George Clooney and family granted French citizenship, as actor says 'I don't want them worried about paparazzi'

Highlights

• George Clooney, wife Amal and twins Ella and Alexander awarded French citizenship.
• Couple purchased French estate in 2021, now their primary residence.
• Actor wanted children raised away from LA paparazzi culture and Hollywood lifestyle.

Hollywood star George Clooney, his wife Amal and their 8-year-old twins have been granted French citizenship, according to an official government announcement.

The naturalisations of the Kentucky-born Ocean's series actor and his family were published last weekend in the Journal Officiel, where French government decrees are formally announced.

The notice indicated that human rights lawyer Amal Clooney was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin, and revealed George Clooney's middle name is Timothy.

The couple purchased an estate in France in 2021, and in an October interview with Esquire magazine, the 64-year-old actor described their "farm in France" as their primary residence, a decision made with their children's wellbeing in mind.

"I was worried about raising our kids in LA in the culture of Hollywood," Clooney told the magazine. "I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don't want them being compared to somebody else's famous kids."

The actor praised the lifestyle his children enjoy in France, away from the spotlight. "They're not on their iPads, you know?" he said. "They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life."

Representatives for George Clooney did not respond to requests for comment, and it remains unclear whether the actor has retained his American citizenship alongside his new French status.

Amal Clooney, 47, was born in Lebanon and raised in the United Kingdom. The couple's twins, Ella and Alexander, were born in London .