Fame Without Borders: American Stars Who Fled the U.S. for Other Countries

Top Gun star Tom Cruise plunked down more than $3 million for an 11,000-square-foot home in East Grinstead outside London.

"Everyone is pleasant and will give you a nod or say hello without crowding you," said Cruise. "I also like the fact that I am walking the same streets as Shakespeare, Dickens and even the Beatles. That is really cool."

So is rubbing shoulders with Prince William!

Bridget Jones star Renée Zellweger slipped north of the border to live in Vancouver, where plenty of TV and movies film. She loves to remain out of the public eye and finds the city the perfect place to stay under the Hollywood radar.

While Angelina Jolie bought a French chateau and winery with ex Brad Pitt, she also owns about 150 acres of jungle and a traditional Cambodian house in the country where she adopted son Maddox.

"Without Cambodia," she said. "I may never have become a mother. Part of my heart will always be in this country, and part of this country is always with me."

Insiders said the Eternals actress is going to make the country her permanent home soon. She loves it there, and "it changed the whole course of my life."

In search of a more tranquil lifestyle, Parent Trap star Lindsay Lohan quit the U.S. and moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2014. She met future husband Bader Shammas there, and now they're the parents of baby boy Luai.

Explained Lohan, "It's a cleansing of your head, which is what I needed, and it took me a while to do it."

A vacation in Spain became permanent when Richard Gere forked over a whopping $11 million for a mansion in Madrid after marrying Spanish-born wife Alejandra Silva. They each had a son before they married and then had two together.

Said the An Officer and a Gentleman star, "For me, going to Madrid is going to be a great adventure because I have never lived full-time outside of the United States."

High School Musical star Zac Efron was born and raised in California, but that all changed when he decided to spend some time Down Under! Turned out, he loved it so much he plunked down a cool $2 million for a bushland getaway near Byron Bay during the pandemic.

Efron said he loves the casual lifestyle and safety of the country. The star is now in the process of building an eco-friendly home, which will feature a gym and a "green roof" for plants that will be a "haven" for butterflies.

Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp bought an entire French village outside Saint-Tropez and lived there with his French baby mama Vanessa Paradis — and loved it so much that he stayed there after they split.

Said Depp, "The quality of life is so different in France."

The Material Girl cherishes her homes in England and Portugal, but her heart belongs in the East African country of Malawi, where she adopted son David Banda, 18, daughter Mercy James, 18, and 11-year-old twin girls Estere and Stella.

She's got a home and property there and has also built schools and hospitals with her charitable foundation, Raising Malawi.

Madonna said proudly, "My son is the future president of Malawi!"

And she'll be the Queen Mother!

Born in Canada, Shania Twain built her incredible career living in the U.S. but now lives in Switzerland.

"I was having a hard time finding peace and solitude," Twain said. "Part of the reason I came here is that the people don't care about any celebrity."

Before tying the knot with Lebanon-native attorney Amal, George Clooney had already moved to a mansion on beautiful Lake Como, Italy, but these days the couple live with their seven-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, in their $13.7 million Aberlash House in Sonning-on-Thames in England.