SOME familiar north Walians have been named among the world's most Googled Welsh celebrities.
Comparison site JohnSlots compiled a list of more than 300 prominent Welsh actors, musicians, sportspeople and public figures, and analysed Google data to find the average number of searches they receive each month around the world and in the UK.
Batman star Christian Bale has been revealed as the world’s most Googled Welsh celebrity, receiving 2.1 million searches per month according to new research.
Read more: ‘You never forget your roots’: Jason Donovan reminisces on Neighbours success
Christian Bale tops the global rankings, with the public Googling the Pembrokeshire-born actor a staggering 2,100,000 times a month on average worldwide.
He currently lives in Los Angeles, California, but was born in Haverfordwest, where he lived with his family until he was two years old.
Bale and his family frequently moved for his father’s work, and they lived in England, Portugal and the United States, before the family settled in the coastal town of Bournemouth.
PIC by Press Association shows Christian Bale.
Bale began his Hollywood career at just 13 years old when he was cast in Steven Spielberg’s World War II drama, Empire of the Sun.
It wasn’t until the year 2000 however, when he was cast as New York serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, that he really entered the public eye.
More recently Bale has starred as supervillain Gorr in Marvel’s CGI romp, Thor: Love and Thunder, which was released in July this year.
Coming in second place is award-winning female actor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who receives 1,225,000 searches per month on average worldwide.
The actor, who was born in Swansea, was raised in the nearby seaside village of Mumbles, located at the edge of Swansea Bay.
PIC by Press Association shows Zeta-Jones.
Zeta-Jones made her on-screen acting debut in 1990 when she starred in the French-Italian fantasy film, 1001 Nights. A later role in the British comedy-drama, The Darling Buds of May, saw Zeta-Jones secure public recognition, with the Welsh star going on to feature in an array of box office hits including, The Mask of Zorro, Chicago and Ocean’s Twelve.
In third place is Cardiff-born actor Tom Ellis, who receives 1,200,000 searches every month on average worldwide.
Ellis stars as the devilishly handsome Lucifer Morningstar in the Netflix fantasy series Lucifer, which concluded its final season in September last year. Long-time fans of the BBC One sitcom Miranda will also recognise him for his breakout role as the titular character’s love interest, Gary Preston.
In fourth and fifth positions are Cardiff-born professional footballer, Gareth Bale and acclaimed Port Talbot actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, both of whom receive 1,100,000 Google searches every month worldwide.
It is Gareth Bale however who takes the top spot as the most searched in the UK, ranking ahead of his Hollywood counterparts, with 167,000 searches every month on average.
More familiar names to us in the north will include 'Rocketman' star Taron Egerton (who grew up on Anglesey) and Rhys Ifans, who grew up in Ruthin, and has starred in the likes of 'Notting Hill' and 'The Amazing Spider-Man', as well as being frontman for Super Furry Animals.
PIC by S4C shows Rhys Ifans.
A spokesperson for JohnSlots commented on the findings: “Christian Bale deservedly takes the top spot as the most searched Welsh celebrity. However, with the actor perfecting his American accent in order to secure numerous Hollywood roles, many are often surprised when they learn of his Welsh roots. His longstanding contribution to film has evidently cemented his place as a worldwide household name.
“Wales should remain proud of the eclectic mix of talent that it has cultivated over the years, with many of those born in the country going on to become global celebrities, who continue to attract interest from fans all over the world.”
Most Searched Welsh Celebrity (Worldwide)
Rank
Welsh Celebrity
Number of Monthly Searches (Worldwide)
1.
Christian Bale
2,100,000
2.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
1,225,000
3.
Tom Ellis
1,200,000
4.
Gareth Bale
1,100,000
5.
Anthony Hopkins
1,100,000
6.
Taron Egerton
882,000
7.
Luke Evans
852,000
8.
Michael Sheen
531,000
9.
Tom Jones
481,000
10.
Roald Dahl
415,000
11.
Rhys Ifans
401,000
12.
Bonnie Tyler
352,000
13.
Aaron Ramsey
321,000
14.
Timothy Dalton
314,000
15.
Ioan Gruffudd
286,000
16.
Richard Burton
207,000
17.
Duffy
202,000
18.
Perdita Weeks
198,000
19.
Ryan Giggs
171,000
20.
John Rhys-Davies
169,000
Most Searched Welsh Celebrity (UK)
Rank
Welsh Celebrity
Number of Monthly Searches (UK)
1.
Gareth Bale
167,000
2.
Christian Bale
151,000
3.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
122,000
4.
Aaron Ramsey
120,000
5.
Charlotte Church
106,000
6.
Luke Evans
103,000
7.
Dawn French
93,000
8.
Anthony Hopkins
90,000
9.
Tom Jones
90,000
10.
Michael Sheen
88,000
11.
Shirley Bassey
84,000
12.
Tom Ellis
79,000
13.
Joanna Page
77,000
14.
Roald Dahl
76,000
15.
Greg Davies
76,000
16.
Rhys Ifans
61,000
17.
Ryan Giggs
55,000
18.
Ioan Gruffudd
54,000
19.
Timothy Dalton
49,000
20.
Taron Egerton
48,000
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here