What do you think of Hugh Laurie's "House" accent?

[James]

Just a query to the Americana who frequent; "House M.D" stars English actor Hugh Laurie. Throughout "House" he uses his fake American accent.

What does it sound like to the average native?

The reason I ask, is that from the Americans I have spoken to (and those I have not) seem to feel it's really good. This includes Producer/Creator Bryan Singer himself who allegedly thought Laurie was American in casting.

Odd thing is, every English person I speak to thinks his accent is, well, erm, awful. Including myself.

Don't get me wrong Hugh (as I know you'll be reading this after doing countless net searches to see how popular you are like I do), I love House and your work - I even accept that the accent is good (if Americans think the American accent is good, it stands to reason surely..).

I just wanted - as he may ask in the show itself - a second opinion. Ho ho.

[Chad Bonin]

Honestly? I had to be told he was British.

It sounds very natural, and goes along with his great performance.

I'd be scared to hear his natural voice now... probably as incomprehensible as those Dr. Who episodes I watched.

[James]

Honestly? I had to be told he was British.

It sounds very natural, and goes along with his great performance.

I'd be scared to hear his natural voice now... probably as incomprehensible as those Dr. Who episodes I watched.
Laurie is perhaps one of the few English actors with no specific association with Doctor Who (although his comic partner in crime Stephen Fry has appeared in a radio play and is scripting a story for next season of Doctor Who).

Hugh Laurie does fantastic upper class twits from University backgrounds such as Oxford or Cambridge. It should come as no surprise then to hear he was a student at Cambridge University.

Check out his fantastic performance and comic timing in "Jeeves And Wooster", "Blackadder", "A Bit Of Fry And Laurie". The latter has him doing sketches with the same American accent.. an accent that for over a decade I have believed to be utterly appalling. With this in mind, maybe my American accent is better than I thought.. oh no, that's right, Americans think it's rubbish.

[Lord Dalek]

It's a bit off I say.

[Chad Bonin]

With this in mind, maybe my American accent is better than I thought.. oh no, that's right, Americans think it's rubbish.Let's hear it. Upload some samples, bro.

[James]

Let's hear it. Upload some samples, bro.
Would adding "bro" make my attempt anymore convincing?

A further little titbit regarding "House" transatlantic, is we get a different theme tune. From what I can tell, we have a subtle arrangement of the Massive Attack "Teardrop" theme used in the states. Needless to say, ours is better. a) because it's beautiful, b) because it's not got a hint of Massive Attack in it.. biggest gag is Massive Attack - I think - is British.. and we don't use the proper song. bwahaha.

[Kinel Ozoa]

I didn't know he had an english accent untill I saw him on an interveiw outside the show. I was quite suprised.

[Delthayre]

You know, I all most wish I watched House now, because I would like to hear this myself. My training as a linguist has given me a fairly good ear for picking out oddities in speech.

[Lonestarr]

I caught him on "Blackadder the Third" before I saw "House". Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with his American accent.

[Youko Recca]

I didn't even know about his accent until I read about it over the internet, so it's fine by me. I always liked how it blended with his attitude. Subtly adding along with the sarcasm.

[Kury Wagner]

I'm with Dalek, it sounds a teeny bit odd. When I first started watching House, I hadn't known much about Laurie, so I just thought he had a curious voice. However it doesn't sound bad at all. My mom (huge House fan) didn't know he was English either.

[Conekiller]

I havn't noticed at all. If anything I think his "accent" adds to his smarmyness. :D

[SonGoku V3]

God....I love this show. It's just sad that I didn't realize it was on the air until American Idol started, then again, I'm sure I'm not too alone in that respect.:sweat:

His accent is very good. Like some others have stated, I'd have never guessed if I didn't hear that he was British.

I hope the second season (though I'll probably only be able to catch half of it) will be as great as the first.

[screw on head]

I remember reading a few articles about Laurie before the show premiered, so I guess I went in knowing he was British, though I didn't give it much thought. Come to think of it, I think he does a pretty good job with 'non-regional diction'... if he tried an Anthracite Brogue accent say, I'd spot him a mile away :D. One thing I've noticed from time to time is that he does almost over pronunciate some words sometimes. Being an unknown to me works in his favor I guess...

[Fone Bone]

I loved Laurie in Black Adder so I knew he was British. I personally find his accent COMPLETELY convincing and I laugh to think that British people think it's awful. (Because they use American accents ALL the time):p Maybe they think it's bad because he doesn't quite sound like every other American actor on TV. Well, then people have to realize that MOST Americans don't sound like actors on TV so we tend to greet variations on dialogue better than others would think.

Now I have to wonder, does this mean Brits think Kevin Costner has a believable British accent?:eek:

[Temple Fugate]

Before I read this thread I had no idea he was British. So I'd say it's pretty convincing. It's certainly unique, being used in tandem with House's dry wit and sarcasm, but it's not unique in the sense that you can tell a regional difference.

And, for the record, there is no straight "American" accent. We've got a bunch of different accents here. Off the top of my head, there's Brooklyn, Boston, Southern, and I guess "street" qualifies. There is a subtle accent in upstate NY where I live where the only obvious difference is people say "heighth and width" instead of "height and width." I try not to fall into that linguistic trap. :sweat:

[James]

I loved Laurie in Black Adder so I knew he was British. I personally find his accent COMPLETELY convincing and I laugh to think that British people think it's awful. (Because they use American accents ALL the time):p Maybe they think it's bad because he doesn't quite sound like every other American actor on TV.
Well there is no "they" in this as I found it odd. :) I've had a lot of American friends and never heard an American accent like that, but I've heard a lot of Brits doing American accents which sound similar.

Maybe some of it is knowing Laurie's voice very well. It does mean that one hears those natural elements in his dialogue with a little more strength than maybe others would.

It could be not that we don't know American accents, but we hear the British slips more than you would, if you see what I mean. In the same way that with Spike from Buffy - while his accent is good, it's not perfect and you can hear the slips if you know one accent well (in this case in a counter method where you hear where he's missing the Brit pronounciation).

I would suggest next time you see House. Listen and bear in mind his origin and see if any of the specific intonation on words sounds odd. That's where actors slip...



Now I have to wonder, does this mean Brits think Kevin Costner has a believable British accent?:eek:
When has he ever done a British accent? Maybe that there is your answer! ;)

[Terminatah]

His accent is excellent. For those interested, he actually did speak in his British accent on the show once. House was trying to fool someone on the phone, so he used a fake British accent, which was Hugh Laurie's natural accent. It was pretty funny.

-Terminatah

[Enrique]

I've also heard both of Hugh's accents. His American accent is good, it just has the slightest inflection, which is passable because all us Americans have inflections depending on what area and heritage we're from. Hugh's American accent I think makes him "from" the northeastern States.
His British accent, oddly enough... I heard it only once, during a morning news show. Sometimes this shows goes on sets to interview actors, in between takes, so his British accent might've been "confused" having just done the American one minutes ago... but to me, he almost sounded Australian :P

[ManicWebb]

If I wasn't a fan of the BlackAdder series, I'd think the man was American. The beauty of his accent (and this is probably why some British people think his accent is bad) is that he doesn't sound totally generic. He sounds like an American with a certain flair/inflection to his voice, and it works perfectly with the character of Dr. House.

I probably don't notice the slips in his accent because I'm too accustomed to watching TV shows with Canadian actors (ie. Smallville, and anything on the SciFi Channel). I've noticed that Canadians and Americans sound alike for the most part, but Canadians have a slightly more British flair to the way they pronounce a few words.

[Chad Bonin]

I probably don't notice the slips in his accent because I'm too accustomed to watching TV shows with Canadian actors (ie. Smallville, and anything on the SciFi Channel). I've noticed that Canadians and Americans sound alike for the most part, but Canadians have a slightly more British flair to the way they pronounce a few words.Yeah, same here. I've never caught his slips, 'cause I'm used to shows with New Zealand actors (last few years of PR).

They're just more Australiany... when they're not doing their American accents.

[James]

His voice is a lot lower than one would expect from his British characters. Could be smoking.. possibly simply he raises his voice slightly in the posh character he portrays. His tones in his natural voice seem to be more akin to House than to, say, George in Blackadder or Bertie Wooster.

Still very interesting. I don't doubt it's a great accent from the responses here. It's just amusing that so many Brits see it as being so bad.. and to our surprise, it's actually really good. I'm glad I didn't put money on this.. I would have lost.. and that's no disrespect to Laurie who as an actor I've adored since I was a nipper.

[TimTwoFace]

I like the show, and I like the voice. I wasn't aware he was British until I looked it up.

The voice itself is very unique, and it suits the character well. It's a nice surprise hit this year.

-Tim

[Lord Dalek]

His voice is a lot lower than one would expect from his British characters. Could be smoking.. possibly simply he raises his voice slightly in the posh character he portrays. His tones in his natural voice seem to be more akin to House than to, say, George in Blackadder or Bertie Wooster.
That's strange. I've heard his "non-posh" voice on Whose Line? and he doesn't sound like House at all.

[Conekiller]

Man so many House MD fans..I don't ever recall seeing a Thread for it before (outside of "picked up for season 2") :sad:

[Lord Dalek]

Man so many House MD fans..I don't ever recall seeing a Thread for it before (outside of "picked up for season 2") :sad:Well to be fair, I think the show's main concept was already done well by St. Elsewhere.

$5 says that in the final episode House is revealed to be existing in the mind of an autistic 7 year old watching Blackadder Goes Forth

[James]

That's strange. I've heard his "non-posh" voice on Whose Line? and he doesn't sound like House at all.
I'm talking about the tonal register - not how American his voice sounds. It seems, compared to his other work, it has more akin to the deep sound of his voice in House than in any other piece of work I've seen him do.

[Mr Cat Dog]

I love the show House, but can't stand his accent at all. To be honest, I thought it would have been better if he'd actually played it as a British character, as I think that might have suited his personality better than having an American accent.

So... I may be biased being British and all, but I hate his accent. I loved his accent as Blackadder and Wooster, but not this.

[sterfish]

I've watched a couple of episodes of House and I do like Laurie's American accent. Not only does it sound authentic but, more importantly, it's distinctive. It's not a blatant, overgeneralized easy-to-spot accent (like stereotypical NYC, southern, or "dont'cha know" Midwestern) and it's not a generic non-regional accent. I think that if an American actor spoke the same way Laurie does on House, there wouldn't be a thread about it at all.

I have one question, though. For those of you who don't like his "House" accent, what did you think of his accent as the father in the Stuart Little films?

[Mr Cat Dog]

I've watched a couple of episodes of House and I do like Laurie's American accent. Not only does it sound authentic but, more importantly, it's distinctive. It's not a blatant, overgeneralized easy-to-spot accent (like stereotypical NYC, southern, or "dont'cha know" Midwestern) and it's not a generic non-regional accent. I think that if an American actor spoke the same way Laurie does on House, there wouldn't be a thread about it at all.

I have one question, though. For those of you who don't like his "House" accent, what did you think of his accent as the father in the Stuart Little films?He wasn't trying to be American in Stuart Little, and that's his normal voice, so I have no problem with it.

[Chad Bonin]

I love the show House, but can't stand his accent at all. To be honest, I thought it would have been better if he'd actually played it as a British character, as I think that might have suited his personality better than having an American accent.

So... I may be biased being British and all, but I hate his accent. I loved his accent as Blackadder and Wooster, but not this.So, the British DO believe he has a horrible accent, while authentic Americans didn't even know he was British.

I have one question, though. For those of you who don't like his "House" accent, what did you think of his accent as the father in the Stuart Little films?Holy crap, he was the dad in Stuart Little.

[Mr Cat Dog]

So, the British DO believe he has a horrible accent, while authentic Americans didn't even know he was British.Very strange indeed, isn't it.

[Chad Bonin]

I'm starting to fear that the British have a bad "American Accent" stuck in their mind for some reason.

Don't worry, we're not all NYPD Blue. Some of us are Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

[James]

I'm starting to fear that the British have a bad "American Accent" stuck in their mind for some reason.

Don't worry, we're not all NYPD Blue. Some of us are Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
Perhaps, as someone said, is because it is generic; it has no common point of reference. I really don't know. It's not like I've not heard a lot of American accents from people outside TV. So why it's an issue I don't know. I've heard other Brits do American accents and not had a problem at all. Apollo from Battlestar Galactica is a Brit faking an accent, yet it sounds totally American to me. Maybe it's a mystery with no answer that's bound for the "101 Weird Facts" books.. You know, the ones you buy cheap for your grandma's birthday..

[Chad Bonin]

Wow, and here's a reverse. Saw the House Season 1 DVD set commercial, and heard Hugh speak in his normal voice. THAT sounds fake.

[Malex]

When I saw a commercial for House MD, I was expecting a different voice coming out of Laurie, but I really did not know that he was English until I saw this thread. I was equally shocked that he was the dad in Stuart Little. Am I slow to the uptake or what?

[Bearpod91]

From being a big fan of the show I think he's great at acting american. I didnt see any films of him with his brit accent though...And if I was the casting director for the show and in the resume it would say Stuart Little's dad then I wouldnt see him as a mean but smart doc...Well it was a good chioce tho which was a real big suprise too.

[Stewie]

Now that I've caught some reruns (and I'm on board for season 2) I'm ready to comment.
When I watch House and thing back to the first series of Spooks, I can definitely hear a British guy doing an American accent. (Though it could just be the fact that I'd already heard him in British.) There's some kind of tint to it, but I don't think it's a bad accent.
To be fair, I've never had a problem buying into bad accents. Suspension of disbelief and all that.

[dark knight acolyte]

In regards to the original question-


I had no idea that his natural accent wasn't that of "American English." I honestly imagined his mother tongue to be that of his part in "House." If I heard a British accent come out of his mouth, my prior knowledge would have lead me to assume that was his acting accent.

[James]

I had no idea that his natural accent wasn't that of "American English." I honestly imagined his mother tongue to be that of his part in "House." If I heard a British accent come out of his mouth, my prior knowledge would have lead me to assume that was his acting accent.
Funny thing is, I've heard actor Brits do American accents and they've sounded fine, but Laurie's was one I never thought was any good, back when he used to do them for "A Bit Of Fry And Laurie".

I'm not disputed it's good, even if I didn't realise it was. I bow to you Americans professional opinion, but I was suprised.

Just spoke to my long term friend the other day (not caught up either), he was surprised too. He is a bigger film boy than me and he felt at first his American accent was unconvincing.

So again, not disputing that it IS good, it's just interesting that a lot of Brits felt it was bad and was surprised that it was actually VERY good.

I think as Stewie says, it could be if you know Laurie and you know Brit English, it maybe because you can sometimes here some English inflexitions. I was speaking to my mother the other day. She reckons she heard some early in the season, but they disappeared. I don't know myself, I'd have to rewatch the season.

Naturally I'm used to it now and with his fantastic acting I barely remember he was Bertram Wilberforce Wooster.

If you've not seen "Jeeves And Wooster" get it on DVD. You'll see an utterly different side to Hugh Lauries acting and vocal style. Fantastic.

[Conekiller]

I caught an interview with Laurie the other day and he was speaking in his normal "accent" but it wasn't the same accent he used while pretending to be British on the episode that aired last week.

[Fone Bone]

Funny thing is, I've heard actor Brits do American accents and they've sounded fine, but Laurie's was one I never thought was any good, back when he used to do them for "A Bit Of Fry And Laurie".

I'm not disputed it's good, even if I didn't realise it was. I bow to you Americans professional opinion, but I was suprised.

Just spoke to my long term friend the other day (not caught up either), he was surprised too. He is a bigger film boy than me and he felt at first his American accent was unconvincing.

So again, not disputing that it IS good, it's just interesting that a lot of Brits felt it was bad and was surprised that it was actually VERY good.

I think as Stewie says, it could be if you know Laurie and you know Brit English, it maybe because you can sometimes here some English inflexitions. I was speaking to my mother the other day. She reckons she heard some early in the season, but they disappeared. I don't know myself, I'd have to rewatch the season.

Naturally I'm used to it now and with his fantastic acting I barely remember he was Bertram Wilberforce Wooster.

If you've not seen "Jeeves And Wooster" get it on DVD. You'll see an utterly different side to Hugh Lauries acting and vocal style. Fantastic.Don't forget Blackadder. There is no way House and the dude from Blackadder are the same person. I always assumed they where twins seperated at birth and that the Blackadder dude was raised in a parallel Hell-Dimension.

[Craig Crumpton]

Stop all of this. There is no such thing as an "American accent". Americans don't have accents, unless English is a second language to them. Americans have dialects.

I've watched a couple eps of "House" and Laurie's American *dialect* is fine -- it doesn't draw attention to itself. My problem with his performance is that he speaks in sort of a low gutteral-like growl/mutter, sometimes making him hard to understand.

[Mr Cat Dog]

Stop all of this. There is no such thing as an "American accent". Americans don't have accents, unless English is a second language to them. Americans have dialects.Err... no.


Accents mark speakers as a member of a group by their pronunciation of the standard language. These groups may be geographical, socio-economic (social class), ethnic, or second language speakers.

Accent should not be confused with dialect which is a variety differing in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Dialects are usually spoken by a group united by geography or class.

So, unless Laurie changes his vocabulary and grammar, he is speaking with an American accent. I speak with a British accent. Grant speaks with a Scottish accent (I'm assuming). There are accents within countries, like the New York accent is different from a Texan accent... but I don't know what accent Laurie speaks apart from general American.

[Bird Boy]

Just a note: GrantM13459, please don't go off-topic and ask how to do an American accent. That's not what this threads for, irregardless if you need to learn for a future career. I've deleted the posts, and please don't post again unless it's on-topic.

-BB

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

He definitely sounds American to me. However, I'm not sure he's using a true Jersey native accent. Bruce Willis used to have it--it's sort of like a Brooklyn accent but more middle class.


House to me sounds a lot more like folks in Chicago or one of the natives in the middle northern U.S. states.
However, his vocal timing and inflection is very British. There's a certain delivery and casualness to his inflection that is obviously British. I suspected he was British before I really got to know him, because of his name, which sounds very un-American.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Stop all of this. There is no such thing as an "American accent". Americans don't have accents, unless English is a second language to them. Americans have dialects.

I've watched a couple eps of "House" and Laurie's American *dialect* is fine -- it doesn't draw attention to itself. My problem with his performance is that he speaks in sort of a low gutteral-like growl/mutter, sometimes making him hard to understand.He has a slight slur, which is the only indication that he's "putting on" an accent different from his own. I can hear him perfectly clearly though.

I think we can all agree though that "House" is carried almost solely by Laurie's charms. Without his charisma, the whole show collapses.

I think Kate Winslet's American accent is my favourite, though.

[Czar Gato]

It did sound slightly odd to me, but that might be because I knew he was British before I watched the show, and so I may have been just subconsiously listening or it. To be honest, though, it could easily pass as a regional dialect of some sort, probably the northeast like several have pointed out.