Celebrities you have sworn were British but are not

Madonna — I hear she’s really an American?

[quote] Trent D’Arby

As a Brit, this doesn't sound British at all. Trent sounds American. D'Arby is not a British spelling at all - it would be exotic to see that here. Terence, okay, I can maybe buy but it isn't common here at all.

London Lee.

R3 Ha. Almost no Brit would name their kid 'London'. It's like an American naming their kid 'New York' or 'Chicago'.

or "North"

Vincent Price (of St. Louis)

[quote]As a Brit, this doesn't sound British at all. Trent sounds American.

If you say so.

R7 Still isn't British, it's very much an Americanism. You do know of that 'the exception proves the rule'?

The name Darby comes from his step-father. Terence added the apostrophe as, I guess, a rhetorical flourish.

I didn’t think he was British because of his name. I thought he was British because of his overall vibe. And the affair with Paula Yates.

Jason London

English surnames like Taylor, Brent, Trent, Madison, Chase, Kennedy, Ashton, Baron, Mitchell, Blake, Rhett, Jackson, Kendrick, Logan, Marshall, Cameron, Bailey, Cassidy, Devon, Harper, MacKenzie, etc. being used for first names seem to be an American speciality.

okay, there are a few Scottish surnames there but you get the idea. It's definitely a different culture.

R6 I remember being dumbfounded when I found out he was American.

R12,

Scotland here. My mother in law got a taxi in Glasgow a few years ago. The driver excitedly told her that he had a new baby daughter, named MacKenzie,

“That’s unusual”’ she said diplomatically.

“Thanks” he replied.

“It’s American”.

R14 Love it. I've thought of some more - Rooney (Rooney Mara), Harrison (Dexter's kid.. Dexter too), Sawyer, Hunter (Hunter Biden), Flynn, Hayden (Hayden Christensen), Mason, Avery, Clark (Clark Gable), Colton, Preston, Riley (Riley Keough), Evan (Evan Rachel Wood).

Surnames as first names is popular in America.

As is naming girls after male relatives. Barack Obama’s mother’s name is Stanley. And Jessica Simpson named her daughter Maxwell after a grandfather.

[QUOTE]As is naming girls after male relatives. Barack Obama’s mother’s name is Stanley. And Jessica Simpson named her daughter Maxwell after a grandfather.

I have noticed this, especially with Welsh names. In Wales Meredith is a boy's name, for example. So is Dylan and yet there's Dylan Penn.

Ruby Wax; Debbie Harry; Mel Gibson

Glenda the Good Witch of the North

[quote]Ruby Wax

This is strange to me because she doesn't look or vibe British at all. She has an American accent as well.

Mrs Doubtfire

Ruby Wax is American, but has lived in the UK since the 1970s. She has dual UK/US citizenship.

Renée Zellweger, born in… TEXAS!

She’s a bit of an odd one, with her father from Switzerland and her mother from Norway. But she is 100% not British, and I was very surprised to learn that.

When I was a kid, I thought GOOP was British.

Me too, R23.

Same for Julianne Moore.

Christopher Plummer

Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves was born in Topeka Kansas. Not sure why the video for their one big hit "Walkin' on Sunshine" was filmed in London.

Hillary Brooke

Milton Parsons

Laird Cregar

Paul Benedict off of The Jeffersons. He convincingly played British on the show, but he was from Silver City, New Mexico in reality.

I didn't know until this very moment that TTD is American. I perceived he emanated from London and could have sworn he had a British accent.

John Hillerman, Higgins from Magnum P.I., shocked many when he died and the world found out her was a native Texan.