An estimated 50 million people around the world have Scottish ancestry, including many stars who can claim to have roots with Scotland in their ancestry. Here are nine famous folk who you might be surprised to learn are Scottish.
1. Jay Leno
The American chat show host, famous for anchoring The Tonight Show on NBC, has a bit of Caledonia in his roots. His mother Catherine was born in Greenock and travelled to the United States at age 11. Photo: Shutterstock
2. Hugh Laurie
It may not come as a surprise that actor Hugh Laurie has Scottish roots. The star of House and Blackadder was born in Oxford, but both his parents were of Scottish descent. His full name is James Hugh Calum Laurie, and he once joked that his pessimism comes from his Scottish connection. Photo: Shutterstock
3. Angus and Malcolm Young
The guitarists from arguably one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time, AC/DC hail from Scotland. The brothers were born in Glasgow in 1958 and 1953 respectively, before emigrating to Sydney with their parents in 1963. The band's first singer, Bon Scott, also hailed from Scotland, growing up in Forfar. Photo: Shutterstock
4. Kiera Knightly
Actor Kiera Knightly, famed for her roles in Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean, was born in England, but her mother is Scottish. Photo: Shutterstock