View Poll Results: Which foreign actor has the best "fake" American accent?
Hugh Laurie (House)
54
56.25%
Louise Lombard (CSI)
1
1.04%
Jake Weber (Medium)
4
4.17%
Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace)
8
8.33%
Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica)
22
22.92%
Alan Dale (formerly on The OC)
2
2.08%
Can't tell, they are do a good job
5
5.21%
Voters: 96. You may not vote on this poll
Best Fake American accent on TV
03-12-06, 01:13 PM
#1
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Best Fake American accent on TV
Several foreigners are playing Americans on TV today. Which do you think has pulled off the best "fake" American accent?
Hugh Laurie: Greg House (House) from England
Louise Lombard: Sophia Curtis (CSI) from England
Jake Weber: Joe Dubois (Medium) from England
Anthony LaPaglia: Jack Malone (Without a Trace) from Australia
Jamie Bamber: Lee Adama (Battlestar Galactica) from England
Alan Dale: formerly Caleb Nichol (The OC) from New Zealand
Joely Richardson: Julia McNamara (Nip/Tuck) from England
Julian McMahon: Dr. Christian Troy (Nip/Tuck) from Australia
Hugh Laurie: Greg House (House) from England
Louise Lombard: Sophia Curtis (CSI) from England
Jake Weber: Joe Dubois (Medium) from England
Anthony LaPaglia: Jack Malone (Without a Trace) from Australia
Jamie Bamber: Lee Adama (Battlestar Galactica) from England
Alan Dale: formerly Caleb Nichol (The OC) from New Zealand
Joely Richardson: Julia McNamara (Nip/Tuck) from England
Julian McMahon: Dr. Christian Troy (Nip/Tuck) from Australia
Last edited by DJariya; 03-12-06 at 02:16 PM.
03-12-06, 01:21 PM
#2
Moderator
I voted for Mr. LaPaglia... and his character's name is John Michael 'Jack' Malone... not Jake.
Whenever I hear him speak with his native accident, I think he's doing a bad Australian accent (like on Frasier).
Whenever I hear him speak with his native accident, I think he's doing a bad Australian accent (like on Frasier).
03-12-06, 01:23 PM
#3
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Whoops! My bad! Already fixed LaPaglia
03-12-06, 01:57 PM
#5
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
I forgot about her. Her British speaking voice and when she plays Julia are so different. I added her to my original post. But can't fix the poll. Also it's like night and day when you hear Bamber speak in interviews and when he plays Apollo.
03-12-06, 02:24 PM
#9
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I don't know if Anthony LaPaglia or Jake Weber should count. LaPaglia's been in this country so long, you barely notice his Aussie accent during interviews. And Weber himself said he lost his accent since he's lived in the US since his teens.
I vote for James Marsters in Smallville. Who knew he could sound so convincingly like an American?
I vote for James Marsters in Smallville. Who knew he could sound so convincingly like an American?
03-12-06, 02:29 PM
#10
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
I just looked up Marsters on IMDB, He's from California. It says he graduated from High School in Modesto, CA.
03-12-06, 02:38 PM
#12
DVD Talk Hero
I laughed when Zach Braff was giving Hugh Laurie crap for faking a British accent when they were presenting an awards (I forget if it was the GG's or the Emmy's). Good stuff.
03-12-06, 03:39 PM
#15
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by DJariya
I just looked up Marsters on IMDB, He's from California. It says he graduated from High School in Modesto, CA.
03-12-06, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe Molotov
My vote is for the guy from House. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him on a behind-the-scenes special. 
03-12-06, 05:12 PM
#17
How about Dominic West and Idris Elba who plays McNulty and Stringer Bell on HBO's The Wire.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
03-12-06, 07:38 PM
#18
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Voted for house.
Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development) also does a reasonable job, although she uses the accent 24/7 now you couldn't really call it "acting".
Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development) also does a reasonable job, although she uses the accent 24/7 now you couldn't really call it "acting".
03-12-06, 07:59 PM
#20
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Though it's a bit old, I thought Damien Lewis had an amazing American accent on Band of Brothers; I was shocked when I got to the interview material on the DVD set and he had a high English accent.
03-13-06, 01:14 AM
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Originally Posted by david12
How about Dominic West and Idris Elba who plays McNulty and Stringer Bell on HBO's The Wire.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
03-13-06, 10:47 AM
#23
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by david12
How about Dominic West and Idris Elba who plays McNulty and Stringer Bell on HBO's The Wire.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
West has the perfect Baltimore accent. I didn't know he was British until after I saw him in the Wire, Chicago, and Mona Lisa Smile. So when I finally heard him speak with a British accent, I thought it was a joke.
Elba is also British and pulls off the most incredible Baltimore thug accent ever. I once saw an interview with him where he said people would approach him on the street because they were fans of the show. When he would start talking they would freak out...so instead of explaining to them that he was from England, he would just start doing Stringer's voice instead.
Agreed.
