origin: German
• Occupation: Scientist

Albert Einstein is a household name which is more than can be said for most theoretical physicists. He became a U.S. citizen in 1940, at the age of 61 years and 15 years before his death. Prior to that, he was a German national but found himself visiting America in 1933 when Hitler came to power. Einstein was a Jew and chose not to return to Germany.

• Country of origin: Austria
• Occupation: Actor / former governor of California

Born in Austria in 1947, Arnold Schwarzenegger dreamed of moving to America from the age of 10. His dreams came true when he was 21 years old as his body-building career took off. He was the youngest-ever Mr. Universe at the age of 20.

He did not receive his United States citizenship until 1983 and pursued a successful career as an actor, film producer, and businessman. Schwarzenegger is perhaps best known for his roles in "Conan the Barbarian" and the "Terminator" series. He also became the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor / Model

She may have seemed like the classic American beach babe in her TV role in "Baywatch," but Pamela Anderson comes from Ladysmith, British Columbia. She started off her career as a model in 1989 wearing a Labatt's Beer T-shirt on the Jumbotron during a BC Lions Canadian Football League game in Vancouver.

Later she became a spokesmodel for the company, and she appeared on the cover of "Playboy." Having moved to Los Angeles to further her career, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004.

• Country of origin: Canada
• Occupation: Actor

Ryan Reynolds became a U.S. citizen in 2018. However, the actor's 30-year career commenced in his native Canada. There, he appeared in teen soap opera, "Hillside," although you may have known it as "Fifteen" on Nickelodeon. So far, he has been awarded a Critics' Choice Movie Award, three People's Choice Awards, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe nomination. He is perhaps best known for "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2."