We’re back with more secret Brits!
You guys loved part one, and my uncovering of the Brits in disguise, lurking within Hollywood.
So today, I’m bringing you a part 2, with our list of the Top 10 Actors You Never Knew
Were British.
Lets just jump right in.
10 Idris Elba For most, the first they saw of Idris Elba
was way back when he starred in the gritty crime drama The Wire, but those who watched
the show would be utterly shocked to discover that Idris is in fact British, with the actor
born and raised in London proper.
The actor attended the National Youth Theatre where he received a grant from the Prince’s
Trust.
However, for some.
They knew all along, with the actor hitting the big leagues when he starred in the hit
show Luther, where Idris played DCI John Luther, a British Detective on the case of a series
of murders around London.
It is as London as it gets.
Now, for those that aren’t familiar with the actor, Idris has also appeared in Thor
as Heimdall, Molly’s Game, The Dark Tower, and Star Trek.
The actor does such a good American accent, he’s replacing Will Smith in the Sucide
Squad remake, with Idris taking on the role of Deadshot.
Shots fired.
9 Kim Cattrall Most people will know Kim Cattrall from her
smash hit tv series, Sex and the City, which ran from 1998 to 2004, with the actress playing
the fan favorite character Samantha Jones, alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis
and Cynthia Nixon.
It appears, to most, that Kim is a New Yorker through and through, however, this is not
the case.
She was actually born in Liverpool, England, before moving with her family to Canada.
However, Kim returned to the UK at the age of 11 to train at the Academy of Music and
Dramatic Arts, and not long after the actress landed a contract with Universal Pictures,
during which time she was able to perfect her American accent that we hear in most of
her movie roles, including; Sex and the City, and Mannequin.
8 Ruth Wilson Ruth Wilson is one of the actors that pops
up in a crop load of films, yet you can’t quite remember her name or where you first
saw her, yet she is perhaps one of the greatest actors to hail from the UK.
Born and raised in Surrey, UK, Ruth first hit our screens when she appeared as Jane
Eyre in the TV Mini-Series of the same name, before going on to star in Anna Karenina,
The Lone Ranger, and Saving Mr. Banks.
However, most will know her as Alice Morgan from the hit British crime drama Luther, where
she stars alongside our number 10, Idris Elba.
Now, Ruth is sneaky, with the actress capable of nailing most accents and dialects, specifically
American, which she shows off in the Showtime series The Affair.
In more recent news, you will be able to find Ruth staring as Marisa Coulter in the highly
anticipated TV Series His Dark Materials, which is currently in post-production.
7 Rebecca Hall We always forget about Rebecca Hall, I mean,
honestly, I forgot I even put her on my list until I almost filmed this with nothing written
for this number.
Anway, I digress, this isn’t about my dislike for Rebecca Hall or her subpar acting abilities,
but instead her heritage.
Rebecca Hall was born and raised in London, England, and gained a lot of attention when
she starred in the 2006 drama The Prestige, alongside Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.
However, most American’s will know her from Christine, The Gift and of course, The Town,
where she starred alongside Ben Affleck.
The actress absolutely nails the American accent, and the fact that her mother is an
American, I’m sure, certainly helps that.
I mean, I did love The Town and The Prestige, so I’ll give her that, ok!
6 Andrew Garfield Oh Andrew Garfield, most know him as the Spider-Man
that once was, before he was kicked to the curb and replaced by a superior Brit, Tom
Holland.
But, we’re not talking about Spideyman with this number, we’re talking about his heritage.
Andrew Garfiled was born in Los Angeles to a British-born mother and an American-born
father, before moving at the age of 3 to Surrey UK, where he went on to study acting at the
Central School of Speech and Drama.
His professional career debut was on the Channel 4 teen series Sugar Rush, which I was obsessed
with, before he went on to nab a handful of films that garnered him a lot of attention,
including; Boy A, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Never
Let Me Go.
Now, as much as I hated his depiction of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, many loved
it, proving this Brit deserves to shine in the Hollywood spotlight...just, not as an
Avenger.
5 Jamie Dornan Jamie Dornan shot to fame when he landed the
highly sought after role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, a role which saw
the actor engaging in some relatively explicit BDSM acts.
The role had the actor doing an American accent, and for those from America, they were quick
to point out that this was not his native accent, so where exactly is Jamie from?
Well, he is actually from Belfast, Ireland, and began his long and successful career in
the British entertainment industry, starring projects like The Fall, alongside Gillain
Anderon, Marie Antoinette, and then, of course, Once Upon A Time, which most American fans
know him from where he played Sheriff Graham Humbert and The Huntsman.
4 Hugh Dancy
Hugh Dancy was one of the UK’s most noted young talents when he was first making himself
known in the entertainment industry, with the actor starring in works such as King Arthur,
The Jane Austen Book Club, Adam, and Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Hugh was born and raised in Staffordshire, England, yet, still it seems many people don’t
know that.
For most, Hugh Dancy is Will Graham in the Hannibal TV Series, a role which required
him to do an American accent, an accent that he absolutely nails.
Not to mention he is married to Claire Danes, which makes everything just a little more
confusing.
3 Carey Mulligan Carey Mulligan is perhaps as British as they
come, being born and raised in the heart of London, Westminster, with the actress first
hitting the big screen when she starred in Pride and Prejudice back in 2005 alongside
Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Donald Sutherland, and Talulah Riley.
It certainly didn’t take long for the actress to begin making waves in the industry, with
her going on to land a role on the long running series Doctor Who in one of the most popular
episodes, Blink, before going on to star in An Education for which she earned an Academy
Award nomination, Never Let Me Go, Shame, and then, of course, The Great Gatsby where
she played Daisy Buchanan alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Now, of course, Daisy Buchanan is an iconic character in American literature, and it speaks
volumes that Carey Mulligan, a British actress would land the coveted role.
2 Hugh Laurie You can all rest easy now, Hugh Laurie has
finally made it on to our list.
A lot, and I mean a lot of you were a tad upset that I left off him our part one, well,
here he is folks.
Hugh Laurie was born and raised in Oxfordshire, England, with his first major role coming
in 1983 when he starred in the TV Series Alfresco, before going on to play The Prince Regent
in Blackadder the Third.
However, most, well most Americans, will know him from the tv drama House which ran for
8 seasons from 2004-2012.
Back in the day, Hugh started a comedy troupe with fellow actors Emma Thompson and Stephen
Fry, which is perhaps one of the most British things to ever occur.
However, most wouldn’t even recognize Hugh sporting his native accent, with him making
waves on House and Veep, absolutely crashing both dialects.
1 Henry Cavill Perhaps the only person who can outrank Hugh
Laurie right now is, of course, The Witcher himself, Henry Cavill.
An actor who is all over the internet right now with the latest trailer drop for his new
Netflix series The Witcher, based on the popular video game and book series.
However, did you know that Henry Cavill was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, which, if
you don’t know is a British Crown dependency.
He first found his way onto our screens in 2007 when he starred in Stardust before later
going on to land a recurring role on The Tudors, which ran from 2007 to 2010.
However, the role that truly shot this actor into the Hollywood limelight was Man of Steel,
where this British actor played America’s most famous superhero.
And iconic role that could’ve only been gifted to a Brit.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any Brits that we missed?
And more importantly, what country would you like us to tackle next?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below.
If you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up, subscribe, and
turn on notifications so you never miss another Beyond the Screen vid.
And until next time, see ya later.