Actors Fluent in 3+ Languages Who Use Them On-Screen

When an actor can move between languages on camera, whole scenes change in real time. You hear characters shift power and reveal intent without a translator stepping in. This list focuses on male actors who are fluent in three or more languages and have actually used them on screen in films or series. Each entry highlights specific titles where the multilingual work is easy to spot.

You will find performers who jump from European languages to Asian languages and back to English without missing a beat. The examples cover dialogue that happens inside single scenes as well as careers built across different language industries. Everything here points to concrete roles and spoken lines that made it into finished projects.

Christoph Waltz

Christoph Waltz speaks German, English, French, and Italian. He uses German, French, and English within the same storyline in ‘Inglourious Basterds’, including the opening farm scene in French, interrogation exchanges in German, and later conversations in English. He also drops into Italian during the theater sequence in the same film.

Outside that production he continues to work across languages. He leads English language roles in ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Spectre’ and returns to German dialogue in European projects and interviews tied to his German stage and television work, which helped shape his code switching ease on film sets.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen is fluent in English, Spanish, and Danish and he has used all three on camera. He headlines the Spanish language features ‘Alatriste’ and ‘Todos tenemos un plan’, and he performs in Danish as the father in the Argentine set ‘Jauja’.

He also delivers Russian dialogue for key scenes in ‘Eastern Promises’ while carrying the rest of the performance in English. Across his career he has moved among Spanish productions, Danish speaking roles, and English language studio films without dubbing, which is visible in the finished scenes.

Daniel Brühl

Daniel Brühl speaks German, Spanish, Catalan, and English. He performs in German in ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’ and switches to English in ‘Rush’. He plays in Spanish and Catalan in ‘Salvador’, where courtroom and prison scenes include extended exchanges in both languages.

He continues that range in international work. He toggles between German and English in ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and then anchors English language television in ‘The Alienist’. He also appears in Spanish productions like ‘Eva’, keeping all four languages active on screen across different markets.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Tony Leung Chiu-wai speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. He performs in Cantonese in ‘In the Mood for Love’ and delivers Mandarin dialogue in ‘Lust, Caution’ and ‘Red Cliff’. His English language work is visible in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, where he also uses Mandarin during family and Ten Rings scenes.

His Hong Kong and mainland projects often release in multiple language cuts, and he records his own Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue. That practice is easy to track in behind the scenes materials and in the finished audio where his voice carries both versions.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and conversational Japanese. He leads Cantonese dialogue in ‘Police Story’, switches to English throughout ‘Rush Hour’, and performs in Mandarin in ‘The Myth’. He also speaks Japanese in ‘Shinjuku Incident’ in scenes set within Tokyo neighborhoods.

Many of his films have parallel Cantonese and Mandarin tracks, and he frequently dubs himself for both, which lets viewers hear the same performance across languages. His Hollywood projects keep his English on screen while his Asian releases showcase the Cantonese and Mandarin that built his career.

Andy Lau

Andy Lau speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. He carries Cantonese dialogue in ‘Infernal Affairs’ and moves to Mandarin in ‘House of Flying Daggers’ and ‘A World Without Thieves’. He appears in English language scenes in international co productions such as ‘Black Mask 2’ and speaks English on screen when needed in larger ensemble projects like ‘The Great Wall’.

His filmography includes titles that were shot in one Chinese variety and later looped in another, and he records his own lines for those versions. That pattern places his Cantonese and Mandarin work side by side and keeps the English segments intact whenever a scene requires them.

Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada speaks Japanese, English, and Mandarin. He performs in Japanese and English in ‘The Last Samurai’ and ‘Rush Hour 3’, shifting languages according to character relationships. He also uses Mandarin in ‘The Promise’, where his dialogue plays directly against native speakers.

On television he continues to use multiple languages. He speaks Japanese and English in ‘Lost’ and ‘Westworld’, sometimes within the same episode. His training in Japanese theater and long experience in American and Chinese productions make the language changes visible on screen without a dubbing layer.

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif spoke Arabic, English, and French. He began with Arabic language cinema in ‘Cairo Station’, then moved to English speaking epics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago’. He later headlined the French language drama ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’, where extended conversations unfold in French.

Across decades he alternated among these industries and kept the languages active in leading roles. The result is a body of work where Arabic, English, and French dialogue appear in original audio, which allows direct comparison from film to film.

Tahar Rahim

Tahar Rahim speaks Arabic, French, and English. He uses Arabic and French throughout ‘A Prophet’, with prison yard and visitation scenes switching as characters require. He performs in English and Arabic in ‘The Mauritanian’, including interrogation sequences and legal meetings.

He also works bilingually on television. He plays in English and French in ‘The Serpent’ and appears in Arabic dialogue in ‘The Looming Tower’. His projects make the language changes part of the story rather than post production choices.

Dhanush

Dhanush speaks Tamil, Hindi, and English. He leads Tamil dialogue in films like ‘Asuran’ and ‘Velaiilla Pattadhari’ and performs in Hindi in ‘Raanjhanaa’ and ‘Shamitabh’. He appears in English language scenes in ‘The Gray Man’, where his character interacts with an international cast.

Indian productions frequently include multilingual exchanges inside single scenes, and his roles reflect that reality. Viewers can hear him switch between Tamil and Hindi within the same narrative and then step into English when a story crosses borders.

Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed speaks English, Urdu, and Punjabi. He uses all three in ‘Mogul Mowgli’, including family conversations in Urdu and Punjabi and performance scenes in English. He also appears in English and Urdu in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, where business and family scenes change the spoken language.

He continues to bring Urdu onto English language projects. He delivers Urdu verses and dialogue in ‘The Long Goodbye’ while his lead role in ‘Sound of Metal’ is entirely in English. The mix shows up directly in the finished audio without reliance on dubbing.

Daniel Dae Kim

Daniel Dae Kim speaks English, Korean, and Japanese. He performs in Korean and English across many episodes of ‘Lost’, where family and island scenes require both languages. He also speaks Korean and English in ‘Hawaii Five-0’, with investigation scenes shifting language based on character backgrounds.

He has used Japanese in roles that connect to Tokyo settings and characters, including scenes that require short but clear exchanges with native speakers. His screen work makes the language switches part of character identity rather than off camera preparation.

Share your favorite multilingual performances in the comments so everyone can compare notes on scenes where language really drives the story.