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Convincing British accents by American actors

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    Convincing British accents by American actors

    I seem to recall this being discussed on here somewhat recently on a thread, with the general consensus being that American actors/voice actors slip up on the occasional word, with the letter R being a giveaway.
    Well, may I present my entry for what to my ears sounds like a very convincing well-spoken English accent, by none other than Dwight Schultz, he of A-Team and Star Trek: The next generation fame as Neloth, a wizard without peer and with a nice line in put-downs.
    Absolutely brilliant work by the man in my opinion.

    #2
    Woodhouse in Archer was voiced by an American, George Coe, which I found surprising.

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      #3
      Given that this kind of thing almost always spins off into a "what is a "British" accent anyway?" debate should we define it now as the kind of clipped 1940s Queen's English one probably best personified by Donald Pleasance in war films?

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        #4
        Does it spin off into that? That's unfortunate.
        Couldn't it be from anywhere in Britain? It doesn't have to be confined to something that could cut glass.
        I was just slightly stunned to hear Mad Murdock sound so terribly English, what...

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          #5
          Er, well yes, his was about as convincing as his realistic portrayal of a shell-shocked Vietnam War helicopter pilot in that series, tbh.

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            #6
            Er, I was referring to my original post...

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              #7

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                #8
                Originally posted by Mr Delicieux View Post
                Er, I was referring to my original post...
                So was I

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                  #9
                  Given the baggage she carries these days I feel I should apologise for the citation, but to my ear Gwyneth Paltrow does a pretty flawless mainstream middle class British accent.

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                    #10
                    I thought that Beanie Feldstein did OK in How to Build a Girl, but I would defer to the experts here.

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post
                      Given the baggage she carries these days I feel I should apologise for the citation, but to my ear Gwyneth Paltrow does a pretty flawless mainstream middle class British accent.
                      Yeah, hers is the best I've heard. Renee Zellweger does a decent job as well.

                      The boys from Spinal Tap, of course.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                        So was I
                        Are you usually as snide and negative as your replies appear?
                        I heard a man having a ball, pulling off a great accent, putting in a great performance, and all you can come up with is general snarkiness.
                        I know who I'd rather want to be around if the choice was out of you or him.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Mr Delicieux View Post

                          Are you usually as snide and negative as your replies appear?
                          Yes, 100%. I pride myself on my consistency.

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                            #14

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by Stumpy Pepys View Post

                              Yeah, hers is the best I've heard. Renee Zellweger does a decent job as well.

                              The boys from Spinal Tap, of course.
                              I was thinking of the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, but from The Princess Bride where he, Chris Sarandon and Robin Wright keep up with Cary Elwes pretty well.

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                                #16
                                Originally posted by Heliotrope View Post
                                I thought that Beanie Feldstein did OK in How to Build a Girl, but I would defer to the experts here.
                                Yay, are you back?

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                                  #17
                                  Yes, here and there.

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                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post
                                    Given the baggage she carries these days I feel I should apologise for the citation, but to my ear Gwyneth Paltrow does a pretty flawless mainstream middle class British accent.
                                    She does.
                                    Does Mike Myers also carry baggage? I lose track. Anyway, he also does. And also other British accents as well. But then he lived here for years.

                                    Also true of arguably the best British accent from an American actor, or American by ancestry at least - Gillian Anderson. But she very much blurs the lines between American and British due to spending long periods of her life, including a significant amount of her childhood, in Britain. She also has British citizenship nowadays if I recall correctly (in addition to the American passport that her heredity entitles her too and that I believe she maintains).

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                                      #19
                                      Mike Myers’ parents were from Liverpool, so that helped him pick it up, I suppose.

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                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Janik View Post
                                        Does Mike Myers also carry baggage? I lose track.
                                        He has a rep for general celebrity obnoxiousness AFAIK. Whereas Gwynnie's Goop brand wellness schtick puts her in the airhead rip-off category.

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                                          #21
                                          Elijah Wood and Sean Astin in LOTR ? I know they're Hobbits but they speak with English accents.

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                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

                                            He has a rep for general celebrity obnoxiousness AFAIK. Whereas Gwynnie's Goop brand wellness schtick puts her in the airhead rip-off category.
                                            He claims he’s just demanding to work with.

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                                              #23
                                              If is for others to judge if people's workplace behaviour makes them 'demanding to work with' or an entitled areshole, not the individual themselves.

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                                                #24
                                                Originally posted by Stumpy Pepys View Post

                                                The boys from Spinal Tap, of course.
                                                David and Nigel, yes. Derek, not so hot.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by Cal Alamein View Post

                                                  David and Nigel, yes. Derek, not so hot.
                                                  Wasn't that deliberate on Harry Shearer's part though? He said he wanted Derek to have one of those slightly confused transatlantic accents e.g. David Coverdale.

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