Celebs Who Grew Up as Refugees and Broke Through in Hollywood

Growing up amid displacement can shape a life in ways few people see. Many well known names in film and television spent part of their childhoods navigating new countries and languages after their families fled conflict or persecution. Their early years included housing paperwork, new schools, and unfamiliar streets, long before their faces showed up on screens.

This list gathers actors and filmmakers who experienced refugee life as kids or teens and later built careers in Hollywood. Each story includes where they came from, how they resettled, and which projects first put them in front of audiences. It is a reminder that the road to a set or a stage often begins far from the spotlight.

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi in what is now Ukraine and moved to Los Angeles with her family in 1991 on refugee visas. She learned English in elementary school and started acting classes soon after arriving in the United States, which led to early commercial work and small roles.

Her mainstream break came with the sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’ and voice work on ‘Family Guy’. She later earned major film leads in ‘Black Swan’, ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, and ‘Bad Moms’, establishing a steady career across television and features.

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich left Kyiv with her parents as political refugees when she was a child and resettled in the United States. She began modeling while still in school, which opened doors to auditions and early screen roles.

She moved from teen parts to global franchise work with ‘The Fifth Element’ and then led the long running ‘Resident Evil’ series. Other notable credits include ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Hellboy’, along with producing and music projects connected to her film work.

Hong Chau

Hong Chau was born in a Thai refugee camp to Vietnamese parents and grew up in New Orleans after resettlement. She studied film at college and started booking guest spots on television before landing feature roles.

Her film breakthrough came with ‘Downsizing’, followed by acclaimed turns in ‘The Whale’ and ‘Showing Up’. She has also built a strong television resume with ‘Watchmen’, ‘Homecoming’, and ‘The Night Agent’, often moving between prestige drama and genre projects.

Barkhad Abdi

Barkhad Abdi fled the civil war in Somalia as a child and lived in Yemen before resettling in Minneapolis during his teens. He worked a variety of jobs, including driving and mobile phone sales, before answering an open casting call for a major studio film.

His debut in ‘Captain Phillips’ brought award recognition and led to roles in ‘Eye in the Sky’ and ‘Blade Runner 2049’. He has continued to work in both independent and studio backed productions while supporting outreach that highlights refugee experiences.

Haing S. Ngor

Haing S. Ngor survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and resettled in the United States as a refugee. He was a physician before arriving and had no professional acting experience when he auditioned for a film about his country.

He won an Academy Award for ‘The Killing Fields’, then appeared in ‘Heaven and Earth’ and several television series. His life story became part of public education about Cambodian history, and his work remains a landmark for Southeast Asian representation in Hollywood.

Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia left Cuba with his family as a young child after the revolution and grew up in Miami within a large exile community. He studied acting in college and moved to Los Angeles to work in film and television.

He gained national attention with ‘The Untouchables’ and received an Oscar nomination for ‘The Godfather Part III’. His later credits include the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ trilogy, ‘Book Club’, and ‘Father of the Bride’, alongside directing and producing projects set in both English and Spanish.

Azita Ghanizada

Azita Ghanizada left Afghanistan with her family as a child and resettled in the United States through a refugee program. She started in commercials before moving to recurring roles on network series.

Her television work includes ‘Alphas’, ‘Ballers’, and ‘United States of Al’. She also founded an advocacy group that advances representation for artists from the Middle East and North Africa in Hollywood and helped secure inclusive casting guidelines used by industry unions.

Ger Duany

Ger Duany was separated from his family during conflict in what is now South Sudan and spent years displaced before resettling in the United States. He began modeling in New York and soon appeared in smaller film roles.

He gained attention with ‘I Heart Huckabees’ and later starred in ‘The Good Lie’, a drama about Sudanese refugee journeys. Beyond acting, he has served as a goodwill ambassador focusing on education and reintegration for displaced youth from the region.

Doua Moua

Doua Moua was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Hmong parents who fled conflict in Laos and later moved to Minnesota. He began community theater in high school and used self taped auditions to reach casting directors.

He broke through with ‘Gran Torino’ and later played a role in Disney’s ‘Mulan’. He also writes and develops stories drawn from Hmong American experiences, including a feature script that gained attention on industry development lists.

Jay Abdo

Jay Abdo built a successful acting career in Syria and left during the civil war, relocating to the United States. He took service jobs while reestablishing his career and studied English to work in American productions.

He returned to screens with roles in ‘A Hologram for the King’ and ‘Queen of Katwe’, along with appearances on series such as ‘NCIS’ and ‘Madam Secretary’. His path reflects the challenges of restarting a professional life after forced migration.

Maz Jobrani

Maz Jobrani moved from Iran to the United States as a child after the revolution and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He studied political science before turning to comedy and acting.

His television and film work includes ‘Superior Donuts’, ‘Shameless’, and ‘The Interpreter’, alongside stand up specials and tours. He co founded a comedy group that brought Middle Eastern voices to American stages and helped open doors to scripted roles in Hollywood.

Yasmine Al Massri

Yasmine Al Massri was born in Lebanon to Palestinian parents and spent her youth amid the legacy of the civil war before moving to Europe. She trained in dance and acting and later relocated to the United States.

She is best known for the series ‘Quantico’, where she played twin characters across multiple seasons. Film appearances and international projects round out her career, which often moves between Arabic, French, and English language productions.

Fares Fares

Fares Fares left Lebanon during the civil war and resettled in Sweden as a teenager, where he began acting on stage and in films. His early success in Scandinavian cinema led to opportunities in English language projects.

He has appeared in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ and ‘Chernobyl’, and played a recurring role in ‘Westworld’. His cross border career shows how regional stardom can translate to US based work when performers bring multilingual skills and a strong body of international credits.

Ruth Negga

Ruth Negga was born in Ethiopia to an Ethiopian father and Irish mother and moved to Ireland as a child during a period of unrest. She trained at drama school in Dublin and worked in theater before taking on film and television roles.

She earned widespread recognition with ‘Loving’ and starred in ‘Preacher’ and ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’. Her projects span independent dramas and studio productions, and she continues to work on stage alongside screen work.

Mark Ivanir

Mark Ivanir was born in Chernivtsi and emigrated with his family to Israel during the late Soviet period under refugee provisions for Jewish families. He served in the military and later joined a noted theater company before moving into film.

He has appeared in ‘The Good Shepherd’, ‘Schindler’s List’, and the series ‘Away’. His career often involves roles that require Russian, Hebrew, or accented English, which reflect the multilingual background shaped by migration.

Nina Kiri

Nina Kiri was born in Belgrade during the breakup of Yugoslavia and moved to Canada as a child after her family left the conflict. She trained in theater in Vancouver and began working in independent productions.

She is known for her role in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and has appeared in several genre films. Her work shows a steady transition from local Canadian projects to internationally distributed television filmed for US platforms.

Bojana Novakovic

Bojana Novakovic left Belgrade with her family as a child and grew up in Australia following the upheaval in the former Yugoslavia. She studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and worked in Australian film and theater.

She moved into US television with ‘Instinct’ and appeared in features such as ‘Drag Me to Hell’. She continues to split time between stage and screen, working across Australia and the United States on both independent and studio titles.

Rade Šerbedžija

Rade Šerbedžija left the Balkans during the wars of the nineties and settled in Western Europe before working in the United States. He had already built a reputation in regional theater and film and then began taking roles in English language projects.

His Hollywood credits include ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, ‘Mission Impossible 2’, and ‘Batman Begins’. He also directs theater, records music, and teaches acting, often linking cultural initiatives in Croatia, Slovenia, and the wider region to international productions.

Yul Brynner

Yul Brynner left Russia as a child during the aftermath of the civil war and spent his youth between China and France before relocating to the United States. He learned multiple languages while touring with theater groups and circus companies.

He became a major Hollywood name with ‘The King and I’ and ‘The Ten Commandments’, along with television appearances and concert work. His stage and screen career spanned decades and included directing and photography that drew on his cross continental upbringing.

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