Musicians Turned Actors

Okay, opinion time... Name some of your most or least favourite musicians turned actors. Cite some memorable performances (good or bad).

You may also include musicians who you would like to see in a film, or visa versa.

I think Mark Wahlberg is a relative success story in this category. I mean, he's definitely no acting genius, like say Pauly Shore, but he's not the worst one out there.

I also like Kris Kristofferson, although he's done nothing memorable...

And lets not ever forget Britney Spears in Crossroads...masterful.

John Bon Jovi hasn't been too bad...
And let's not forget the Cassidy brothers...
and Jim Neighbors.

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As far as musicians who have remained musicians go, I loved watching Iggy Pop and Tom Waits in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes.

However, while Iggy is also hilarious in Jarmusch's Dead Man and Waits appeared in Mystery Men, it's not really as thought you'd call either of them "musicians-turned-actors". If anything, you'd probably call them "musicians-who-sometimes-act-for-the-Hell-of-it".

Other examples of this include Jack White [Coffee and Cigarettes, Cold Mountain], David Bowie [The Last Temptation of Christ, Labyrinth], Sting [Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen] and Mick Jagger [Performance, Ned Kelly, The Man from Elysian Fields].

I personally find that the majority of "musicians-who-sometimes-act-for-the-Hell-of-it" are pretty talented musicians to begin with [and give relatively good performances in the films that they appear in] while "musicians-turned-actors" are usually quite lousy at both.

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Harry Connick Jr. must be one of the most successful musicians turned actors. He had a cameo in Independance Day that we all remember. And he's had a lengthy run so far on NBC's Darma and Greg. He is a great pianist and not to shabby of an actor.

peace

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Francis Albert Sinatra.

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Touché.

Elvis of course, and all the beatles movies. Maynard from Tool was also in a movie called Bikini Bandits, Manson was in Bowling for Columbine, Slipknot was in Rollerball, Jack White (not really a musician) as in Cold Mountain, Michael Jackson (not really a musician either) had all his films made. Steve Vai was in the original Crossroads, not that Britney Spears crap. Umm thats all I can think of from the top of my head.

johnny depp

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Kris Kristofferson. Has done over 80 films and John Sayles' Lone Star (1996) is just one of them. I think he can call himself musician and actor.

Tom Waits has actually done quite a number of appearances in films although always small ones. His part as the crazy R.M. Renfield in Coppola's Dracula (1992) is perhaps one of the most notable ones. He mostly plays oddballs now doesn't he. I guess that is typical for people with acting ambition but without any real skills or experience.

Cher. With two nominations and one Academy Award in the bag (for Moonstruck (1987)) it's impossible to ignore her. Personally I think the same of her as actress as I thing of her as singer - she's competent but doesn't quite do it for me. But, sure, she can entitle herself musician/actress if she likes.

Dwight Yoakam, a country singer turned actor over the last decade or so. I learn by reading about him that he has been critically aclaimed for his work on the screen. I have though, as far as I can remember, only seen him in one film, Billy Bob Thornton's masterpiece Sling Blade (1996), in which he is brilliant as the ******* Doyle.

I discovered some time ago that Billy Bob Thornton actually started his career as a musician so I guess he's another musician turned actor, only not a very sucessful musician. Or was he big in US before he started acting?

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Good call on the Dwight Yoakam.

I was really only thinking of musicians turned actors in the last say 30 years or so, because everybody back in the black and white days was a musician before they were an actor, pretty much.

I didn't know Johnny Depp was a musician.

Courtney Love was okay in Larry Flint too. Harry Connick Jr. played a copycat killer in the Jamie Lee Curtis film "copycat" and that was quite good.

Yep. He was in a number of small punk bands after dropping out of highshool. One of which actually gained pretty notable success. He is still in the music buisness, owning a smash hollywood club and playing in his band P.

Personally, I thought we were talking about famous or established musicians turned actors. I mean, I play in a band but we're not famous at all. So if I against all odds was to be an actor in the future I wouldn't consider myself a musician turned actor.

Eventhough you don't want people from the Black and White era I'm listing him anyway. He needs to be at least acknowledged.

Bing Crosby


I like Cher better as an actress than as a singer, but she's definately an interesting performer to watch whether on stage or screen. I loved her in Moonstruck, Mermaids and The Witches of Eastwick, but Tea with Mussolini was just so-so for me.

I also like...

Bette Midler. She's has a great quirkyness about her and she's a natural comedic actress. I like her comedies...and loved her particularly in Ruthless People and The First Wives Club. She's also proven she can handle drama...she was convincing in The Rose, Beaches and Gypsy.

Good one.

I really like some performances from Tupac Shakur, especially in Gridlock'd

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Ice T (Surviving The Game/New Jack City etc)

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THomas Scott King in O Brother... I thought UEM would have picked up on that.

I saw a Steven Seagal cd when I was in a record shop in France, was he a musician-first-then-actor or vice-versa?

Obviously Bing and Sinatra, I love High Society above all else in their collection.

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Lyle Lovett (Short Cuts, The Player etc)

Joe Strummer (Straight to Hell, Mystery Train, The King of Comedy)

James Tayler & Dennis Wilson (Two Lane Blacktop)

Bjork (Dancer in the Dark)

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Tom Waits, already mentioned by Pidzilla and Silver Bullet, appears as well in (and acts looking like himself) Altman's Shortcuts (one of the best movies ever imo)
Tori Amos, a shame she doesn't act, but has a cameo in Mona Lisa Smile

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