Wales is a country that spreads its branches far and wide. It’s common knowledge that when travelling abroad, a Welsh person will always come across a fellow countryman.
Our Welsh brothers and sisters are dotted all over the globe. When people think of the Land of Our Fathers, they immediately resonate with the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Nessa from Gavin & Stacey.
But did you know that Wales’ reach stretches further than you might think? Here are some of the people that you might not expect to have Welsh parents. For more TV and showbiz stories, subscribe to our newsletter here.
Read more: The Graham Norton Show: The Welsh woman who had a 'random' cameo
Emilia Jones
Actress Emilia found international fame when she appeared in the 2021 Academy Award-winning film CODA. In the film, the 20-year-old actress played the only hearing member of a deaf family and was nominated for countless accolades. Prior to that, Emilia had made several other TV and film appearances, notably in the 2013 Doctor Who episode, ‘The Rings of Akhaten’.
Emilia is the daughter of Welsh singer Aled Jones and his English wife, circus performer Claire Fossett. Both her and younger brother Lucas were born in London.
Previously speaking to Good Morning Britain about his daughter’s success, Aled said: "It's been great for me just watching from the background. I love that. The fact that she loves what she's doing and she’s great at it, so long may it last.”
Rory Cellan-Jones
Journalist Rory Cellan-Jones has made his way onto this list. The 'Jones' was a bit of a giveaway, right?
The BBC’s former technology correspondent, 65, is the son of James Kellan-Jones, who himself was a famous TV and film director from Swansea. Over the course of James’ career, he worked on a number of classic series including The Forsyte Saga and Fortunes of War starring a young Emma Thompson. He passed away in 2019.
Rory, meanwhile, has recently been entertaining his Twitter following with tales of his Romanian rescue dog, Sophie, who herself now has a large fan base. After a traumatic past, upon moving in with Rory and his wife Diane, Sophie spent four weeks refusing to leave her hiding spot behind the sofa. Her growth into a more confident dog has taken the world of social media by storm and some have called it the ‘feel-good story of 2022’.
Leslie Nielsen
Airplane’s Leslie Nielsen also has Welsh roots. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (born Davies), was an immigrant from the country. His father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was Danish.
Aside from starring in Airplane! Nielsen is known for his work on the Naked Gun film franchise. He made numerous TV and film appearances before his death in 2010 aged 84.
Paul Whitehouse
Once described by Johnny Depp as the “greatest actor of all time”, Paul Whitehouse was born in Stanleytown, Rhondda. His father, Harry, worked for the National Coal Board and mother, Anita, was a singer with the Welsh National Opera. The family moved to Middlesex when he was four years old.
Previously talking about how his move from Wales affected him, Paul, 64, said: “At school I didn't say a word for the first four weeks – I called it my Silent Month. I think it was because everyone was speaking so differently from how it had been in Wales. Then, after four weeks, I came home one day and said, 'Muumm, I wanna go to Sarfend!' For her that was the end because I had lost my lovely Welsh lilt. So I became very conscious of speech and the effects it can have. But when I went back to Wales I would start talking all Welsh, 'like that, you see' before going all Alf Garnett while coming back the other way.”
Henry Thomas
With a profoundly Welsh surname, it’s not surprising to learn that ET star Henry Thomas has connections to the country. In 2018, whilst chatting to Lorraine Kelly, the actor, 51, revealed that he’d been researching his family history.
"Both my mother and father's family come from Wales - north and south," he told the presenter. Henry had previously told BBC Radio Wales the same thing. During that interview, he also said that he’d tried his hand at learning the Welsh language by listening to tapes in his car.
Henry is a huge supporter of Swansea Football Club. In the past, he has posted photos of himself wearing the Club’s jersey to social media.
Mo Gilligan
This year’s BRITS host and comedian, Mo Gilligan, has connections to Wales. When asked by actor and impressionist (read about his Ken Bruce prank here) Rob Brydon why he supported the Welsh team at the Euros in 2016, Mo, 34, explained that his mother was Welsh.
"My mum was born in Barry," Mo said. "My grandad as well, my grandad is Jamaican, I've got a lot of family in Cardiff as well, Grangetown, but yeh, I've got loads of family in Cadoxton. That was the six week holiday. I'd spend time with my cousins and aunties and uncles."
Naomi Watts
In 2015, King Kong actress Naomi Watts surprised viewers with her amazingly accurate pronunciation of ‘the longest town name ever’ (Llanfair PG) on US talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! The reason for this is the fact that she actually lived in the village with her grandparents, who were Welsh, when she was younger.
Despite being born in Kent, Watts, 54, spent a portion of her childhood years in the village, where her grandparents lived, before moving to Australia when she was 14 years old, with mum Myfanwy and brother Ben. Whilst living in Llanfair PG, she learnt to speak Welsh fluently and also attended Hen Ysgol Henblas in Llangristiolus.
Speaking of her time in Wales, Watts previously said: "We took Welsh lessons in a school in the middle of nowhere while everyone else was taking English. Wherever we moved, I would adapt and pick up the regional accent. It's obviously significant now, me being an actress. Anyway, there was quite a lot of sadness in my childhood, but no lack of love."
Bob Hope
Did you know that Hollywood icon, Bob Hope, was oart-Welsh? His mother Avis was an opera singer from Barry. Hope’s father, William, was a stonemason from Weston-super-Mare. Prior to the birth of their son (or Leslie as he was originally named), the couple lived in Greenwood Street in Barry. In 1908, five years after Bob was born, Avis and William would emigrate to the United States.
Avis taught Bob to sing and he’d regularly entertain his family with his phenomenal ability for singing, dancing and impersonations. Little did Avis know that her son would go on to become one of the biggest film stars in the world, playing a role in a whopping 54 films. He passed away in 2003 aged 100.
Quincy Jones
Known for working with ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson on ‘Thriller’, American record producer Quincy Jones also heralds from Wales. Quincy opened up about this during a visit to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2009.
His father, also called Quincy, was half-Welsh. He worked as a semi-professional baseball player and carpenter. The 89-year-old’s mother, meanwhile, came from Illinois.
Carey Mulligan
Half of Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan’s family is Welsh. The 37-year-old actress' mother, a university lecturer, is from Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire.
Mulligan’s grandmother, who passed away in 2017, spent the final days of her life in a care home in Pontardawe. She’d been battling Alzheimer’s disease, which is something the actress now raises awareness for by working with charity Alzheimer’s Society UK. You can read more about her charity work here.
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