9 Celebrities who Speak French—You Might Be Surprised
Did you know these celebrities speak French?
After reading this article, you’ll feel a little less alone… because even VIPs can struggle with the language of Ratatouille! Here are 9 celebrities who speak French. From bilingual stars to those who’ve lived in France for a while or simply picked up the language along the way, these famous faces prove that superstars have a soft spot for French too!
Australian celebrities who speak French
Tina Arena
Tina Arena is an Australian singer born in Melbourne, who became a major star from a very young age! But did you know she was also hugely popular in France? Her career in France took off in the 90s with her hit Aller plus haut, followed by Aimer jusqu’à l’impossible.
At first, Tina didn’t understand French and sang phonetically. She felt quite intimidated by the idea of singing in a language she didn’t speak, but the song was a huge success! And honestly, you can barely hear her accent. She later decided to settle in France after falling in love with her lyricist, and started learning French in her 30s!
Tina Arena
Source: Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Tina_Arena_%287286239038%29_crop.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman has shown off his French skills several times during interviews and promotional tours in France! He actually studied the language in high school and has kept a deep love for French culture and cinema. Although Monsieur Jackman isn’t fluent, he can hold his own and keeps charming Francophone audiences whenever he appears on television. And honestly, we wouldn’t mind hearing more!
In a recent interview with France TV, the famous actor revealed that he still remembered his high school teacher saying he had a good accent but never did his homework! 🙃
Hugh Jackman
Source: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Hugh_Jackman_3%2C_2012.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Julia Zemiro
Julia Zemiro was born in Aix-en-Provence, France! Her father was French and her mother was Australian. When she was just two years old, her family emigrated to Australia, where she attended a French school in Sydney. The most romantic language in the world has always been a part of her life: she’s perfectly fluent and still speaks French with her papa.
TV presenter, radio host, actress, singer, writer and comedian—she’s a truly multi-talented star! And if that wasn’t enough, she was also the ambassador for the 25th anniversary of the French Film Festival in Australia. 💪
julia zemiro speaks french - Recherche Google
➡️ No need to be born in France to speak le français! Don’t hesitate to book a trial lesson with one of our native tutors. 😄
Julia Zemiro
Source: Adelaidefescent, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Julia_Zemiro_-_Artistic_Director_.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Cate Blanchett
Let’s be clear: the famous actress isn’t bilingual. But she did impress the audience by giving part of her opening speech in French as president of the jury at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Her pronunciation was very good and certainly caught people’s attention!
She’s also had a few little moments speaking French in films such as Monuments Men, where she had to put on an accent, and to be fair, it’s pretty convincing. In a recent interview, she shared her love for Paris (saying she particularly enjoyed visiting the Place de la Concorde 😉).
So, Cate Blanchett may not speak French at an advanced level, but she has certainly made an effort to learn it!
Cate Blanchett
Source: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Cate_Blanchett-63298.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Lachlan Buchanan
You might have seen Lachlan Buchanan in movies such as Newcastle and Behaving Badly (with Selena Gomez!) or in series such as Pretty Little Liars, Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy and Teen Wolf—where he actually plays a French character called Henri Argent 🥐…
But did you know Lachlan Buchanan was fluent in French? At least, that’s what he states in his professional CV from the early 2010s. Sadly, I haven’t found any videos of him speaking French…
International celebrities who speak French
Jane Fonda
The Hollywood goddess moved to Paris in her late twenties to star in a movie and ended up living there for six years. She got married to a French celebrity and even gave birth to her daughter there. She has said that France is her second home. 🥹
Jane Fonda is totally bilingual!
Jane Fonda
Source: Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Jane_Fonda_Cannes_2018.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp and France go way back! 😉 The American actor was in a relationship with the famous singer and actress Vanessa Paradis for 14 years—with whom he had two children! The actor behind Jack Sparrow lived in the south-east of France for over a decade.
He speaks French fluently and has put his language skills to good use on screen several times. He recently gave an outstanding performance as Louis XV in the movie Jeanne du Barry, delivering much of his dialogue in French.
Johnny Depp
Source: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Johnny_Depp_2020.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Bradley Cooper
Everyone knows that Bradley Cooper has a special connection with France. Long before he became a Hollywood star, the famous actor of The Hangover spent six months in Aix-en-Provence as an exchange student while at university.
He is fluent in French and even has his own apartment in Paris, where he enjoys spending time. 🔑
Bradley Cooper teste son français avec des phrases que même nous on ne sait pas dire
➡️ Want to speak French as well as Bradley Cooper 🤩? Don’t hesitate to contact us and see how we can help!
Bradley Cooper
Source: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Bradley_Cooper_Is_This_Thing_On-41.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet’s father is French and his mum is American! A pretty good recipe for becoming bilingual. 😉
He spent many of his summers in France as a kid, so he grew up speaking French fluently. He does have a cute little accent, though, and occasionally throws a bit of Franglais into the mix!
Timothée Chalamet
Source: Amy Martin Photography, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Timoth%C3%A9e_Chalamet_2025_2_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original
And the list goes on: Emma Mackey, Jodie Foster, Joseph Gordon Lewitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Oh, Diane Kruger, Tom Hiddleston, Elton John, Emma Watson… But also Queen Elizabeth II or Audrey Hepburn! Their French ranges from beginner to fluent!
So, the next time you feel like you’re struggling to speak like a Parisian, remember: even celebrities have had to learn French one word at a time… and they still get it wrong sometimes! 😉
Do you know other famous people who are bilingual? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️