Top 10 Actors Who Nail The English Accent
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- Top 10 Actors Who Nail The English Accent
The humble English accent has had Hollywood flummoxed for decades... But some actors actually can pull it off! For this list, we're counting down the best, most convincing and most authentic English accents performed by American and Canadian actors. With Renée Zellweger, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie all vying for top spot, this well-spoken run-through is a star-studded affair.
Special thanks to our users Danny George and Theodore Wilhelm for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.com/suggest
#10. Mike Myers
#9. Angelina Jolie
#8. Johnny Depp
#7. Maggie Gyllenhaal
#6. Kevin Kline
#5. Robert Downey Jr.
#4. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer
#3, #2, #1: ??? - Zábava
Was anyone tricked into thinking any of these were actually English for real?
WatchMojoUK Me for Sweeny Todd
RDJ. Didn't know he wasn't until my friend said he was American.
No
I speak english or british as we call it
Noooope. Also since you're a uk channel you could at least acknowledge there's no one "English accent"
I know a guy who criticized Depp's American accent, thinking he is English.
Peter Frank I say rene was great as Bridget Jones!🙂
Depp and fatface zelwiggler both do appallingly bad English accents
Depp's accent can't decide if it wants to be Keith Richards, Cockney or Australian.
mascara snake thats because Dump sorry Depp is a piss poor actor, the best thing he has ever done was get dragged into the bed and his remains blasted all over the ceiling in a nightmare on elm Street
lol
Cleary, Robert Downey, Jr does a brilliant English accent. Before he was Holmes, he portrayed silent film legend, Charlie Chaplin, flawlessly.
And as Robert Meribel in the movie "Restoration"
Downey jr cant do an English accent for toffee nuts
There's a lot of people here who disagree-So You are in a very tiny minority on that opinion
Nancy O'Malley thats as maybe but that doesn't make me wrong, so is that tiny minority you refer to the English population ? and I am English so do actually know his accent is poor to say the least
So you still think that your opinion is the only one that matters?
Johnny Depp does the English accent so well I actually thought he was English for time
Johnny Depp's English accent sounds so English to an American. What do the English think? Not so much.
Ha ha you're joking. He's terrible
Same!
@@philipholman4888 i’m so confused didn’t brits make this video
@@noriii Maybe, but not this Brit.
OMG.. I've always though Depp was British.. that's how convincing he is to me!
James Jiao He has lived in London for many years, so I can't imagine it being too difficult picking up a particular dialect.
Same
Yeah and he is from Kentucky, even weirder!
James Jiao My mom thought he was
he's from Kentucky. born in the same town as me.
Apart from Streep, weirdly the best English accent I have heard from an American actor was Chris Pratt’s impression of Essex girls on the Graham Norton show. He absolutely nails it.
"You miss me? What am I, your muvvuh??"
OllieSmythable so true
The Only Way is (hmmm) Essex I guess.
No he doesnt
Rami Malek can do British accents.
Me; sees Robert Downey Jr. And clicks
Same
eleni sokali same
eleni sokali same
Me too
Me too bro!
Renee Zellweger seriously nails it. Meryl Streep is incredibly believable as Thatcher. Two great actresses.
All the actors in Lord of the Rings absolutely SLAYED the English accent!! They all did a grand job x
I think that Sean Astin could've done a better job actually, especially his "r" sounds, like the way he pronounces "burden" in Two Towers you can tell he's American. Brad Dourif was outstanding on the other hand, I was amazed when I first heard him speak with his normal accent, I really thought he was British
Most of them are British with the exception of Peter Dinklage.
Théo Clarissou according to the special features Brad Dourif used to speak in an English accent around the set when off camera, to the extent that a lot of the cast and crew didn’t know he was American
T Black Peter Dinklage isn’t in Lord of the Rings, you’re thinking of Game of Thrones
I literally thought they were all English
Angelina English accent was better in Maleficent
I agree
More practice.
Is there anything Meryll Streep CAN'T DO?
Be subtle? Every time she's on screen, I think "boy, is she doing a lot of acting."
Be a good person
She knew all about Harvey Weinstein being a filthy pig but she did nothing about it.
Yeah. Give me a boner.
I didn't mean that. It was a cheap joke, and I'm drunk.
I thought for years that Renee was British.
Hugh Grant said she sounded so good you could even say she was from Croydon.
*English
Same lmao I didn't know she was american
Same here
Same 😂
Sean Astin's accent as Samwise Gamgee was brilliant. Not only did he nail it, he also went for an English Accent that wasn't from the home counties. That take's real talent.
Definitely an honorable mention.
I didn't even know Sean Austin wasn't British till years later.
I knew from Goonies
I wanna hear an American do a Yorkshire accent, we're not all southern.
Or a Lancashire accent, or a Shropshire accent, or a Cumbrian accent, or a Lincolnshire accent, or a North Wiltshire accent, or a Black country accent, or a Potteries accent etc etc etc
Or Scouse, or Geordie, or ...
Yaaaass
Oh God, there's so many... @_@
Have you heard chris pratt speak scouse?
I actually thought Johnny was British until I was 13
Phil O'Brien same
He's actually born in Kentucky with french heritage
no wonder he's so cute
I thought he was British until this video😂 his accent is amazing
Same!
Alexis Denisof and James Marsters from 'Buffy' and 'Angel'. Everyone was STUNNED to learn they weren't british...
Cate Blanchett was really left out here once again. Her portrayal as Elizabeth is just perfect and the accent is really on point.
Giving this a "like" and a major w00t w00t because I consider Blanchett an honorary Texan, as her dad was from here. :D
At the begining ot thw video he says Canadian or American actors only. Cate Blanchett is Australian
The video was Australianist, only for North American actors.
Cate Blanchet is the one who play Lady Tremaine so well in Cinderella. Yup, her accent is wonderful.
Skogsalven B What about Lily Collins? I’m genuinely curious if she does the English accent well since she’s was born in England and lived there til she was 6.
I'm a simple girl.. I see RDJ, I click on the video.
exactly what I did!
Me too
That's me
But you're a man
@@benjaminwilson1804 say sike right now
For so many years I thought Zellweger and Paltrow were actually English. I can say I was completely floored when I found out they weren't. Sign of an amazing actor/actress!!❤❤❤
I have to say zellweger's was flawless. You can usually tell something isn't right, they slip up on occasional words or sounds and speech patterns. Or they often sound too stereotypically posh but hers was on point throughout
One of my favourites is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion in Game of Thrones. It took me ages to realise he was American.
Also a really random inclusion is the little girl who plays Janet in The Conjuring 2. Her accent was so convincing! Even more impressive that she managed to nail down the specifics of the Enfield accent.
This video fails to mention Peter Dinklage.he's the actor who portrays Tyrion on Game of Thrones. The guy is from freaking New Jersey but his English accent is on point.
and he talks A LOT, prob ten movies worth
his accent is awful and generic
for real!! I always forget he's not an English actor because his accent is so consistent throughout all the seasons
I'm not English, but I grew up watching far too much British television for any singular child to be allowed, and I have spent a fair bit of time in England to the point I can usually tell the region a Brit is from based on their accent when I meet them in the states.
I can't place Dinklage's accent at all. It sounds overdone. I didn't know he wasn't British when I first started watching GoT, but he still sounded off to me. It sounded like he was up-playing a stage-accent. When I found out he was American, everything clicked.
Now this is my opinion on his accent in the beginning. I feel it's still a bit off, though that may be confirmation bias on my part, but it has significantly improved as the show went on. It's MUCH better now, but definitely not award-worthy.
And I LOVE Dinklage, btw. Still my favorite character, his accent is wonky, but his acting is on-point.
Stop blowing holes in my ship!!
Me when someone criticises my otp
Stop firing rockets to my House!
For gods sake stop shooting my tank
Glenn Close as Cruella was an AMAZING English accent 😍 Would’ve put her on my list
Love Johnny, Robert, Renee, and Mrs. Can do any accent in the world, Streep.
Avengers Infinity War... or it’s real title Sherlock meets Sherlock
Jack Coupland Yas Queen
So you're just going to ignore Johnny Depp's flawless and swoon-worthy accent in "Corpse Bride" because...? :p
Don’t forget his J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland”.
And his role as Rochester in The Libertine.
Sherlock Holmes wasn't Downey's first foray into English characters. He's also played Charlie Chaplin.
I know. 🙂
That's okay. It happens. 🙂
@@retnavybrat no its not okay 🙂
And his accent in both are utter shite
renée does the best fake accent I've heard. I thought she was actually from England for the longest time.
No one in Britain speaks like her. It's awful.
Hugh Jackman. I remember I saw him in Kate and Leopold which was the first film I saw him in and I thought he was British lol. He played an English duke called Leopold. Shocked when I found he was Australian.
Angelina Jolie had a good English accent too and Johnny Depp.
Most people can't really differentiate English and Australian accents tho... Especially non-native speakers
I love this movie (and of course Hugh Jackman
The Australian accent is very close to the British one though, so it's far easier for actors from Australia to accomplish the accent.
But he is Australian ! lol
I might add that Hugh has an impeccable American accent. He was amazing in the Greatest Showman and the Prestige. There's nothing that man can't do!
I'm surprised Glen Close as Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians wasn't on this list. I was honestly surprised when I first found out she was American because her British accent was so damn convincing.
May I also suggest Frances McDormand? Her English accent in ‘Mrs Pettigrew lives for a day’ was incredible. But yeah, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Clip you showed sounded also spot on, very impressive! :)
Lithgow was good as Churchill in The Crown I thought
THANKYOU for mentioning him. Wasn't he awesome? Performance, accent, pathos... Just great.
Agree
Not as good as Gary Oldman
Wow, Lithgow is an American?
THIS. Only non UK cast member in that cast, and he nails it.
Meryl Streep is a treasure! Such an awesome actress.
She is such a horrible person!
Hey hey hey where's James marsters from Buffy???? He was bloody brilliant!
Paul Hampton James’s English accent is so convincing, I actually find his American accent terrible
Esther Denenga
I know right?
His english accent was so convincing I really thought he was english but watching house on haunted hill or Torchwood where he had his american accent it didn't sound right
It was mostly good, but there were times when his American accent shone through. Maybe if he said "talking" or "walking" for example. Although I only began to hear it once I found out Marsters was American. I'm sure most English people who've lived in the US for a while would sound like that anyway.
I agree, James did a awesome job on the British accent while he was playing Spike.
You are joking right? Ive met James Masters on a few occasions he is a lovely guy but his English accent, pardon the pun SUCKS. he is only one step up from Dick Van Dyke in Mary poppins, if anyone thought his English accent was convincing in any way they must have never seen or heard a real English person
"at last my arm is complete again." that is Edward Scissor Hand talking 😂
The “STOP BLOWING HOLES IN MY SHIP” killed me 😂
did you really just say "an actress whose early career is PEPPERed with english roles" HAHHAHAH TOO GOOD
Hannah Brayford holy shit I didn’t catch that one, haha
As Christopher Guest from Spinal Tap is actually British-American and has an hereditary peerage (he is Baron Haden-Guest), he has a head start on getting an English accent right.
Meryl Streep is always stunning!!!!! I totally adore this acting queen 👑💋😻.
To me, every Johnny Depp English accent sounds like his Jack Sparrow. Scuse me. Captain Jack Sparrow.
Only cockney and posh? Where is Scouse? Mancunian? Dartmoor? WHERE IS THE NORTH, I ASK YOU!?
Professional Fandom Member well its at the opposite end of the country from the south isnt it? Haha
My best mate is from Leeds and none of the roles seem to portray anyone from there.
They're useless. Loljk
Because scouserd have so much going on
@@caricature1997 being from the north, we should cut it out and sink the whole thing
as an Englishman we do like Depp`s version based on Keith Richards.
Originally the voice that Depp wanted to use was a flamboyantly gay Keith Richards, but Disney didn't approve
I specifically came to this video looking for Spinal Tap - very glad to see it!
i'm so blessed to watch Meryl Streep's Iron Lady as my first "british accent" film
Mike Myers was able to do it because his parents were from Liverpool, same as The Beatles. Robert Downey Jr. learned to do an accent playing Charlie Chaplin. I can do several accents, Liverpool, Scotland, I'm a bit of an Anglofanatic!
Jessica Jayes scouse is nout like the cockney that Austin powers has though
Jessica Jayes I can do a good British accent but that could be to do with the fact that I live in Hampshire
Goddammit Ross!
Holy shit, I thought Mike Myers's parents were from Scotland! Ok, so my brain is starting to suffer from the effects of aging.... Anyway, I wish I had or could do a Scouse accent because I find it so musical and friendly. The Northern accents are truly amazing. Like, I was watching some Limahl interviews earlier in the day and loved his accent, and he comes from Lancashire.
My bad, I just watch a lot of Doctor Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Top Gear, and Monty Python and I guess I picked up a few tricks.
I actually thought Mike Myers was actually speaking in his normal accent while playing as Austin Powers at first. I also thought Angelina Jolie & Renée Zellweger was a British actress as well.
@@purpleturtle8841 *Canadian
Ok how many people clicked just cuz if RDJ? ( I did)
People who nailed the English accent: English people
What "English accent"
How about 10 actors who can nail an Irish accent. Now there's a challenge for you
Yes. I put John Voight in 'The General' at the top of the list for American actors who pulled off the Irish accent. Actually, its a one person list.
Daniel Day Lewis - In the Name of the father was the best!
@@alandavis3715 overrated
Cousin!
BBC Jim Moriarty?
Other actors I thought were British
Angelina jolie
Angelica Huston
Alexis Denisof from Buffy and Angel. I was stunned when I heard his natural, American accent.
Robert Downey Jr, everyone. What a talent. ♥️
Good video.
I have to say I'm laughing because I've just remembered when Cary Elwes (the British actor who played Robin Hood, Men in tights) said he was the only British actor who played Robin Hood, with a real British accent. It was hilarious.
It just shows how convincing Johnny depps British accent is I always for years assumed that johnny was born and bred British and that he put on an american accent for movies like nightmare on elm street and ironically it was the complete opposite all this time lol😀😀😀😀
Saying THE English accent is like saying THE ice cream flavour. You'll find more accents in 60 miles in England than you will post boxes.
Ha! Right!
Same as America.
But for some reason when people "DO" an American accent.. they tend to do the "Cowboy" one..
Weird, eh?
@Teaf There are much greater variations in England than in the United States when it comes to accents though. There is a general American accent. Not so with England. You could even say there's a general North American accent since Canadians sound almost identical.
+Gaston Rocha that’s not true. There are distinctive accent differences within states, let alone between them
davidpar2 very slightly. Nothing like in England.
+Gaston Rocha where are you from?
Spinal tap was brilliant! And all improvised
I should’ve known the StreepMonster would take the top spot. She is living, breathing greatness.
Both Gyllenhaal's English accents were spot on 👌
Johnny Depp singing heroes with the Hollywood Vampires with a British accent to honor David Bowie is really good.
meryl streep performance as thatcher was really mind blowing...she was a perfect thatcher incarnate!!!
A couple of honourable mentions that should be well among the first few numbers: Jordan Gavaris as Felix in Orphan Black and Brad Dourif as Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings.
Johnny Depp's accent in "Finding Neverland" was better!
Oscar worthy his performance. I almost cried at least tree times.
I sure hope Kline and Downey Jr. could share the screen again.
I did an English accent when i was in high school, i was Sherlock Holmes in our stage play, Hound of Baskerville. It was so hard to control my fake accent because it's far from my real one, i had to make it deep or husky as much as i remember but i pulled it off i guess.
For me the sign of a good actor is whether or not they can pull off another accent. Really impressed with Meryl Streep’s accent.
Streep`s accent is far more convincing than the other women on here it`s a shame the character she played was nothing like the real life Margaret Thatcher and the funny thing is Thatcher needed to be trained on her accent also because she didn`t grow up as posh as the politicians around her and wasn`t from London.
Streep is one of the world's best accent actors. She also pulled off the Australian accent in Evil Angels/A Cry in the Dark to do Lindy Chamberlain so well that I almost thought it was Lindy, as a kid who watched the real Lindy Cha mberlain trial on TV.
If Streep is one of the worlds best actors, that's an awful indictment on the acting profession. Wooden doesn't even begin to describe her.
That adds to her performance as Thatcher because she was wooden in real life! lol! Streep is great at accents though.
How could you forget Joaquin Phoenix in "Quills" and "Gladiator?"
You're joking, right?
@@monkeytennis8861 why?
@@assholable His English accent in Gladiator was horrible. I’m not even British and I know that.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
This one scene with a card lady (idk) and Sherlock (RDJ) his accent and voice is truly AMAZING the card lady has an GORGEOUS accent as well its such a relaxing scene ohmygooosshhh
2:48 Jack Sparrow and Severus Snape Rochester! I must watch this movie!
HEHE MERYL STREEP'S ACCENT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!!
Depp also played Lord Wilmot, Earl of Rochester in 'The Libertine'- he acted alongside fellow PotC alum Jack Davenport *&* Rupert Everett was King Charles II
I met a British guy in a bar and we were chatting. And once he got nice and tipsy I asked "you got a weird accent where are you from Indiana?" His confusion was absolutely fantastic.
I saw Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice ... best actress, she can do anything
Really think you missed Lake Bell in Man Up, I was amazed to discover she was American
Do they only do posh southern or cockney accents?
It's how Americans see the English - either posh or cockney - I don't think I've ever seen an American pull of a Liverpudlian accent!
Scouser like! Americans do a Liverpudlian accent? Yeah, like boiled shite.
Renato Laranja does a decent enough scouse impression. He tries to impersonate a Liverpool UFC fighter Darren Till. but most fail at doing anything other than the two usual accents, yeah.
Ask an American to try and do a Liverpudlian, you'll get a Beatles imitation. That is, if they can figure out what a Liverpudlian is.
Why not a Lancashire accent? I would love an American to pretend he was from Burnley
Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray in Penny Dreadful.. he did an amazing job.. I swear for the entire first season I believed him.
Then I watched an interview with him, and was stunned.. I had no idea he was American!
I'm Scottish...James Marsters who played Spike in Buffy and Angel was so good at the English accent, I didn't believe it when I discovered that he wasn't a UK national at all, but American.
Nah nah Maggie gyllenhall in nanny McPhee tops that I used to think she was actually English
Robert Downey Jr is one of the few actors I have heard do a brilliant Australian accent. Funnily enough, it's in Tropic Thunder.
It goes back all the way to Natural Born Killers. A must see!
Wow excellent excellent choices. Well done and Tally Ho. But I didnt know that number 9 was British.
Jordan Gavaris’s portrayal of Felix in Orphan Black had me convinced. It came as a surprise to find out he’s Canadian.
How about Daniel Davis, best known as Niles the Butler, in "The Nanny"?
The comment I was looking for !!!
palmeroringor Wait he's not British? See, that's how good his accent was
he is from London
Drake he's actually from Arkansas.
No one can evaluate his accent because our ears are hurt by Nanny's voice.
Maggie Gyllenhaal's husband also does an impeccable english accent. I'm surprised he wasn't mentioned in this list for his role in An Education.
I never knew James Cromwell was American for a long time. He was convincing as a New Zealander in Babe, an Irishman in LA Confidential and British in The Queen.
PLOT TWIST:
*they're all English*
Not with those accents they're not, lol
Claire Danes in stardust she does a great job with an English accent! 😊
I thought she was good too
I think Glenn Close should have been in this list considering her outstanding British accent in Paradise Road and the Dalmatian franchise. And watch Albert Nobbs - she’s a master of accents in that!
In the 2015 movie Man Up the American actress Lake Bell did a great job as Simon Pegg’s love interest!!
RDJ and Johnny depp nailed it l love boo of them
Mike Meyers had a leg-up on the accent. His parents are from Liverpool.
Mike myers isn't British? Wow he was good
He's Canadian, with Scottish parents! But to me he'll always be Wayne of "Wayne's World" fame.
he lived in the UK for a number of years
He once said he considered himself British.
His parents are both from Liverpool
OOHH YEAH BABYYY.
No Hugh Jackman?? He did posh English accent rather well in Flushed Away.
but he's Australian and has the inside route to the British accent lol, actually I have no idea if it's easier for them. His American accent isn't bad either. He's just overall a super talented dude. He acts, he sings, he dances, he lifts, he has a nice family, what can't that guy do really
Wait he was in flushed away!?
He is an Aussie.
And to be honest pulling off british accent isn't that hard for an Aussie.
I honestly thought Depp was English this whole time.
Robert Downey Jr's English accent in Chplin is very good and was done years before Sherlock Holmes.
Yep, some of these British accents are Brill! Spot on Maggie, Robert :)
No
Lake Bell’s English accent in Man Up is flawless 👌
The brilliant-est accent belongs to Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Courtney Cox's Monica Gellar from the sitcom Friends comes quite close too.
Meryl Streep is amazing
My brother can do lots of accents and that is partly due to Kevin Kline.
Peter Frank yeah Kevin Kline had a British accent in Beauty and the beast and it was spot on.
Weird, as Kevin Kline's accent in As You Like It is woeful..
This is the first watchmojo uk video I watched