Most Famous Foreigners Who Became US Citizens

Jim Carrey had developed a significant following in Toronto as an impressionist and standup comic before he moved to Hollywood in 1983. But superstar status would elude him until the mid-1990s, when he hit it big with comedies like “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Mask,” and “Dumb and Dumber.” Over his career, Carey has successfully made audiences laugh and cry with both comedic and dramatic roles, including films like “The Truman Show,” “Man on the Moon,” and “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” He gained U.S. citizenship in 2004.

Albert Einstein made physics cool. The German-born theoretical physicist is best known for his theory of relativity. Einstein was visiting the United States in 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany. As a Jew, Einstein objected to the new regime’s ideals, and he decided to stay in the United States and became a citizen in 1940.

Actor, film producer, businessman, former bodybuilder, and politician…Arnold Schwarzenegger has had quite the career. Since he was 10, the Austrian longed to move to the United States, and realized his dream in 1968 at the age of 21, through his bodybuilding (he had already become the youngest-ever Mr. Universe at age 20). He received his United States citizenship in 1983. After retiring from bodybuilding, he broke out as a Hollywood action star with blockbuster films like “Conan the Barbarian” and the “Terminator” series. Schwarzenegger also served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011.

Best known for her modeling in “Playboy” and her role on “Baywatch,” this blonde bombshell was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia. Her modeling career started in 1989, when she was featured wearing a Labatt’s Beer T-shirt on the Jumbotron during a BC Lions Canadian Football League game in Vancouver. The brewing company hired Anderson as a spokesmodel, and she appeared on the cover of “Playboy” that same year. At that time, she moved to Los Angeles to further her career as a model. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004.

Ryan Reynolds’ 30-year career began with a teen soap opera in his native Canada called “Hillside,” shown on Nickelodeon in the U.S. as “Fifteen.” More TV series followed, along with a range of film roles. Reynolds has seen his biggest commercial successes so far with “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2.” The superstar has snagged a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, three People’s Choice Awards, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe nomination. He became a U.S. citizen in 2018.