Surprising celebrity birthplaces

Nicole Kidman is one of the best-known Aussie actresses. But, while she got her start acting in Australia, she was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while her Australian parents were temporarily in the United States on educational visas.

Audrey Hepburn, was one of the most famous British actresses of all time, appearing in movies such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Roman Holiday," "Sabrina" and "My Fair Lady," but she was actually born in Brussels, Belgium.

Gene Simmons, the lead singer of hard rock band Kiss, was born Chaim Witz at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel. He moved with his mother to New York City at the age of 8.

British comedian Eddie Izzard was born in the Colony of Aden (modern day Aden, Yemen) to English parents while his accountant father was working in Aden with British Petroleum. A year after he was born, his family moved to Northern Ireland and then again to Wales when he was five.

Nina Dobrev, the star of "The Vampire Diaries," was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva. She moved to Canada at the age of 2 and was raised in Toronto.

"Sex in the City" star Kim Cattrall must have been born in New York City or Los Angeles, right? Actually, she was born in Liverpool, England. However, her family moved to British Columbia, Canada, when she was just 3 months old. She moved to London, England, when she was 11, but again moved back to Canada at age 16.

Given his long run with heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, you might assume Tommy Lee was born in Los Angeles. While he did grow up in California, he was actually born in Athens, Greece.

Hugo Weaving, known for his roles in the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix" film franchises as well as for "V for Vendetta," got his start acting in his 20s in Australia. But the Aussie actor was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, to English parents who moved back to England a year after his birth. They eventually moved to Australia and South Africa before moving back to England again and then finally settling in Sydney, Australia, in 1976 when he was a teenager.

Rose McGowan, known for the movie "Scream" and the TV series "Charmed," was born in Florence, Italy, where her father ran an Italian chapter of the Children of God religious movement. She moved with her parents to the United States when she was 10.

Mel Gibson got his start in Australian films such as "Mad Max" and "Gallipoli," before becoming a Hollywood star thanks to "Lethal Weapon." However, the Aussie star was actually born in Peekskill, New York, with his family moving to Sydney, Australia, when he was 12.

If you know him from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy or the TV show "Lost," you probably assume Dominic Monaghan was born somewhere in England. While his family did move to the Manchester area when he was about 11 years old, he was born in Berlin, West Germany.

"Fringe" star Anna Torv hid her accent on the TV show, so you're not likely to know she was born in Melbourne, Australia.

Vivien Leigh, the British actress who won Oscars for playing southern belles in "Gone with the Wind' and "A Streetcar Named Desire," wasn't born in England, but rather in Darjeeling in the then Bengal Presidency of British India while her father was an English officer in the Indian Cavalry.

New Zealand actress Anna Paquin was 11 when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1993's "The Piano." However, she wasn't actually born in New Zealand, but rather in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with her family moving to New Zealand when she was 4.

Joe Strummer, the late lead singer of the iconic British punk band The Clash, was born John Graham Mellor in Ankara, Turkey. Strummer spent parts of his early childhood in Cairo, Mexico City, and Bonn, before starting boarding school in London, England, at the age of 9.

Kiefer Sutherland, the star of "24," is the son of fellow actor Donald Sutherland, so it might surprise you to find out that he wasn't born in either America or his father's native Canada. Instead, he was born in London, England. He moved as a child with his family to California before settling in Toronto, Canada, with his mother after his parents divorced before he was 10.

"La Bamba" star Lou Diamond Phillips was born at the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines, the son of Lucita Aranas and Gerald Upchurch, an officer in the United States Navy, but was raised in Texas.

"Reading Rainbow" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star LeVar Burton was born to American parents at the U.S. Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in West Germany. He was raised in Sacramento, Calif.

Jackson Browne, with his hit songs like "The Pretender," "Running on Empty" and "Somebody's Baby," is an iconic California rocker, but he wasn't born in the state. Instead, he was born in Heidelberg, Germany, where his father was an American serviceman stationed for his job assignment with the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Browne moved to Los Angeles at the age of 3.

Portia De Rossi, the wife of Ellen Degeneres best known for her TV roles on "Arrested Development" and "Ally McBeal," was born Amanda Lee Rogers in Horsham, Victoria, Australia. She moved to Los Angeles in her early 20s and worked so hard to replace her Aussie accent with a generic American one that she was later turned down after auditioning for a character with an Australian accent.

Saoirse Ronan, the Irish actress known for her roles in movies such as "Brooklyn," "Atonement," "The Lovely Bones" and "The Host," wasn't actually born in Ireland, but rather in New York City to Irish parents. She was raised in County Carlow, Ireland, after her family moved there when she was 3 years old.

Born to American parents who belonged to the religious group Children of God and traveled around South America, Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he lived with his family, including older brother River Phoenix, until the age of 6.

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Surprising celebrity birthplaces