# British, which American actor has nailed your accent the best. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196 "2006-05-25T17:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/41 "2006-05-26T00:24:59Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Hugh Laurie is British?!? > He’s got the American accent nailed then. > I saw him on PBS in some type of skit/play/soap and he was speaking with a very good British accent, no wonder. Gary Oldman does a pretty good American accent, too, especially in **Romeo Is Bleeding**. He sounded weird in **True Romance** , but I think he was trying to play it over the top. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/42 "2006-05-26T00:48:01Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > I was very surprised to learn that James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek) was not a native Scot, but actually from Canada. If you were Scottish you wouldn’t be at all surprised - terrible accent. Sorry - cannot contribute to the OP, being televisionless and not a cinema-goer. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/43 "2006-05-26T00:55:51Z")
How is Johnny Depp’s English accent, btw? It seems pretty good to me, but I’m a Yank, so I need an expert opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/44 "2006-05-26T01:04:42Z")
I didn’t know Guy Pearce was Australian, so you can count him as a good American accent in both L.A. Confidential and Memento. Oh, wait - not in the spirit of the OP. OK, what about Brad Pitt’s Gypsy accent in Snatch? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/45 "2006-05-26T01:08:00Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I’d only seen Kate Winslet in _Eternal Sunshine_ (yes, really) and I was surprised that she was British. Though it did clear up some confusion about the two or three words that sounded weird in the movie. (Slight) hijack: I’m trying to remember back to _Titanic_ and place her accent there, but I’m having troubles. Does she start out with a posh upper-class intonation that flattens into basic American as the movie wears on? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/46 "2006-05-26T01:26:24Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > I didn’t know Guy Pearce was Australian, so you can count him as a good American accent in both L.A. Confidential and Memento. > > Oh, wait - not in the spirit of the OP. OK, what about Brad Pitt’s Gypsy accent in Snatch? The "[Without A Trace" lead actor Anthony LaPaglia](http://www.tv.com/anthony-lapaglia/person/35179/summary.html) is also Australian ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/47 "2006-05-26T01:31:25Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Missed this first time around:I’m afraid to say, his English accent in that movie was absolutely _appalling_. One of the worst I’ve ever heard, just behind Mr Van Dyke. A great disappointment, since I love his acting, and it was an interesting movie. For me, his accent was the weak point in it. Oh, well, I must have a tin ear. Though I should say in my defense that my mother, who was born and raised in England, actually thought he was English. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/48 "2006-05-26T01:42:48Z")
I think Robert Downey Jr did a great Brit accent in Chaplin. The worst I’ve ever heard was Dick Van Dyke trying to sound like a cockney in either Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - not sure which it was. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/49 "2006-05-26T02:08:29Z")
As a kid in the UK, I remember _Spitting Image_ being full of bad Yank accents. One of the voices on the show was actually Harry Enfield! Harry Enfield’s virtually unknown on these shores but has two high-profile voice gigs: the “Travelling Gnome” for Travelocity and “Dr. Angus” for Burger King. I think he’s brilliant so I actually pay attention to the Dr. Angus spots. Surely he’s going to get a shot at a show in the States? On _A Bit Of Fry and Laurie_ Stephen and Hugh played American oilmen in the most over-the-top fake Yank accent, always punctuating their sentences with “Damn!” Really funny stuff. So I was blown away when I heard Hugh on _House_. To actually answer the OP, no-one comes to mind. Haven’t seen _Sliding Doors_. Madonna’s accent is crap as well. ---
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/50 "2006-05-26T02:58:55Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Ian McShane, who is starring in HBO’s Deadwood. Great “American” accent – I’ve had to tell people he’s actually from the British Isles and starred in Lovejoy, amongst other shows. ---
**Author:** ![Doom\_Slinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Doom\_Slinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doom_Slinger)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/51 "2006-05-26T03:38:21Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > I was astounded by Jamie Griffith (Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica) the first time I heard him in an interview and realized he was British. I would never have guessed from his portrayal of Apollo. I think you mean [Jamie Bamber](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051397/). I agree, though; I was as surprised as you to find out he is British. There are some links online to streaming video of a British soap opera he starred in, which I’ll post if I can locate them. It’s really kind of jarring to hear him speak in his native accent if you’ve only seen him on _Battlestar Galactica_. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/52 "2006-05-26T05:42:57Z")
Again, the other way around, how about: Rachel Griffiths as Brenda Chenowith in Six Feet Under (compare with Muriel’s Wedding) and Adrian Lester as Henry Burton in Primary Colors (compare with Hustle). ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/53 "2006-05-26T06:18:22Z")
Most Americans attempting to act as Brits will adopt an accent that doesn’t exist in reality - a stereotypical amalgam. In other words, an idealised accent that will have “I am English” written all over it for the benefit of the viewing public - the majority of whom live in the US, are easily pleased, are not very well educated and have never left the States. (The kind of people who vote in huge numbers for _Idol_.) Paltrow’s accent is pretty decent as an attempt at Standard British English (a term to be be preferred to Received Pronunciation, as the latter has connotations of “upper-class” lacking from the former). What a lot of American actors do (Benning in _Being Julia_ is a good example) is adopt what is considered to be an upper-class accent, which ends up to a Brit sounding like something from a comedy sketch. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/54 "2006-05-26T06:30:59Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > What a lot of American actors do (Benning in _Being Julia_ is a good example) is adopt what is considered to be an upper-class accent, which ends up to a Brit sounding like something from a comedy sketch. I wondered about her accent too when I saw _Being Julia_. It sounded so plummy that I thought it was meant to be a send-up. I’ve never heard a non-Australian actor/ress do a convincing Australian accent. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/55 "2006-05-26T06:53:26Z")
Naveen Andrews who plays Sayid on **Lost** has the most cockneyed accent I’ve ever heard. It was shocking since I’d only heard him speak as Sayid. Watch the first season DVD extras if you don’t believe me. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/56 "2006-05-26T08:02:35Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I wondered about her accent too when I saw _Being Julia_. It sounded so plummy that I thought it was meant to be a send-up. > > I’ve never heard a non-Australian actor/ress do a convincing Australian accent. What about Mel Gibson? He spent his teens to early 20s in Australia but is actually American. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/57 "2006-05-26T08:07:59Z")
It’s funny, in the previous threads about this subject there was one name always mentioned and much praised that has not been mentioned here. Curious. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/58 "2006-05-26T08:09:19Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > It’s funny, in the previous threads about this subject there was one name always mentioned and much praised that has not been mentioned here. > > Curious. I’d hate to know who you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/59 "2006-05-26T08:34:34Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I wondered about her accent too when I saw _Being Julia_. It sounded so plummy that I thought it was meant to be a send-up. I think one can blame films like _Chariots of Fire_ and _Passage to India_. By establishing the stereotype of the foppish aristo male and the batty, or indigeno-philic (as in, “into a bit of Indian”), aristo female, it gave Hollywood full rein to assail us with the kind of portrayal that Benning gives. I much prefer the if-British-then-villain stereotype, because at least you get to see usually very decent actors, like Alan Rickman, Robert Carlyle and the fellow from Mi:2, cashing in on the fact that the black guy isn’t allowed to be the baddie any more. Which, when you think about it, is a bit of a kick in the teeth to the black blokes, who’d presumably love to get beyond the gardener/lawyer/victim roles. ---
**Author:** ![Twotwofive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Twotwofive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twotwofive)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196/60 "2006-05-26T08:51:29Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Hugh Laurie is British?!? > He’s got the American accent nailed then. > I saw him on PBS in some type of skit/play/soap and he was speaking with a very good British accent, no wonder. What the #@!’#~ is a “British accent”?? Christ, if I hear that one more time, I’m starting a pit thread. Anyone on here have a “North American accent”? Actually, I withdraw that. I refer to “American accents” all the time. As you were. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-which-american-actor-has-nailed-your-accent-the-best/358196.md?page=4)