Times are tough in America. National unemployment is heading toward the double digits. Even illegal immigrants are reportedly leaving this former “Land of Opportunity.” Except for foreign actors who can do a good American accent.

It’s not that we don’t have enough decent – and starving – actors to fill the existing demand of TV fiction. It’s the corporate mentality that outsourcing is somehow beneficial to the bottom line.

So here’s a list of foreign TV and movie actors putting on fake American accents well enough to take work away from US actors:

Simon Baker (The Mentalist)
Christian Bale (Batman films)
Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica)
Helena Bonham Carter (films)
Minnie Driver (The Riches)
Idris Elba (The Wire)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies)
Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman)
Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers)
Lena Headey (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter films)
Eddie Izzard (The Riches)
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine films)
Lennie James (Jericho)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Without a Trace)
Nicole Kidman (films)
Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace)
Louise Lombard (CSI)
Sean Maguire (The Class)
Kevin McKidd (Journeyman)
Ian McShane (Deadwood)
Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace)
Sophia Myles (Moonlight)
Gary Oldman (Batman films)
Dominic Purcel (Prison Break)
Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters)
Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck)
Tracey Ullman (TV and film)
Dominic West (The Wire)

PS – At my discretion, I included Nicole Kidman, an American who moved to Australia when she was 3, and I did not include Mel Gibson, who was born and raised in New York and only moved to Australia in his teens.

O.C. DeeDee

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