Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks, dekabrist.net
American actor Tom Hanks is a Catholic by birth, but years later he decided to convert to the Orthodox Church. This happened shortly before Hanks married his second wife, Rita Wilson. Now the actor is visiting the Hagia Sophia of the Patriarchate of Constantinople with his wife and children.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston, bustle.com
Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston is among the Orthodox celebrities of the world. The star's religion was greatly influenced by her father John Aniston, who is Greek Orthodox by origin. Jennifer is a parishioner of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in Los Angeles.
David Gahan
The melodious form of Orthodox liturgy is characteristic of the musical compositions of the Depeche Mode group. In this way, the permanent soloist and famous musician David Gahan proves his commitment to Orthodoxy. He became a true parishioner of the Orthodox Church at the beginning of the 2000s. This was influenced by his wife, Greek Orthodox Jennifer Skliaz.
David Gahan
Christian Bale
Christian Bale, ru.hellomagazine.com
The list of famous Christians includes British-American actor Christian Bale. In 2000, he married former model Sandra Blazic, who has regularly attended the Orthodox Church since childhood. Many sources say that Bale converted to Orthodoxy for the sake of his wife and also baptized his children.
Jonathan Jackson
Jonathan Jackson, orthognosia.blogspot.com
8 Most Famous Cultists
Another adherent of Orthodoxy is the American actor and singer Jonathan Jackson. He was born into a Seventh-day Adventist family, but converted to Orthodoxy with his family in 2012. Jackson soon wrote a book, Operating in the Spirit, which discusses the connection between faith and artistic careers.
“I wanted to be with those who don’t say a lot of words, but give priority to prayer,” Jonathan says about Orthodoxy.
Orthodox Christians among Western celebrities
Christ knocks on the heart of every person, and sometimes it happens that even representatives of the secularized West open to Him, and neither wealth nor crowds of admirers are able to obscure the bright image of the Savior from their eyes.
We would like to tell our readers about several such people today:
1. Tom Hanks
The Hollywood actor, known throughout the world for his films: “Forrest Gump”, “The Terminal”, “Cast Away”, “The Green Mile”, “Saving Private Ryan” and many others, belonged to the Catholic community in the USA and converted to Orthodoxy in adulthood. thanks to his second wife Rita Wilson. Rita's ancestors - Bulgarians and Greeks who moved to America - managed to pass on to her the treasures of the Orthodox faith, which she, in turn, shared with her husband.
Tom received Orthodox baptism in the Greek Church. According to his own words, he is married, and his children are also baptized in Orthodoxy. The Hanks family attends an Orthodox church in Los Angeles, and the actor himself is its active trustee.
Tom himself spoke about his spiritual path: “When you come to the decision in your life that you need to get married and have children, it is important at this stage to decide on the spiritual heritage of your future family. I got married in the same church where my wife was baptized. My children were baptized in the same font as my wife. This makes our family part of the large Universal Church"
Hanks O.
Recently, while on vacation on his yacht, he visited the Church of the Holy Trinity in Antarctica, where he prayed and climbed the belfry (pictured). You can read more about this visit .
2. Milla Jovovich
Another celebrity, Milla Jovovich, was born in Kyiv back in the days when Ukraine was part of the huge and united USSR.
Living in the USA, Mila remembered her roots and not only visited the temple herself, but also brought her family to the faith. In 2015, the second daughter of the famous actress Dashiel, with the Christian name Daria, was baptized in the Transfiguration Orthodox Church in Los Angeles.
The 39-year-old actress and her husband, director Paul Anderson, spoke about how their daughter’s christening took place on Mila’s microblog: “When we speak Russian, we call our daughter “Dasha”, her baptismal name is “Daria” (Daria). Surprisingly, Dashiel was born on April 1, St. Darya's Day, on the same day as her namesake and heavenly protector! The baptism took place in the traditional Russian Orthodox Church here in Los Angeles."
The Transfiguration Church of Los Angeles, where Archpriest Alexander Lebedev presides, belongs to the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
3. James Belushi
James Belushi, remembered by many Russian boys for his role as the charismatic detective with the dog Michael Dooley in the film series “K-9,” regularly visits one of the churches of the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. James's children were baptized by the vicar of this diocese, Elijah.
A descendant of Albanian emigrants, Belushi is deeply rooted in the Orthodox tradition. Once, while on vacation, Belushi and his family even visited the current Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew.
4. Jonathan Jackson
Another well-known adherent of Orthodoxy in the United States is Jonathan Jackson. Jackson was born into an Adventist family, but converted to Orthodoxy several years ago with his Italian wife and three children.
The actor himself spoke about this decision: “I wanted to be with those who do not say a lot of words, but give priority to prayer. Everyone can feel the beauty of Orthodoxy. If you are by birth a person of a different tradition or have a different mentality, then converting to Orthodoxy is not easy. But the one who can overcome himself will receive real joy and blessing.”
His conversion was greatly influenced by the work of F.M. Dostoevsky and books by famous Christian apologists K.S. Lewis and Fr. Alexander Shmeman.
After being converted, Jonathan Jackson wrote a book called "Acting in the Spirit," which discusses the connection between faith and an acting career. Jackson says beliefs should influence the choice of roles: "I wouldn't be associated with a movie that denounces God... I would only be willing to play a character that was completely unfaithful and against God if that wasn't the message of the whole thing." film."
On June 25, 2012, the 39th annual Emmy Awards ceremony took place in the American city of Los Angeles, where Jonathan Jackson was awarded as Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the project “General Hospital.”
At the presentation of the award, Jonathan publicly, in front of the entire hall and television viewers, professed Orthodoxy, crossed himself, praised the Holy Trinity and thanked the monks of Holy Mount Athos, “who pray for the whole world.”
5. Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer's father is Greek Orthodox Yanis Anasakis, originally from Crete, Greece. Therefore, it is not surprising that his daughter was also baptized in Orthodoxy.
Jennifer, star of the sitcom “Friends,” often attends church and is a benefactor of the Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration.
For the children of many of her acting friends, Jennifer became a godmother.
6. David Gahan
Do not be surprised if, while listening to the next album of the Depeche Mode group, you hear the melodious form of the Orthodox liturgy.
The lead singer of the famous Depeche Mode group, David Gahan, also reached out through his wife. He has adhered to Orthodoxy for more than 12 years, since he connected his life with the Greek Orthodox Jennifer Skliaz.
7. Emir Kusturica
Serbian actor and director Emir Kusturica has been baptized and converted to Orthodoxy for many years. This happened in 2005 in the Savina Monastery near Herceg Novi on the day of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. At baptism, Emir received the name "Nemanja".
As you know, Emir Kusturica was born in Sarajevo into a family of Muslim Serbs who converted to Islam several generations ago during Turkish rule and constantly emphasized that he felt his inextricable connection and identified himself with the Orthodox Serbian culture.
The director, together with his wife Maya, has already managed to build a temple in the name of the saint. Savva Serbsky in a village on Mokra Gora.
According to Emir, a Christian should try to make the world more harmonious, and this is precisely the goal that Kusturica pursues in his films.
8. Murray Abraham
The famous American serial actor Murray Abraham also professes Orthodoxy. The actor’s father and grandfather were Orthodox. The latter, by the way, was a famous singer in Syria.
9. Christian Bale
The star of the blockbuster films “Bae” Christian Bale is also an Orthodox Christian. From the year 2000. And, like many of his colleagues, he attends the Transfiguration Orthodox Church in Los Angeles.
According to the rector of the church, Archpriest Alexander Lebedev, Christian’s conversion (symbolically, his name means “Christian”) was accomplished through his wife, Orthodox Christian Sandra “Sibi” Blazic, originally from Serbia.
10. Sharon Lawrence
Hollywood actress Sharon Lawrence, who gained fame thanks to her participation in the TV series “NYPD Blue,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives,” converted to Orthodoxy in 2002.
She married an Orthodox Christian, Dr. Tom Apostol. The wedding of the couple took place in the Cathedral of St. Sophia of the Constantinople Orthodox Church, located in Los Angeles.
11. Max Cavalera
The Brazilian performer Max Cavalera, who founded the popular groups Sepultura, Nailbomb, Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy, can also be called Orthodox.
Max Cavalera was baptized in the Vatican at the age of 9. In 2009, talking with journalists, Max admitted that he believes in God, although he is not a devout Catholic. In his opinion, the “more real” is the Orthodox Church, and he himself is interested in the Serbian, Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches.
Moreover, Max’s wife Gloria and all their children are Orthodox. Gloria’s grandmother left Russia after the revolution among the White emigrants and settled in Brazil.
A few years later it became known that the musician had finally made his decision and also accepted Orthodoxy.
12. Karl Malden
Actor Karl Malden has Russian and Serbian roots and also adheres to Orthodoxy.
In December 2008, he and his wife celebrated the 70th anniversary of their marriage, which is considered one of the longest in Hollywood history.
Karl Malden has been acting for over 70 years and has appeared in more than 70 films, including the legendary A Streetcar Named Desire, a classic of American cinema.
13. Telly Salavas
Orthodox Greek-American actor Telly Savalas, who played the role of New York detective Theo Kojak in the TV series “Kojak,” knows Jennifer Aniston well. After all, he is her godfather and best friend of her father John Aniston (Yanis Anasakis).
14. Bob Marley
There is evidence that shortly before his death, on May 4, 1980, the legendary singer Bob Marley was baptized into the Ethiopian Church in Kingston with the name Berhane Sellasie (in Amharic, “Light of the Holy Trinity”).
Of course, the Ethiopian Church is not Orthodox in the strict sense, since it has significant differences in theology and traditions, but it still belongs to the Ancient Eastern Churches and is quite close to the Apostolic faith.
According to Father Alexander Lebedev, many other American celebrities also converted to Orthodoxy. And interest in the “Russian faith” among Hollywood actors is becoming stronger: “Many of our parish work in film studios - they are both directors and actors. And before, in our parish there were also many actors who took an active part in church life. My parishioners were such famous actresses as Natalie Wood and Sandra Dee. I was also well acquainted with Yul Briner, who was a parishioner of an Orthodox church in New York.”
According to media reports, such famous people as David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Naomi Campbell, George Michael, are also showing interest in Orthodoxy.
“Celebrities behave so modestly that many do not even suspect that actors and musicians are nearby. - says the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Lebedev - Our services are mainly in Old Church Slavonic, the liturgy is in English once a month. There are about 10 baptisms a week, even more than in some Russian churches,” adds the priest.
Andrey Szegeda
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James Belushi
James Belushi, 7wallpapers.net
Comedian and actor James Belushi is a descendant of Albanian emigrants, which is why Orthodoxy was his religion in childhood. Belushi currently attends a Serbian Orthodox Church parish in the United States. James also baptized all his children into the Orthodox faith.
Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica, matchtv.ru
7 most famous atheist stars
Yugoslav and Serbian film director Emir Kusturica converted to Orthodoxy in 2005 on St. George's Day. In an interview, the director repeatedly said that his ancestors were Orthodox Serbs, so by adopting this religion he simply “returned to his roots.” Kusturica believes that any Christian should try to make the world a better place, and in his works he pursues precisely this goal.
Murray Abraham
Another famous film actor, Murray Abraham, also lives according to Orthodox laws. He mainly plays in TV series. The man received baptism immediately after birth. He visits one of the Hollywood Orthodox churches every week.
Murray Abraham
Recently, many Hollywood stars have converted to Orthodoxy. According to statistics, every year 3-4 celebrities become true parishioners of Orthodox churches. Interest in this faith around the world is growing significantly.
