Actors I Didn't Know Weren't American

During the last few years, I have discovered that several actors who I thought were American but aren't. Their American accents are so convincing that I never suspected they were born in other countries. Here are some of the ones I know of and I'd love if you could add anymore I didn't know about:



Christian Bale



Rachel Griffiths



Idris Elba



Kevin McKidd



Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje



Matthew Rhys




Sam Palladio



Anybody know of anymore I didn't know about?

Believe it or not, it took me a while before I realized Liam Neeson was originally Irish.

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Seriously?
I can understand the odd one or two but actors like McKidd, Elba and Bale have always been known as British actors.


I guess this'll be for people from countries that aren't the UK... McKidd is famous as Tommy from Trainspotting and as Father Deegan in the Father Ted Christmas Special.
He was also the lead in Dog Soldiers
For a while McKidd was attached to the remake of Highlander as well. Sad that he never followed through with that.

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I don't think Christian Bale does American very well, I always pay close attention to how Brits playing American roles sound, most of the time they slip up on certain vowels or nuances in their speech that give them away.. Bale is always blatantly English underneath.. but not as blatant and over the top as Harry Potter

Tom Hardy does good yank.

What do you mean with Harry Potter? Like, Daniel Radcliffe?
Yeah Radcliffe isn't really an actor if I'm honest. He's made a career from Potter, but everything else he's done has shown him for what he is... just a kid who got lucky.

Ryan Kwanten. Didnt realise he was aussie when I first saw him in True Blood.



Hugh Laurie. Didn't realise he was a Pom in House

oops HUGE linky.

My mom always forgets Andrew Lincoln isn't American.

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Well, to be fair he'd probably be convincing as most nationalities.

Yeah I call him potter because that's his real name... Harry Potter.

I have never detected any kind of accent from Christian Bale's movies and I only found out about the other three after seeing them in intereviews. I saw McKidd in an interview before I saw Trainspotting.

I only recently found out that Jim Carrey and Rachel McAdams are Canadian

Not an actor, but I always keep forgetting that Drake is Canadian as well.

I guess I'm the only one on this, but I have NEVER detected even the hint of a British accent in Christian Bale onscreen. I didn't realize it until I saw his Oscar acceptaince speech.

Knew Carrey was Canadian, but didn't know about McAdams.

On the flip side of this: I was kinda surprised when I found out John Malkovich was from Illinois and Peter Dinklage was from New Jersey.

Another one I just found out about:

Oscar nominee Naomie Harris



I was shocked after just seeing Moonlight to learn that she is also British.

Have never suspected that Malkovich wasn't American, but I could definitely see that with Dinklage.

James Bond movies didn't give it away?

They both have this sort of blue blooded quality, I think. A certain air of class that I, for whatever reason, associated with British-ness.

That they both played use English accents in the first roles I saw them in also played a part in that perception.

Never been much of a Bond fan, Moonlight was my first exposure to the actress.

Like half of The Wire aren't American not just Elba. I was surprised by a few of them.