Famous Singers Turned Actors

We love a good multi-hyphenate, and singer/actors top the list in terms of Hollywood double threats. In fact, some of our favorite actors are also successful singers. Singers are used to inhabiting lyrics in a way that leads to acting success, and so it is not surprising that many singer-turned-actors have gone on to receive critical acclaim. Over time, certain musicians have even become arguably better known for their film and television work over their music. Has anyone thought about Will Smith's rap skills in the last 20 years? Not us!

Other singers/actors have maintained a strong hold in both fields, dominating music charts and movie theatres. A third category is the singers who have only dabbled in acting, making one or two films but remaining focused primarily on their music. Actors-turned-singers — a rarer breed that includes people like Jennifer Lopez, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jamie Foxx. Singers-turned-actors are almost commonplace nowadays. Here are some of our favorite singers who have taken to the screen.

Cher has been in the entertainment business for nearly six decades, and in that time, she has established herself as not only a great singer and performer, but also a fantastic actress. After rising to fame alongside Sonny Bono in the duo Sonny & Cher, Cher quickly established herself as a solo artist as well. The duo's first hit, "I Got You Babe," was their biggest one, but Cher herself has had hits in most of the subsequent decades. 

In addition to her music, Cher's acting has contributed to her status as a living legend. She was nominated for her first Academy Award in 1984, for her supporting role in "Silkwood," and won the Best Actress Oscar four years later for her role in "Moonstruck." Other standout Cher performances include those in "Mask" and "If These Walls Could Talk," both of which earned her Golden Globe nominations, as well as "Mermaids," and "The Witches of Eastwick."

Lady Gaga has been garnering strong reviews for her role as Patrizia Reggiani in the 2021 drama "House of Gucci." The movie itself received mixed reviews, but Gaga has been nominated for many awards, including a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Movie Award. Overall, it is one more successful performance in her short but impressive acting resume. She has come a long way from "girl at swimming pool #2," the uncredited 2001 role she played on an episode of "The Sopranos," which marked her first on-screen performance.

Lady Gaga has had a handful of performances aside from "House of Gucci," with the most notable being the vampire countess in Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story: Hotel" and her wonderful performance as Ally in 2018's "A Star Is Born" remake. Both roles earned Gaga Golden Globe Award nominations — and she won for "Hotel" — and the latter earned her oodles of good reviews. Gaga was also nominated for two Oscars for "A Star Is Born," and though she lost the one for acting, she did win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Barbra Streisand is a true multihyphenate, and a rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner. Though she originally wanted to act, Streisand began her career in nightclubs and on stages, utilizing her musical gifts to enter the biz. Her recording career began with 1963's "The Barbra Streisand Album," and she has since released more than 70 albums (including studio, compilation, live, and soundtrack albums).

Streisand started her screen career by playing Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" in 1968, a performance for which she won her first (and only acting) Oscar. She was also nominated for acting in 1973's "The Way We Were," and has another Oscar for Original Song. In addition to "Funny Girl," she has Golden Globes for her work in the classics "A Star is Born," and "Yentl," which she also directed. Other standout films include "Hello, Dolly!," "The Owl and the Pussycat," and "The Prince of Tides." Aside from a small guest spot on "Modern Family," Streisand has not acted since the 2012 film "The Guilt Trip."

Country superstar Tim McGraw is currently starring alongside his wife, fellow country singer Faith Hill, in "1883," the spin-off of "Yellowstone" from creator Taylor Sheridan. It is not the musician's first foray into acting — in fact, he has been a budding thespian for decades, ever since appearing on an episode of "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" back in 1997. His film credits include "Flicka," "The Blind Side," and "Country Strong," to name a few.

McGraw's acting pursuits have not gotten in the way of his singing. His 16th studio album came out in 2020, the same year as his last compilation album. Over the years, McGraw has had over 70 singles, including hits like "Don't Take the Girl," "It's Your Love," "Please Remember Me," and "Felt Good on My Lips." His singles continue to soar on the US country charts, so he's unlikely to slow down the music any time soon.

Famed stage actress Patti Lupone once called Madonna a "movie killer" on an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" (per CNN), but that's not quite a true statement. While Madonna has had some on-screen clunkers, not all of her 27 films have been disasters. In fact, a couple have been good — including "Desperately Seeking Susan," "A League of Their Own," and "Evita." Less successful film outings have included "Body of Evidence," "Swept Away," and "Who's That Girl."

While her acting may at times be questionable, no one can question Madonna's legacy in music. She is known by many as the "Queen of Pop" and her cultural impact has even been studied by sociologists and other scholars. Starting with her 1983 album "Madonna," the pop star has continued to redefine herself time and time again, in the process giving us some of the best hits of all time, like her number one singles "Like A Virgin," "Papa Don't Preach," and "Vogue." She will probably try acting again at least once or twice, but Madonna will forever be a musician and performer first.

Britney Spears has been one of the most famous pop icons in the world ever since the release of her first single "...Baby One More Time" in 1998. She has since released nine studio albums, as well as a number of box sets, compilations, and EPs. She has had dozens of hit singles, including "Oops!...I Did It Again," "Womanizer," and "3." And though there are mixed reports about whether she still wants to make music, we are going to go out on a limb and say that Britney will return to the studio at some point.

While she is a born stage performer, the same cannot be said about Spears' natural acting abilities. The former Mouseketeer is not exactly a gifted thespian, as she showed in a number of 1990s sitcom guest spots where she played herself. The biggest proof that Spears' acting is subpar is the film "Crossroads," her 2002 attempt at film stardom. Aside from a couple more guest stints on shows like "Will & Grace" and "How I Met Your Mother," Spears has yet to take on another substantial role.

Though she has been famous since her debut song "Candy," Mandy Moore was never as big as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — or even Jessica Simpson — in the 2000s, but she did carve her own lane. In addition to "Candy," her six studio albums have housed other minor hits like "I Wanna Be with You" and "In My Pocket." Still, Moore has not had a song on the charts for nearly two decades — despite releasing her last album in 2020.

Where Moore has her contemporaries beat is in her transition to acting, which was incredibly seamless. She proved herself with the teen film "A Walk to Remember," and followed that up with movies like "Saved!" and "Chasing Liberty." Later film credits include "License to Wed" and "Tangled," where she voiced Rapunzel, but it has really been in television that Moore has shined. Small arcs on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Red Band Society" led to her breakout role as matriarch Rebecca Pearson on the hit show "This Is Us." She has received both a Golden Globe Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the role.

Queen Latifah is such an acting powerhouse that it is easy to forget that she started her career as a rapper. Latifah signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her first studio album, "All Hail the Queen," in November of that same year. She has released six other studio albums, with the final one being 2009's "Persona." Though she had some hits with singles like "Ladies First" and "U.N.I.T.Y.," the Queen's music was never as successful as her acting has been.

Latifah started acting only two years after her debut album, appearing in movies like "Jungle Fever" and "Juice." She broke out with a starring role in the sitcom "Living Single," which ran from 1993 to 1998, and further solidified her place in Hollywood with films like "Set It Off" and "Living Out Loud." In 2002, Latifah appeared as Mama Morton in "Chicago," which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This led to leading roles in films like "Bringing Down the House," "Beauty Shop," and "Last Holiday." In recent years, Latifah has also maintained a presence on television, appearing in shows like "Star" and "The Equalizer." Unsurprisingly, Queen Latifah has earned an impressive net worth.

With her fashion and beauty empire Fenty, it is a shock that Rihanna has time to do anything else but business. And yet, the singer has somehow managed to fit acting into her already-packed schedule over the last decade. She started acting with the 2012 film "Battleship," and her other credits have included "Annie," "Ocean's Eight," and two episodes of "Bates Motel." Acting seems to be on pause for now, but then again, perhaps music is too.

Rihanna has not released a new album since 2016's "Anti," much to her fans' chagrin. This was her eighth album since her debut in 2005, and it debuted at number one in the United States. Rihanna has had much success with singles, frequently topping the Hot 100 when she does put out music. Her number one hits include "SOS," "Umbrella," "Rude Boy," "S&M," and "Work." Her most recent single was "Believe It," a song she recorded with Canadian artist PartyNextDoor in 2020.

It feels only natural that musician Lenny Kravitz has started to explore acting, given that he was once married to actress Lisa Bonet and that their daughter, Zoe, is a popular actress herself. Still, Kravitz is primarily a singer — one who has been on the scene since his debut album "Let Love Rule" dropped in 1989. Kravitz has released a total of 11 studio albums, as well as a number of live albums, compilations, video albums, and box sets. His hits include songs like "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over," "Fly Away," and "American Woman."

Aside from occasionally playing himself, Kravitz did not start acting until 2009, when he played a nurse in the acclaimed film "Precious." His most high-profile role has been as Katniss Everdeen's stylist Cinna in "The Hunger Games" and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." In the last decade, he has also appeared in Lee Daniels' "The Butler," in guest spots on "Star" and "Better Things," and as himself in "Zoolander 2."

Jon Bon Jovi is, of course, the famous front man for rock band Bon Jovi, which started making music professionally in 1984 with the release of their album "Bon Jovi." In total, the band has released 15 studio albums, three live albums, five compilations, five EPs, and a boxset. Their number one hits include "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer," and "Bad Medicine." Bon Jovi has also released two solo albums and 16 singles, including the hit 1990 "Blaze of Glory."

Bon Jovi dipped his toe into acting in 1990, when he played an uncredited inmate in "Young Guns II." Two years later, he was back with a small role in "Moonlight & Valentino," and the next year starred in "The Leading Man." His other film credits include "Pay It Forward" and "New Year's Eve," but most roles have been tiny. Bon Jovi has also guest starred on a few TV series, including a memorable episode of "Sex and the City" and a 10-episode arc on "Ally McBeal." He has not acted in a decade, so it is safe to say that things are on hold for now.

Mariah Carey is a living legend — a singer with one of the most recognizable voices in the world, who has had 19 number one hits (per Entertainment Weekly). This includes classics like "Visions of Love," "Hero," "Always Be My Baby," and "All I Want for Christmas Is You." In fact, Carey has had hits on the charts in each of the last four decades, since her debut in 1990. She has released 15 studio albums, eight compilations, two soundtracks, two EPs, and a remix album, and is one of the highest selling female artists of all time (per the RIAA). Carey is still making music, and her fanbase is seemingly as devoted as ever.

When it comes to acting, the road has not been quite as golden for the songstress. She had a small role in the 1999 film "The Bachelor," and then made a humiliatingly bad movie, "Glitter," which was widely panned. She has slightly redeemed herself since, with small but strong supporting roles in movies such as "Precious" and "The Butler."