More often than not, the entertainment industry likes to praise British actors for brilliantly taking on American roles. From Andrew Garfield, to Florence Pugh, to Mia Goth — it would seem that time and time again, the English have an uncanny ability to mimic the sounds of an American. Perhaps it's the common background of theater or just the over-exposure to American entertainment — nonetheless, it's still very impressive.
What about the other way around? The United States is filled with an array of talented performers. It would be a shame to neglect those with the same level of vocal capabilities, where an American actor is able to produce an uncanny British accent. Just don't expect to see Dick Van Dyke given any such accolades.
10 Michael McKean
When the beloved 1980s mockumentary This is Spinal Tap came out, most fans were shocked at the revelation that the actors playing the British rock band were played by Americans. Michael McKean was one of them. Born and raised in New York, McKean does have some Irish, English, and Scottish heritage; however, his natural accent remains very much American.
Many fans have gone on to praise McKean and his Spinal Tap co-stars for their phenomenal portrayals of Estuary English. It was so good that "British interviewers at first refused to believe the trio were American," as mentioned in an article from The Guardian.
9 Claire Danes
Known for her roles in Romeo + Juliet and Homeland, Claire Danes is an actor that's shown her range. A New Yorker since birth, she has been married to English actor Hugh Dancy since 2009. So, where that may have helped her in later projects, Danes has always proven that she can do a very convincing British accent.
Her talents can be seen in classic films like Stardust and Stage Beauty, but also more recently in the Apple TV+ series, The Essex Serpent. In these projects, Danes dons a more posh British accent to great effect. In fact, her English co-star Tom Hiddleston even praised her abilities saying that her accent was "impeccable and flawless."
8 Brad Dourif
With great critical acclaim circulating his acting debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it's no surprise that Brad Dourif went on to play numerous iconic characters. From voicing the creepy doll Chucky to portraying the villainous De Vries in David Lynch's Dune, this Virginian-born actor is arguably one of the great character actors.
What's even more impressive is how convincing his British accent is. While on the set of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Dourif kept his British accent for the whole duration of the shoot as he played Wormtongue. It wasn't until they completed the final shot that he revealed his natural accent. Funnily enough, Dourif's co-star Bernard Hill thought he was doing "a really terrible phony American accent."
7 Lake Bell
Where she was born and raised in New York, Lake Bell moved to London during her college years to attend the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance, as mentioned in an interview with the Independent. Credited for shows like Boston Legal and Marvel's What If...?, Bell has spoken to Jimmy Kimmel exclaiming how it was always on her bucket list to play "a fully realized British character." No wonder her British accent is so impressive.
While filming the British rom-com Man Up, Bell spoke with her character's accent for the entire shoot. It wasn't until the end of filming that she revealed her true American self when she gave her “Thank You” speech to the whole production. Sadly according to her, it was met with "silence, confusion, disappointment, and betrayal" — a true testament to how convincing her British accent was.
6 John Lithgow
With numerous accolades for his brilliant work on both stage and screen, John Lithgow's career has been stellar. Raised in Ohio, this acting legend not only impressively studied at Harvard College but also at the London Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was a Fulbright Fellow. It, therefore, makes a lot of sense as to why his English accent is impeccable.
Lithgow's most impressive display of talent was when he portrayed Sir Winston Churchill in the British royal family drama, The Crown. Proving any naysayers wrong, he brilliantly took on the voice and RP dialect of the iconic political figure - even including the idiosyncrasies of Churchill's lisp. His performance was so good that he received an Emmy Award, a SAG Award, and even a Critic's Choice Award.
5 Renée Zellweger
Image via Universal Pictures
From Jerry Maguire to Chicago, Renée Zellweger has charmed, moved, and entertained audiences for decades. A recipient of many acting awards, this Texan actor is known for her dedication to her roles.
Where casting her as the very British Bridget Jones seemed like a gamble and was met with severe backlash, Zellweger surprised everyone by taking on her British persona very seamlessly. In an interview with Yahoo, she attributes her success to her preparation; not only did she enlist the help of a dialect coach, but she also worked as a trainee in the London book publisher Picador. Her brilliant performance resulted in two more sequels and even an Academy Award nomination.
4 Alan Tudyk
Born and raised in Texas, Alan Tudyk has been credited for movies like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and 28 Days. Tudyk is also a highly praised voice actor — as seen in films like Wreck It Ralph. So it comes as no surprise that he's also been commended for his brilliant accent work.
For projects like A Knight's Tale, Death at a Funeral and Rogue One, Tudyk has donned a very convincing British accent. In an interview with Conan O'Brien for Rogue One, he even spoke about the evolution of K-2SO's voice, where he started with a Cockney twang, only for it to become later "more proper" and RP-like.
3 Meryl Streep
As one of the most decorated and celebrated actors of all time, Meryl Streep's ability to take on new accents is world-class. From Sophie's Choice to Dancing at Lughnasa, this New Jersey-born acting legend has repeatedly proven that she is a masterful mimic of the foreign dialect - almost like a vocal chameleon.
Where she's done great British accents for films like The French Lieutenant's Woman and Suffragette, her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady impressed fans the most. Earning her third Academy Award, audiences were shocked at how similar she sounded to the political figure, and yet Streep funnily described the accent process — in an Entertainment Weekly interview — as "the easiest thing." Perhaps that goes to show her level of expertise.
2 Gillian Anderson
Known for her roles in The X-Files and Hannibal, Gillian Anderson is an iconic actor with numerous accolades to prove it. She was born in Chicago and moved to the UK as a young child but then returned to America a few years later. And now, because of this, she is actually bidialectal. In an interview with Scott Lawrence, she explains that her natural accent "goes back and forth" between English and American, "depending on who [she's] talking to."
As such, for projects like Sex Education, The Fall, and her critically acclaimed performance in The Crown, Anderson's British accent is flawless and as natural as can be.
1 Daniel Davis
When The Nanny became one of the iconic sitcoms of the '90s, fans were absolutely shocked at the revelation that Niles, the snarky plummy butler, was played by an American actor. Daniel Davis, whose background is heavily situated in the theater, was actually born and raised in Arkansas.
In an interview with his Nanny co-star Fran Drescher, he even revealed that he received letters from fans asking him to give Charles Shaughnessy (the actor who played British Theater Producer Maxwell Sheffield) some vocal advice about playing a real Englishman — which is quite ironic given that Shaughnassy is himself, a posh British actor. This is a true indicator of Davis' great skill.