Clooneys obtain French citizenship

Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, have obtained French citizenship, along with their two children, official French government documents show.

The publication, in France's government gazette, confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to earlier in December when he praised French privacy laws that protect his family from paparazzi.

Clooney told broadcaster RTL that it was essential for him and his wife that their eight-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, could grow up in a place where they had a chance to live a normal life. The couple purchased a house on a vineyard, estimated at around €9 million ($10.59 million), in the southern French town of Brignoles. The property includes a swimming pool and a tennis court, according to French media.

"Here, they don't take photos of kids. There aren't any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That's number one for us," he told RTL on December 2. "We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm where the kids can have fun." Now dual US-French citizens, the Clooneys have a long-standing attachment to Europe that predates their 2014 marriage. Clooney owns an estate in Italy's Lake Como region, purchased in 2002, and he and his wife also bought a historic manor in England.

Their property in southern France – a former wine estate called the Domaine du Canadel – was purchased in 2021. They also own a New York apartment and a property in Kentucky, but reportedly sold homes in Los Angeles and Mexico over the past decade.

Clooney is not the only Hollywood luminary seeking French citizenship. US director Jim Jarmusch told France Inter radio on Friday that he plans to apply for French nationality. "I would like to have another place to escape from America if necessary," he said.

Clooney, also a director and producer, has two Oscars to his name: one for Best Supporting Actor in 2006's 'Syriana' and as a producer on 2012's 'Argo'. Beyond cinema, he has earned millions from celebrity endorsements, including Nespresso, and received a windfall from selling his stake in a tequila brand.