Foreign actors who NAIL their American accents

I thought Damien Lewis was pretty good in Homeland. Hugh Laurie did the over-enuciating thing- it sounded like he was trying to control his accent so much. Naomi Watts is pretty good and I think Toni Collette is excellent.

Toni Colette

I agree with R2.

I must admit that once I discover someone is British (or Australian or Irish) after I've been duped into thinking they are American, I feel a little betrayed. Childish, I know.

Chiwetel Ejiofor's American accent​ is very, very good.

Ben Barnes owns this thread

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is good at southern accents (Elvis, Roots, Ride with the Devil) but can't seem to do 'standard' American to save his life.

Another Rhys, Matthew Rhys, I never hear Welsh in his inflections.

Kenneth Branagh does Yank perfectly! Doesn't trip over his vowels, especially 'a', like so many Brits and Aussies. You can hear Toni Colette's flat, elongated Aussie 'a'. It's tough to get rid of.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Seconding Ben Barnes and Ken Branagh.

[quote]Kenneth Branagh does Yank perfectly!

Maybe he has improved over the years because he wasn't very good in Dead Again

Naomie Harris in "Moonlight."

How is Jude Law's American accent in The Young Pope?

How is Rob Heaps on "Imposters"?

R13- I thought he did a good job. The character was raised in New York or New Jersey and you can hear it in some things he says. Very subtle and very good I think.

Thanks, R15. It sounded good to me too.

Zsa zsa nailed it every week in Green Acres. She set the standard.

Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out was pretty good.

R17 is an idiot.

Ben Barnes, Matthew Rhys for sure.

Disagree about Damien Lewis-- I think he nails it in both Homeland and Billions.

Rupert Friend in Homeland is another-- were it not for "Rupert" I would not have guessed Brit.

Funny how Matthew Rhys is pretty well known now and his old roommate is faltering. Are they still friends?

Damiel Lewis, Rupert Friend AND David Harewood in Homeland - all good. (I did not know Harewood was British!)

Idris Elba owns this. His Balmur accent in The Wire was flawless, and his British accent never slipped out (unlike Dominic West's, which made an occasional appearance).

I remember being surprised that Yael Stone who plays Lorna on Orange/Black is Australian. I never would have guessed.

Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe---"LA Confidential."

That is true, R24. I just watched it again the other week and their accents were perfect.

Nicole Kidman nails it sometimes and, other times (especially recently), she's been awful. Toni Collette has always been stellar. I don't think I've ever heard her slip.

Some British actors (like Catherine Zeta Jones and Tracey Ullman) work hard enunciating their Rs when doing an Amerrrrrican accent.

Rachel Griffiths on 6 FU

Yes, Rachel Griffiths on 6FU. She acted like a crazy American, too! There's a thing with body language, as well as accents that some people don't get.

Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down

KJ Apa is very good on "Riverdale." It's a shock to hear him speak with his natural Kiwi accent. Russell Crowe, another Kiwi (and also an Aussie), does great American accents.

Emma Thompson's American accent varies. She did a splendid job with an American accent in "Dead Again," but she tried to do a Chicago accent when she played the Hillary Clinton character in "Primary Colors" and overdid it.

Kenneth Branagh's first attempt at an American accent was in "Dead Again" where he tried to imitate his hero Jimmy Cagney, but no one had an accent like Cagney's and he just sounded ridiculous. Thereafter he's been very good at American accents.

Most Brits do best when they try for a more neutral American accent. They have the biggest problems when they try to do something regional, like Chicago or New York. I have never heard a Brit do a convincing Minnesota accent, although after seeing the movie "Fargo" so many of them think they can do it. (The trouble is half the actors in "Fargo" could not do a convincing Minnesota accent.)

I agree Tracey Ullman overdoes her R's when she tries to do an American accent.

R21 You refering to Ioan Gruffudd as Matthew Rhys' old roommate? Ioan is still gorgeous, but I agree on the career stalling.

Gary Oldman is great with accents and voices! He is Lord Shen in kungfu panda 2. Gary is my daddy crush, so tasty in Dawn of the of the apes.

R31 season 3 of Fargo starts April. Cited to see Ewan McGregor and David Thewlis do Minnesotan.

It seems they always favor a southern accent. Must be the only way they can hide theirs cuz they all do it. But I guess Joe Anderson on The Outsiders does a decent job. And even though it's over the top, his co-star Thomas M. Wright is just so good, I'll overlook the heavy southern drawl. Thomas was great in The Bridge and he did a good American accent in that.

Tom Felton

James Purefoy is doing a great Hap.

Judy Davis.

Southern accents seem much more forgiving to Brit actors.

I think some Brits are better than some Americans at Southern accents. Many Southern dialects have dropped rs and a similar rhythm. Oddly enough, Jude Law, who can do a convincing generic American accent, really hams it up when he trays to do a Southern accent.

I always thought Idris Elba mumbled his way through his supposedly Black American accent in The Wire. The inflections seemed off and it was flat. Not awful, but not that convincing either.

But, R31, was Fargo really supposed to be genuine MN accents. It seemed like it was supposed to be over-the-top. I'm from Minnesota. Yes, SOME people have a "Fargo" accent, but it's often not that pronounced.

Tracy Ullman

Ed Westwick. (Where is he, anyway?)

Seems like Aussies have less of a problem than the Brits.

Rachel Griffiths is so good I'm always a little surprised to hear her natural accent. Daniel Radcliffe's American is pretty good. Vivian Leigh did a spot-on American Southern, not as good with standard American.

Angela Lansbury owns this thread. Her American accent was so good that she pretty much just kept it.

The ultimate Brit doing southern is Leigh as Scarlett.

Except when she says 'It's a little like blockade running.' to Gable at the bazaar.

As far as I remember it's the only line where she slips up.

Streetcar is flawless no matter how distraught she becomes.

Fassbender's accents are awful. Joel Edgerton's terrible. Cumberbatch is terrible.

Rob Heaps does a great American accent. He's a terrific, classically trained actor. He will be a big star.

It's not that we can't do American accents; it's just that we don't want to sound like that.

R46 In the book "Scarlett Letters," there's a lot of back and forth discussion from Margaret Mitchell to the producers about the accents in GWTW and how the Southern accent of that period was similar in many ways to certain English accents and so was fairly easy for Vivien to master.

Raquel Welch at 9:08.

Sorry. Wrong thread at r51.

But for the record, Raquel Welch is completely unconvincing as a human, even with the authentic accent.

Judy Davis

Tilda Swinton

Cary Elwes

I love Tilda, but she definitely slipped a couple times in Michael Clayton.

When I read the title of this thread I first thought of Rachel Griffiths in 6FU.

[quote] But, [R31], was Fargo really supposed to be genuine MN accents. It seemed like it was supposed to be over-the-top. I'm from Minnesota. Yes, SOME people have a "Fargo" accent, but it's often not that pronounced.

I'm from Minnesota too--born and raised in St. Paul.

I stand by my statement at r31 100%. Some of the actors in "Fargo" do the Minnesota accent well, but some do not. Frances McDormand's is too exaggerated.

Any Chicago Fire fans from Chicago? How is David Eigenberg's Chicaaago aaacsent?

We get that R56. I'm not R31, but I think his/her point was that in the black comedy and sometimes heightened reality of Fargo -- especially the tv show -- the accents for certain characters were purposefully exaggerated for comic effect.

Riz Ahmed is great at doing an American accent (THE NIGHT OF, NIGHTCRAWLER).

I've always been impressed by Claire Bloom when she plays American characters. As Marina Gregg in The Mirror Crack'd (Miss Marple), there were exactly two words - brass band - that sounded just a bit off. Other than that, if I didn't already know she's English, I'd have assumed they hired an American for the role.

And, as R45 mentioned, Angela Lansbury is perfect playing an American character.

Another actress who does a great job is Helene Joy, who plays Dr. Ogden in the Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries. In one of the DVD extras (about Season 7, I think) it was stated that she is Australian. I had no idea!

Kiwi Melanie Lynskey, who played Charlie Sheen's neighbor/stalker on Two and a Half Men.

Alan Rickman in Die Hard and Murder Obliquely.

Are there any American actors who are good at an English or other foreign accent?

R63 Everyone except Dick Van Dyke.

madonna can do american accent convincingly

Obama. For a Kenyan, he spoke pretty well.

Vivien Leigh's Scarlett accent slips one other place. When she's climbing the stairs after trying to get Dr Meade to deliver Melanie's baby, prissy asks if Meade is coming. "He can't come. There's no one to come." Leigh must have been tired when they shot that line.

R67 yeah I've noticed that. She also slips a place or two in Streetcar.

When Tracey Ullman used to do Letterman's NBC show, during her interview she would go in and out of different types of American accents, it was very impressive.

Her Ruby Romaine character is amazing. Sounds exactly like all the sunbaked, wordly-wise 62 year old ladies from Orange County who smoke that were so prevalent when I moved to LA 20+ years ago. That type is pretty much gone now.

Olivia de Havilland. You'd never guess she's really Japanese.

R52 which thread was that supposed to be in? Sounds interesting.

Emma Thompson in Dead Again is the worst American accent done by a foreigner in movie history.

I'm PERFECT at switching from my British to American accents. All the best critics say so.

For r70:

Night of 100 Stars Fashion Show: 1985

Emma Thompson & Kenneth Branagh in Dead Again are the worst American accents in movie history

James Purefoy in his show and the English guy in Legion who was in Downton Abbey. Can't remember his name.

It was fascinating to watch Martin Freeman try to wrap his mouth around the Minnesota accent in the first season of Fargo. He finally got it and relaxed by about the fourth episode, but, man, he was working *hard* up until then.

Good lord, why are so many Brit actors coming over here? I knew of a few but had no clue most shows are chock full of 'em.

Tom Wilkinson

Kelly Macdonald in No Country for Old Men. Surprisingly good attempt at Texan for someone from Glasgooooooooooooow.

[quote]I always thought Idris Elba mumbled his way through his supposedly Black American accent in The Wire. The inflections seemed off and it was flat. Not awful, but not that convincing either.

Maybe it's because he wasn't doing "Black American" but Baltimore (bawlmer), which is a unique accent. He was pretty much perfect.

But, why weren't any of the other actors doing it?

American actors are cast, not by talent, but by looks.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Some of them were, R81.

Colin Farrell, you cunts. Also Brian Fucking Cox

There are lots of Brit actors in The Walking Dead,portraying Americans. Andrew Lincoln sounds quite believable as Sheriff Rick. David Morrissey, the actor who played the Governor a few seasons back on TWD, I was shocked to learn that he was also British.

WW R85 for Brian Fucking Cox.

Renee Zellwegger's good playing Bridget Jones.

Funny, I used to think Brian Cox was a Yank who was good at British accents.

R63 i like Robert Downey Jr's british Sherlock Holmes more than his normnal accent.

Brit twink Tom Holland apparently does a good American accent.

No love for sexy daddy Gary Oldman?

[quote]No love for bigoted cunt Gary Oldman?

No!!!!

Aaron Taylor Johnson.

Flawless!!!!

I recently watched 13 Reasons Why and Love Simon and I thought Katherine Langford nailed the American accent quite well.

[quote]Ed Westwick. (Where is he, anyway?)

I think he moved back to England after the scandal.

Agree r39. I love Idris, but he didn't pull off an American accent at all.

Anthony LaPaglia. You'd never guess he was from Adelaide.

As for Americans, Brad Pitt nails the irish accent.

The mayor on The Wire.

So did Keiynan Lonsdale, r93.

The British actor who plays Jonathan on Stranger Things does an ok American accent.

[quote]Toni Colette

Her accent has slipped in some movies and shows she has done. For the most part she candle an American accent unlike Rebel Wilson on that short lived ABC sitcom.

Karl Urban

Ruth Wilson

Joel Kinnaman. Best ever.

Ben Mendelssohn Bloodline, and also the actor who plays Terry On Ray Donovan.

Isla Fisher isn't bad. Thought she was American in "Wedding Crashers." Most Brit dudes trying to do a neutral or even regional accent always seem to make it too nasally or too high pitched. Like Dan Stevens and Damian Lewis...their pronunciations aren't bad, but their voices don't seem all that natural because of the pitch/tone.

Gillian Anderson.

Flew BA last month and was gobsmacked that I did not know what was English. Well, okay, dual citizen.

*she not what

[quote] Emma Thompson in Dead Again is the worst American accent done by a foreigner in movie history.

Joined by her current husband Greg Wise whose American accent in Modus pained my ear drums.

[quote]I think some Brits are better than some Americans at Southern accents.

I agree with this. Scott Porter on Friday Night Lights was an example of an American who sucked at doing a Southern accent. Jayma Mays was awful doing a Southern accent for that Trial and Error sitcom last season.

This thread reminds me of that SNL sketch where Brits take on Southern accents.

[quote]Are there any American actors who are good at an English or other foreign accent?

I thought Kate McKinnon did a decent Australian accent for Rough Night.

Rose Byrne

I thought the guy who played House was great. Ditto Idris in The Wire.

R62- Another vote for Alan Rickman - I think his accent in Murder Obliquely was slightly better than his Die Hard one.

The older brother on stranger things

Australians Simon Baker, Poppy Montgomery, and Lachlan Buchanan.

Linus Roache on ‘Law & Order’.

R104, Joel Kinnaman was born and raised in Sweden. But, his father is American and spoke to this dad in English while growing up. So, his American accent is his true "English" accent.

R117 For a longt time I thought Poppy was American.

The kid who plays Spider-Man.

Idris Elba did a terrific American accent In Promethius.

I'll bet that people who only saw him as Apollo on Battlestar Galactica have no idea that Jamie Bamber is British. His accent was pretty flawless.

Tom Wilkinson owns this thread

Convincing Aussie accents: Kate McKinnon in Rough Night and Robert Downey Jr. in Natural Born Killers.

Kate Winslett. Alan Rickman

Conversely, Elijah Wood did such a good accent in Lord of the Rings that most people didn't know he was an American.

What accent did he have in Lord of the Rings?

Henry Cavill does, which is amazing since he cannot act worth a damn.

I remember Linus Roache tripping up on Law & Order on the word “office.” That one word often trips up Brits-they usually pronounce it like “Ah-fiss.” But I noticed he nailed it during this past season of Homeland.

[quote]Henry Cavill does, which is amazing since he cannot act worth a damn.

Maybe, he spent more money on dialect/diction classes than acting classes.

[quote]Convincing Aussie accents: Kate McKinnon in Rough Night and Robert Downey Jr. in Natural Born Killers.

I wonder if casting McKinnon to play an Aussie was done as a "fuck you" to Aussies and Brits who come to the US and fake American accents for roles.

[R128] A kind of posh, pseudo-British accent. Probably sounded British to the British because most Americans have terrible diction. Wood has always had a beautiful speaking voice.

Saoirse Ronan and Andrew Garfield.

Actually McKinnon was doing a New Zealand accent. Her character was named Kiwi.

R122 here. I meant terrible not terrific lol

A Dialect Coach Explains Why American Actors Are Bad At British Accents

I need an in-service with that dialect coach.

Lucy Punch

R138, here you go.

[quote]Cumberbatch is terrible.

He's apparently received better coaching lately, because his accent as Doctor Strange is decent, albeit labored at times.

Cillian Murphy in "Red Eye". The movie is flawed, but his American accent is flawless.

Didn't read the whole thread - but the American accent and an excepted way of speaking is fairly consistent. There aren't THAT many American accents unlike UK, where the accent can vary every 50 miles or so.

Plus they grow up with American films, music, etc. To not be able to connect with that accent that you are constantly inundated with and to NOT mimic it would be difficult.

I'm just saying - this is not a big of a trick as people from other countries trying to do other foreign accents.

Irish actress Kerry Condon in Better Call Saul was great.

Watching the movie Warror right now, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are doing great.

The dialect coach looks like Justin Bartha.

Jason Clarke does an ok American accent in most movies and shows he's done. I watched Chappaquiddick last night and Clarke's Australian accent slipped out a couple of times.

Christian Bale in American Hustle.

I had no idea Aiden Gillen was not American until I finished The Wire.

Jude Law's accent in The Young Pope was good at first but after an episode or two it fell apart. It was distractingly bad.

That Longmire dude, Robert Taylor

The American southern accent is probably the most difficult to do it always trips up most of them and sounds phony.

Interesting that so many non-American actors suffer from dreaded vocal fry when they try a US accent (especially a Midwestern accent) whereas before they had none. Its highly noticeable with Hugh Laurie and Guy Pearce.

Sullivan Stapleton from Strikeback - I also liked what a hot dominant fuck he was, most of the show seemed to revolve around him fucking a girl and in the next scene she's dead lol

Eddie Redmayne

R149 Jude Law is awful at accents he made Black Sea unwatchable by his horrendous fake Scottish accent

[quote] There aren't THAT many American accents unlike UK, where the accent can vary every 50 miles or so.

You must be Midwestern because where I’m, in the South, I can drive 20 miles and here several different dialects. upper class urban, lower class urban, upper class rural, lower class rural and some I can’t even identify and can barely understand.

Australian actress Liv Hewson who plays the daughter on Santa Clarita Diet does a very good American accent.

R148, How is this possible!!!!? Aiden was in the original “Queer As Folk”! He played Stuart, the hot slag!

R8 I wonder, are you American? To my ear Branagh is awful at American accents.

Alan Rickman was the best. In Die Hard, he had to use a German accent then switch to an American accent.

Christian Bale owns this thread. I (like many, many others) didn't even know he wasn't American until he started accepting awards (and giving acceptance speeches) for The Fighter.

R96 I was waiting for someone to say that. As one the first of the “new generation” actors from Oz working in the US in the 80s he had to completely hide his accent for work relations. The cast of Betsy’s Wedding one of his first US films were confused, when after many hours of filming when they were all extremely tired he’d slip and blurt out something in a thick Aussie accent.

Meryl gets flack sometimes for A Cry In The Dark but it’s undeserved. She completely absorbed me with her performance, and her accent though maybe not 100% at all times is still first rate. The interesting thing is Lindy Chamberlin was born in NZ and lived there until a teenager, Meryl picked up the nuances between the two accents (no easy feat for a non-native) and only slipped once or twice with a vowel.

I was talking with my Australian nephew after having seen the film, "The VIPs." "Wow," I said, "Rod Taylor does a great Australian accent."

"No," said my nephew, "He is Australian. He does a really good American accent."

Let's look at him again just because.

Good, Brian Cox is mentioned. I always thought he was an American until I saw yesterday that he's one of the celebrity signatories of the Brexit referendum petition.

[quote]r3 I must admit that once I discover someone is British (or Australian or Irish) after I've been duped into thinking they are American, I feel a little betrayed.

LOCK ‘EM UP!

Joel Kinnamon, Alex Skaarsgard both come to mind.

I dread the inevitable objection to any actor doing an accent because it's appropriation.

[quote]The American southern accent is probably the most difficult to do it always trips up most of them and sounds phony.

I can't remember which British failed miserably at doing a Southern accent for a 90s Civil War movie.

Charlize Theron has the best American accent ever.

Ryan Kwanten on True Blood.

[quote]Anthony LaPaglia. You'd never guess he was from Adelaide.

He's one of the better ones who can nail an American accent.

Julian McMahon

Cody Fern

As already stated above:

Ben Barnes

Idris Elba

Some people celebrated for their American accents sound bad to me: Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie come to mind.

Whereas Matthew Rhys is phenomenal.

[quote] I dread the inevitable objection to any actor doing an accent because it's appropriation.

You don't understand what cultural appropriation is, do you?

Idris Elba on The Wire sounded fine to me. Others too certainly but can't think of any right now. Maybe Kenneth Branagh in that dreadful Woody Allen movie, but it was more of a Woody Allen accent in a Woody Allen impersonation.

I liked the show, but James Purefoy's "southern" accent in Hap and Leonard was terrible, and it got worse as the show went on, not better.

There were a lot of bad accents in that show, so many I wondered if they hired a bad dialect coach. There was one character in the third season (an evil female deputy sheriff) who pronounced the word "garage" as "GAY-rawdge." I'm sitting there racking my brain trying to figure out who in the world thinks the word is pronounced that way, anywhere. I assume the actress was American, but not from the south, but who knows. Either way it was laughable.

R147 and r161 are correct. Bale owns this title; and along the lines of r147's post, Bale's Massachusetts townie accent in "The Fighter" is the most authentic I've ever heard on film

R174 I agree with you on Thompson's American accent. It's awful.

R177 here with an update: It was Laura Allen, from Washington state. Teddible!

Portia de Rossi

John Mahoney. His gravelly blue-collar American accent was so good he kept it full-time.

I'm doing a rewatch of The Americans right now and concur that Matthew Rhys does a flawless American accent. But the guy can do any accent, really. It's quite impressive.

Both Matthew and Christian Bale are Welsh, as is another actor who does a good American accent, Michael Sheen. Even though I knew he wasn't American, I totally bought his accent on Masters Of Sex.

Lupita is improving.

Hugh Laurie's American accent is spot on on VEEP. Judy Davis also does an excellent American accent. Toni Collette is another Australian (like Davis) who does a flawless American accent.

Leonardo Nam (Australian) nails it on Westworld and Swamp Thing.

[quote]Toni Collette is another Australian (like Davis) who does a flawless American accent.

I had no idea!

[quote]another actor who does a good American accent, Michael Sheen. Even though I knew he wasn't American, I totally bought his accent on Masters Of Sex.

His Jewish/Italian accent on this season of The Good Fight, however, was atrocious.

Mel Gibson and Helen Reddy and Rick Springfield

[quote]Kiwi Melanie Lynskey, who played Charlie Sheen's neighbor/stalker on Two and a Half Men

For awhile I thought she was American.

Riz Ahmed nailed a Queens accent in "The Night Of".

Ashleigh Cummings on NOS4A2. She's Australian and stars in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

I also was shocked when I listened to Maia Mitchell's (The Foster's, Good Trouble) natural Australian accent. Up to that point I wasn't aware that she's Australian.

Kenneth Branagh was awful doing an American accent in "Dead Again." He did a Jimmy Cagney accent, but no one in America ever talked like Jimmy Cagney besides Jimmy Cagney--Cagney had a weird, one-of-a-kind accent, but Branagh was too arrogant to ask.

I was incredibly impressed, though, when I heard him next try an American accent in "The Gingerbread Man"--he absolutely nailed it.

I'm friends with a lot of actors--oddly, both American and British. When they find out I grew up in Minnesota, they always try out a Minnesota accent on me. It's always awful--they're always imitating Frances McDormand in "Fargo," and so they always say lots of "you betcha"s (which people from Minnesota really don't say that much), and McDormand's attempt at a Minnesota accent really isn't even that good to begin with (she overdoes it).

Linus Roche on Law & Order. It even has a touch of New York in it.

I second Rose Byrne.

Cate Blanchett’s are typically pretty good too

Charlize Theron, Ana Paquin, Jodi Comer, Toni Collette, Katherine Langford. Lots of guys too but can't think of any.

Not me!

Hugh Jackman

[quote]Portia de Rossi

Except when she says "anah-thing."

R196 I love Anna Paquin but no

Viggo Mortensen

Jayma Mays is an American from the South. Funny that someone above said her southern accent is bad. A lot of the "Southern Accents" you hear in movies and on TV are taught by dialect coaches who don't have any idea what they're talking about. Almost no white southern still living drops their rs, for example. That is from the distant past, yet you still hear people doing a Foghorn Leghorn accent in movies. The best example of a bad Southern accent in a movie is Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias -- born and raised in Atlanta, but a dialect coach taught her a fucked up and imaginary "Southern accent" for the film. Brits speaking American? Idris Elba was perfect in the Wire. Damian Lewis was amazing in Band of Brothers. I had no idea either of those two were Brits until later.

John Noble and Anna Torv. Both Australian and both played Americans in the TV series "Fringe".

Florence Pugh nailed the American accent in Midsommar.

spam posted by ip address 173.234.158.82 removed.

I like Ben Cumberbatch but his voice in dr strange is horrible!

The mayor on The Wire is the best.

[quote] I can't remember which British failed miserably at doing a Southern accent for a 90s Civil War movie.

I have a vague memory of a period piece from that era with Michael Caine as a plantation owner or something - he was awful iirc. It may have been a made-for-tv movie that resembled a soap opera?

Cush Jumbo.

Melanie Lynskey.

Anna Paquin - but after her Oscar win she actually moved to the US, no? She was still a child then.

Matthew Rhys' mastery of accents is brilliant! I have to read my Welsh friend's lips in order to understand what he's saying. Welsh must be the heaviest brogue, but Rhys totally loses his native tongue,

However, Aidan Gillen ("The Wire") is right up there with Rhys. Not only did he create a fantasy accent in "Game of Thrones," but, as Littlefinger, Gillen altered that accent depending upon the character to whom he was speaking/manipulating. Incredible. Plus I find Gillen sexy as hell, so maybe my ears are biased.

Mark Wahlberg

[quote] However, Aidan Gillen ("The Wire") is right up there with Rhys

He was the mayor on The Wire. I didn't know he wasn't American until years after I watched it.

Guy Pierce

Kenneth Branagh as the L.A. private detective in "Dead Again"

Seconding Matthew Rhys-Jones

Albert Finney as the hard-boiled NY detective in Wolfen

Mel Gibson does American, British, and Australian pretty well.

Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams, Jr., also doing his own singin' and pluckin'

R200 - Viggo Mortensen is American and grew up speaking American. He also speaks a few other languages and has dual citizenship with Denmark, but American English is his first language. His family moved around a lot, which is why he picked up Spanish and Danish early, but he graduated from Watertown High School in New York, and he went to university at St. Lawrence College in Canton, NY.

His American accent IS his English.

Joan Collins in The Opposite Sex.

Idris Elba's American accent sucked in that Aaron Sorkin movie he made with Jessica Chastain.

R215 I agree.

[quote]He was the mayor on The Wire. I didn't know he wasn't American until years after I watched it.

Aiden Gillen is a great actor, but that accent wasn't Italian American. Hell, it wasn't Irish American. He was pretty much RP in season 1 of Game of Thrones and reverted back to Dublin thereafter.

I think most of them do. They're certainly better at it than American actors attempting foreign accents. Really no comparison there.

Tracey Ullman