If an entertainers finds success as a musician, it only makes sense they try their hand at
acting.
There are some entertainers like Janet Jackson and Frank Sinatra who are known for their
music but started out as actors.
Others emerge as musicians and transition to film and television.
Here are the 10 Most Amazing Musicians Turned Actors of all Time.
Queen Latifah In the late 80s Queen Latifah was making her
way as a rapper and hip hop star following her days beat boxing on the streets.
After the release of her successful album “All Hail the Queen” the artist formerly
known as Dana Owens took a swing at acting and managed to hit some home runs.
After appearing on a few episodes of shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Latifah
had a starring role on the Fox sitcom Living Single which lasted five seasons while she
was also making her way to the big screen.
Since then she has been in countless films and even received an Academy Award nomination
for her stellar performance in Chicago which demonstrated her acting and musical talents.
All Hail the queen.
Harry Connick Jr.
In the 80s Harry Connick Jr. came out with music showcasing his Sinatra-like crooning
ability.
He made a name for himself with not only his first album but also his Grammy winning compilation
for the When Harry Met Sally Soundtrack.
He was the handsome jazz musician that made everyone’s mom swoon.
Making the hearts of the elderly skip a beat was not enough.
Harry delved into acting with Memphis Belle in 1990.
It wasn’t until his high profile roles in Copycat and Independence Day that proved his
film appearances were not a fluke.
He was wildly charming in Hope Floats opposite Sandra Bullock and used his velvet voice to
narrate My Dog Skip.
He gained a spot as a judge on American Idol in 2010 but now that the show is over, Connick
can dedicate his time to what he does best; utilizing his charisma on the big screen.
Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand is a legendary performer
with dozens of studio albums.
She started out singing in nightclubs and earning minor roles on Broadway.
After releasing her first album in 1963 she emerged a star.
After a few years of sharing her musical talents with the world, she starred in Funny Girl
and Hello Dolly proving her acting talent was just as flawless as her singing voice.
The 1970s were a busy time for Babs with memorable work in A Star is Born and the classic romance
The Way We Were.
Her talents have resulted in numerous awards including multiple Academy Awards for both
her music and acting.
In recent years she has only sporadically worked in film and when she does, she goes
for the questionable comedies but that doesn’t detract from her full wattage talent and her
legendary status.
Will Smith Will Smith is one of the best examples of
a talented musician turned actor but acting did not always come naturally to the Fresh
Prince.
After releasing hits like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Summer Time”,
NBC decided to make a sitcom loosely based on Smith’s life.
In the early years of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it was apparent that Smith was unsure
how to hit a mark or how to avoid mouthing other actor’s lines but he pushed through
and became not only a television star but a monumental movie star.
The 90s brought the box office hits like Independence Day and Men in Black, but the 2000s brought
the critical acclaim with Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. Smith still occasionally releases
music but barely compared to his serious dedication to acting.
Since he is able churn out one exceptional performance after another, the kid from Philly
can do whatever he wants.
Meat Loaf Meat Loaf is known for his powerful voice
and theatrical music.
In the early 1970s he debuted as the beefy musician with a funny name and a dramatic
musical presence.
The 70s and 80s were a time of exploring his acting bug with his first film, appropriately
a musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a few supporting roles in smaller films.
Meatloaf began racking up film credits in the 1990s with solid performances in Black
Dog, The Mighty and Fight Club.
He has only since gathered more acting work with no signs of quitting.
Ludacris Musician turned actor Ludacris was a case
of someone being far too charming to only stick to the airwaves.
Ludacris first emerged in the late 90s as a rapper and his popularity only grew in the
early 2000s.
His career took a turn for the best with acting roles in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hustle and Flow
and Crash.
Ludacris takes on mostly supporting roles in ensemble films but still manages to stand
out amongst a cast of bigger names.
He found a home with the Fast films as the mouthy Tej Parker cementing his likability
as a supporting player.
Ludacris continues to release music regularly but his acting has given him a name for those
who were unaware of his music.
He may not be as major of an actor as some of the others on our list, but to say that
the man isn’t talented would just be ludicrous.
Justin Timberlake With his ramen noodle hairstyle and loose
fitting white tank top, there was a time when Justin Timberlake was every tweens favorite
member of Nsync.
Even before he was a mousketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club where he was singing his
prepubescent heart out, he was testing the waters of acting.
Once Timberlake went solo, he not only proved what everyone knew to be true, he was a legitimate
musician amongst a sea of boy bad members of the late 90s.
Taking the music world by storm was not enough for Timberlake, it was time to dive back into
the acting world and somehow he accomplished it with great aplomb.
From his devastating performance in Alpha Dog, to his cocky role in The Social Network
to Friends with Benefits which confirmed his ability to play an impeccable romantic lead.
Timberlake’s ability to jump back and forth between acting and singing is justified by
his talent.
Cher Cher started her career as a solo artist in
the mid-1960s performing many covers and gracing the Billboard charts.
It was her pairing with Sonny Bono that helped her rise to pop stardom.
The duo had already been a married for a while, as Cher was a teenage bride, when they released
the smash hit “I Got You Babe” a song that is still considered one of the best pop
songs ever.
After a few iterations of Sonny and Cher variety shows, and a few popular solo albums, Cher
went the acting route in the 1980s.
Her work in Silkwood, Moonstruck and Mask made it obvious that she was more than just
a talented singer, the diva was a fantastic actress who holds audience’s attention every
time she is onscreen.
Jennifer Hudson Compared to the other artists on our list,
Jennifer Hudson is a relatively new performer.
She was first introduced to audiences showing off her phenomenal voice on American Idol.
Despite the fact that she only came in 7th place on the reality competition show, she
has become one of the most successful contestants in the show’s history.
Her soulful voice was not her only talent but it certainly helped her get an integral
role in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls.
She belted out familiar songs while demonstrating her natural acting talent.
That first acting gig not only earned her an Academy Award but a multitude of other
accolades.
Hudson continues to show off her acting chops in films and has segued to stage, making her
Broadway debut in the revival of The Color Purple.
Jennifer Hudson’s career is evidence that losing can sometimes lead to winning.
Mark Wahlberg As much as Mark Wahlberg may want everyone
to forget about his musical career, he actually did hit the Billboard charts twice back when
he was part of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
Wahlberg made his departure from mediocre rapper to accomplished actor with small roles
in The Basketball Diaries opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and quickly landed a lead role in
1996’s Fear as the demented boyfriend of Reese Witherspoon.
His performance was memorable but it was his role as Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights that
made everyone forget about his pants-dropping earlier career routine.
Wahlberg has proven himself as a strong actor since then and while he probably shouldn’t
be embarrassed about his music past, audiences are certainly pleased he traded in his mic
for an acting chair.
There you have it.
What do you think of our list?
Who did we forget?
Let us know in the comments.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Screen Rant channel to see more videos like this
one