The globalisation of cinema is opening doors for stories, cultural experiences, breaking linguistic barriers and even the actors belonging to different geographic regions coming together to create magic.
The artists' work is more like a visually appealing mosaic, highlighting the universal nature of cinema. The same holds true for actors.
Actors are like chameleons who have mastered the art of taking up any character as if it’s their own skin. With their flawless American accent, viewers were not able to recognise they were British.
We have come up with a list of such actors who you might not guess are British in real life.
1. Gillian Anderson
Everyone knows “The truth is out there”. Yes, The X-files star, Gillian Anderson, is British American. Although born in Chicago, Illinois, she spent most of her childhood in London.
She is an actress, activist and writer. She has received several awards, such as a Best Newcomer at Theatre World Award (1991), three times nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award as Best Actress and won the Evening Standard Theatre Award, again for Best Actress.
She has contributed to various charities, is a co-founder of South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes), and was awarded the honour of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016.
2. Andrew Lincoln
The leading man of The Walking Dead, Andrew Lincoln, is also English. Born in London, he was able to grab his first role via This Life, a BBC series that premiered in 1996.
A long list of his career accomplishments and awards that he won for his hard work are a significant part of his life. He was nominated for Best New Director (fiction) by the British Academy Television Awards for his work in Teachers (2004).
2007 and 2010 were shining years of his early career as he won Golden Nymph Awards for Outstanding Actor in Afterlife (drama series) and IGN Summer Movie Award for Best TV Hero in The Walking Dead.
3. Andrew Garfield
Who wouldn’t like a friendly neighbourhood superhero in the form of Spider-Man? Andrew Garfield was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Surrey, United Kingdom. Most of his family is also British but he moved out of there when he was three years old.
The Social Network actor had been into acting during his early days. He was a theatre performer and his first stage role was in 2004. He managed to bag an award for best performance as a newcomer, the MEN Theatre Award.
The year 2006 had been entirely overwhelming as he won awards for his commendable acting in six movies.
Rumours are circulating that Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire might return for Spider-Man 4 but it’s still to be confirmed.
4. Naomi Watts
To be precise, Noami Watts is a British-born Australian actress. She was born in Shoreham, Kent, England.
People have oohed and aahed over The Ring actress’ roles like in Birdman, 21 Grams and King Kong. She was nominated for two Academy Awards for her roles in The Impossible and 21 Grams.
Also, she is an entrepreneur for her menopause-related venture called Stripes Beauty, founded in 2022. She opened up about her fear of talking about the said phenomenon, however, she later realised the importance of hormones and no longer rolls her eyes about the female transformation after entering the menopause phase.
5. Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris confirmed her British roots after she played pivotal roles in some of the Bond movies: Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). She was seen as Eve Moneypenney.
Her international recognition came from her role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. We cannot forget her Oscar-nominated performance in Moonlight.
She was born in Islington, London and completed her graduation in 1998 from Pembroke College at The University of Cambridge. At a young age, she was also exposed to theatrical acting and has revealed her experience in several interviews.
6. Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed is one versatile performer, both an actor and rapper. The British-Pakistani actor, with the stage name Riz MC, is an activist but got a breakthrough after landing in Los Angeles.
He pocketed a role in 2014’s Nightcrawler which helped in gaining instant recognition. This was a brilliant example where he came out strong on breaking Muslim stereotypes in Hollywood and proved himself in every way.
He was nominated twice for Emmy Awards and managed to secure one for The Night Of in the Lead Actor category. He was the first Muslim, a South Asian, to win such a prominent award at this level.
He also got nominated for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and three of the acclaimed British Independent Film Awards.
7. Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington was born in Godalming, United Kingdom. The two shining movies coming to our mind whenever we see his name are Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Apart from that, he is known for his roles in Terminator Salvation (2009), Clash of the Titans (2010) and Deadline Gallipoli (2015).
He was a one-time nominee and one-time winner of the Saturn Award for both Avatar movies. Moreover, he was nominated for the Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Award for his role in Drift (2014), Somersault (2004) and Dirty Needs (2002).
For now, he is preparing for an upcoming British crime thriller heist film named Fuze, which is directed by David Mackenzie. He will be seen alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James and Saffron Hocking.
8. Charlie Hunnam
Charlie Hunnam was born in Newcastle, United Kingdom, which certainly makes him British. His leading roles include Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014), Pacific Rim (2013) and King Arthur (2004).
He is an actor, writer and producer. He was twice nominated for Best Actor in Critics’ Choice Television Award. He even won the Male Star of the Year award in the CinemaCon Awards (2017) for King Arthur.
Currently, Hunnam seems to be on an acting streak where he is finally getting some strong roles. He is expected to play the role of killer Ed Gein (American murderer and serial killer, commonly referred to as the Butcher of Plainfield) in Monster season 3, confirmed by Ryan Murphy.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menedez was a critical rave in September 2024, Netflix’s shady but acclaimed series regarding its storyline’s portrayal.
9. Daniel Kaluuya
No one can ignore the grand performance in Jordan Peele’s Get Out by this actor belonging to the millennial generation. He is also in the spotlight for his role in Black Mirror, season 1, episode 2.
Despite being born to Ugandan parents, Daniel Kaluuya is known to be British as he was born in Camden Town, London.
After getting nominated for two categories, Kaluuya won an Oscar in 2021 for supporting actor in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). For Black Panther (2018), he was amongst the cast members who won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture.
10. Rosamund Pike
Yes, our Gone Girl actor is also British. She received several commendations in Primetime Emmy award, Golden Globe award, Academy Award and BAFTA award.
Her other acclaimed works are Return to Sender (2015), The Wheel of Time (2021) and I Care a Lot (2021).
Currently, she is preparing for her next project, Guy Ritchie’s movie Wife and Dog, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and The Silence of the Lambs legend, Anthony Hopkins.
11. Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill would no sooner leave our minds in the form of Superman after his majestic performance in Man of Steel. And yes, for The Witcher and Mission: Impossible- Fallout.
He is another British actor born in Saint Heller, Jersey, England.
He was nominated for Best Actor in 2021 for The Witcher. He was declared Best Hero for Man of Steel by MTV Awards in 2014. He has the distinction of winning the GQ Man of the Year Award in 2018.
Currently, he has accepted his fate of not returning as Superman again but he acknowledges the fact that “James and Peter have a universe to build”, which he respects the most.
12. Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy was born in the district of Hammersmith, London. Since his big-screen debut in Black Hawk Down (2001), Hardy seemed unstoppable.
His role in Capone (2020) might not be comprehensible to some but he made sure that Venom stays in the entertainment arena for as long as we live.
His first Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actor) came from his role in The Revenant (2015) for the role of Fitzgerald. It was a brutal performance, not to forget a similar one in The Dark Knight (2012) as Bane.
He has in his pocket 2011’s BAFTA Rising Star Award and Best Actor Award by British Independent Film for Brosnan (2009) and Legend (2015)- twice.
13. Idris Elba
Idris Elba’s seamless ability to switch easily between British and American accents keeps the viewers in doubt. Here, we are clarifying that he is a British actor, born in the London Borough of Hackney.
He is an all-rounder; an actor, rapper, singer, DJ, and kick-boxer. His name was included in Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2016.
He won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in Luther (2010-2019) and, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Beasts of No Nation (2015) and Luther.
14. Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson is another Luther star, born in Surrey, England. Other notable performances are in Jane Eyre (2006) and The Affair (2014-2018).
She received nominations for Best Actress in British Academy Television Award and Golden Globe Award for the same category, all for Jane Eyre.
15. Millie Bobby Brown
With Stranger Things' final season coming up this year, Millie Bobby Brown is the toast of the town. Enola Holmes made her shine even brighter as this was something different she had tried lately.
The star lived in Bournemouth when she was only eight years old. With her immaculate English accent, people find it hard to believe she is Brit.
It isn’t a surprise that she gained two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for her role as Eleven in Stranger Things. Moreover, she won the Critics’ Choice Super Award, Bram Stoker Awards, two Golden Reel Awards, and IGN People's Choice Awards amongst dozens of others.
16. Robert Pattinson
Everyone's Twilight crush, the one and only, Robert Pattinson is also British. He was born in London.
Besides Twilight, The Lighthouse (2019), Tenet (2020) and The Batman (2022) are counted as his excellent performances.
At the Strasbourg Film Festival, he received the Best Actor award for his performance in How to Be (2008). Twilight Saga was the phenomenal performance that helped him gain two nominations for the Empire Awards and eleven wins at the MTV Movie Awards.
17. Christian Bale
The American Psycho actor was here to make his name in the most transformative role viewers could ever recall.
He ranked number 2 amongst the greatest film actors of the 2010s. The Dark Knight (2008), American Hustle (2013), and The Big Short (2015) are some of his superlative performances thus far.
He was nominated four times for Academy Awards and won one of them, earned four nominations from the British Academy Film Awards, four nominations for Golden Globe Awards and won two of them, and counting more.