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40 British Actors You Probably Didn’t Know Were British

40 British Actors You Probably Didn’t Know Were British

Forehead, White-collar worker, Event, Suit, Facial hair, Smile, Fictional character,

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences estimates that somewhere between 90 and 95 percent of all film roles go to Brits, making English workers the single largest demographic stealing American jobs. We’re just kidding. That’s not true. (Or is it? And we’re just using dry British humor?) Some of these actors you’ve probably only heard speak with American accents, but everyone on this list hails from somewhere across the pond. (And by “British,” we mean from Great Britain. That’s England, Scotland, and Wales).

1 of 40

Henry Cavill

Sadly, the Superman is not American. Cavill was born in Jersey. Just not that Jersey.

2 of 40

Idris Elba

By now, you probably know Stringer Bell is actually a Brit. Elba was born in London and has somehow not been officially cast as 007 yet. *Shakes head*

3 of 40

Christian Bale

Every award season we’re reminded that both Batman and Bateman are actually English. Bale was born in Wales.

4 of 40

Charlie Hunnam

He’s the ultimate American TV badass, born in the least American-sounding place on earth: Newcastle upon Tyne.

5 of 40

James McAvoy

Is there anything smoother than McAvoy’s Scottish accent? Go look it up.

6 of 40

Tom Holland

It’s not just Superman who hails from across the pond. Queen’s Peter Parker is actually Kingston upon Thames’ Tom Holland. Don’t worry, Captain American is still American.

7 of 40

Tom Hardy

Beneath his many masks and deep vocals is a real-life London accented.

8 of 40

Sacha Baron Cohen

No, not Kazakhstan. Cohen was born in London and grew up in England. Very niiiiice.

9 of 40

Andrew Lincoln

Riiiiick! Another Londoner, Lincoln has just about perfected the American accent by now.

10 of 40

Kit Harington

Harington’s accent in Game of Thrones may be English, but it’s not quite Harrington’s own London accent. He went with a gruff northern English accent to mimic his TV father (?), Sean Bean.

11 of 40

Sean Bean

Bean hails from Handsworth, England. Not quite the North, but close.

12 of 40

Alan Rickman

Rickman first came to us in the guise of one Hans Gruber and had us all fooled until he started snapping at one Harry Potter. We miss you, Alan.

13 of 40

Gary Oldman

If he was in Harry Potter, he is likely British. Oldman’s nationality also means most of the Batman crew is British. (Hate to break it to you but: Michael Caine is not American.)

14 of 40

Daniel Kaluuya

Unless you first caught him in the very British Black Mirror, you may not have heard Kaluuya’s very British accent.

15 of 40

Will Poulter

Something about Pouter just screams American teenager. But alas, he was born in London. And he’s 26.

16 of 40

Robert Pattinson

Remember the Harry Potter rule. (And apparently now, the Batman rule.)

17 of 40

Nicholas Hoult

How does one man become even more attractive? An English accent.

18 of 40

Damian Lewis

With roles in “Band of Brothers” and “Homeland” you would be forgiven thinking Lewis is a good old American. He’s actually from London.

19 of 40

Kevin McKidd

McKidd was born in Scotland before moving to America, attending med school, and working at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

20 of 40

Riz Ahmed

Also known as Riz MC, Ahmed is both an English actor and rapper.

21 of 40

See Also

Andrew Garfield

Though Garfield was born in California, his English parents relocated to the U.K when Garfield was three. Still, that makes Holland the only non-American-born Spiderman.

22 of 40

Ewan McGregor

Born in Perth, McGregor does just about as good a job hiding his Scottish accent as any English actor in the business.

23 of 40

Daniel Day-Lewis

Irish, New York, 19th century Californian … Day-Lewis is an accent god. His home: London.

24 of 40

Jude Law

Can young Dumbledore be anything other than British? Or anyone other than Jude Law?

25 of 40

Wentworth Miller

He spent years trying to break out of an American prisons, but this fake American convict is actually from Chipping Norton.

26 of 40

Dominic Purcell

Both of them?? Yes, both.

27 of 40

Andy Serkis

The master of all accents non-human, Serkis and his human English accent was born just outside London.

28 of 40

Ian McKellen

Gollum, Boromir, and now Gandalf.

29 of 40

Orlando Bloom

Also Legolas. Bloom was born in the human town of Canterbury in the kingdom of men.

30 of 40

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Before his American-accented role in “12 Years a Slave,” Ejiofor and his smooth London inflection was more known for his English TV and film roles.

Joshua St Clair is an editorial assistant at Men’s Health Magazine. 

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