Julia Roberts - Hollywood Accent Expert Dead

The 57 year old lost his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on 3 March (11).

He ran the Sam Chwat Speech Center in New York City, which has helped thousands of people with speech impediments and accents.

As well as working with De Niro for Cape Fear and This Boy's Life, and Roberts for Mystic Pizza and Steel Magnolias, the speech therapist also coached politicians to perfect speaking patterns to lure voters.

According to the Los Angeles Times, his first Hollywood client was actress Andie Macdowell, who asked for his help after her voice was dubbed by Glenn Close in 1984 movie Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes after producers decided her South Carolina accent was too extreme for the character of Jane Porter.