Celebrities you didn't know were Irish!

Despite being a small country, Ireland has produced its fair share of thespians. We all know the obvious ones like Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan, but there are others who have surprising Irish roots.

Michael Fassbender has starred in a raft of blockbusters, and he is a fantastic example of an actor that nobody knows is Irish. He shares his Irish heritage with a German one.

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Throughout its history, Ireland has seen many of its sons and daughters emigrate. This diaspora is the reason why so many actors can claim Irish ancestry. Let's look at a few more examples.

This American beauty is Irish through her parents, and because of them, she is entitled to dual citizenship on both sides of the Atlantic. Her real surname is Cockburn, and she adopted Wilde as a nod to the great Irish writer Oscar Wilde.

She is famous in the tabloids for dating Harry Styles, but she has also been recognized for her work on the big and small screen with multiple awards wins and nominations.

Fox has French and Native American roots, and she is connected to Ireland through her father. She cemented her status as a bonafide Irish person when she declared that she believes in leprechauns.

Megan Fox burst onto the scene and has an impressive resume. Her output has slowed down recently, and here's hoping she reignites her career and makes an Irish movie soon.

Like Fox, she has Native American ancestry and has links to Ireland through her father. Her opinions on leprechauns are unknown.

Aside from starring in the smash-hit 'High School Musical', she also voices the main character in 'My Little Pony'. In an episode of 'Drunk History', she played Marge Callaghan, an Irish-American baseball player who played in the middle of the 20th century.

He is one of Hollywood's biggest actors, and that's no surprise considering that his devotion to method acting always guarantees a powerful performance.

Though born in the UK, he now enjoys Irish citizenship and has called Ireland home since 1997.

He has appeared in a number of Irish films, most notably as Gerard Conlon in 'In the Name of the Father'. He also appeared in 'The Boxer', which is set in Belfast.

In 2011, Dawson tweeted to her followes that she was "more Irish than anything." Indeed, her biological father is Irish. Though she never got to know him, she told the Irish Independent that it was "always one of the reasons I came years ago and have to come again."

Like Day-Lewis, Jeremy Irons was born in the UK but now lives in Ireland with his Irish wife. He feels a deep connection to Ireland and he said it feels like home as people treat him like an ordinary person. Furthermore, he was made an honorary Irishman in 2014.

After appearing on the TV show 'Who Do You Think You Are', the actor learned that his grandfather owned a linen mill in Cork in the 1800s, not too far from where he lives now.

He is famous for being suave, handsome and 007, but the fact that he is Irish has often gone under the radar. He was born in Navan but moved to the UK at a young age. His neutral accent and role as a British spy have probably contributed to this oversight about his birthplace.

Interestingly, when he was first announced as Bond, some British tabloids were quite angry that an Irishman had been given the role.

This award-winning actor may be best known for playing an British gangster in 'Peaky Blinders' and the American physicist in 'Oppenheimer,' but he was born in Cork and is Irish through and through.

Though she became famous for her connections to Orange County, she considers herself Irish. Her maternal links to the country mean she is also an Irish passport holder.

She hopes to buy a house in Ireland in the future, and she visited the country in 2005 when she attended the Irish Film and Television Awards as the guest of honour.

The star of 'Prison Break' has an Irish mother, and he holds an Irish passport. He was seen holidaying in Ireland in 2017, where he spent time with starstruck fans. In 2021, he returned with his mother and presented her with a Mother's Day present.

Purcell has been active since 1991 and can be seen nowadays as one of the main actors in 'Legends of Tomorrow'.

Like Purcell, Mel Gibson is an Irish passport holder through his mother. His father's side of the family also has Irish links, and they arrived in Australia to escape the potato famine of the 1840s.

He filmed his second film 'Braveheart' in Ireland, and he used Irish army reserves as extras. Since then, many off-screen controversies have slowed down his career.

But this list is a testament to the incredible talent on the island, and let's hope to see even more Irish faces on TV and in the cinema in the future.