The worst American accents

[faceless]

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Michelle Ryan's accent is 'worst'
26 May 2008[/align]
MICHELLE Ryan's American accent in Bionic Woman has been voted the WORST of all recent Brit actors' attempts - beating Eddie Izzard, Anna Friel and Minnie Driver. The ex Eastenders babe, 24, failed to impress Radio Times readers in her turn as Jaime Sommers, who voted in their droves against the brunette. Eddie Izzard comes second in the poll, for his performance as Wayne Malloy in The Riches, while Anna Friel takes third place for her unconvincing drawl in Pushing Daisies.

Helen Hackworthy, the editor of RadioTimes.com, said: 'Just as Dick Van Dyke struggled with his English accent in Mary Poppins, so too are some Brits failing to pull off convincing American accents.'

Top 10 worst American TV accents, according to the poll, are as follows:

1. Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers in Bionic Woman
2. Eddie Izzard as Wayne Malloy in The Riches
3. Anna Friel as Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles in Pushing Daisies
4. Hugh Laurie as Dr Gregory House in House
5. Ian McShane as Al Swearengen in Deadwood
6. Sean Maguire as Kyle Lendo in The Class
7. Minnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy in The Riches
8. Joely Richardson as Julia McNamara in Nip/Tuck
9. Louise Lombard as Sofia Curtis in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10. Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire

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I only watched one episode of The Bionic Woman and thought her accent was quite good... but what would I know!

[Kezza]

It seems that a (U.S.) Southern accent is always an easy cop-out. Problem is, they're so varied, that doing a "general" southern accent doesn't earn you any points, e.g. Minnie Driver. I think she's a brilliant access, but her accent was all over the place. I thought Eddie Izzard did a better job.

But the accent that always stood out for me was Joely Richardson - it always seemed very forced and fake to me.

Interesting list - thanks for the post.

[Aja]

[align=center]
Michelle Ryan's accent is 'worst'
26 May 2008[/align]
MICHELLE Ryan's American accent in Bionic Woman has been voted the WORST of all recent Brit actors' attempts - beating Eddie Izzard, Anna Friel and Minnie Driver. The ex Eastenders babe, 24, failed to impress Radio Times readers in her turn as Jaime Sommers, who voted in their droves against the brunette. Eddie Izzard comes second in the poll, for his performance as Wayne Malloy in The Riches, while Anna Friel takes third place for her unconvincing drawl in Pushing Daisies.

Helen Hackworthy, the editor of RadioTimes.com, said: 'Just as Dick Van Dyke struggled with his English accent in Mary Poppins, so too are some Brits failing to pull off convincing American accents.'

Top 10 worst American TV accents, according to the poll, are as follows:

1. Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers in Bionic Woman
2. Eddie Izzard as Wayne Malloy in The Riches
3. Anna Friel as Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles in Pushing Daisies
4. Hugh Laurie as Dr Gregory House in House
5. Ian McShane as Al Swearengen in Deadwood
6. Sean Maguire as Kyle Lendo in The Class
7. Minnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy in The Riches
8. Joely Richardson as Julia McNamara in Nip/Tuck
9. Louise Lombard as Sofia Curtis in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10. Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire

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I only watched one episode of The Bionic Woman and thought her accent was quite good... but what would I know!

I thought she sounded fine ......I was surprised to see Dominic West on the list .....I had no idea he was a brit untill quite late in the series ......

[pirtybirdy]

I agree with you Aja, I thought Michelle Ryan sounded fine as well. Also, Hugh Laurie. I can't understand why he made the list either. I think he does a fine American accent, and some of my family members didn't even know he was from England.

[Twirley]

I agree with you Aja, I thought Michelle Ryan sounded fine as well. Also, Hugh Laurie. I can't understand why he made the list either. I think he does a fine American accent, and some of my family members didn't even know he was from England.

I had to really convince my in-laws that Hugh Laurie was in fact British by showing them a DVD of "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" - they were amazed that he wasn't from the NE of the US...so not sure who put this top ten together. Not heard Miuchelle Ryan as Bionic Woman so can't comment, although I was surprised to hear her non-EE voice.

[nekokate]

You know what I've always thought was totally weird - Jane Leeves' British accent as Daphne in Frasier. It sounds totally fake, yet Jane Leeves is actually British!

[major.tom]

I thought she sounded fine ......I was surprised to see Dominic West on the list .....I had no idea he was a brit untill quite late in the series ......

Same here. Perhaps Baltimore was over-represented in the voter pool and they didn't buy his Baltimore accent (if there is such a thing).

Has anyone seen Hugh Laurie in Band of Brothers? With few exceptions, I completely bought his accent.

What gets me about accents (especially British ones) is that people from the Isles can differentiate between the regions (eg. Northern/Southern) whereas I can hardly hear any difference at all.

[Kezza]

I thought she sounded fine ......I was surprised to see Dominic West on the list .....I had no idea he was a brit untill quite late in the series ......

Same here. Perhaps Baltimore was over-represented in the voter pool and they didn't buy his Baltimore accent (if there is such a thing).

Has anyone seen Hugh Laurie in Band of Brothers? With few exceptions, I completely bought his accent.

What gets me about accents (especially British ones) is that people from the Isles can differentiate between the regions (eg. Northern/Southern) whereas I can hardly hear any difference at all.

Yes, there definitely is such a thing as a Baltimore accent, hon.
Check out any of director John Waters' films - a native Baltimorean, he loves to set his movies in his native city ("Hairspray" - the original, "Serial Mom" for example). Although not everyone who lives in Baltimore has that accent of course.

[Griffo]

Can't say i've ever seen Bionic Woman, but judging by that picture i'm now going to have to (muted, of course).

[SpursFan1902]

I thought she sounded fine ......I was surprised to see Dominic West on the list .....I had no idea he was a brit untill quite late in the series ......

Same here. Perhaps Baltimore was over-represented in the voter pool and they didn't buy his Baltimore accent (if there is such a thing).

Has anyone seen Hugh Laurie in Band of Brothers? With few exceptions, I completely bought his accent.

What gets me about accents (especially British ones) is that people from the Isles can differentiate between the regions (eg. Northern/Southern) whereas I can hardly hear any difference at all.

There were several British actors in Band of Brothers, but Hugh Laurie wasn't one of them. Were you thinking of Damien Lewis? He did an amazing job, as he does in the TV show Life. I can't wait for that one to come back. I was pretty surprized when I found out that he is British, he did such a good job. Dexter Fletcher, Marc Warren and Ross McColl are two of the others that spring to mind.

[faceless]

Isn't Dexter Fletcher American? I remember him in Press Gang in the early 80s playing an American kid at least, though maybe if he's been doing the accent that long it makes as much sense...

[major.tom]

There were several British actors in Band of Brothers, but Hugh Laurie wasn't one of them. Were you thinking of Damien Lewis? He did an amazing job, as he does in the TV show Life. I can't wait for that one to come back. I was pretty surprized when I found out that he is British, he did such a good job. Dexter Fletcher, Marc Warren and Ross McColl are two of the others that spring to mind.

Well spotted. I must've mixed up the name of the guy in the Blackadder films with another actor with whom he bears a slight resemblance (give or take a couple decades).

Dexter Fletcher did a pretty good job as well. It took me a while to recognize him from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. According to IMDB, he's from London. (link)

[faceless]

[web]https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7509572.stm[/web]

[Kezza]

What a great story. It never occurs to us that there is such a thing as an American accent. This video was a lot of fun for a Texan to watch. Had no idea it was so difficult.
Steve Hoxworth, Laredo, Texas U.S.A.

Oh, lawd - please tell me that this dude is joking - especially being from Texas, FFS! Or perhaps, it's only George Bush using a pseudonym

[ItzMeRon]

Man, but she is so hot.