Foreign accents by non natives in movies and TV

[rocketeer]

Have you ever watched TV or gone to a movie and thought 'What an awful accent that actor is putting on.'
My votes for the worst would be, in no particular order:-
Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. Supposed English cockney
Al Paccino from Scarface. Supposed Cuban.
Michael Crawford as Junior Salen from The War Lover. A poor attempt at being American

What promted this was watching an old UK TV program titled Eurotrash with Antoine de Caunes, a Frenchman speaking good English. Asked how he spoke English so well he replied from watching Peter Sellers in his Inspector Clouseau/Pink Panther movies.

Anyone want to add any?

 

[emigran]

Last night I saw Robert Mitchum (Sundowners) really terrible Aussie attempt...Meryl Streep was THE BEST at it...!!!

 

[GHT]

Renee Zelleweger demonstrates the skill of mastering an English accent in Bridget Jones, like no other. But she made an absolute pig's ear of an American southern accent in Cold Mountain. Hugh Lawrie's American accent in House just doesn't cut the mustard to an english ear. Benny Hill was a cult hit in America, his contrived American accent sounded like Scarlet O'Hara on a bad day. But why do they try, you only have to contrive the story line and there's an easy get out clause for the foreign accent.

Take, for example, David McCallum, who plays the part of Dr Donald (ducky) Mallard in the popular NCIS. No hint of trying to contrive an American accent. In David's youth, he starred with an American actor, name of Robert Vaughn, in a series called The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Robert Vaughn crossed the pond in the opposite direction starring in many a British or European film/play or TV series. His autumn years saw him in a lead role for the popular TV series: 'Hustle," where he played a shady character by the name of Albert Stroller. Neither Vaughn, in the UK, nor McCallum in the US, tried to contrive the accent of the country in which the action was taking place, and it worked.
Sellers corny French accent worked because it was both deliberate, and funny. Sometimes people forget that regional accents within a country are so alien to a foreign ear, whilst other regional accents are particularly easy. It's also worth remembering that Americans don't talk hillbilly the way Nicolas Cage did in Con Air.

There were accents galore in the movie, The Great Escape. James Coburn played the part of an Aussie, and absolutely strangled the accent. You can only say 'mate' so many times. Although not nearly as bad as Julia Roberts attempt at an Irish accent in Mary Reilly. Dick Van Dyke's attempt at cockney is legendry, but it was comic and therefore so bad, it was good.

For me the worst attempt at a foreign accent has to be Jon Voight's spanglish in Anaconda. Why don't they just take a leaf out of that seasoned actor, Sean Connery's book, and simply be yourself?

 

[HudsonHawk]

HaAl Paccino from Scarface. Supposed Cuban.

Growing up around Cuban-Americans, I thought Pacino's accent in Scarface was pretty spot on.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Renee Zelleweger demonstrates the skill of mastering an English accent in Bridget Jones, like no other. But she made an absolute pig's ear of an American southern accent in Cold Mountain.

The worst accent perpetrators are Americans trying to do a Southern American accent. The worst was Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. Just brutal.

Why don't they just take a leaf out of that seasoned actor, Sean Connery's book, and simply be yourself?

Agreed. Like in Highlander, where he played an Egyptian....with a Scottish accent. No one seemed to care.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I also thought Pacino's Cuban accent was decent. Remember Gump's southern speech was perhaps overly emphasized from a somewhat 'backward' or slow perspective.
HD

 

[Edward]

The worst of the worst? Any American in a Hollywood film trying to do an Irish accent. Especially the onez supposed to be Belfast but which are actually a poor imitation of Dublin.

It can be do e well... Sam Neill is flawless in Peaky Blinders. Ditto the English David Thewlis in Divorcing Jack

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The worst of the worst? Any American in a Hollywood film trying to do an Irish accent. Especially the onez supposed to be Belfast but which are actually a poor imitation of Dublin.

It can be do e well... Sam Neill is flawless in Peaky Blinders. Ditto the English David Thewlis in Divorcing Jack

I've seen this referenced on here before(in the cap section). What does 'Peaky Blinders' mean..??
HD

 

[rocketeer]

Growing up around Cuban-Americans, I thought Pacino's accent in Scarface was pretty spot on.

I also thought Pacino's Cuban accent was decent. Remember Gump's southern speech was perhaps overly emphasized from a somewhat 'backward' or slow perspective.
HD

I based my assumption here on a workmate who was Cuban but had lived in England for around 5 years. Maybe it was my friends accent that had mellowed a little.
And Hugh Lawrie, I could never take him seriously after playing foppish English upper class twits such as Bertie Wooster.
Was David McCallum meant to be a Russian in U.N.C.L.E?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The real joke is the HollyWood try at a southern preacher and praising congregation. They are just clueless with always a corny cadence and comical adoration by actors who clearing know nothing of what they are attempting to adore. The closest to reality was Robert Devall in the Apostle.
HD

 

[Benny Holiday]

Last night I saw Robert Mitchum (Sundowners) really terrible Aussie attempt...Meryl Streep was THE BEST at it...!!!

Oh man, the number of times I've heard a foreign actor attempt an Australian accent only to come off sounding like a South African version of Cary Grant!

 

[Edward]

I've seen this referenced on here before(in the cap section). What does 'Peaky Blinders' mean..??
HD

It's a BBC TV series, set in Birmingham (the real one, in England ) in 1919. Immediate post WW1, where the men in the organised criminal gangs and the police were largely composed of men who were haunted by the horrors they had experienced in the trenches. It's kinda maybe sorta a British/English equivalent of Boardwalk Empire. The show is named after the Peaky Blinders gang on which it centres, the gang itself being named after the eight panel caps they wore, with razor blades sewn on the top of the peak, (just) covered by the top. In a ruck, the cap could be removed and smashed into an opponent's face at eye level, blinding him - at least temporarily. The Peaky Blinders really existed and it's all largely based on reality, albeit rather a fictionalised version as per the norm. There's a thread on it somewhere.... Some with better knowledge than I have criticised a lack of period accuracy in the caps in question, though it's a cracking show if you can get past that.

 

[Edward]

Oh man, the number of times I've heard a foreign actor attempt an Australian accent only to come off sounding like a South African version of Cary Grant!

Still no excuse for dear Nicole's Oirish in Far and Away....

 

[vintage.vendeuse]

Renee Zelleweger demonstrates the skill of mastering an English accent in Bridget Jones, like no other. But she made an absolute pig's ear of an American southern accent in Cold Mountain. Hugh Lawrie's American accent in House just doesn't cut the mustard to an english ear.

Renee: I'm glad to hear a favorable opinion on her English accent from an Englishman because it always sounded great to me and I've previously heard British people put it down. As for her American southern accent (I haven't seen this movie), I find it surprising that she was so bad at it because she's actually a native Texan (though Texas twang and Southern drawl do differ).

Hugh: I've always thought his American accent was fabulous. So much so, that I didn't even realize he was English for several years, lol!

 

[Edward]

A lot of Americans previously unfamiliar with him were well fooled. Tbh I think Brits sometimes find it false only becsuse thdy know. Rene was indeed superb at the accent.

 

[Greyryder]

A lot of Americans previously unfamiliar with him were well fooled. Tbh I think Brits sometimes find it false only becsuse thdy know. Rene was indeed superb at the accent.

Not really the same, but for some reason this reminded me of complaints when Agents of SHIELD first came out, about the terrible fake accents the Fitz and Simmons characters were doing. Then, someone pointed out where those actors are from, and those accents aren't fake.

 

[Stearmen]

Hands down, the best fake accent, was Allo Allo, Officer Crabtree, a bumbling British agent, disguised as a French Police Officer. [video=youtube;zGNVU5ZjlgA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNVU5ZjlgA[/video]

 

[rocketeer]

Hands down, the best fake accent, was Allo Allo, Officer Crabtree, a bumbling British agent, disguised as a French Police Officer. [video=youtube;zGNVU5ZjlgA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNVU5ZjlgA[/video]

Haha yes, probably how we sound speaking French to them.

I read somewhere that Maurice Chevalier put on a rather more pronounced Parisienne accent to make him sound more 'French' to the English speaking cinema goers.

 

[Hercule]

Nope, not even close. Not even remotely close. The worst accent is Robert Conrad's French accent in centennial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GwCucnZ6mA

 

[HudsonHawk]

I also thought Pacino's Cuban accent was decent. Remember Gump's southern speech was perhaps overly emphasized from a somewhat 'backward' or slow perspective.
HD

My problem with Hanks's accent is that he was supposedly a simpleton from rural Alabama yet spoke with an aristocratic northern Virginia accent. Which isn't surprising, as that type of accent is what Hollywood typically generically throws out as "Southern". But it isn't. It's very regionally specific.