When we see our favorite actors on the big screen or hear our favorite singers belting out catchy tunes on the radio, we rarely stop to consider that they might be bilingual or even multilingual. It turns out that many celebrities speak more than one language, and surprisingly, there are many who speak Italian fluently or to a very high level. In this article, we take a look at eight celebrities who are, to varying degrees, proficient in love languages.
1. Colin Firth
The British actor, known for his roles in “The King's Speech” and “Pride and Prejudice,” speaks fluent Italian. In 1997, he met Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli on the set of “Nostromo” and later married her, before they moved to the Umbria region of Italy. There they gave birth to two sons: Luca and Matteo. Unfortunately, the two broke up in 2019 due to marital problems. You can hear Colin speaking Italian in the video shot in 2021 below.
2. Viggo Mortensen
Mortensen, best known for his role as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series, is multilingual in every aspect. He speaks fluent Danish, English, French and Spanish and can hold a conversation in Italian. He attributes his Italian language skills to the years he spent in Argentina, a country rich in Italian cultural heritage.
3.Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster, best known for her roles in The Silence of the Lambs and Taxi Driver, studied Italian while majoring in literature at prestigious Yale University. Foster speaks French very well (although she claims to have a slight French accent) and is not afraid to conduct interviews in the language!
4. Kobe Bryant
NBA legend Kobe Bryant learned to speak fluent Italian as a child while his father, Joe Bryant, played professional basketball in Italy. Bryant spent several years living in Italy during his formative years, traveling to cities such as Rieti, Reggio Calabria, Pistoia and Reggio Emilia, which provided him with the opportunity to learn the language and immerse himself in the Opportunities in culture.
5. Audrey Hepburn
Award-winning actress and style icon Audrey Hepburn spoke multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and, unsurprisingly, Italian. She learned the language during her second marriage to an Italian psychiatrist.
6. Penelope Cruz
Penélope Cruz is fluent in Spanish and English and learned Italian for her role in Sergio Castellito's melodrama Do not move (Do not move). She won the David Donatello Award for her performance. Although she has a Spanish accent, she speaks the language very well.
7. Vincent Cassel
French actor Vincent Cassel, who was married to Monica Bellucci for 14 years, speaks some Italian, but what really stands out is that he only has a faint French accent.
8. Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman, best remembered for her role in Casablanca, was a native Swedish speaker, but she was also fluent in four other languages: English, Italian, French and German. When asked which language she preferred, she replied: “English for acting, Italian for romance, French for diplomacy, German for philosophy and Swedish for secrecy because few people know It's worth remembering, don't you think?
9. Harry Styles
Singer Harry Styles has made the most of his time during lockdown, learning how to speak Italian and communicate in sign language. You can witness him putting his language prowess to work (and charming his Italian fans in the process) in the video below, filmed at a concert in Reggio Emilia.
10. Serena Williams
Serena Williams is a true champion, both on and off the tennis court. Her passion for languages is impressive. In addition to her native English, she speaks French, Spanish and some Italian.
11.Venus Williams
Serena is not the only Williams sister with a passion for languages. Venus was also a polyglot. In addition to English, she also speaks French, German, Italian and Mandarin to varying degrees.
12. Sir Christopher Lee
We all know that Sir Christopher Lee played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. However, did you know that he is also a polyglot? In addition to his native English, Lee is fluent in Italian, Spanish, French and German, and has some proficiency in Greek, Russian and Swedish.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
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