Love Knows No Borders: These Famous Americans Married Foreigners
Love knows no bounds and that includes borders. These famous Americans were hit by cupid's arrow and fell in love with foreigners. Some of their partners are just as famous, while others entered the spotlight because of their partner.
While some of the cross-border relationships are still going strong, we've also found some hugely famous couples who went their separate ways. One of the actresses on our list even married a French billionaire!
John Krasinski Married British Actress Emily Blunt In 2010, It Has Been All "Good News" Since Then
John Krasinski married British actress Emily Blunt in 2010 and they have one of the most adorable marriages in Hollywood - a marriage we learned a little more about throughout the pandemic.
When Covid-19 hit, Krasinski started his "Some Good News" show which became an immediate hit. It turns out, John has those same vibes about his wife. "I don't know the formula to it, but I think she’s hilarious, extremely talented, and I’m definitely her No. 1 fan," he told People.
Matthew McConaughey Married Brazilian Model Camila Alves In 2012
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves tied the knot in 2012 and they're still going strong nine years later. The couple has three children together.
We love the outlook on married life that McConaughey shared with Australia's The Morning Show: "We got married with the pledge of doing this for the long run, and it's not easy - it’s hard work. And I think it’s supposed to be hard work sometimes... But those times when it is easy and it is rolling and we’re just like best friends - we don’t make a straight line crooked."
Tom Cruise Was Married To Australian Actress Nicole Kidman For 11 Years
Tom Cruise married Australian actress Nicole Kidman in 1990 and they stayed married until 2001. Cruise would go on to marry Katie Holmes in 2006, a marriage that ended after 6 years.
Cruise and Kidman were not only married, but they also shared the big screen together in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Open." The divorce shocked a lot of fans but they both emerged as even bigger stars following the end of their marriage.
Katy Perry And English Actor Russell Brand Tied The Knot And Split After Two years
Katy Perry and Russell Brand didn't wake up married in Vegas but they did spend two years together from 2010 until 2012. The sudden marriage occurred after just three months of dating.
At that point, Brand was already known for his partying lifestyle while Perry was a gospel-singer turned pop princess. Following the end of their short 14-month marriage, Perry described their quick union as a "tornado."
Michael Douglas Married Welsh Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones In 2000
Michael Douglas and Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones have been going strong for 21 years! Douglas is 76-years-old while Zeta-Jones is 51. Apparently, love knows no border and doesn't care about a big age gap either.
The couple was an instant power couple when they started dating and got married. They've largely left the spotlight in recent years while raising two children together.
Jennifer Connelly Married Paul Bettany In 2003 And They're Still Going Strong
Jennifer Connelly married an Avenger in 2003 and they have two children together. Actor Paul Bettany might not be a household name for many people but you likely know his work as Vision in the Avenger's franchise. He's also the voice of Tony Stark's" J.A.R.V.I.S."
Connelly attended Yale University for two years before heading to Stanford to study drama. She's the smart one in the relationship with Bettany telling People.com a story about helping their 9-year-old with homework: "There's a lot of staring at a math problem, bewildered, and asking Jennifer to solve it for me."
Claire Danes Married British Actor Hugh Dancy
Claire Danes tied the knot with British actor and model Hugh Dancy in 2009. You may recognize Dancy from his TV series "Hannibal" while Danes have appeared in dozens of films. Danes spent the better part of the decade as the star of the incredible TV series, "Homeland."
When they're not busy dominating TV ratings, Danes and Dancy have been busy building their family. The Hollywood power couple is parents to 7-year-old Cyrus and one-year-old Rowan.
Gwen Stefani and British Musician Gavin Rossdale Wed In 2002
Gwen Stefani was married to Bush frontman and British actor Gavin Rossdale from 2002 until 2012. While they both hailed from different continents, they shared a love of music and hard rock which likely served them well for many years. Stefani and Rossdale have three sons together.
Stefani, a devoted Catholic, recently had her marriage to Rossdale annulled by the Vatican, a move that will allow her to marry her new fiance, and country-crooner, Blake Shelton.
Ellen DeGeneres Married Australian Actor Portia de Rossi In 2008
Ellen DeGeneres married Australian actor Portia de Rossi in 2008 and in 2011 her wife became an American citizen.
What's the key to their long marriage? DeGeneres has said that de Rossi is her "rock" and has guided her through some tough times in life. She also says her wife is incredibly thoughtful. DeGeneres tells People that de Rossi will "leave little notes around if she's going somewhere, which is really sweet... She's just thoughtful."
Photographer Linda McCartney Married Paul McCartney
In 1969 Linda McCartney (Formerly Linda Eastman), a photographer and animal rights activist married one of the most famous Brits of all time, Sir Paul McCartney. The couple remained married until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
Nearly 30 years of marriage is impressive by any standard and they had a lot to show for their union, including three biological children they had together: Stella McCartney, Mary McCartney, and James McCartney. Paul would later adopt Heather, Linda's child from her first marriage.
Zoe Saldana's Italian Husband, Marco Perego, Took Her Last Name After Marrying In 2013
Zoe Saldana's husband, Italian artist Marco Perego, decided to take her last name when they wed in 2013. He now goes by the name Marco Perego-Saldana. The couple has three children together and they carry the name of both parents.
Zoe says she felt complete in her marriage after their boys were born." Since I've been with Marco, I've been lowering my guard. Finally, when we had our boys I looked at my husband and I realized: I was meant for you and you were meant for me..." she told E! News.
Gwyneth Paltrow And British Rocker Chris Martin Wed In 2004
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were two of the biggest stars in their respective crafts when they tied the knot in 2003. Paltrow's movie career was red hot when they married while Martin's rock band, Coldplay, was producing hits left and right.
In 2015 Paltrow filed for divorce, claiming that they had suffered from a "conscious uncoupling" which is basically a fancy Goop'ish way of saying "irreconcilable differences." The couple share custody of daughter Apple, 16, and son, Moses, who is now 14-years-old.
Chris Noth Married Canadian Actress Tara Wilson In 2012
Chris Noth stole the heart of Carrie Bradshaw in the super popular HBO series "Sex and the City" and years later he found real-life love when he married Canadian actress Tara Wilson in 2012. The couple has been going strong for nine years and they have a son together.
Noth and Wilson both continue to act on the small screen. Wilson took a two-year hiatus from acting but is now appearing in 2021's "Firefly Lane," a Netflix original series.
Matt Damon Married Argentinian Luciana Barroso In 2005, At City Hall!
A-list actor Matt Damon and Argentinian Luciana Barroso tied the knot in 2005. The couple chose to forgo the fancy Hollywood weddings that often make news. Instead, they were married in a small city hall ceremony in Manhattan.
Sixteen years is a long time to share a life together in Hollywood and they have three children to show for their time together. Damon might be a super spy on the big screen but he's dangerously outnumbered by the women in his life.
Tom Brady And Brazilian Model Giselle Bündchen Made It Official In 2009
Future NFL hall of fame quarterback, Tom Brady, married Brazilian model Giselle Bündchen in 2009. In the past 12 years, they've had two children together, a son and a daughter.
It hasn't always been smooth failing for Tom and Giselle, "A couple of years ago, she didn't feel like I was doing my part for the family," Brady told People. "She felt like I would play football all season and she would take care of the house, and then all of a sudden when the season ended, I'd be like, 'Great, let me get into all of my other business activities."
George Clooney Wed British-Lebanese Human Rights Lawyer Amal Alamuddin In 2014
George Clooney spent decades dating various women, a period when he was constantly listed as Hollywood's most eligible bachelor. Since 2014 he has been married to British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin and now they have twins together.
Maybe Clooney was just waiting for an incredibly intelligent woman to finally settle down with. Speaking to Esquire he says of his wife's intelligence over his own, "Oftentimes, I feel like an idiot talking to my own wife."
Janet Jackson Married Qatari Business Magnate Wissam Al Mana In 2012
Janet Jackson married Qatari business magnate Wissam Al Mana in 2012 and the pair quietly filed for divorce in April 2017. The couple shares a son together.
Jackson is no stranger to marrying foreigners, her last marriage, which ran from 1991 until 2000, was to Rene Elizonda, Jr. Rene is a dancer who hails from Mexico. As someone who has traveled around the world most of her life, we're not surprised to see Jackson has found love across several borders.
Eva Mendes Married Canadian Ryan Gosling In 2011
Eva Mendes marred Canadian actor and meme phenom Ryan Gosling in 2011 and they have two children together. Ten years is a long time in Hollywood and they've managed to keep their marriage incredibly private given their star status.
The couple is so private that the only time they have been photographed together on the red carpet was in 2012 (pictured above). They were only together then because they co-starred in the film The Place Beyond The Pines.
Salma Hayek Married French Billionaire François-Henri Pinault in 2009
Salma Hayek and her French husband, François-Henri Pinault, married in 2009 and they have a son together. Pinault is one of the wealthiest people on the planet with a fortune estimated to be north of $7 billion.
In 2021, 12 years into their marriage, Hayek shared with People just how smitten she is with her long-time husband. "You know the thing is that in pictures you cannot begin to guess the magic in him. He's made me become a much better person, and grow in such a good, healthy way."
Madonna Married Brit Guy Richie In 2000
Madonna married British director Guy Ritchie and stayed married from 2000 until 2008. During that time together the couple gave birth to two sons. The divorce led Madonna to tell The Sun UK that she felt "incarcerated" during her eight-year marriage.
According to Madonna, their "dynamic involved sacrifices" that really only affected her music career. Her comment wasn't really a knock on Richie, as she also said artists need to find someone who understands their type of art.