The Different Accents of English, as Performed by Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is well known for her ability to imitate a wide range of accents:

• a Danish accent in Out of Africa (1985)
• Standard British English in Plenty (1985), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) and The Iron Lady (2011)
• an Italian accent in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
• Midwestern American English in A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
• an Irish-American in Ironweed
• a heavy Bronx New York accent in Doubt
• In A Cry in the Dark (1988), critics were impressed with Streep's ability to master an Australian accent with shades of New Zealand English.
• For her role in the film Sophie's Choice (1982), she spoke in a Polish accent, and took language courses as the role required her to speak both German and Polish fluently in key scenes.
• In The Iron Lady, she reproduced the vocal style of Margaret Thatcher, from the time before she became Britain's Prime Minister, and after she had taken elocution lessons to change her pitch, pronunciation and delivery.

Despite the accolades accorded to her, Streep has emphasized that adopting accents is an element she simply considers an obvious part of creating a character. When asked whether accents helped her get into character, she responded, "I'm always baffled by this question... How could I play that part and talk like me?" When questioned as to how she reproduces different accents, Streep replied, "I listen."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meryl_streep