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Originally Posted by fatboss
Could it be that alot of Americans perception of an english accent is muddied by the fact that in TV land whenever they need somebody slightly intelligent (Doctor, Surgeon CSI Pathologist) they drag out an English accent, and all too often a very bad one at that!
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Obviously you have completely missed Hugh Laurie (a Brit) doing a pretty impressive American accent as Dr. Gregory House.
This is from the Fox TV Bios page for House, for those unfamiliar with Mr. Laurie:
Hugh Laurie
Dr. Gregory House
Known for possessing a keen eye for the complex characters he creates as an actor and a writer, Hugh Laurie currently brings that talent to his work on the critically acclaimed series HOUSE. His performance on the series has garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. He has been honored by the Television Critics Association with two TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama the last two years.
Laurie previously starred in a number of groundbreaking British television comedy series, including four seasons of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie," which he co-wrote for the BBC with Stephen Fry; three seasons of "Blackadder," written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton; and three seasons of "Saturday Live." In addition, four seasons of "Jeeves and Wooster," based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, aired on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" from 1990-1995.
On the big screen, Laurie was in the 20th Century Fox release "Flight of the Phoenix" opposite Dennis Quaid. Other film credits include "Peter's Friends," directed and co-starring Kenneth Branagh; "Sense and Sensibility" with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet; "Cousin Bette" with Jessica Lange; "The Man in the Iron Mask"; "101 Dalmatians”; "Stuart Little"; and "Stuart Little 2" with Geena Davis.
On American television, Laurie portrayed Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the network telefilm "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." He also appeared in "Tracey Takes On …" and "Friends."
In addition to acting, Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, composed and recorded numerous original songs and written articles for London's The Daily Telegraph. Four volumes of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" scripts have been published by Mandarin, and his first novel, "The Gun Seller," was published in both the UK and the U.S. to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay for MGM.
Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, where he took a degree in Anthropology. He also rowed in the University Boat Race of 1980. He was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue, where he produced "The Cellar Tapes" along with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. The show won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival of 1981.
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I guess even when the British want someone refined and intelligent sounding, they choose a Brit for TV or movies!
Of course, there is the opposite tack as well. What can we make of Guy Ritchie's choice of Brad Pitt as the unintelligible gypsy in "Snatch". Was that a swipe at Americans? or Brits? Do the Brits (or Americans) actually use bad British accents to illustrate stupidity, or at least the sense of a less intelligent person?