‘Frasier’ star John Mahoney dead at 77

[Jimbuna]

RIP Sir

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.3801314

[Eichhörnchen]

Watched that a lot... I was surprised to learn that he was a Brit... but my American nephew insists that over there they can always tell a Brit actor doing an American accent... always! Not sure I believe that... he was completely convincing as an American to me. But why do they cast Brits as Americans anway... they're not short of US actors are they?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Watched that a lot... I was surprised to learn that he was a Brit... but my American nephew insists that over there they can always tell a Brit actor doing an American accent... always! Not sure I believe that... he was completely convincing as an American to me.

I never did. I wonder if your nephew ever watched 'House'?

But why do they cast Brits as Americans anway... they're not short of US actors are they?

I suspect it's more a case of putting out a casting call, the actor auditioning and convincing them he's the guy they're looking for.

[Eichhörnchen]

Hugh Laurie is an even more remarkable case. Although I never watched House, I did occasionally see clips and his transformation from an upper-class English "twit" was amazing to me

[Rhodes]

R.I.P.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Watched that a lot... I was surprised to learn that he was a Brit... but my American nephew insists that over there they can always tell a Brit actor doing an American accent... always! Not sure I believe that... he was completely convincing as an American to me. But why do they cast Brits as Americans anway... they're not short of US actors are they?

There's no shortage of American actors, just really good American actors'. Since the US film and TV industry values personality and celebrity over high acting talent and ability, US actors tend not to really get into the art of acting; instead, they are more geared towards the 'merchandising' aspect of acting, the 'selling' of the product, not the value of the art. British actors tend to come up from the legitimate theater and have a sense of craft that lends to the portrayal of complex or memorable characterizations; US actors are looking for, mainly, the "golden Ring" of fame for celebrity rather than recognition of proficiency in the art. Living in Hollywood, I have seen and known several people who have aspired to acting fame but have failed because they are more interested in the glitz than the craft; the ones I have known who were more interested in the craft either went back East to NY to work stage or, in a few cases, have traveled to the UK and other countries to hone their skills. Hugh Laurie was mentioned: I can't really think of any US TV or film actor who could have pulled off the role of House as well as he did. On the extras within the House, M.D. 1st season DVD, there is a clip of Laurie audition for the role; he literally did the audition in a rush, taking a quick break from a project he was doing and ducking into a kitchen, grabbing the audition script and hastily taping his performance. It is also noted in those extras that the director of the pilot was adamant against having a UK actor play the role because he felt a Brit actor couldn't speak in a convincing US accent; the casting people were so convinced Laurie was the right actor they sneaked the audition tape into the batch of tapes the director would review; here is a website link discussing the casting of Laurie:


http://www.factfiend.com/director-ho...aurie-british/

Here is the full audition clip:




Interestingly, there are two US actors many US TV viewers assumed were British who were the exact opposite of the assumption; John Hillerman, who played Higgins on Magnum, P.I., was actually born in Texas; Daniel Davis, who played the butler Niles, on The Nanny, was born in Arkansas...

BTW, if you liked House, M.D., there is Japanese TV series, Dokutaa X - Gekai Daimon Michiko, Doctor X, in the English translation, that has been running for several seasons and now appears to have recently aired the series finale. Doctor X is a surgeon with exceptional skills an arrogance against which House's pales, and a disdain for convention and authority of all kinds; on her CV, she lists her specialty as 'surgery' and her single hobby as 'surgery'. Like House she can diagnose and detect conditions other doctors overlook and has exceptional surgical skills that amaze those who watch her operate; also, like House, she is so good at her field she is given wide berth in matters of discipline, yet she has no end of administrators, and others, who seek to taker down because they don't like her attitude. Where she differs from House is in her supreme confidence in her abilities, to the point her favorite phrase, when confronted about her actions, is "Watashi Shippai Shinai!" or, in English, "I Never Fail!", and she never does fail. The reason she is called Doctor X is because some of those she works with suspect she is a legendary doctor, sort of an urban legend, who has amassed almost godly medical skills from all corners of the world by practicing medicine in all kinds of conditions. If you are interested, there are some of the episodes posted on YT and there are a few websites streaming the series, both sources with available subtitles in English...









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