Notable orthodox Christians have been known to contribute to the history of the religion in various ways. Famous Orthodox Christians are often of Eastern ancestry and are prominent in Eastern history. For instance, Jamie Farr, a prominent American actor, is Orthodox of Syrian/Lebanese descent. He was raised as an Antiochian Orthodox in Toledo, Ohio.
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Christian Bale
Actor Christian Bale converted to Orthodoxy more than a decade ago after marrying a Serbian woman. The actor is one of the most prominent examples of Hollywood celebrities who have become orthodox Christians. His marriage to the actress Sibi Blazic is considered a significant reason for his conversion.
Bale’s conversion to Christianity is not the only reason for the star’s public image. He has been involved in a number of controversial issues throughout his career. For example, in July last year, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. In the months that followed, a videotape surfaced that showed him launching into a heated tirade over a disagreement with the director of his movie, Terminator Salvation.
Christian Bale has addressed the issue of God in the movies. He has addressed this issue in the past, as has director Ridley Scott. But even Ridley Scott does not identify as a believer, yet he is not a non-believer.
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith was born on July 3, 1969, in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She is an American actress and singer. She became famous for her role as Amanda Young in the Saw franchise. She has also starred in the CBS sitcom Becker and on the FX show Anger Management. Smith has also fronted her own rock band.
Smith has had a successful career in show business for decades. However, her love life has also gone through ups and downs. She was previously married to photographer Jason Reposar, but they separated and he moved to Scotland. Smith and Reposar have one daughter, Verve Reposar. She also dated actor Kai Mattoon for several years, but they eventually broke up.
Jim Belushi
Famous orthodox Christians like Jim Belushi aren’t exactly rare in Hollywood. After joining The Second City, the actor went on to star in the film Woodstock parody National Lampoon’s Lemmings. The film was a hit off-Broadway and starred future Saturday Night Live actors.
Belushi, a member of the Orthodox Church, spent his early years in Wheaton, Illinois. He was raised in an Orthodox Christian family and attended Wheaton Community High School. In 1965, he formed a band with four other people. The group recorded a single, Listen to Me Now/Jolly Green Giant.
Jim Belushi, a popular comedian, is an Orthodox Christian and supports the independence of Kosovo. Another famous actor, Emir Kusturica, converted to Orthodoxy. The actor, whose family has Albanian roots, believes that Christianity makes the world a more harmonious place. Jim Belushi is also an Orthodox Christian and a member of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
Emir Kusturica
In the 18th century, Emir Kusturica’s ancestor had helped build the Arslanagic Bridge. Before the war, most people in Sarajevo admired Kusturica, and they held out hope that he was unaware of what was happening in their hometown. Although he lived far from the city, he could have been unaware of the massacre.
Emir Kusturica is a famous, volatile film director, who has had his fair share of questions about his ethnicity and loyalty. His movie, Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, is both a statement and a refuge for him. In a biography, Goran Gocic, a Serbian film critic, argues that Kusturica used his art as a means of connecting with his preferred identity. Now, though, he is trying to reach out to a wider audience in his quest for tradition.
In May 2005, Kusturica was baptized in the Serbian Orthodox Church, taking the name Nemanja. The baptism was an important step in his life, reaffirming his Serbian roots. In the same year, he started filming a film starring Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. The film was eventually canceled months later after it began.
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks has a large cross tattoo on his back. He has said that he converted to the Greek Orthodox Church after he married actress Rita Wilson. He is a practicing Orthodox Christian, but is not very vocal about his beliefs. However, he does attend church services occasionally, and has attended daily services during Holy Week.
When he was a teenager, Tom Hanks spent 12 weeks at a remote wilderness camp in Utah. He was a professing atheist at the time, but after experiencing the beauty of the area, he began to reconsider his beliefs. He later went on to watch the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” over again.
Read more about Actors who are Orthodox Christians here.
