10 Famous Immigrants Who Moved to North America
Immigration is sometimes misunderstood, but the truth is that welcoming immigrants brings many benefits to a host country. Immigration helps to boost the economy, increases cultural diversity, brings skilled workers in the industries that need them, and improves the quality of life of immigrants.
Here are 10 famous immigrants who moved to North America and made this continent their new home:
1. Michael J. Fox (Immigrant from Canada)
Michael J. Fox was born in Edmonton, Canada in 1961, but he moved to Los Angeles when he was 18 years old to pursue his acting career. This famous immigrant eventually moved to Vancouver, Canada, meaning he is now an American citizen as well as a Canadian citizen.
Michael J. Fox is mostly known for portraying Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, and is now advocating for research to find a cure to this disease.
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2. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Immigrant from Austria)
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria in 1947. This famous immigrant moved to California when he was 21 years old, after winning the title of Mr. Universe. He became a professional bodybuilder and, eventually, a famous actor.
He is known for his roles in many movies, but also as a former Governor of California, as a filmmaker, a businessman, an activist, a philanthropist, and an author.
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3. Pamela Anderson (Immigrant from Canada)
Pamela Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada in 1967. After appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine in 1989, this famous immigrant moved to Los Angeles to become a model and an actress.
She is mostly known for portraying C.J. Parker in Baywatch. Today, she is a passionate animal rights activist promoting veganism, and she moved back to Vancouver, Canada after spending some time in the French Riviera.
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4. Charlize Theron (Immigrant from South Africa)
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa in 1975. This famous immigrant moved to Milan, Italy with her mother as a teenager to pursue a modeling career, before moving to New York City, and then to Los Angeles, where she attended acting school.
Her break-out film was The Devil’s Advocate, in 1997. On top of being a successful actress, she is now also known as a producer.
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5. Mikhail Baryshnikov (Immigrant from Soviet Union)
Mikhail Baryshnikov was born in Latvia, Soviet Union in 1948. After getting started in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974 while on tour. He danced with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto, before joining the American Ballet Theater, and then the New York City Ballet.
He is seen as one of the greatest male ballet dancers in history, but he is also known as a famous immigrant, a choreographer and an actor.
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6. Michaëlle Jean (Immigrant from Haiti)
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1957. This famous immigrant came to Canada as a refugee in 1968 and lived in Thetford Mines, Quebec. She became a reporter, filmmaker, and broadcaster.
She was the 27th Governor General of Canada from 2005 to 2010, being the fourth woman to hold this title, and the first person of Caribbean descent. She was then made Secretary-General of La Francophonie in 2015, with a four-year mandate.
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7. Dave Matthews (Immigrant from South Africa)
Dave Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1967. During his childhood, this famous immigrant moved between South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States with his family, and he eventually settled in Charlottesville, Virginia.
This is where he started to perform music in public. He is now known as the singer of the Dave Matthews Band, but also for his solo projects, and he had some success as an actor.
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8. Dikembe Mutombo (Immigrant from DR Congo)
Dikembe Mutombo was born in Leopoldville, DR Congo, in 1966. This famous immigrant moved to the United States in 1987 to enroll in college. He was recruited to play basketball while studying at Georgetown University.
He went on to play 18 seasons with 6 different NBA teams, before retiring in 2009. He is also known for his work as a humanitarian, and he started his own foundation to improve living conditions in his native country.
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9. Arianna Huffington (Immigrant from Greece)
Arianna Huffington was born in Athens, Greece, in 1950. The famous immigrant moved to the United Kingdom when she was 16 years old, and after spending some time studying abroad in India, she moved to New York in 1980.
She is mostly known for being the founder of The Huffington Post, but she is also a successful businesswoman as well as an author.
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10. Mike Lazaridis (Immigrant from Turkey)
Mike Lazaridis was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1961. He was 5 years old when his family moved to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The famous immigrant is now known as a generous philanthropist, but also as the founder of the BlackBerry multinational. Many consider him to be the father of the smartphone. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.
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