Actors Who Are Multilingual (4+ languages)

Some actors don’t just cross genres — they cross languages, too. The men below regularly work in four or more tongues, switching speech as easily as they switch roles. You’ll find the languages they use, where they learned them, and examples of films or series where that skill shows up on screen. From international co-productions to dialogue-heavy dramas, their language chops are part of the job.

Daniel Brühl

Raised between Spain and Germany, Daniel Brühl speaks Spanish, Catalan, German, French, English, and Portuguese. He uses multiple languages on screen, notably in the trilingual World War I drama ‘Joyeux Noël’, and has worked extensively in English-language projects like ‘The Alienist’ and ‘Rush’. Brühl has discussed juggling “four or five” languages depending on the project and his family background. His multilingualism is routinely cited as a reason he’s cast across European and U.S. productions.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen grew up bilingual in English and Spanish and later added Danish, French, and Italian; he has also taken on other languages when roles require it. He spoke French and learned regional Arabic for the Algerian-set drama ‘Far from Men’, and he often promotes work in Spanish-language media as comfortably as he does in English. His background includes years living in Argentina, Denmark, and the U.S., which helped build his range. He’s also known for slipping between languages during press for films like ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

Christopher Lee

Sir Christopher Lee worked across Europe and was documented as fluent in English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German, with additional proficiency in Swedish, Russian, and Greek. His wartime service utilized those skills, and later he acted in multiple languages, including German productions and Italian shoots. On screen, he brought those abilities to international releases alongside roles such as Saruman and Count Dooku. Lee also contributed voice work in different language dubs when required.

Max von Sydow

Max von Sydow performed professionally in Swedish, Danish, English, French, and Italian, moving fluidly between Hollywood and European cinema. He carried major English-language roles like ‘The Exorcist’ while also working in French on ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ and in Scandinavian productions throughout his career. His language range is highlighted in industry profiles and obituaries that note how he tailored performances across markets. The breadth helped him sustain a seven-decade screen career.

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif spoke Arabic, English, French, Italian, and Spanish, a mix he credited to a multilingual upbringing and international work. He debuted in English with ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and later headlined French-language features like ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’. Interviews and reference entries consistently list those five languages as part of his toolkit. His facility with accents supported roles across Europe and the U.S.

Jean Reno

Born in Morocco to Spanish parents and raised in France, Jean Reno is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and English. That linguistic range has supported an international career spanning ‘Léon: The Professional’, ‘Ronin’, and Spanish-language promotions and appearances. Profiles point out his ability to move between Romance languages and English with ease. He has also worked on productions across France, Spain, Italy, and the U.S.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan has recorded and acted in multiple languages and is noted for speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese. His discography includes songs performed in several of those languages, and he frequently handles his own theme tracks. In film and publicity, he switches among them depending on market and format. This broad linguistic presence mirrors his pan-Asian and global career.

Alfred Molina

Alfred Molina, born in London to Spanish and Italian parents, speaks English, Spanish, Italian, and French. His multilingual background is reflected in stage and screen credits where he’s portrayed characters across nationalities, from ‘Prick Up Your Ears’ and ‘Frida’ to franchise work like ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Biographical entries and interviews note his fluency beyond English. He also narrates audiobooks and participates in international productions that leverage his language skills.

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Takeshi Kaneshiro is multilingual, with fluency in Mandarin, Hokkien (Taiwanese), and Japanese, plus working ability in Cantonese and English. He has headlined films throughout East Asia, including Mandarin-language ‘House of Flying Daggers’ and Japanese releases, while also appearing in Cantonese productions. His schooling and upbringing across Taiwanese and Japanese contexts underpin that flexibility. Media profiles routinely emphasize his cross-market language use.

Vincent Cassel

Vincent Cassel’s language repertoire includes French, English, Portuguese, and Italian, with additional conversational Russian learned for a role. He lived in Brazil for years, spoke Brazilian Portuguese on screen in projects like ‘Adrift’, and frequently works in Italian productions as well as English-language films such as ‘Black Swan’. Profiles and reference entries underline his comfort working across these markets. This linguistic mobility helps him alternate between European auteur films and Hollywood fare.

Tell us which multilingual performances impressed you most — and who else belongs on this list — in the comments!