Alexander Skarsgård and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

[Sarah]

Can any American or, indeed, British actors acquit themselves as well in a foreign language as the two actors named above do in American English?  For that matter, in your opinion, what actors of any nationality are completely credible in a language other than their mother tongue? 

A related question:  U.S. television is rife with British actors playing Americans.  Which impress you the most with the plausibility of their accents?  For example, Jack Davenport, on Swingtown, is doing a terrible job, whereas Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Life) seems pretty spot on to me.  Can any American actors play British well?  Yeah, yeah, I know--Meryl Streep and Gwyneth Paltrow (and I don't think the latter does such a great job).  But who else?  And who are the worst?

This subject interests me.  I don't know why. 

[senorcorazon]

Those guys on The Wire did pretty decent American.

And no, I don't mention it solely because it is The Greatest Television Show Ever.

[Phantom Hugger]

All I can think of is Ewen McGregor in Blackhawk Down. Sometimes not too shabby, but at others he swings into full on John Wayne.

[Omar]

Costner's Brit accent was strong in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  I will also second Alexander Skarsgård's amazing work in Generation Kill.

As for another recent performance, I thought British actress Rebecca Hall was great in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (in terms of an American accent and in general).

[Sarah]

Yes, though there are fewer inept American accents from Brits than not (and I remember the olden days when the only American accent most English types could muster was exaggeratedly southern), Ewan McGregor makes the classic mistake of overhardening his r's (Jack Davenport does the same).  Idris Elba and Dominic West did way better.

I know that one of the main reasons so many British actors have learned to put on reasonable American accents is the number of jobs/amount of money available over here.  Americans working in the UK are much fewer.

No examples of actors for whom English is not the native tongue donning impeccable American (or even British) accents?  I'm blanking.

[samir]

Hugh Laurie does pretty well in House, doesn't he? I guess I have a different ear for it.

[Martin]

As for another recent performance, I thought British actress Rebecca Hall was great in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (in terms of an American accent and in general).

I didn't even know she was British. She was very good.

[gravy boat]

We're overlooking Passion of the Christ.  James Caviezel nailed Armaic.

On a serious note, I'm drawing a blank, too.  I know there a few European actresses who can move around languages easily - Monica Belluci comes to mind - but I can't think of any Americans doing well in another language. Good question.

[Bryan]

John Malkovich has acted in a couple of French films. I haven't seen 'em though.

I re-watched Existenz recently, and noticed that Jude Law was actually doing a pretty convincing Canadian accent - it was distinctly southern Ontarian.

[Spoony]

Hugh Laurie does a good job, but I've read that he has problems with it. The later the shoot goes, the worse his accent gets. This is what makes his character so mumbly. But he's a champ for pulling it off.

Jamie "Apollo" Bamber from Battlestar Gallactica is English. I never would have thought so by his performance, until I saw a feature on the DVD where he confesses he had two days to learn how to speak 'Merican.

[masterofsparks]

LA Confidential was my first exposure to Guy Pearce, so I was very surprised to later learn that he's Australian. Russell Crowe's real accent kinda showed through the same way Dominic West's did on The Wire, but I thought Pearce's accent was excellent.

[buffcoat]

The new guy on Law and Order is OK, but he has the same "r" problem.

"And when did you get the gun out of the drawererr?"

[jbissell]

Penelope Cruz in English is probably the worst for me (I'm thinking specifically of Vanilla Sky, although she had some awful lines that weren't her fault). She's actually a very good actress when she only has to speak Spanish.

[Sarah]

Jodie Foster did her own French in the dubbed version of The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane that I saw in gay Paree in 1977. Her accent was definitely American, but she did very well (she went to a bilingual high school).  But she was reading, no doubt, so it hardly counts.

Who is the new guy on Law and Order?

[Beth]

Penelope Cruz in English is probably the worst for me (I'm thinking specifically of Vanilla Sky, although she had some awful lines that weren't her fault). She's actually a very good actress when she only has to speak Spanish.

Totally. She's almost unbearable in American movies, but she's breathtaking in Pedro Almodavar's films.