Re:English actors playing Americans and vice versa

Oh ..I dont think this is a new thing...The early trail blazers were actors like....Michael Cain..Richard Burton...Ray Winston.....Bob Hope ( strictly speaking was English....Liz Taylor.....Anthony Hopkins....
Once they have mastered the regional accents of the UK...Us becomes easy xxxx

Long time since this post, but I have to say that Hugh Laurie had me absolutely fooled. I was only familiar with him as "House" and so when I heard him speak on another program I was wondering why he was speaking with an English accent! He is also a voice artist, so I'm guessing that gives him an advantage. I'm thinking it must be like music, one has to have a really good ear.

Vincent Price as Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, 1968. Vincent was 6ft tall and about 13 stone but the real Hopkins was no more than 4'8 and very small and spindly! He had to get people to help him off/on horses as he couldn't do it himself with such little legs! 

theres also tom holland/tom hardy/henry cavill/david harewood