Hugh Laurie is a great example of a Brit doing an American accent, watch him in Blackadder or Fry and Laurie and then House MD you wouldn't expect them to be the same person from just listening to him
Michael Fassbender was not only raised in Ireland but his accent is from Killarney in Kerry. One of the most distinct Irish accents ever! if going back to Chaplin we could add Cary Grant and Stan Laurel.
Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind played by Vivian Leigh and Ashley played by Leslie Howard were both Brits. Sir Anthony Hopkins is Welsh actually. He had also written a beautiful waltz called "The Waltz Goes On" played by Andre Rieu.
Between 2004 and 2012, Hugh Laurie starred as an acerbic physician specialising in diagnostic medicine, Dr. Gregory House, in the Fox medical drama House. For his portrayal, he assumed an American accent.[6] He was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded his audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, as it was the only place he could get enough light.[27] Jacob Vargas operated the camera for the audition tape. Laurie's American accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie was British, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of "compelling American actor" he had been looking for.[27] Wikipedia.
The only thing I'll say is his American accent was pretty bad in the tape and first season or so. By year 2 or 3, his accent became very good. Many Americans don't even know he's English. And, he's shockingly and famously English, which makes it really ironic.
Best actor of all time. I did his Bill The Butcher monologue from Gangs of New York in college years ago and got top marks for it, good times. Bill the Butcher and Daniel Plainview are two of the most iconic villains in the history of cinema.
I can't believe you did a film studies course and you've never seen "Breakfast At Tiffany's"! Another Brit that could be added to the list is Cary Grant.
Damian Lewis. British actor played S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also portrayed U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series Homeland.
You can also add in Daniel Day Lewis' take on Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans. You could also mention Andrew Garfield as another Spiderbrit, or Christian Bale in Vice as Cheney.
I do agree with this list for iconic American roles. However I think Damian Lewis in Homeland and Hugh Laurie in House we’re more of a shock to people 😁
It works both ways. I remember an American asking me online if I thought Renee Zellweger had a good British accent in Bridget Jones Diary. I had to admit I didn't know she wasn't British 😂
Ok, yes, it works both ways, but it's much more common to find Brits very convincingly playing Americans than the other way around. I don't know if American actors don't have the patience or.....I'm not sure what....to get the accents right.
That's exactly what I was going to say! Her English RP accent is so perfect that I had no idea she isn't English! Normally, when an American tries to do any kind of British accent, you can pick up on certain subtleties that give their American heritage away such as the occasional rhotic R sound where we wouldn't use one. Although don't get me started on Dick van Dyke's abysmal attempt at Cockney in Mary Poppins, he just took bad to another level! 😁
@Zeno North I just think it's easier for us to imitate Americans than it is for them to imitate us. That said, some Brits do go too far with adding the American r sound, and add it when it doesn't exist, such as when a word ends in an a, but they pronounce it as if it ends in an er (e.g. Cola vs. Coler).
Hank Williams was one of the greatest American country and western singers of all time .Died in 1952 at the age of 29 .Check out Hugh Laurie playing "House " .🇬🇧
For my money, the Brits have one amazing export and have for a century....ACTORS and actresses. Whether employing other than their natural accents or not, they are superb and have studied their craft, often first being stage actors. Newer ones like Eddie Redmayne (his portrayal of Stephen Hawking was unbelievable!), Benedict Cumberbatch and older ones like Gary Oldman (a chameleon), Hugh Laurie, Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellen, Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, etc.), Andy Serkis, and Michael Caine and past actors like Laurence Olivier and Cary Grant and actresses like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith (a gem!), Kate Winslet, Emily Blunt, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters and going back to the Redgraves, Julie Andrews or Vivian Leigh. How can you compare Vin Diesel or many American actors? DiCaprio, Sam Jackson, Denzel Washington, De Niro, Pacino, Nicholson, Hanks are good but somehow I can't picture the Rock doing "My Fair Lady". They also lack the stage background coming up. A different kettle of fish.
Have to agree. As an American I have to give it to the Brits. British theater (where most learn their craft) is rigorous and it shows. Hey you guys gave the world Shakespeare. And when the accent is in play it's hard to beat.
Thank you for this list of actors names. It was pointless and proves nothing. Yes there are good actors from the UK. There are also good actors in the US. Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Jeff Bridges, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Marlon Brando, Heath Ledger, Robert Duvall, James Dean, Micheal Douglas, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Katherine Hepburn, Michelle Williams, Julienne Moore, Frances McDormand, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Viola Davis, Sally Field etc etc See, anyone can name a list of great actors. How can you compare Danny Dyer or many British actors? Somehow I can't picture James Corden doing "On The Waterfront".
I don't think anyone, American or otherwise, could have topped Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. That was an absolute joy to watch him act. Especially with someone so iconic and rooted in American history that was a bold move on his part to take on the role and he just knocked it out of the park.
For Hugh Laurie's range, look at some earlier stuff like A bit of Fry and Laurie, and Jeeves and Wooster. Two iconic shows. Tom Hiddlestone was first seen to mainstream audiences in The Night Manager, a drama on the BBC. There are so many UK actors working in the USA. Most major films have a brit in. But some are typecast as baddies,
Hugh Laurie made some great material in the UK, then went to the US for the bag. I can respect it, after all the great stuff he did he deserves to get that House money and do whatever he wants
One british, well Scottish, actor who never changed his voice irrespective of the character played was Sean Connery, he even played a Russian submarine commander with his distinctive accent, explained away in the film in that his character's Father was a Soviet Diplomat in the UK and he was educated and learnt English in Scotland. Other famous British Actors and comedians who were British by birth but lived most of their lives in the US include Whoopi Goldberg and Bob Hope.
Rubbish Whoopi Goldberg was born in New York City.Bob Hope went to the US when he was five years old, unlike Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Olivia de Haviland, Joan Fontaine and Boris Karloff who were adults. Errol Flynn of course was Australian and John Houseman, America's answer to British actors was Romanian, via English private schools. Movie buffs will note how all the people I have mentioned are connected by stage or film appearances.
Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, step son of Rex Harrison. I think he was destined to be an actor with that pedigree. Audrey Hepburn was Belgian by birth. Micheal Fassbinder is a German born Irishman.
I thought Audrey Hepburn was Dutch by birth? Didn't she have a Dutch mother (an aristocrat? Although I could be wrong!) and an English/British father? 🤔 I could be completely wrong on all counts, as I can't be arsed to Google it! 🙂
@@Aethelfleda Common error she was born and was being raised in Belgium not not the Netherlands. Her mother was Belgian Her father was British. This video is incorrect on several included one is Michael Fassbender also who was raised in Ireland his father is German but he grew up in Ireland with his Irish mother and identifies as Irish.
Audrey Hepburn I believe was in the resistance during WW2, she was 11 years old when it started in occupied Netherlands, raising funds and occasional courier. Aged 16 she nursed allied soldiers during the battle of Arnhem (1945) nursed a future Hollywood director Terence Strong
1.) NOBODY alive has heard Abraham Lincoln's actual voice, so.... 2.) Mojo can't be taken seriously when it leaves out Vivian Leigh as both Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" *and* "Blanche duBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire." (She's British; was born in India because her dad was posted there for awhile.)
Many British actors learn how to perform live on stage in theatre stage plays in front of a live audiences night after night, with no second chances (or 'retakes'), for a long time before they get to do films; instant feedback from the audience, and no second chances if you screw up. Trivial buy I liked Ray Stevenson in the cheezey film Punisher: WarZone, which also has Dominic West in a great villains role...and BTW: Michael Fassbender is Irish/German.
@@donaldanderson6604 Yes. There was a documentary a while ago (probably BBC again) that had Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi, I think in A Midsummer Nights Dream or something, when they where about 20. Amazing to see them as young movers and shakers.
@@donaldanderson6604 Yes They've put the work in..and that's what you see when they pop up in big budget productions. I watched a couple of real veg out films the other day one called 'American Assassin'. David Suchet was in it for about 20 mins, and he hardly did anything,but the gravity was there. Then "Night Hunter" with, Henry Cavill, who really carried an otherwise so so film AND..Ben Kingsley, who again add gravity to every scene he's in.
I'm English and watched the Walking Dead for years and didn't realize the lead bloke, sheriff thingy, is a fellow Brit, largely because it did not occur to me. There are a few actors who are Aussies and it's easy to mistake them for americans based on performances in american movies.
You are right in identifying Christian Bale as amongst his generation's greatest screen actors. I think his very first rôle as a 13-yr old in Spielburg's Empire of the Sun remains his most outstanding, though. For a boy, just barely a teen, to be in every scene of a 2h 40m movie, a multi-Oscar nominated one at that, marked him out for greatness. His portrayal of Dick Cheney in Vice was a masterclass too. Still, sometimes playing an American in an iconic series is more demanding than doing so in one movie. So kudos must go to Hugh Laurie as Dr House, and to young Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things.
@@susieq9801 Yes, it is probably one of Spielburg's most under rated movies. The story, the acting, the cinematography, and especially the underlying message of the film, makes it a hidden gem. Many movie experts of the time think it a far superior production than the Oscars winner that year, The Last Emperor.
@@t.a.k.palfrey3882 - A scene that really stood out for me was the boy seeing the atomic bomb and thinking it was the woman's soul rising to heaven. Amazing! Also the reunion with his family as a young man when he was lost to them as a little boy.
I love Hank Williams ,who was a brilliant songwriter and performer. One of the founders of Rock an Roll. Fantastic charisma,had problems with chronic pain leading to drugs cutting short his life.
Jared Harris, his father was a famous Irish actor called Richard Harris, so acting runs in the family. Anthony Hopkins & Christian Bale are Welsh.🏴
I love Tom Hiddleston, I saw him as Henry V and he was brilliant. Tom can mimic loads of well known actors. Jared Harris is Richard Harris's son, he's a really good actor in his own right. Audrey Hepburn's dad was British, I think she had joint British/Dutch nationality. Breakfast at Tiffany's is about child abuse, it always upsets me, but it's a good film. Christian Bale was amazing in Empire of the Sun, I think it was his first role as a child actor, John Malkovich is in it. Good list.
Jared Harris played Anderson Dawes, one of the leaders of the OPA, in The Expanse, he was also Ulysses S Grant, in the Daniel Day Lewis film, Lincoln and was in Morbius recently. Very underrated actor in my opinion. Charlie Chaplin was a victim of McCarthyism and was forced to leave the US.
If you are not aware of Audrey Hepburn's films, you have missed something very good. In the 1950s we (young women, that is) all wanted to look like her. She wore beautiful clothes and had a charming doe eyed face. Her best film was certainly Holly Golightly but the one which brought her first to everyone's attention was Roman Holiday, with Gregory Peck. The other highlight of her career was as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, a musical version of Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw.
Andrew Garfield and Robert Pattinson would make the another 2 British actors for Spider-Man and Batman respectively. They love casting British people to play superheroes 😂. The fact that 2 out of 3 of the Spider-Men were British is amazing 😂. For the longest time I thought Andrew was American.
Tom Holland lives in the next town over from me, he's still close to the house where he grew up. His dad is a stand-up comic who does the local venues.
Can't account for great actors. Being able to change one's accent is an art in itself but the class of acting a role out of one's native accent is amazing to the British viewer. I'll say no more😉
To be fair, through film and television, we've been exposed to the American accent from childhood, and all played at being cowboys. I was actually Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt when I was about seven! 🇬🇧 You should check out early movies from the Chaplin era, the dangerous stunts they did in those days before ''health and safety" are truly terrifying.
One of the reasons that British actors may have marked ability to assume other accents is the fact that in the UK there are numerous local dialects and numerous plays set in all parts of the British Isles. Some of these accents are regarded as more acceptable than others; the accents of the Midlands tends to be looked down on, in spite of the fact that it would have been Shakespeare's mode of speech. The accents of my area, the west, are regarded as those of the "country bumpkin" and suggest that we are wandering about with straw in our hair. Sadly, these accents in film and theatre usually come up as a strange mixture referred to as "mummerset". I live close to the border of Devon and Cornwall and the accent changes within the distance of a few miles.
If you're going back as far as Chaplin, you could add in Stan Laurel - and a lot of others between then and now (Cary Grant, Vivien Leigh, and others). Another few British and Irish actors who have nailed being American for film and TV include Liam Neeson, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson, Adrian Lester, and (of course) Hugh Laurie. And yes, I agree - DDL is astonishing in "Gangs of New York".
Are you sure Stan Laurel plays an American? I can think of one Laurel & Hardy movie in particular where Stan refers to where he's from and it's south of London.
I'm related to Charlie Chaplin albeit very distantly. His mum and my great great grandmother (I think) were 4th cousins or something but also lived 3 doors away from each other.
I've seen a lot of these actors on stage in London, (not Charlie Chaplin,)and I suspect the reason Hollywood uses them is that they can do anything, they work fast and they leave their egos in the taxi. Also, they're much cheaper.
American actors are also good at doing British accents. Remember Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady? She's a brilliant actress who was right for the part.
This always makes me smile American 'English' is the clue....lol and it works visa versa apart for maybe Dick Van Dykes cockney accent that was quirky to say the least...There are also many different accents in the UK just like in the U S....
Hank Williams is so well known in Uk he was. 50’s singer ,Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an iconic film ,Christian aBale first film was in Spielberg “Empire of the Sun “ , Charlie Chaplain was also a Composer he wrote “limelight “ “This is my Song “ sung by Petula Clark , David Oyelowo he was in a movie called “A United Kingdom “ well worth viewing and British crime series “Spooks “Danial Day Lewis “ The Last of the Mohicans “ 👏and “ My Left Foot” are Iconic movies he made , Angela Lansbury ,Cary Grant were Brit’s 🤷♀️
Charlie Chaplin. Harold loyd. Buster Keaton. All 3 of these comedy actor's did there own stunts them selves. No retakes no stuntman. Check them out. appsolutly brilliant. from UK 🇬🇧👍👍
Tom Hiddleston as Loki !💗💚 High Rise, The Nightmanager, Hank Williams..singing! Woohoo! The Essex Serpent, Henry The 4th and 5th (?) Coriolanus and Betryal..and other Theater Plays...which i haven't seen :(
HI TYLER DEBRA HERE FROM SOUTH WALES HANK WILLIAMS Hold your horse there cowboy, Tyler how can you as an American sit there and say that you have never heard of the country singer HANK WILLIAMS (1923 to 1953) he was one of the greatest country singer/songwriters of all time. He sang such classics as: I Saw The Light Mansion On The Hill Cold Cold Heart Your Cheatin' Heart Take These Chains From My Heart Plus others too numerous to mention. He also wrote and co-wrote many many songs He had short but very full life. God Rest His Soul. JARED HARRIS is the son of actor Richard Harris. He also played King George VI in The Crown, and has done a lot of work in America. He was born in 1961. SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS was born in my home country of Wales in Port Talbot, South Wales as was: Michael Sheen Richard Burton, Catherine Zeta Jones Christian Bale Ray Milland Tom Ellis Taron Egerton Desmond Llewellyn Roger Rees Ioan Gruffudd Timothy Dalton Tom Jones Katherine Jenkins
Idris Elba was being interviewed by an American interviewer, he asked him,did he find it difficult finding roles as an African American.He answered, "I wouldn't know, I'm British".
Jared Harris is the son of Richard Harris, the international famous actor of the 1960s up to the 2000s when he played Professor Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter films.
For some reason, I always thought Daniel Day-Lewis was Irish, maybe because of his excellent portrayal in "In The Name Of The Father" (1994?). But it turns out he was born in London, and his Grandfather was Sir Michael Elias Balcon, an English movie producer and "leader" of Ealing Studios in West London. lol
Yep, that's what I'd always heard. I just did a bit more Googling... "Day-Lewis was born in London, England in 1957, the second son of eventual United Kingdom Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis, who was born in Ireland." So he is Irish really. I guess in the same way I am, as I have ancestors from County Cork. ;)
@@electronash He's father was Anglo-Irish and moved to England as a baby. DDL has referred to himself many times as an 'Englishman'. You'll find him on youtube saying it, if you can bothered to look it up ! He was born in London and learnt he's 'trade' in England, drama schools etc. No offence, but Ireland hasn't really given him a lot, so saying he's Irish is a bit of a stretch, especially as he said his English. I know he still has family there in Ireland and lives in the west of Ireland, so clearly has a connection to Ireland. But even his ancestry is Anglo-Irish, so British blood way back as well...
On a somewhat related note to Charlie Chaplin, you _might_ also be surprised to know that 50% of Laurel and Hardy was British (English), Stan Laurel. I know he did (try to) speak in an American accent in their 'talkies', sounds good to me, though I'm hardly the right judge!
@@lynby6231 I thought everyone knew he was Lord Farquad? In the Crown he got the accent down pat, very few actors would be able to nail such a specific or iconic accent
I would have given Charlie Hunnam ((Jax Teller Sons of Anarchy)) A honnorable mention. However there are so many including the actor who plays Rick in the walking dead.
I would suggest that Daniel Day Lewis played a more quintessentially American American in There Will Be Blood than in Gangs of New York. Happy to be corrected tbough.
When I went to see Selma at the cinema, I was amazed to discover that L B Johnson was being played by a well known British actor (Tom Wilkinson), and the actor who played the Governor of Alabama was also British.
I was little surprised to hear that you don't know who Hank Williams was. Any country music lover knows of him, but I guess if you're not into country music you won't know him. He was very famous. Anthony Hopkins, Welsh in fact. Hopkins is a Welsh name.
The original WatchMojo video is quite deceptive. The title of the video is "Top 10 Iconic Americans played by Brits", but then in the narration they say they are including both British AND Irish actors, which I guess is how they get Fassbender (Irish) onto the list.
I know this is about films, but, Hugh Laurie with a Chicago accent as Dr. House... oh, Lord.... (But yes, DDL is one of the greatest film actors to ever have existed)
Mr Hiddleston also speaks more than one language and is an highly intelligent man. Christian Bale was amazing in American Psycho now that it a cult film. He totally freaked me out in The Machinist and I'm not a great fan of the Terminator films apart from the first one and Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Breakfast at Tiffinys is an icon of a film
Well he did do Lee Harvey Oswald. Probably more infamous than famous but still part of the American fabric although not widely known how he behaved as a person. Perhaps more so as Lt. Gordon in the Batman movies along side of Christian Bale. My favorite role from him is playing a famous brit though. Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.
Gary Oldman is a brilliant actor and talented musician. In the film Immortal Beloved he played Beethoven. Somebody commented what a good job he did of miming the piano pieces and he said "I was playing them" rather indignantly. Shame that he had some of the most horrible people to play on most of his films. Except Beethoven of course.😁
Um, guy who took a film class (and probably slept through it), nobody spoke in movies before 1927. (Btw, American Robert Downey, Jr. received an Oscar nom. for his role as Charlie Chaplin.)
Every day is a school day ... I had no idea that Charlie Chaplin didn't speak in all those silent films he made, because he didn't think he could put on a convincing enough American Accent.
yeah Charlie chaplin... another great from those days Stan Laurel was also british.. Stan Lurel was English. he moved to Scotland as a teen and his father ran a theatre in the city where Stan started his career. (thats probably why Laurel didn't speak much in the movies and most of the dialogue was done by Oliver Hardy) I think the reason brits are good at American accents is we have so many different accents in the UK and we grow up impersonating other accents.
I went to the same school as Christian Bale (Bournemouth Grammar school for boys) although I wasn't there when he was. Another important American character played by a Brit was Clive Owen playing Bill Clinton (and doing it very well) in Impeachment, all about the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, part of the American Crime Story trilogy . Although this was TV rather than film.
Well many Americans have made a good fist of the British accent as well. We had Meryl Streep play our first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the film 'The iron Lady'. John Lithgow played Churchill and Gillian Anderson played Thatcher in 'The Crown'.
@@enterthebruce91 She has lived in the UK for many years, calls London 'her home' and her early childhood schooling was in the UK where she adopted her British accent. But she is an American and can switch between the two accents ...
Long, long 'apprenticeships' in live theatre make for very adaptable British actors and actresses. It usually takes years with a theatre company to move up from bit parts to more prominent roles, appearing in many different types of drama. This is known as 'treading the boards'. It's very unusual for a British actor to land a part in film or television straight from school, though some of the 'Harry Potter' cast did so. 🤗🇬🇧
Charlie Chaplin came from my old manor, the Elephant and Castle in South East London, as did Michael Cain who, seeking a piece of nostalgia went back for a walk around and on the other side of the road was Charlie Chaplin doing the same thing! Charlie Drake, Alan Ford, Michael Faraday (my school house was called Faraday) and many others are from the surrounding area. Don't be fooled when the elite say that they lived in Camberwell, they are probably hiding the fact that they lived in Dulwich Village, a highly secure, gated community, where Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher lived!
Dulwich Village never was gated when I knew it in the 50's and 60's, just very upmarket compared to most of SE London. Father was at school there, Dulwich College and boarded inspite of the family home being just up the road, in Kent then before London ceased to be a County (LCC) in its own right and most of the area becoming a London Borough and part of the GLC. My Grandmother sold up and moved out to the Surrey suberbs in the 20's with her younger (gay, then illegal, so discretion needed) Brother having lost her Husband. Kennington was where the Counties of London, Kent and Surrey met each other. A lot of the area maintained a county postal address of either Kent or Surrey, Post Codes have made that irrelevant now.
If you like Daniel Day Lewis then watch ‘my left foot’ it’s insanely good & he’s just a master at his craft. BTW! Tom Hiddleston (Loki) is meant to have an English accent. All as-guardians did.
Hugh Laurie is a great example of a Brit doing an American accent, watch him in Blackadder or Fry and Laurie and then House MD you wouldn't expect them to be the same person from just listening to him
Michael Fassbender was not only raised in Ireland but his accent is from Killarney in Kerry. One of the most distinct Irish accents ever! if going back to Chaplin we could add Cary Grant and Stan Laurel.
We have so many different accents in the UK, so if you grow up imitating them you’ll find it easier to do any accent.
Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind played by Vivian Leigh and Ashley played by Leslie Howard were both Brits.
Sir Anthony Hopkins is Welsh actually. He had also written a beautiful waltz called "The Waltz Goes On" played by Andre Rieu.
Cary Grant. Angela Lansbury. Deborah Kerr. Julie Andrews.
Between 2004 and 2012, Hugh Laurie starred as an acerbic physician specialising in diagnostic medicine, Dr. Gregory House, in the Fox medical drama House. For his portrayal, he assumed an American accent.[6] He was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded his audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, as it was the only place he could get enough light.[27] Jacob Vargas operated the camera for the audition tape. Laurie's American accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie was British, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of "compelling American actor" he had been looking for.[27] Wikipedia.
Loved the show House, great character.
Such a famous story.. makes me laugh... it's like "nope, he is one of ours!" 😉😂🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
The only thing I'll say is his American accent was pretty bad in the tape and first season or so. By year 2 or 3, his accent became very good. Many Americans don't even know he's English. And, he's shockingly and famously English, which makes it really ironic.
Daniel Day Lewis is a master of his craft and flawless in everything he does.
Best actor of all time. I did his Bill The Butcher monologue from Gangs of New York in college years ago and got top marks for it, good times. Bill the Butcher and Daniel Plainview are two of the most iconic villains in the history of cinema.
I can't believe you did a film studies course and you've never seen "Breakfast At Tiffany's"!
Another Brit that could be added to the list is Cary Grant.
...and Bob Hope!
...and Stan Laurel !
........and Cary Grant!
.........And Idris Elba!
Damian Lewis. British actor played S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also portrayed U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series Homeland.
You can also add in Daniel Day Lewis' take on Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans. You could also mention Andrew Garfield as another Spiderbrit, or Christian Bale in Vice as Cheney.
I do agree with this list for iconic American roles. However I think Damian Lewis in Homeland and Hugh Laurie in House we’re more of a shock to people 😁
and Damian Lewis as Winters in Band Of Brothers.
Yep..band of brothers was early in his career and not many knew that damien lewis was english.in fact,band of brothers was full of british actors.
Dominic West and Idris Elba in The Wire
It works both ways. I remember an American asking me online if I thought Renee Zellweger had a good British accent in Bridget Jones Diary. I had to admit I didn't know she wasn't British 😂
She was excellent as Beatrix Potter too
Ok, yes, it works both ways, but it's much more common to find Brits very convincingly playing Americans than the other way around. I don't know if American actors don't have the patience or.....I'm not sure what....to get the accents right.
That's exactly what I was going to say! Her English RP accent is so perfect that I had no idea she isn't English! Normally, when an American tries to do any kind of British accent, you can pick up on certain subtleties that give their American heritage away such as the occasional rhotic R sound where we wouldn't use one. Although don't get me started on Dick van Dyke's abysmal attempt at Cockney in Mary Poppins, he just took bad to another level! 😁
@Zeno North I just think it's easier for us to imitate Americans than it is for them to imitate us. That said, some Brits do go too far with adding the American r sound, and add it when it doesn't exist, such as when a word ends in an a, but they pronounce it as if it ends in an er (e.g. Cola vs. Coler).
@@andybaker2456 Benedict Cumberbatch's accent in 12 Years A Slave was appalling.
Hank Williams was one of the greatest American country and western singers of all time .Died in 1952 at the age of 29 .Check out Hugh Laurie playing "House " .🇬🇧
Helena Bonham Carter deserves a mention as Marla Singer in Fight Club, I was fully aware she's British and her American accent was flawless.
Yes because Marla Singer is an Iconic American isn't she.
For my money, the Brits have one amazing export and have for a century....ACTORS and actresses. Whether employing other than their natural accents or not, they are superb and have studied their craft, often first being stage actors. Newer ones like Eddie Redmayne (his portrayal of Stephen Hawking was unbelievable!), Benedict Cumberbatch and older ones like Gary Oldman (a chameleon), Hugh Laurie, Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellen, Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, etc.), Andy Serkis, and Michael Caine and past actors like Laurence Olivier and Cary Grant and actresses like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith (a gem!), Kate Winslet, Emily Blunt, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters and going back to the Redgraves, Julie Andrews or Vivian Leigh. How can you compare Vin Diesel or many American actors? DiCaprio, Sam Jackson, Denzel Washington, De Niro, Pacino, Nicholson, Hanks are good but somehow I can't picture the Rock doing "My Fair Lady". They also lack the stage background coming up. A different kettle of fish.
Have to agree. As an American I have to give it to the Brits. British theater (where most learn their craft) is rigorous and it shows. Hey you guys gave the world Shakespeare. And when the accent is in play it's hard to beat.
RADA trains them well.
Thank you for this list of actors names.
It was pointless and proves nothing. Yes there are good actors from the UK. There are also good actors in the US. Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Jeff Bridges, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Marlon Brando, Heath Ledger, Robert Duvall, James Dean, Micheal Douglas, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Katherine Hepburn, Michelle Williams, Julienne Moore, Frances McDormand, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Viola Davis, Sally Field etc etc
See, anyone can name a list of great actors. How can you compare Danny Dyer or many British actors? Somehow I can't picture James Corden doing "On The Waterfront".
Renee zellweger plays Bridget Jones so well
I don't think anyone, American or otherwise, could have topped Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. That was an absolute joy to watch him act. Especially with someone so iconic and rooted in American history that was a bold move on his part to take on the role and he just knocked it out of the park.
For Hugh Laurie's range, look at some earlier stuff like A bit of Fry and Laurie, and Jeeves and Wooster. Two iconic shows. Tom Hiddlestone was first seen to mainstream audiences in The Night Manager, a drama on the BBC. There are so many UK actors working in the USA. Most major films have a brit in. But some are typecast as baddies,
Hugh Laurie made some great material in the UK, then went to the US for the bag. I can respect it, after all the great stuff he did he deserves to get that House money and do whatever he wants
Hugh Laurie is also a talented musician. He is amazingly multi-talented.
And not forgetting Blackadder for Hugh Laurie?
@@darlenefraser3022 So is Anthony Hopkins a composer.
Only because for some reason Brits are very good at playing sinister characters.
One british, well Scottish, actor who never changed his voice irrespective of the character played was Sean Connery, he even played a Russian submarine commander with his distinctive accent, explained away in the film in that his character's Father was a Soviet Diplomat in the UK and he was educated and learnt English in Scotland.
Other famous British Actors and comedians who were British by birth but lived most of their lives in the US include Whoopi Goldberg and Bob Hope.
Sean was playing a Spaniard in Highlander
Whoopi goldberg was born in new york
Rubbish Whoopi Goldberg was born in New York City.Bob Hope went to the US when he was five years old, unlike Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Olivia de Haviland, Joan Fontaine and Boris Karloff who were adults.
Errol Flynn of course was Australian and John Houseman, America's answer to British actors was Romanian, via English private schools.
Movie buffs will note how all the people I have mentioned are connected by stage or film appearances.
What about Elizabeth Taylor???
Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, step son of Rex Harrison. I think he was destined to be an actor with that pedigree. Audrey Hepburn was Belgian by birth. Micheal Fassbinder is a German born Irishman.
Fassbender was Irish not British
@@jgog59 I did say that
Funny how small that community must be then as Rex Harrison also played opposite Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
I thought Audrey Hepburn was Dutch by birth? Didn't she have a Dutch mother (an aristocrat? Although I could be wrong!) and an English/British father? 🤔 I could be completely wrong on all counts, as I can't be arsed to Google it! 🙂
@@Aethelfleda Common error she was born and was being raised in Belgium not not the Netherlands. Her mother was Belgian Her father was British.
This video is incorrect on several included one is Michael Fassbender also who was raised in Ireland his father is German but he grew up in Ireland with his Irish mother and identifies as Irish.
Audrey Hepburn I believe was in the resistance during WW2, she was 11 years old when it started in occupied Netherlands, raising funds and occasional courier. Aged 16 she nursed allied soldiers during the battle of Arnhem (1945) nursed a future Hollywood director Terence Strong
1.) NOBODY alive has heard Abraham Lincoln's actual voice, so....
2.) Mojo can't be taken seriously when it leaves out Vivian Leigh as both Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" *and* "Blanche duBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire." (She's British; was born in India because her dad was posted there for awhile.)
Audrey Hepburn is referred to as British…. true but through her mother (a Dutch Baroness) she is also half-Dutch. She spoke both as well as French.
British are already part Dutch lol
She was actually Belgian!
@@simonhawksley817 But carried a British passport, all her life! Her father was British.
She was Belgian , not Dutch
@@minkyfran8307 She was norwegian too. Very much norwegian! 😄
Many British actors learn how to perform live on stage in theatre stage plays in front of a live audiences night after night, with no second chances (or 'retakes'), for a long time before they get to do films; instant feedback from the audience, and no second chances if you screw up. Trivial buy I liked Ray Stevenson in the cheezey film Punisher: WarZone, which also has Dominic West in a great villains role...and BTW: Michael Fassbender is Irish/German.
Totally agree about theatre. Just look at Judi Dench.
@@donaldanderson6604 Yes. There was a documentary a while ago (probably BBC again) that had Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi, I think in A Midsummer Nights Dream or something, when they where about 20. Amazing to see them as young movers and shakers.
I saw Jacobi as Hamlet in 1977. Before Bond, you could regularly see Judi Dench on stage and the tickets were easy to get.
@@donaldanderson6604 Yes
They've put the work in..and that's what you see when they pop up in big budget productions. I watched a couple of real veg out films the other day one called 'American Assassin'. David Suchet was in it for about 20 mins, and he hardly did anything,but the gravity was there. Then "Night Hunter" with, Henry Cavill, who really carried an otherwise so so film AND..Ben Kingsley, who again add gravity to every scene he's in.
I'm English and watched the Walking Dead for years and didn't realize the lead bloke, sheriff thingy, is a fellow Brit, largely because it did not occur to me. There are a few actors who are Aussies and it's easy to mistake them for americans based on performances in american movies.
His father in laws whatsisface outta jethro tull.
This only tells me you hadn’t watched love actually before the walking dead 😂 (not exactly a crossover of genres there though)
You are right in identifying Christian Bale as amongst his generation's greatest screen actors. I think his very first rôle as a 13-yr old in Spielburg's Empire of the Sun remains his most outstanding, though. For a boy, just barely a teen, to be in every scene of a 2h 40m movie, a multi-Oscar nominated one at that, marked him out for greatness. His portrayal of Dick Cheney in Vice was a masterclass too. Still, sometimes playing an American in an iconic series is more demanding than doing so in one movie. So kudos must go to Hugh Laurie as Dr House, and to young Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things.
"Empire of the sun" was amazing but not a well known movie.
@@susieq9801 Yes, it is probably one of Spielburg's most under rated movies. The story, the acting, the cinematography, and especially the underlying message of the film, makes it a hidden gem. Many movie experts of the time think it a far superior production than the Oscars winner that year, The Last Emperor.
@@t.a.k.palfrey3882 - A scene that really stood out for me was the boy seeing the atomic bomb and thinking it was the woman's soul rising to heaven. Amazing! Also the reunion with his family as a young man when he was lost to them as a little boy.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes!
Jared Harris’s father Richard, played some iconic roles also.
I love Hank Williams ,who was a brilliant songwriter and performer. One of the founders of Rock an Roll. Fantastic charisma,had problems with chronic pain leading to drugs cutting short his life.
Jared Harris, his father was a famous Irish actor called Richard Harris, so acting runs in the family. Anthony Hopkins & Christian Bale are Welsh.🏴
Check out his mum, a beautiful Welsh actress who enjoyed quite an interesting life.
@@imwelshjesus Oh right, didn't know that, thx. 👍
@@emmahowells8334 She must have had something to offer!
@@imwelshjesus indeed.
@Jermaine Anthony You better tell him then, cause I got the info from his mouth.
I love Tom Hiddleston, I saw him as Henry V and he was brilliant. Tom can mimic loads of well known actors. Jared Harris is Richard Harris's son, he's a really good actor in his own right. Audrey Hepburn's dad was British, I think she had joint British/Dutch nationality. Breakfast at Tiffany's is about child abuse, it always upsets me, but it's a good film. Christian Bale was amazing in Empire of the Sun, I think it was his first role as a child actor, John Malkovich is in it. Good list.
Jared Harris played Anderson Dawes, one of the leaders of the OPA, in The Expanse, he was also Ulysses S Grant, in the Daniel Day Lewis film, Lincoln and was in Morbius recently. Very underrated actor in my opinion. Charlie Chaplin was a victim of McCarthyism and was forced to leave the US.
If you are not aware of Audrey Hepburn's films, you have missed something very good. In the 1950s we (young women, that is) all wanted to look like her. She wore beautiful clothes and had a charming doe eyed face. Her best film was certainly Holly Golightly but the one which brought her first to everyone's attention was Roman Holiday, with Gregory Peck. The other highlight of her career was as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, a musical version of Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw.
Also really enjoyed his portrayal of Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes movie.
Andrew Garfield and Robert Pattinson would make the another 2 British actors for Spider-Man and Batman respectively. They love casting British people to play superheroes 😂. The fact that 2 out of 3 of the Spider-Men were British is amazing 😂. For the longest time I thought Andrew was American.
Technically he is, born in Los Angeles.
Andrew was born in America.
for me Anthony Hopkins is just one of the very best that has ever lived, simply mesmerising to watch.
Tom Holland lives in the next town over from me, he's still close to the house where he grew up. His dad is a stand-up comic who does the local venues.
Met his dad Dominic
Vivien Leigh should have been included. One of our finest actresses.
Can't account for great actors. Being able to change one's accent is an art in itself but the class of acting a role out of one's native accent is amazing to the British viewer.
I'll say no more😉
The oddest thing is an American doesn’t know who Hank Williams is??? 🤔
Jahaha
Sir Anthony Hopkins, is Welsh.
Yeah that was wierd. But the younger generation are clueless due to bad schooling.
@@iriscollins7583 Wales is in Britain
Yes. That shocked me. Hank Williams should be familiar to Americans. Surely?
To be fair, through film and television, we've been exposed to the American accent from childhood, and all played at being cowboys. I was actually Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt when I was about seven! 🇬🇧
You should check out early movies from the Chaplin era, the dangerous stunts they did in those days before ''health and safety" are truly terrifying.
Buster Keaton or Harold Loydd , Chaplin not so much.
@@philipocallaghanSpot on, I realised that later. Was going to edit but dozed off.
@@philipocallaghan Chaplin was also a musical composer.
Bob Hope hailed from Yorkshire.
@@iriscollins7583 I believe it was Eltham in SE London as he said in a David Frost interview in the 60's.
One of the reasons that British actors may have marked ability to assume other accents is the fact that in the UK there are numerous local dialects and numerous plays set in all parts of the British Isles. Some of these accents are regarded as more acceptable than others; the accents of the Midlands tends to be looked down
on, in spite of the fact that it would have been Shakespeare's mode of speech. The accents of my area, the west, are regarded as those of the "country bumpkin" and suggest that we are wandering about with straw in our hair. Sadly, these accents in film and theatre usually come up as a strange mixture referred to as "mummerset". I live close to the border of Devon and Cornwall and the accent changes within the distance of a few miles.
If you're going back as far as Chaplin, you could add in Stan Laurel - and a lot of others between then and now (Cary Grant, Vivien Leigh, and others). Another few British and Irish actors who have nailed being American for film and TV include Liam Neeson, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson, Adrian Lester, and (of course) Hugh Laurie. And yes, I agree - DDL is astonishing in "Gangs of New York".
William Henry Pratt, AKA 'Boris Karloff'.
Are you sure Stan Laurel plays an American? I can think of one Laurel & Hardy movie in particular where Stan refers to where he's from and it's south of London.
@@Mancaveman1969 He's wasn't from London. Shock news...Britain is not just London. He was from Ulverston in Lancs.
@@sirrodneyffing1 I remember the film Adam's referring to though, and he does say he's from the south of London. But yes, he was a northerner.
Liam Neeson identifies as Irish let’s be real
I'm related to Charlie Chaplin albeit very distantly. His mum and my great great grandmother (I think) were 4th cousins or something but also lived 3 doors away from each other.
My favourite example of a Brit playing an American is Dominic West in The Wire, especially the English accent scene(look it up)
I've seen a lot of these actors on stage in London, (not Charlie Chaplin,)and I suspect the reason Hollywood uses them is that they can do anything, they work fast and they leave their egos in the taxi. Also, they're much cheaper.
American actors are also good at doing British accents. Remember Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady? She's a brilliant actress who was right for the part.
I think this list could have been at least twice as long.
This always makes me smile American 'English' is the clue....lol and it works visa versa apart for maybe Dick Van Dykes cockney
accent that was quirky to say the least...There are also many different accents in the UK just like in the U S....
Love Van Dyke but his cockney was awful. 😜
Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye in Last of the Mohicans.
Actors who play Rick Grimes and Maggie in the Walking Dead are both British but finding out Scotty from Star trek was a Canadian upset me as a Kid.
He was a war hero in W11
Damian Lewis from London did a great job as Nicholas Brody in the TV production ‘Homeland.’ He fooled a lot of Americans as to his nationality.
Not to mention Dick Winters in Band of Brothers
Also Billions
Hank Williams is so well known in Uk he was. 50’s singer ,Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an iconic film ,Christian aBale first film was in Spielberg “Empire of the Sun “ , Charlie Chaplain was also a Composer he wrote “limelight “ “This is my Song “ sung by Petula Clark , David Oyelowo he was in a movie called “A United Kingdom “ well worth viewing and British crime series “Spooks “Danial Day Lewis “ The Last of the Mohicans “ 👏and “ My Left Foot” are Iconic movies he made , Angela Lansbury ,Cary Grant were Brit’s 🤷♀️
Charlie Chaplin. Harold loyd. Buster Keaton. All 3 of these comedy actor's did there own stunts them selves. No retakes no stuntman. Check them out. appsolutly brilliant. from UK 🇬🇧👍👍
Tom Hiddleston as Loki !💗💚 High Rise, The Nightmanager, Hank Williams..singing! Woohoo! The Essex Serpent, Henry The 4th and 5th (?) Coriolanus and Betryal..and other Theater Plays...which i haven't seen :(
My granddaughter was doing adverts for the American TVs but had to keep it under wrap. Maybe it's cheaper to hire a British actor.
A really good example is Alex Roe who plays an American country singer in a film called Forever My Girl. Its actually shocking that he is so good.
HI TYLER
DEBRA HERE FROM SOUTH WALES
HANK WILLIAMS Hold your horse there cowboy, Tyler how can you as an American sit there and say that you have never heard of the country singer HANK WILLIAMS (1923 to 1953) he was one of the greatest country singer/songwriters of all time. He sang such classics as:
I Saw The Light
Mansion On The Hill
Cold Cold Heart
Your Cheatin' Heart
Take These Chains From My Heart
Plus others too numerous to mention. He also wrote and co-wrote many many songs
He had short but very full life. God Rest His Soul.
JARED HARRIS is the son of actor Richard Harris. He also played King George VI in The Crown, and has done a lot of work in America. He was born in 1961.
SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS was born in my home country of Wales in Port Talbot, South Wales as was:
Michael Sheen
Richard Burton,
Catherine Zeta Jones Christian Bale
Ray Milland
Tom Ellis
Taron Egerton
Desmond Llewellyn
Roger Rees
Ioan Gruffudd
Timothy Dalton
Tom Jones
Katherine Jenkins
Idris Elba as Stringer Bell.
Both him and Dom West were class in the Wire
Idris Elba was being interviewed by an American interviewer, he asked him,did he find it difficult finding roles as an African American.He answered, "I wouldn't know, I'm British".
Jared Harris is the son of the great actor Richard Harris, whose (sadly) last roll was playing Dumbledore in the 1st Harry Potter film...
Jared Harris is the son of Richard Harris, the international famous actor of the 1960s up to the 2000s when he played Professor Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter films.
For some reason, I always thought Daniel Day-Lewis was Irish, maybe because of his excellent portrayal in "In The Name Of The Father" (1994?). But it turns out he was born in London, and his Grandfather was Sir Michael Elias Balcon, an English movie producer and "leader" of Ealing Studios in West London. lol
He is Irish though.
Yep, that's what I'd always heard.
I just did a bit more Googling...
"Day-Lewis was born in London, England in 1957, the second son of eventual United Kingdom Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis, who was born in Ireland."
So he is Irish really. I guess in the same way I am, as I have ancestors from County Cork. ;)
@@electronash He's father was Anglo-Irish and moved to England as a baby. DDL has referred to himself many times as an 'Englishman'. You'll find him on youtube saying it, if you can bothered to look it up ! He was born in London and learnt he's 'trade' in England, drama schools etc. No offence, but Ireland hasn't really given him a lot, so saying he's Irish is a bit of a stretch, especially as he said his English. I know he still has family there in Ireland and lives in the west of Ireland, so clearly has a connection to Ireland. But even his ancestry is Anglo-Irish, so British blood way back as well...
Wasn't DDL's dad the Irish Poet Laureate?
On a somewhat related note to Charlie Chaplin, you _might_ also be surprised to know that 50% of Laurel and Hardy was British (English), Stan Laurel. I know he did (try to) speak in an American accent in their 'talkies', sounds good to me, though I'm hardly the right judge!
Also Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead is as British as they come. And Jax from Sons of Anarchy.
Henry Cavill was born in Jersey, which is where I live. That's the old Jersey not the New Jersey in the US.
Hank Williams! One of the most influential and important US country stars of all time. We Brits know him.
The actor playing in Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn is George Peppard aka Hannibal from The A-Team
Going the other way, I thought John Lithgow was superb as Winston Churchill in “The Crown”.
John Lithgow is a superb actor, it’s also little known that he voiced Lord Farquahard in Shrek
@@lynby6231 I thought everyone knew he was Lord Farquad? In the Crown he got the accent down pat, very few actors would be able to nail such a specific or iconic accent
I would have given Charlie Hunnam ((Jax Teller Sons of Anarchy)) A honnorable mention. However there are so many including the actor who plays Rick in the walking dead.
I would suggest that Daniel Day Lewis played a more quintessentially American American in There Will Be Blood than in Gangs of New York. Happy to be corrected tbough.
When I went to see Selma at the cinema, I was amazed to discover that L B Johnson was being played by a well known British actor (Tom Wilkinson), and the actor who played the Governor of Alabama was also British.
Not a movie but, will mention Damian CBE playing the central character of Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.
I was little surprised to hear that you don't know who Hank Williams was. Any country music lover knows of him, but I guess if you're not into country music you won't know him. He was very famous. Anthony Hopkins, Welsh in fact. Hopkins is a Welsh name.
You should check out Daniel day Lewis in ' my left foot' a film about an Irishman!
Well his family is Irish And he actually lives in the Republic even though he was born in the Uk
The original WatchMojo video is quite deceptive. The title of the video is "Top 10 Iconic Americans played by Brits", but then in the narration they say they are including both British AND Irish actors, which I guess is how they get Fassbender (Irish) onto the list.
I find it hilarious that the three most quintessential American superheroes - Superman, Batman and Spider-Man - are all played by Brits.
I know this is about films, but, Hugh Laurie with a Chicago accent as Dr. House... oh, Lord....
(But yes, DDL is one of the greatest film actors to ever have existed)
Mr Hiddleston also speaks more than one language and is an highly intelligent man. Christian Bale was amazing in American Psycho now that it a cult film. He totally freaked me out in The Machinist and I'm not a great fan of the Terminator films apart from the first one and Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Breakfast at Tiffinys is an icon of a film
Meryl Streep won the Oscar for playing Margaret Thatcher.
"DR HOUSE" IN "HOUSE"
Played by very British actor Hugh Laurie.
I'm suddenly in the mood to watch Gangs of New York again. Funny how you can forget how great something was until someone mentions it out of the blue.
Also, Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in Vice, he's insane in that movie.
Hallo.
On the flip side , John Lithgow has played Sir Winston Churchill in the series The Crown.
I'd have Gary Oldman on the list. Incredible actor, but i guess most know he's British.
Well he did do Lee Harvey Oswald. Probably more infamous than famous but still part of the American fabric although not widely known how he behaved as a person. Perhaps more so as Lt. Gordon in the Batman movies along side of Christian Bale. My favorite role from him is playing a famous brit though. Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.
Gary Oldman is a brilliant actor and talented musician. In the film Immortal Beloved he played Beethoven. Somebody commented what a good job he did of miming the piano pieces and he said "I was playing them" rather indignantly.
Shame that he had some of the most horrible people to play on most of his films. Except Beethoven of course.😁
Yep, Gary Oldman was the definitive Dracula.
And didn't he play the totally wonderful Drexel Spivey in Quarantino's 'True Romance'....?
I remember years ago I watched Kenneth brangah in Henry_V and Christian bale was only 15 years old when he appeared in the film. A Shakespeare actor.
Um, guy who took a film class (and probably slept through it), nobody spoke in movies before 1927. (Btw, American Robert Downey, Jr. received an Oscar nom. for his role as Charlie Chaplin.)
Robert Downey Jnr's portrayal of Chaplin was brilliant. One of my favourite movies.
One of my favourite ever films!
Anthony Hopkins, is Welsh. Also a MusicComposer.
Richard Burton, Ray Milland and Catherine Zeta Jones are from the same neck of the woods as Anthony Hopkins.
Charlie Hunnam as Jax in Son's of Anarchy is one of my favourite English actors playing American
Alum Cummings, Scottish Actor played Eli Gold in the Good Wife
Every day is a school day ... I had no idea that Charlie Chaplin didn't speak in all those silent films he made, because he didn't think he could put on a convincing enough American Accent.
yeah Charlie chaplin... another great from those days Stan Laurel was also british.. Stan Lurel was English. he moved to Scotland as a teen and his father ran a theatre in the city where Stan started his career. (thats probably why Laurel didn't speak much in the movies and most of the dialogue was done by Oliver Hardy)
I think the reason brits are good at American accents is we have so many different accents in the UK and we grow up impersonating other accents.
Breakfast at Tiffany is a classic film.
Sorry, Hank Williams, some kind of country character? Arguably the greatest country singer in American's history?
Number 1 ide have gone with ' Hugh Laurie ' as Dr Gregory House in the series ' House MD' .
I went to the same school as Christian Bale (Bournemouth Grammar school for boys) although I wasn't there when he was.
Another important American character played by a Brit was Clive Owen playing Bill Clinton (and doing it very well) in Impeachment, all about the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, part of the American Crime Story trilogy . Although this was TV rather than film.
Tom Hiddleston is an incredible dancer!
You come across as such a lovely person I want to hang out with you. Thanks for another great video
Well many Americans have made a good fist of the British accent as well. We had Meryl Streep play our first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the film 'The iron Lady'. John Lithgow played Churchill and Gillian Anderson played Thatcher in 'The Crown'.
I thought Gillian Anderson is English, no?
@@enterthebruce91 She has lived in the UK for many years, calls London 'her home' and her early childhood schooling was in the UK where she adopted her British accent.
But she is an American and can switch between the two accents ...
Long, long 'apprenticeships' in live theatre make for very adaptable British actors and actresses. It usually takes years with a theatre company to move up from bit parts to more prominent roles, appearing in many different types of drama. This is known as 'treading the boards'. It's very unusual for a British actor to land a part in film or television straight from school, though some of the 'Harry Potter' cast did so. 🤗🇬🇧
Charlie Chaplin came from my old manor, the Elephant and Castle in South East London, as did Michael Cain who, seeking a piece of nostalgia went back for a walk around and on the other side of the road was Charlie Chaplin doing the same thing!
Charlie Drake, Alan Ford, Michael Faraday (my school house was called Faraday) and many others are from the surrounding area.
Don't be fooled when the elite say that they lived in Camberwell, they are probably hiding the fact that they lived in Dulwich Village, a highly secure, gated community, where Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher lived!
Dulwich Village never was gated when I knew it in the 50's and 60's, just very upmarket compared to most of SE London. Father was at school there, Dulwich College and boarded inspite of the family home being just up the road, in Kent then before London ceased to be a County (LCC) in its own right and most of the area becoming a London Borough and part of the GLC. My Grandmother sold up and moved out to the Surrey suberbs in the 20's with her younger (gay, then illegal, so discretion needed) Brother having lost her Husband.
Kennington was where the Counties of London, Kent and Surrey met each other. A lot of the area maintained a county postal address of either Kent or Surrey, Post Codes have made that irrelevant now.
If you like Daniel Day Lewis then watch ‘my left foot’ it’s insanely good & he’s just a master at his craft. BTW! Tom Hiddleston (Loki) is meant to have an English accent. All as-guardians did.
Cillian Murphy is about to play J. Robert Oppenheimer. I cant wait to see that movie.