A convincing British accent can be surprisingly difficult for American actors, considering the vast differences between British and American English. One reason may be that British actors more often come over to the USA to start a career in Hollywood, rather than the other way around. Another reason for this difficulty lies in the numerous variants of the British accent, which go beyond just the iconic cockney or posh RP.
Whatever the case, so many American actors struggle with British accents that it's even more impressive when somebody manages it. There are several American actors who sported British accents in their work, sometimes multiple times, and they pulled it off despite the fact how challenging it can be.
Updated June 7, 2022, by Joseph Heindl: Actors have many tools at their disposal, but accents are among the toughest to master. Altering how people talk essentially morphs their means and communication and negating an entire life's worth of verbal upbringing. As a result, attempting a new accent can easily sound silly, akin to a caricature of another culture. Nevertheless, many British actors seem oddly comfortable altering their speech. A number of them have even played American characters. However, the shoe can be on the other foot. Several American actors have also demonstrated their accent abilities, portraying Brits of all shapes and sizes. Just as American accents have numerous regional variations, so, too, do English accents. It takes a gifted ear to imitate any of them, but these Yankees are more than up to the task.​​​​​​​
15 Natalie Portman
Technically, Natalie Portman is from Israel, as she moved to the USA when she was three years old. Even though Portman spent the better part of her life in America, she speaks multiple languages and has lived in more than one place over the course of her life. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Portman mastered the British accent. After all, learning a foreign language fluently is even more difficult than taking on a new accent.
Portman showed her British accent both in the Star Wars franchise, where she portrayed Padme Amidala. She also used it in the historical movie The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) where she starred as one of the most iconic figures of English history, the unfortunate beheaded queen Anne Boleyn.
14 Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp is known for the variety of his roles. He often transforms into radically different characters for each film. Granted, some of that comes down to the copious amounts of makeup and costumes, but it's also thanks to his talent with accents. He's shown that through several variations on an English dialect. He can do drunken British in Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), cockney cockiness in Sweeney Todd (2007), and even mild-mannered Scottish in Finding Neverland (2004).
True, he gets downright cartoonish in other works. In Mortdecai (2015) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), for instance, he's downright insufferable. However, his accent was never the problem with these blunders. Depp remains comfortable in every one. "Believable" and "annoying" aren't mutually exclusive, after all.
13 Renée Zellweger
Giving the role of the British book darling Bridget Jones to an American actress seemed like a gamble at the time. But to many people's surprise, Renée Zellweger pulled it off with grace. She then went on to reprise the role two more times, most recently in 2016.
Zellweger is originally from Texas, yet her British accent was so convincing in the movie that even her fellow actor Hugh Grant supposedly had no idea she wasn't British during the filming of the first movie. Zellweger was also nominated for an Oscar for Bridget Jones's Diary (2001).
12 Gwyneth Paltrow
Originally from California, Gwyneth Paltrow became famous back in the 1990s thanks to her roles in British period pieces. This first appeared when she played the titular heroine in the 1996 movie Emma, adapted from Jane Austen's novel of the same name.
Paltrow then took her British accent to an even higher level when she portrayed Viola de Lesseps in the 1998 romantic historical movie Shakespeare in Love. Not only did the movie win an Oscar for the best picture, but Paltrow also got an Academy Award for the best actress.
11 Peter Dinklage
Dinklage was the star of many excellent indie movies long before his Game of Thrones days, but he rose to mainstream stardom thanks to the role of Tyrion Lannister. He was also one of the few cast members of the show who wasn't British.
Dinklage had a convincing British accent in the series, so viewers unfamiliar with his previous work had no chance to realize Dinklage is actually from New Jersey. The hard work paid off, as Dinklage won multiple awards for playing Tyrion and was also one of the most popular characters of the show.
10 Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz is still very young, but that didn't stop her from using a convincing British accent as early as 2011. That year, Moretz appeared in Martin Scorsese's Hugo alongside British actor Asa Butterfield. Her character spoke with a British accent that was unrecognizable from the real thing.
Her accent was convincing right from her audition. In fact, Moretz got the part because she made sure Scorsese believed she was British, not American, while she was auditioning for the movie.
9 Robert Downey, Jr.
In addition to Iron Man, one of Robert Downey Jr.'s most notable roles of the recent years is Sherlock Holmes in the two movies directed by Guy Ritchie. Sherlock Holmes is an iconic British detective, and not so American actors have portrayed him before.
Downey Jr. took on the challenge and succeeded, as his Sherlock's British accent worked well. Years before that, in 1992, Downey Jr. played another British hero, Charlie Chaplin himself, in Chaplin. He was nominated for an Oscar for this part.
8 Alan Tudyk
Even though Alan Tudyk is best known for his comedic roles, he's a much more versatile actor than some might think. He's shown a remarkable affinity for changing his voice, demonstrating this in animated works like Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Harley Quinn (2019), and Young Justice (2010). As entertaining as these are, his gift extends to live action in the form of his accent work.
Just like Renée Zellweger, Tudyk comes from Texas. That said, he's played a plethora of hyper characters of all different accents. British sounds the most natural of these, as evidenced in comedies such as A Knight's Tale (2001) and Death at a Funeral (2007). Years later, he'd put those comedic talents to work in a dramatic capacity in Rogue One: Star Wars Story (2016) where he voiced the droid K-2SO. Granted, Tudyk can be a little over the top in these roles, but his accent is never in question.
7 Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is universally hailed as one of the best actresses who has ever lived. So it will come as no surprise that among her many talents is her excellent British accent, even though she was born in New Jersey.
Streep's most notable use of her British accent can be witnessed in The Iron Lady (2011) in which she sounded exactly like the woman she was playing, England's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Streep won an Oscar for this role, which proves that her preparations for the role paid off.
6 Lindsay Lohan
This wayward actress was one of the most gifted child stars of her time. Among her other projects, she shows that especially well in the Parent Trap remake (1998). Here, she portrays twins, one of whom was raised in London.
The mother in the titular Parent Trap is an upper-class fashion designer, so Lohan puts on a posh accent as her daughter. Admittedly, her delivery sometimes sounds stilted instead of natural; she's clearly trying to nail down certain words. That said, the speech is far more consistent than many actors' attempts, let alone those of her age.
5 Kristen Stewart
Recent years have seen several iterations of Princess Diana, but few expected the best to come from Stewart. Like her former Twilight (2008) costar Robert Pattinson, she's flourished in indie films. Spencer stands as a full realization of that.
Her portrayal of the ill-fated royal is scary in how spot-on it is in many areas, accent included. It may not be the first time she's delved into British--she tried it earlier with Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)--but her speech here is much more polished and seamless. She maintains a classical intonation befitting a queen.
4 Corey Burton
Burton is one of those voice actors who can morph his tones to insane degrees. Obviously, that means he's tackled a slew of accents, British being among them. He's shown that as Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan products and Zeus in the God of War series. In fact, one of the most prolific personas of Burton's career is a British actor.
For years, he's been the voiceover stand-in for Christopher Lee. He's used his killer impression to assume roles once occupied by the storied performer. Examples include Count Dooku in various Star Wars works and Ansem the Wise in the Kingdom Hearts games. His vocal likeness has even earned the seal of approval from Lee himself. You know it's good when praise comes directly from the source.
3 Lee Pace
Pace has peppered most of his career with subtly quirky characters. Wonderfalls (2004), Pushing Daisies (2007), and Halt and Catch Fire (2014) are fine examples of his nuanced work. It's actually the blockbusters where he goes bigger.
Two such roles are a couple of uppity overlords. Within the same year (2014), Pace played the Elvenking Thranduil in The Hobbit and Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy. The high position of these guys prompted a posh British accent from the performer. It helps him embody the characters' condescending superiority, and the slow, methodical delivery only drives that home. Maybe he should make a habit out playing snobs.
2 Zach McGowan
Another pirate makes the list. McGowan has played all manner of dangerous individuals, but his best is the ruthless Charles Vane in Black Sails (2014) Considering the 18th-century time period and the rogue's roots, he adopts a southern English accent.
He actually came into the audition with such an accent. The creators couldn't tell. That's particularly impressive since this type of British speech can easily sound comical. McGowan, though keeps his voice low and gravelly, which is a smart choice. Not only does it diminish any lighthearted preconceptions of the accent, but it truly conveys the cutthroat nature of the scallywag.
1 Jennifer Hale
Hale is another voice actor with exceptional range. She's channeled all manner of pitches and personalities in countless animated works. These are often exaggerated due to the comedic format.
She's gotten more opportunities to play it straight in games. This is where her talent for British comes in. She's excelled in narrative titles like Knights of the Old Republic (2003) and Baldur's Gate (1998), and she's also stood-in for some prominent Elf characters in Lord of the Rings games. She covers all of these bases with variations on the same aristocratic dialect. Maybe this is the developers' way of adding some class. Whatever the case, Hale's performances are not only compelling, but thoroughly convincing.
