the voices of famous actors? why no modern actors sound like them anymore?

[Drax]

My favorite of all time has to be Vincent Price.

 

[scottyrocks]

The trend lately seems to be recruiting British actors to play American characters.

One of TV's biggest hits this season features two Brits (Dominic West and Ruth Wilson) playing a New Yorker and a Long Islander. Another show has a Brit (Rupert Friend) playing an American CIA operative. Last year's The Lone Ranger featured Wilson as an American (I think). Benedict Cumberbatch was a supporting actor in the distinctly middle-American film August: Osage County (2013).

 

[Stearmen]

Another man who few know the name, but always remember the voice, John Carradine. [video=youtube;s4m_ANRUW7A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4m_ANRUW7A[/video]

 

[scottyrocks]

And we do have a number of actors today whose voices are very distinctive. It is a feature not limited to the GE.

I know that some of you will scoff at some of them, so I will not venture any names.

 

[green papaya]

My favorite of all time has to be Vincent Price.

Actor, writer, and gourmet, Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was born in St Louis, Missouri, to Marguerite Cobb (Wilcox) and Vincent Leonard Price, Sr., president of the National Candy Company. He traveled through Europe, studied at Yale and became an actor.

Ive never heard of anybody with a voice like Vincent Price that was born in St Louis , Missouri? maybe he picked up his accent from traveling through europe and attending Yale?

 

[Shangas]

The trend lately seems to be recruiting British actors to play American characters.

One of TV's biggest hits this season features two Brits (Dominic West and Ruth Wilson) playing a New Yorker and a Long Islander. Another show has a Brit (Rupert Friend) playing an American CIA operative. Last year's The Lone Ranger featured Wilson as an American (I think). Benedict Cumberbatch was a supporting actor in the distinctly middle-American film August: Osage County (2013).

You forgot Gregory House. When the producers of the Show heard Hugh Laurie's audition-tape they loved it at once and one of the producers immediately said: "Now that's the kind of American talent we need!" (or words to that effect). He was floored when one of his companions whispered to him later on, that Laurie was actually English!

 

[Stearmen]

How about Tim Allen? [video=youtube;OWzJFiAbi98]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWzJFiAbi98[/video]

 

[jamespowers]

How about Tim Allen? [video=youtube;OWzJFiAbi98]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWzJFiAbi98[/video]

Kind of far down the line from Tool Time. If you hadn't told me I wouldn't have known it was him.

Definitely not Vincent Price.
http://youtu.be/dgDSXlXkJv4

The laugh alone gives it away.

 

[Lafayette]

One of my acting instructors told me that the major Hollywood studios used to help develop stars. So voice training would have been part of the package.

These days it's standard for actors to get their own training and much of that may be substandard (it's certainly not cheap!).

There's also the aspect of actors coming up from a background in theater. It was once common for every actor on the screen to have come from the theater. These days, there are actors that have spent their entire careers in television and film, where there's a microphone to pick up everything.

I've performed on stage w/o mics, and it really helped my speaking voice. If you're not loud and clear enough, there's a producer and / or director to let you know (hopefully getting things straightened out before opening night).

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've performed on stage w/o mics, and it really helped my speaking voice. If you're not loud and clear enough, there's a producer and / or director to let you know (hopefully getting things straightened out before opening night).

Exactly right. I've performed on stage without mikes, and I've performed on radio -- and it's two entirely different sets of vocal skills. The modern "mumblecore" style of movie acting would be completely impossible to do on an unmiked stage.

 

[Doctor Strange]

The trend lately seems to be recruiting British actors to play American characters.

One of TV's biggest hits this season features two Brits (Dominic West and Ruth Wilson) playing a New Yorker and a Long Islander. Another show has a Brit (Rupert Friend) playing an American CIA operative. Last year's The Lone Ranger featured Wilson as an American (I think). Benedict Cumberbatch was a supporting actor in the distinctly middle-American film August: Osage County (2013).

There is nothing new about this trend. British actors have been playing Americans - far better than Americans can play Brits - for decades. Australian actors too. Just recently there's been Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Matthew Goode, Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett, Carey Mulligan, etc.

My favorite currently working character actor has long been Tom Wilkinson, and he plays American in at least half his roles. Besides just having been the railroad magnate villain of the aforementioned The Lone Ranger, some of his other performances as an American include: Batman Begins (crime boss Carmine Falcone), In The Bedroom, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Green Hornet, Michael Clayton, Recount, The Kennedys (as Joseph Kennedy), John Adams (Ben Franklin - best actor Emmy), and many more!

That said, I was particularly amazed by Cumberbatch's portrayals of an American in August: Osage County and 12 Years A Slave. And soon he'll be portraying an American superhero especially dear to my heart, Doctor Strange! Best. Casting. Ever.

 

[Redshoes51]

I have no idea who Ed Harris is.

I LOVE Ed Harris... He has been in a host of movies... he was in "Apaloosa"... "A Beautiful Mind"... "Enemy At The Gates"... "Apollo 13"... "The Firm"... "The Right Stuff"... and I think it was rumored that he was 'the voice' in "Field of Dreams"...

~shoes~

 

[jamespowers]

I LOVE Ed Harris... He has been in a host of movies... he was in "Apaloosa"... "A Beautiful Mind"... "Enemy At The Gates"... "Apollo 13"... "The Firm"... "The Right Stuff"... and I think it was rumored that he was 'the voice' in "Field of Dreams"...

~shoes~

You mean the guy from that horrible movie The Abyss? :doh:

 

[Redshoes51]

You mean the guy from that horrible movie The Abyss? :doh:

Was he in that? I dunno... I didn't see it... Good actors make horrible movies sometimes... professional athletes make stupid plays... great musicians make crappy music...

... so maybe he was...

~shoes~

 

[jamespowers]

Oh, he was. It was like watching paint dry for 139 minutes. :doh:
He didn't have hair then either. lol lol

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

There is nothing new about this trend. British actors have been playing Americans - far better than Americans can play Brits - for decades. Australian actors too. Just recently there's been Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Matthew Goode, Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett, Carey Mulligan, etc.

My favorite currently working character actor has long been Tom Wilkinson, and he plays American in at least half his roles. Besides just having been the railroad magnate villain of the aforementioned The Lone Ranger, some of his other performances as an American include: Batman Begins (crime boss Carmine Falcone), In The Bedroom, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Green Hornet, Michael Clayton, Recount, The Kennedys (as Joseph Kennedy), John Adams (Ben Franklin - best actor Emmy), and many more!

That said, I was particularly amazed by Cumberbatch's portrayals of an American in August: Osage County and 12 Years A Slave. And soon he'll be portraying an American superhero especially dear to my heart, Doctor Strange! Best. Casting. Ever.

A couple of British actors that you didn't know were British:
-- John Mahoney (TV's Frazier)
-- Sam Worthington (Avatar)

 

[Doctor Strange]

Actually, I believe Worthington's Australian.

 

[Drax]

Actor, writer, and gourmet, Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was born in St Louis, Missouri, to Marguerite Cobb (Wilcox) and Vincent Leonard Price, Sr., president of the National Candy Company. He traveled through Europe, studied at Yale and became an actor.

Ive never heard of anybody with a voice like Vincent Price that was born in St Louis , Missouri? maybe he picked up his accent from traveling through europe and attending Yale?

Well, wherever he picked up his accent it worked! And in England,Yale is a Home Security Specialist & a manufacturer of locks.

 

[scottyrocks]

Was he in that? I dunno... I didn't see it... Good actors make horrible movies sometimes... professional athletes make stupid plays... great musicians make crappy music...

... so maybe he was...

~shoes~

His voice was perfect for the character of Christof in The Truman Show (1998), especially his speech to Truman just before he leaves the 'biosphere' that was his life.

 

[Spitfire]

Besides Michael Caine - who is waaaayyyy to old for Jamespowers (born 1933) , I think both Clive Owen (born 1964) and Jude Law (born 1973) and Ewan McGregor (born 1971) has very distinctive voices. Besides being great actors that is. And two of them were even born after 1970!!!!