I can't make it out. He was born in New Jersey, but doesn't speak like them. Boston people have a distinct accent, so do Texans and so forth.
I watched Chinatown (1974) for the first time earlier, and clearly listened to him speak and could not make out his accent. Really good film though.
Anybody know ?
He's from South Jersey which is a bit culturally different then North Jersey. He has something of a South Jersey accent. Some people have it heavier than others. I'm from South New Jersey originally, and if I didn't know who he was, and we got into
a conversation then I would be thinking this guy could be from where I'm from
Most definitely a regional Jersey accent, slightly mild actually. I lived 2 years and graduated HS in Jersey. Some of my friends sounded like Jack. I even picked it up a little. Being from Wisconsin, I developed quite the hybrid accent. Also, think Chucky (doll), who was originally slated to be from Chicago but was ultimately written to be from Hackensack, NJ. His voice actor said he had to slowly transition from a Chicago to a Jersey accent. And fun fact, Christian Slater wasn’t shy to admit he modeled his accent off of JN.
shareFunny thing: Jack played a "Southern lawyer" in Easy Rider(1969) and in his early films his twang suggested, indeed...a Southern accent. Impossible though, yes? He's from New Jersey.
Now he modulated his voice over the years. The rather high-pitched twang you can hear in Easy Rider, Chinatown and Cuckoo's Nest got progressively deeper and more baritone in his later years. By the time he played The Joker, he had a deep, stereophonic voice. I can't say I hear Jersey or the South in that later baritone, at all.
Meanwhile: Jack's from Jersey -- how come nobody on The Sopranos sounds like him? The Italian-American aspect, I guess.
Danny DeVito sounds like Jack, and he's from NJ. So does Michael Douglas and the late Ray Liotta, both from NJ as well.
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