Celebrity Facts You Didn't Know
Which celeb is named after a department store and who rescued pets during Hurricane Katrina? Facts you never knew about the stars!
Rex FeaturesRachel Bilson’s mother Janice is a sex therapist. The actress revealed that her mum knew when she lost her virginity. “She’s a counsellor who specialises in that area and let’s just say she’s very intuitive.”
Rex FeaturesLeighton Meester’s mother was serving a prison sentence for smuggling marijuana when she gave birth to the actress. She nursed Leighton in a halfway house before returning to prison to complete the rest of her sentence and Leighton was looked after by her grandmother.
Rex FeaturesUma Thurman’s dad is a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert Thurman was the first Westerner to be ordained into the religion; he is also a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University.
PA PhotosGemma Arterton was born with six fingers on each hand. “It's my little oddity that I'm really proud of. People are really interested but repulsed at the same time,” she revealed. “My dad had them, and my grandad. I feel like we're one step ahead - a sign of things to come.”
PA PhotosTom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston originally auditioned for the role of Thor (which went to Chris Hemsworth) but movie bosses were so impressed with him that they gave him the role of Thor's baddie brother Loki instead.
WennHalle Berry was actually named after a department store. The actress was born Maria Halle Berry, her parents chose her middle name (which became her stage name) as a tribute to local Cleveland, Ohio, landmark, Halle’s Department Store.
PA PhotosIt’s not really surprising that former flames Blake Lively and Penn Badgley got on so well when they met on the set of Gossip Girl. The pair met when they were 11 because Blake’s mum was Penn’s acting coach.
PA PhotosEmily Blunt had a stutter as a child – and, funnily enough, it was acting that cured her of it. “I’d try to push the words out, but it was frustrating. My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches. It didn’t work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle,” she revealed.
PA PhotosCarey Mulligan is used to living in expensive hotels. At the age of three, her father accepted a job of managing a chain of hotels in Europe, and the family lived out of hotels for eight years straight.
Getty ImagesWhen Cameron Diaz got the part in The Mask, she had no previous acting experience.
PA PhotosMollie King appeared twice on The X Factor. First as a solo artist in 2005 and then as part of girl band Fallen Angels two years later. On Mollie’s first go, Sharon Osbourne told her: “I think you dress totally inappropriately." Ouch!
PA PhotosDid you know that Gwyneth Paltrow had a minor role in the 1991 film, Hook? She played the young Wendy Darling in the flashback scenes.
WennThe Saturdays star Una Healy got a taste of success early on. Aged nine, she was an All-Ireland champion swimmer, but she gave up the sport to concentrate on singing.
Rex FeaturesFor her role in Winter’s Bone, Jennifer Lawrence learnt how to skin squirrels. You just never know when that’s going to come in handy.
Getty ImagesBenedict Cumberbatch’s dad, Timothy Carlton, appeared in the 2012 Christmas Special of Downton Abbey, playing the judge who sentences Bates. You might recognise his mother too; she played Cassandra’s mum in Only Fools And Horses. And both appeared with Benedict as the famous detective's parents in Sherlock.
WennRochelle Wiseman’s uncle is former Manchester United footballer Paul Ince. Her husband Marvin Humes revealed that the pair have always been close. “He has been like a dad to Rochelle as she has grown up. They are really close. I’ve been round for dinner and we’ve spent time together… He’s had a quiet word with me, yes. I have total respect for him and Rochelle though. He’s a big guy — you wouldn’t mess with him.”
Rex FeaturesThink there’s something strangely familiar about Girls star Jemima Kirke? Well, she’s a first cousin of British model Alice Dellal.
FlynetRyan Gosling has his own indie rock band Dead Man's Bones with friend Zach Shields. They are planning their second album.
Rex FeaturesWhile he was struggling to get an acting role early in his career, Damian Lewis worked as a telemarketer selling car alarms in South London. It wasn’t a job he warmed to.
Rex FeaturesAngelina Jolie went to Beverly Hills High School, the school featured in Clueless and on which Beverly Hills 90210 was based.
Rex FeaturesGirls actress Zosia Mamet's maternal grandfather was Russel Crouse, who co-wrote the classic musical The Sound of Music.
Rex FeaturesMax Irons might be successful now but he struggled with dyslexia at school, and couldn’t write his name at eight.
WennDan Stevens was adopted at birth but said that he has no desire to find his real parents. “I’m very grateful to my mum and dad for adopting me - they’re completely incredible people,” he said.
Rex FeaturesMollie King was a competitive skier as a teenager and raced for Great Britain.
Splash NewsPretty Little Liars actress Ashley Benson was born two months early, weighing just 2 lbs 8 oz. After a month in ICU and two months in hospital, she was let home after the hole in her heart closed up on Christmas Day. She’s been healthy ever since.
Rex FeaturesWhile in South Africa for a year, Rebel Wilson contracted malaria and hallucinated that she was an Oscar winning actress. This convinced her to pursue an acting career.
PA PhotosIt was Call Me Definitely for Carly Rae Jepsen, who, despite being placed third in Canadian Idol, still ended up getting a record contract with Fontana/Maple Music.
Rex FeaturesFormer Doctor Who star Matt Smith was well on his way to being a professional footballer and had played for the youth team of Nottingham Forest when he got a serious back injury. When he couldn’t play anymore, his drama teacher encouraged him to sign up for the school play. Football’s loss was TV’s gain.
PA PhotosMarion Cotillard’s partner, Guillaume Canet is well used to Hollywood ladies. He is also the ex-husband of Diane Kruger.
Rex FeaturesJames Franco’s academic prowess was celebrated by his alma mater UCLA. They featured him on their adverts in March 2013, with a slogan reading: “Some A-Listers Actually Get A's”.
WennChris Hemsworth was rejected from Home & Away the first time he auditioned. The role of Robbie Hunter went instead to Jason Smith, but Chris was recalled for the part of Kim Hyde, which he subsequently nailed.
Getty ImagesEmma Stone convinced her parents to let her take up acting by showing them a Powerpoint presentation. “My dad’s a businessman. So, I think maybe I grew up thinking presentations were a good way to get your point across instead of just sitting down and having a conversation,” the actress explained.
PA PhotosAmanda Holden made her debut TV appearance on Cilla Black’s Blind Date! Sadly, the male “chooser” decided to go home with someone else that night.
Before she found fame, Russian model Natalia Vodianova and her mother used to sell fruit on the street to keep the family out of poverty.
Rex FeaturesDivergent star Shailene Woodley suffers from a scoliosis of the spine. “We were getting ready to go swimming and I was in a bikini... My best friend was like, 'Shai, your spine is weird.'I was OK. It wasn’t until the fourth week of wearing a brace that I said, 'Whoa, this is a bummer',” she revealed.
PA PhotosKaya Scodelario speaks fluent Portuguese, thanks to her mother, who’s from Brazil.
Nick Cannon might be a multi-millionaire record producer and rapper, but his career started from modest beginnings. Aged 11, Mariah Carey’s man started his career doing stand up comedy on the Baptist TV channel run by his dad.
Big PicturesLady Gaga said she would like Marisa Tomei to play her if her life story was ever made into a film. “I would have Marisa Tomei play me. I am such a Marisa Tomei fan," she said. "All my friends call me Marisa when I get angry. Because my New York accent just flies out of my body and I start smacking my gum."
PADaniel Radcliffe’s celebrations when he found out he’d got the part of Harry Potter at the age of 11 were relatively tame. “I was in the bath when I found out. And then I was allowed to stay up an extra half hour and watch Fawlty Towers.”
PA PhotosBefore finding success in Four Weddings And A Funeral, Hugh Grant worked as an assistant groundsman at Fulham football club.
Rex FeaturesJared Leto spent most of his early childhood travelling with his family across America. “I grew up in environment of actors, musicians, photographers, artists and different theatrical persons," the actor and musician revealed.
PA PhotosWhen she wasn’t singing her heart out trying to get a big break, opera star Katherine Jenkins worked as a tour guide on the London Eye.
PA PhotosRachel Bilson made her acting debut in Buffy The Vampire Slayer as potential slayer Colleen.
PA PhotosJack Nicholson’s sister was actually his mother, and his parents were actually his grandparents. Sound confusing? After Jack’s mother got pregnant, her parents offered to bring the child as their own so his mum could pursue a career in dancing.
PA PhotosGinnifer Goodwin was born Jennifer Goodwin but changed her name to the more unusual spelling to distinguish it.
Rex FeaturesNicole Kidman is scared of butterflies. "I have tried to get over it. I walked into the big butterfly cage at the American Museum Of Natural History and had the butterflies on me, but that didn't work…I jump out of planes, I could be covered in cockroaches, I do all sorts of things, but I just don't like the feel of butterflies' bodies," the actress said.
Rex FeaturesLady Gaga wrote Born This Way in 10 minutes flat. “It is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception," explained the singer.
PA PhotosChristian Bale’s mother was a circus clown, and the actor said his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta.
WennA three-year-old Elle Fanning played the younger version of her sister Dakota in Taken.
PA PhotosLiev Schreiber had an eventful childhood. His father kidnapped him from an upstate New York commune after his mother was admitted to a mental institution.
PA PicturesAdele, Leona Lewis and Jessie J all went to the same school. The Brit school in Croydon, which is renowned for its performing arts, also counts the late Amy Winehouse among its alumni.
PA PhotosJoaquin Phoenix spent most of his early childhood travelling around South America, as his parents were part of religious cult, The Children Of God. But, after they became disillusioned with it, they settled Joaquin and his siblings in Los Angeles.
Rex FeaturesDuring her teens, Hilary Swank lived out of a car until her mother saved enough money to rent an apartment. She also competed at the Junior Olympics as a swimmer.
PA PhotosMichelle Dockery is an accomplished jazz singer and sang at the 50th anniversary of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in 2009. She has also sung with Sadie And The Hotheads - the band formed by Elizabeth McGovern, who plays her mother in Downton Abbey.
PA PhotosStar Wars creator George Lucas hired Harrison Ford, then a carpenter, to build some cabinets in his home. But, the director wasn’t just impressed by the star’s woodwork skills, and got Harrison to read lines for the actors auditioning for parts in his new film, Star Wars. Despite hundreds of people competing for the role, Lucas decided Harrison was actually the best person for the part.
PAMariah Carey sleeps 15 hours a night in a room full of air humidifiers before her live concerts. "It's bleak, but you gotta do what you gotta do… I live in my own little universe." You don’t say!
Rex FeaturesAs well as playing hot tycoon Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl Ed Westwick is also the lead singer of indie rock group The Filthy Youth.
Rex FeaturesPaul Bettany was once a busker who earned money by playing the guitar.
Rex FeaturesThe ring Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez was worth $1.2m - more than double the cost of the ring he gave to wife Jennifer Garner.
WennJessica Chastain’s mother is a vegan chef.
PA PhotosGeri Halliwell worked as a glamour model, a nightclub dancer and a TV games show assistant before finding fame with the Spice Girls.
Getty ImagesRyan Gosling and Sandra Bullock were once an item. For a whole year! The pair hooked up in 2001, and the Drive actor confessed he only has fond memories of his time with the Oscar winner. "I had two of the greatest girlfriends of all time [the other is Rachel McAdams]. I haven't met anybody who could top them,” he said.
Rex FeaturesTaylor Lautner was a junior world karate champion for several years running. We bet his black belt came in handy for all those Twilight stunts.
Big PicturesEmma Bunton made a brief appearance as a prostitute in the BBC drama To Play The King. What would Baby Spice say!
PA PhotosRose McGowan was born into a religious cult. Her parents were both members of the Children of God and, at the age of 15, she emancipated herself from them, describing some of the religious movements’ practices as “creepy”.
Rex FeaturesJessie J appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End production of Whistle Down The Wind, aged 11.
Rex FeaturesSimon Cowell might be behind the biggest show on TV, but it could all have worked out quite differently. The music mogul once worked as a runner on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
PA PhotosTaylor Swift first picked up a guitar, aged ten, when a computer repair man showed her how to play three chords. It certainly sparked her interest!
PA PhotosMichael Fassbender served as an altar boy at his local church, while growing up in Ireland.
Rex FeaturesAshton Kutcher’s not just a pretty face! He studied biochemical engineering at university, before dropping out to become a model and actor.
Bigpicturesphoto.comEmmy Rossum is the niece of Vera Wang. The fashion designer is married to Emmy’s uncle Arthur Becker.
Goff PhotosMila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, in South West Ukraine, and spoke no English (only Russian) till she was seven.
PA PhotosRihanna was an army cadet that trained with the Barbadian military – and fellow singer Shontelle was her drill sergeant.
PA PhotosJohnny Depp suffers from coulrophobia, a fear of clowns. “I have this fear of clowns, so I think that if I surround myself with them, it will ward off all evil,'' the actor revealed.
PA PhotosShe’s touted as the most beautiful woman in the world so it’s incredible that Angelina Jolie was teased by children at school for wearing braces and glasses.
PA PhotosGeorge Clooney developed Bell’s Palsy for a year during Middle School. "That was the worst time of my life," he said. "You know how cruel kids can be. I was mocked and taunted, but the experience made me stronger."
DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGESKristen Stewart is half Australian – and she hasn’t ruled out living there. "I want to go to Sydney University in Australia. My mom's from there," she said.
Rex FeaturesOlivia Palermo’s father filed for bankruptcy in 2007 but a judge overturned the ruling after discovering Douglas Palermo had sent his children to expensive schools and joined private members clubs instead of paying his bills!
WennRobert Pattinson had been set to appear in the West End production of The Woman Before at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005 – but he was fired just before the opening night and replaced by Tom Riley. “I liked the freedom in the things you could do with acting. Like if you want to look sad, you don’t have to have a sad face, which is still how I try on a lot of different things. For that same reason – trying to take risks – I got fired from that play. I haven’t really changed since I got fired,” the Twilight star explained.
PA PhotosJennifer Garner had a Conservative childhood and wasn’t allowed to wear make-up or a bikini until she was 16. The actress joked that her family was "just a step away from being Amish."
PA PhotosRosario Dawson supports Arsenal. In February, before their Champions League match, she Tweeted: "I'll be happy with either team winning cuz I love them both but yes I'm a Gunner first & foremost sooooo #gooooArsenal."
Rex FeaturesTom Cruise wanted to become a Catholic priest and even attended a Franciscan seminary, aged 14, before famously converting to Scientology.
PA PhotosRosamund Pike is not only a Bond Girl, but also a skilled cellist.
PA PhotosBrad Pitt’s Toyota adverts were banned in Malaysia after the country's deputy information minister ruled that the actor’s handsome appearance may make Malaysian countrymen feel inferior. "Why must we use their faces in our advertisements?" asked Zainuddin Maidin. "Aren't our own people handsome enough?"
Sam Mendes had been scheduled to fly on the American Airlines flight 77 that was hijacked on 11 September 2001 and crashed into the Pentagon. A month later, his then-wife Kate Winslet was flying with her daughter Mia when a passenger claiming to be a terrorist stood up and screamed: "We're all going to die", forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing to have the man arrested. As a result, they never fly together in case they leave their children parentless.
PA PhotosShia LaBeouf was taken on by an acting agent after he pretended to be his own manager.
Rex FeaturesJake Gyllenhaal (and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal for that matter) is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family. The prefix of the family surname, Gyllen, means golden and was given to ennobled soldiers during the 17th century in Sweden.
PA PhotosSean Penn’s dad was the director of Little House on the Prairie. Sean appeared in a 1974 episode as a little blonde-haired extra.
PA PhotosSandra Bullock discovered while working on Two If by Sea that, while she loves horses, she is also allergic to them.
PA PhotosDemi Moore was cross-eyed as a child and wore an eye patch until her vision was corrected after two operations.
Rex FeaturesLeonardo DiCaprio’s father, George, is a famous underground comic artist.
PA PhotosNikki Reed’s dad dated Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke for several years. After they split, Catherine and Nikki stayed close and co-wrote the film, Thirteen.
Big PicturesPippa Middleton’s talents aren't just bridesmaid-based. The almost-royal attended Marlborough College after winning a competitive sports/all-rounder scholarship.
PA PhotosMatthew McConaughey rescued pets stranded during flooding after Hurricane Katrina. A year later he rescued a cat in LA that two youths had set on fire.
Rex FeaturesParis Hilton rescued an Oompa Loompa at the Art Basel Miami show in 2007. The heiress then stayed with the performer after people rushed onto the stage where he was dancing and cut his leg badly.
Rex FeaturesStrange couple alert! Robert Downey Jr dated Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1990s, before they split because of his problems with drug addiction.
PA PhotosSienna Miller got her first driving licence in the US Virgin Islands as it allowed her to drive in both the US and UK.
PA PhotosMichael Douglas’ father Kirk gave his son the rights to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest when he was 31. Michael went on to win an Oscar for his film adaptation of the book.
Rex FeaturesLady Gaga was discovered by Akon, who signed her immediately to his record label.
Rex FeaturesJack Whitehall has some real acting heavyweights as godfathers: Nigel Havers and the late Richard Griffiths.
