12 celebrities you didn’t know had a connection to Scotland
Scotland has produced its fair share of global stars, but its connections to some of the world’s biggest names stretch much further than the celebrities who made their names here.
From Hollywood actors with Scottish family roots to musicians who were born in the country before finding fame in other places, there are plenty of surprising links to uncover.
They include global superstar Zendaya, Talking Heads legend David Byrne and Taylor Swift – three very different celebrities whose stories all have a Scottish connection.
Here are some of the famous names with links to Scotland that you might not know about.
Zendaya
Zendaya filmed scenes for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in Scotland but has Scottish roots through her maternal great-grandfather who was born in Dundee.
(Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)David Byrne
Although the former Talking Heads frontman made his name in New York, David Byrne was born in Dumbarton and moved to America with his parents when he was just three-years-old.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has a historic familial tie to King William the Lion, the historic King of Scotland.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)Jay Leno
Legendary American TV host and comedian Jay Leno's mother was born in Greenock in 1911 before she moved to American when she was 11-years-old.
Photo by Riccardo S. Savi/Getty ImagesJim Carrey
Canadian and American actor Jim Carrey's maternal grandfather was born in Glasgow.
(Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)Keira Knightley
Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley's mother Sharman Macdonald who is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter was raised in Glasgow.
(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash developed a strong interest in his Scottish heritage after learning of his family’s connection to King Malcolm IV of Scotland. After discovering that his clan had roots in the Strathmiglo area, Cash went on to visit Fife several times to explore his ancestral connections.
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)David Duchovny
Although born in New York in 1960, David Duchovny's mother, Margaret "Meg" Miller, was born in the coastal village of Whitehills in Aberdeenshire before she moved to the United States.
IMDbNeve Campbell
Neve Campbell landed her very first acting role in a Scottish pantomime. As a child in Toronto, she appeared in a Scots theatre group’s production of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. Campbell's dad was originally from Glasgow's East End.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)Julianne Moore
American actress Julianne Moore's mother, Anne Love was born in Greenock before moving to Burlington, N.J., with her parents, Henry and Flora Love, and her brother, Ian, when she was 10.
(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)Woodrow Wilson
Former American President Woodrow Wilson's maternal grandfather, the Reverend Thomas Woodrow, was born in Paisley, in 1793. He studied at the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Theological Academy before moving his family to North America in the 1830s.
(Photo by Tony Essex/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is half-Scottish through her mother, the late Phyllida Law who was born and raised in Glasgow.
(Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The Clooney Foundation For Justice )