# Actors/Actresses that don't speak in their original accent. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711 "2011-08-14T18:52:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/81 "2011-08-23T19:40:22Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t think it’s so much that she “Had” to learn an accent - it’s not a law - as she would have just naturally adopted an American accent. I feel like I’m being asked to write a legal contract. How about this: Over a period of time during which she primarily resided within the political entity known as the United States of America, the manner of speech which is commonly known as an accent which was most frequently displayed by the person generally known as Gillian Leigh Anderson shifted from that which a significant number of English speakers would recognize as indicative of residency in the United Kingdom to one which a significant number of English speakers would recognize as indicative of residency in the region of the United States of America that is commonly identified as the Mid-West. Does that meet the accuracy standards of this board or do I need to throw in some citations and footnotes? [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlaUOqgZgAM) is a video of Anderson appearing on a BBC talkshow. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/82 "2011-08-23T19:43:26Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Really? Believe me, her accent is nothing compared to those of her classmates at Campbell High. That maybe so but her accent is still noticeably southern. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/83 "2011-08-23T19:54:53Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I can only imagine what Ava Gardner might have sounded like before she had that rural NC accent homogenized out of her. I’ll go out on a limb and say that it probably was a little different from what you heard onscreen. Ava Gardner. . . [sigh] Ava Gardner with a Southern accent…[double sigh] Wait a second, **rural** NC? Like rural VA? A Blue Ridge accent? You know, mush mouth? I may need to rethink this. But I could get past Jodie Foster’s mush mouth accent in “Silence of the Lambs” and she’s no Ava Gardner. [![](https://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Gardner,%20Ava/Annex/Annex%20-%20Gardner,%20Ava_02.jpg) ](https://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Gardner,%20Ava/Annex/Annex%20-%20Gardner,%20Ava_02.jpg) Good enough for Frank, good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/84 "2011-08-24T21:30:34Z")
Late to the party, but Ciaran Hinds’ accent in the clip is a middle class North Belfast accent. North Belfast being a mostly Catholic part of the city. He sounds exactly like my boss. Forget about the aitch/haitch nonsense. Ask a NewYorker or Londoner how they can tell by speech alone which part of the city someone comes from, after a while you just learn to tell. Paisley FWIW has a [Ballymena accent](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoCU6Clpkxk), Gerry Adams has a [West Belfast accent](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIlTtudovPM&feature=related), Martin McGuinness has a [Derry accent](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8cqXI-kX2Q). They all sound different to me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/85 "2011-08-24T21:42:00Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Ask a NewYorker or Londoner how they can tell by speech alone which part of the city someone comes from, after a while you just learn to tell. In New York, you’re more likely to identify the _country_ the speaker came from than you are the part of the city. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/86 "2011-08-24T21:57:24Z")
I don’t know about that, I’d say that Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island each have a recognizable accent. Most Americans that are paying attention could probably distinguish these from normal New Yorker accents, but I’m going to bet that New Yorkers themselves probably do a much better job at it than I would. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/87 "2011-08-24T22:10:46Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Wait a second, **rural** NC? Like rural VA? A Blue Ridge accent? Oy vey. Rural NC =/= Blue Ridge. Ava Gardner was born, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, in Johnston County, North Carolina, which is eastern flatland tobacco farming country. I would guess that her natural accent was pretty similar to … well, my mother’s actually, but that doesn’t help you any. 🙂 The most famous person I can find from anywhere close to there is Vanna White, who is from coastal South Carolina originally. Different, but not as different as Blue Ridge would be. Of course, Vanna probably doesn’t use her native tongue on TV, either. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/88 "2011-08-24T22:34:03Z")
Phil Keoghan, host of the Amazing Race, lived most of his life in New Zealand, but you can’t tell that he’s not American when he talks. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/89 "2011-08-24T22:34:19Z")
Well, thank God for that. From its position on the map it looked maybe the foothills. And I’m sure your mother has an utterly charming accent. 🙂 So Vanna White has a Tidewater accent? No, she’s too far south. We’re just back to utterly charming. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/90 "2011-08-24T22:37:04Z")
Mom pronounces _Chicago_ as _Chicargo_, but we choose to find it charming. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/91 "2011-08-24T23:31:54Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Really? Believe me, her accent is nothing compared to those of her classmates at Campbell High. I’m sure it isn’t the same as it used to be, but it’s clearly not Californian. She (Julia Roberts) sounds like a Southerner hiding her accent. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/92 "2011-08-25T00:58:32Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I don’t know about that, I’d say that Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island each have a recognizable accent. Most Americans that are paying attention could probably distinguish these from normal New Yorker accents, but I’m going to bet that New Yorkers themselves probably do a much better job at it than I would. _Most_ Americans will have no idea how to distinguish them from each other or from “Jersey” accents, and maybe even Philadelphia accents. And given the way city is currently populated, I would question the use of the term “normal New Yorker accent.” Once you’ve removed Brookly, Queens, and Long Island accents, there aren’t a whole lot of “normal New Yorker” accents left. ---
**Author:** ![micahcarey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6f9a4e/32.png) [@micahcarey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micahcarey)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/93 "2017-04-07T00:55:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > _Most_ Americans will have no idea how to distinguish them from each other or from “Jersey” accents, and maybe even Philadelphia accents. > > And given the way city is currently populated, I would question the use of the term “normal New Yorker accent.” Once you’ve removed Brookly, Queens, and Long Island accents, there aren’t a whole lot of “normal New Yorker” accents left. New Jersey is NOT “Jersey”:mad:! Stop calling it that. Jersey is in The Channel Islands. Is the extra syllable too much for lazy Americans? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/94 "2017-04-07T01:02:04Z")
> [@micahcarey](#): > > New Jersey is NOT “Jersey”:mad:! Stop calling it that. Jersey is in The Channel Islands. Is the extra syllable too much for lazy Americans? It’s been 230 years. You’re not new anymore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/95 "2017-04-07T01:54:27Z")
> [@micahcarey](#): > > New Jersey is NOT “Jersey”:mad:! Stop calling it that. Jersey is in The Channel Islands. Is the extra syllable too much for lazy Americans? Meh, people here often call New Jersey “Jersey.” I see no reason to get bent out of shape over it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/96 "2017-04-07T05:45:32Z")
When not acting, Tony Curtis had the most god-awful Bronx accent, enough to befit his real name (Bernard Schwartz). But in films, he sounded regular mainstream standard American. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/97 "2017-04-07T08:24:08Z")
As befits a resurrected thread, how about a departed actor; Cary Grant. I doubt any recordings exist, but he would have had a Bristolian accent at least in his early years, and ended up with some kind of mid-Atlantic accent far removed from that. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/98 "2017-04-07T13:55:14Z")
I haven’t read the thread. But the most surprising answer is the solidly Midwestern dad on Frasier. John Mahoney. He’s from England. Didn’t move to US until he was an adult. > **[John Mahoney](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mahoney)** > > Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahoney started his career in Chicago as a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company alongside John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, and Laurie Metcalf. He received the Clarence Derwent Award as Most Promising Male Newcomer in 1986. Later that year, his performance in the Broadway revi... ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/99 "2017-04-07T14:26:23Z")
> [@micahcarey](#): > > New Jersey is NOT “Jersey”:mad:! Stop calling it that. Jersey is in The Channel Islands. Is the extra syllable too much for lazy Americans? > [@running\_coach](#): > > It’s been 230 years. You’re not new anymore. > 😃 Anyway, it doesn’t do any good to yell at the dog 6 years after he jumped on the couch. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711/100 "2017-04-07T15:28:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I haven’t read the thread. But the most surprising answer is the solidly Midwestern dad on Frasier. > > John Mahoney. He’s from England. Didn’t move to US until he was an adult. > > [John Mahoney - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mahoney) You’re six years too late. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14138135&postcount=10](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14138135&postcount=10) Also, Midwestern? _Fraisier_ took place in Seattle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-that-dont-speak-in-their-original-accent/592711.md?page=6)