# Are there any American actors who do a convincing English accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948 "2009-09-05T06:50:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/61 "2009-09-10T20:46:32Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > James Marsters acquitted himself quite well with his role of Spike in _Buffy_ & _Angel_. Ditto. I was shocked when I learned he was from California. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/62 "2009-09-11T01:53:48Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > Ditto. I was shocked when I learned he was from California. It seems like every time this subject comes up James Marsters is mentioned for how good his accent was, then someone else says they thought it wasn’t quite right, then someone excuses this by saying it’s the effect of being undead. I’m American, so I guess I’m not the most qualified to judge, but I think his accent is not spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/63 "2009-09-11T02:11:02Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Also, for anyone who has watched the dreadful sit-com “Still Standing” Mark Addy, (an english actor from “The Full Monty”) has a dead on American accent, and though the series was on for 3 or 4 seasons, as opposed to the 3 or 4 months that it would take to shoot a movie, he was utterly convincing as a working class guy from Chicago… > > While I have never seen a full episode of “House” from the bits I have seen, I think Hugh Lorrie sounds as American as anyone on television. With you on both (though gotta nitpick, it’s “Laurie” not “Lorrie”). There was one episode of House in which he had to phone up some doctor in the UK. Or maybe he was pretending to be a doctor _from_ the UK. Anyway - he managed to do a fake-sounding British accent. That’s talent! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/64 "2009-09-11T03:12:18Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Also, for anyone who has watched the dreadful sit-com “Still Standing” Mark Addy, (an english actor from “The Full Monty”) has a dead on American accent, and though the series was on for 3 or 4 seasons, as opposed to the 3 or 4 months that it would take to shoot a movie, he was utterly convincing as a working class guy from Chicago… I don’t understand this when anyone brings this up. To me Mark Addy is barely trying to do an American accent. Its horrible. > [@Tanbarkie](#): > > Similarly, Alexis Denisoff is justly praised for his English accent when playing Wesley Wyndham-Pryce on the same shows. Admittedly, he spent a significant length of time living in the UK, but his accent is still startlingly good - to the point that people sometimes think he’s faking a crappy _American_ accent when he speaks with his normal voice! His American accent does sound fake to me. > [@TWDuke](#): > > On a vaguely related note, I’ve listened to friends of mine mock John Barrowman for his phony American accent on **Torchwood** and **Doctor Who**. It made me laugh because it’s the same accent he uses in interviews and hosting gigs, and Barrowman grew up in the states and still holds a U.S. passport. On the other hand, he lived in Scotland as a child, and of course has been spending a lot of time in England and Wales. > > So are my ignorant friends finding failing to recognize one of their own, or are they picking up a hint of foreignness that my ears are missing? To me his American accent is flawless. Funny thing is I have seen interviews where he is with his family. When he is around his family his Scottish accent comes on in force. It happens to a friend of mine who is from Guyana. No accent until he is on the phone with his mother. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/65 "2009-09-11T05:42:25Z")
> [@sjc](#): > > It seems like every time this subject comes up James Marsters is mentioned for how good his accent was, then someone else says they thought it wasn’t quite right, then someone excuses this by saying it’s the effect of being undead. Well, you know that the urge to fanwank is mighty powerful. I bet I would be saying the same thing, except I’m basically of the opinion that Marsters’ accent is English enough that it didn’t get in the way of the character. Marsters apparently also auditioned for Spike using a Cajun accent. I don’t think that would have worked out. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/66 "2009-09-11T06:26:58Z")
The thing about Barrowman to me is that his accent is generally spot on, but his pronunciation of specific words the British way gives him away. Right in _Torchwood_’s first episode, he pronounced estrogen “EEstrogen,” which made me think he was British. The writers, being British, tend to give him lines / phrasing that a Brit would use, but not an American. Which is probably to be expected since Jack isn’t really American, but I’m just saying that as a result, it’s easy to think Barrowman is faking the accent. The uncanny valley thing, as mentioned above. James Marsters’ mockney on _Buffy_ was kinda okay, but not terrific, IMO. Better than Drusilla by miles, or Angel’s hilarious Irish accent. And he’d improved it quite a lot for his spot on _Torchwood_. (Was there some rule on _Buffy_ that vampires can’t be American?) Alexis Denisof’s accent was excellent; I don’t think I even realized he wasn’t British until a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/67 "2009-09-13T14:53:38Z")
> [@Gotterfunken](#): > > I remember seeing Michael Caine as a guest on the Tonight Show many years ago, talking about this very subject, and he cited Forest Whitaker’s accent in _The Crying Game_ as a very convincing simulation of a Cockney accent. > > But I’ve heard other Brits say it’s a terrible version of a Cockney accent, so I don’t know who to believe. Its a long time since I’ve seen it but I remember that at the time how totally right he got the London accent. Many people, even in the U.K. casually assume that the Esturaine accent which is common in and around London, IS the authentic Cockney accent but he actually spoke in the accent that is only found in parts of London and not in the closely surrounding areas. Even British actors lazily use Estuarine when thay have to play a Cockney. It was even more impressive that an American could be so convincing in the role especially as most of the American actors cited so far have all spoken in middle/upper class English accents which are so much easier to do. I haven’t knowingly watched FW in any other films so can’t comment on his acting ability generally. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/68 "2009-09-13T15:57:50Z")
For those who don’t understand this reference in the previous post: \> Many people, even in the U.K. casually assume that the Esturaine accent which \> is common in and around London, IS the authentic Cockney accent but he \> actually spoke in the accent that is only found in parts of London and not in the \> closely surrounding areas. \> Even British actors lazily use Estuarine when thay have to play a Cockney. The most common name for this is Estuary English. I’ve found a few references to it as Estuarine English. I haven’t found any for it as Esturaine English. > **[Estuary English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary_English)** > > Estuary English is an English accent associated with the area along the River Thames and its estuary, including London. Phonetician John C. Wells proposed a definition of Estuary English as "Standard English spoken with the accent of the southeast of England". He views Estuary English as an emerging standard accent of England: an "intermediate" between the 20th-century higher-class non-regional standard accent, Received Pronunciation, and the 20th-century lower-class local London accent, Cockn... I just thought I’d mention that as there’s no way for someone to figure out what you’re talking about here when you use a rare name for it (and misspell that rare name in one case). ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/69 "2009-09-13T16:37:09Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > For those who don’t understand this reference in the previous post: > > \> Many people, even in the U.K. casually assume that the Esturaine accent which > \> is common in and around London, IS the authentic Cockney accent but he > \> actually spoke in the accent that is only found in parts of London and not in the > \> closely surrounding areas. > \> Even British actors lazily use Estuarine when thay have to play a Cockney. > > The most common name for this is Estuary English. I’ve found a few references to it as Estuarine English. I haven’t found any for it as Esturaine English. > > [Estuary English - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary_English) > > I just thought I’d mention that as there’s no way for someone to figure out what you’re talking about here when you use a rare name for it (and misspell that rare name in one case). I was of course using the local slang version of the word.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![meganspence38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@meganspence38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meganspence38)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/70 "2013-05-25T08:55:12Z")
I agree 100% that his accent is very convincing. I’d like to see him more. ---
**Author:** ![meganspence38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@meganspence38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meganspence38)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/71 "2013-05-25T08:56:34Z")
Played Oscar on 90210 and is from Atlanta Georgia. I actually thought he was british. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948/72 "2013-05-25T15:39:57Z")
> [@meganspence38](#): > > **James Marsters is the best** > > I agree 100% that his accent is very convincing. I’d like to see him more. Would that be an vampiric undead accent or a zombie, like this thread? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-american-actors-who-do-a-convincing-english-accent/508948.md?page=3)