All Time Worst Movie Accents

Many actors are chosen for film roles, not because of their thespian skills but for their popularity and how many tickets they can sell at the box-office. With few exceptions very few have pulled off this difficult task with the exception of Oscar winner and movie actress Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice to name one. Sometimes actor's striving to reach new heights with their craft must travel out of their comfort zone and take on the difficult task of speaking with a foreign accent. This decision can have the opposite outcome, causing devastating and irreparable consequences to an actors career.
Everyone has their worst favorites

Listed are some of the worst effected movie accents of all time.

Mickey Rooney-Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

Breakfast At Tiffany's was cast and filmed when it was acceptable to hire a white actor to play Asian( yellow-face), American-Indian(red-face) and even African-American(black-face) characters. Former Andy Hardy star Rooney's dismal portrayal of Mr Yunioshi, Holly Golightly's Asian landlord is quite bizarre, as well as racist.

Dick Van Dyke- Mary Poppins (1964)

Nothing thrills the ears like an American trying to pull of a really bad cockney accent. Van Dyke's stab at a British accent as Bert the chimney sweeper is probably the worst of all time.There is even a phrase used in England, "Van Dyke accent" when American's try to sound too British.

John Wayne-The Conqueror (1956)

Another American actor miscast as Asian was when John Wayne when he was picked to play Mongolian Emperor Genghis Khan. Even though Wayne, famous for playing western and war heroes, and the studios thought he could pull it off. Not the Fu-Manchu mustache or the Asian eye make up, could cover Wayne's bad acting and horrendous dialog.

Sean Connery-The Untouchables (1987)

Playing Irish cop Jim Malone, Connery won an Academy Award for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe in 1988 for his role in the Untouchables. Connery never even bothered to conceal his strong Scottish accent.

Tom Cruise-Far And Away (1992)

The diminutive star should stick to action films. His portrayal of an Irish immigrant was as awful as his effected accent.

Kevin Costner-Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

What forest was Robin Hood from? Costner's British accent was god-awful. Sometimes he bothered to speak with an accent and at others never to use one at all.

Al Pacino- Scarface (1983)

Do Cubans really speak like that? I know I'm going to get a lot of flack with this choice
but after having lived in Miami on South Beach, I met many Cubans. Some Cuban-American, and others straight off the boat. Maybe if he was from New Jersey and part of the 'bridge and tunnel crowd' I would believe it. In this film Pacino's excellent acting was so good, no one realized the accent was so bad.

Don Cheadle-All three Ocean Films (2001-2007)

And the Academy goes to: Don Cheadle who plays uncredited colorful explosives expert Basher Tarr in the Ocean's franchise, for worst cockney accent by an African-American actor.

Nicole Kidman-Australia (2008)

The Aussie actress plays the role of an Englishwoman who has to manage her late husbands desolate cattle station in Australia after he is murdered. All the great English actresses must have been busy working on other films.

Tommy Lee Jones - Blown Away (1994)

Jones is the actor with the worst Irish accent. Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of Ryan Gaerity in "Blown Away" must have Northern Irish terrorists deeply disturbed that their movement could be insulted with such a pitiful stab at Irish brogue.