Musicians have always been artists who love to try out new things, not just in their music styles and compositions, but also with other crafts, such as acting. There are a handful of singers or music artists who turned out to be really good actors and some of the biggest examples of that are Elvis Presley, Sting, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, etc. So let’s move forward and see who these amazing singer-turned-actors continue to rock Hollywood!
1. Ice-T
Ice-T began his stunning rap career in the 1980s as an underground rapper. When he released his first album ‘Rhyme Pays’ in 1987, he was signed to Sire Records. The rapper had always maintained his passion for acting which inspired him to play in Mario Van Peebles’s film “New Jack City'' in the character of a police detective. Later in the same year, he acted alongside Denzel Washington and John Lithgow as a gang leader in “Ricochet”, which was followed by another gang leader character in 1992’s “Trespass”. He landed his first lead role in “Surviving the Game” in 1994. After receiving much love and appreciation for his acting skills, he continued acting in supporting roles in “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Tank Girl” in 1995. Since 2000, he has starred in NBC police drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as an NYPD detective turned Sergeant Odafin Tutuola.
2. Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a non-arguable queen of the music industry, but did you know she delivered some memorable acting performances as well? When Queen Bey starred in her first motion picture, Destiny’s Child had already been quite famous in the global music industry. Her first role was in “Austin Powers in Goldmember”, released in 2002, where she played a parody of a blaxploitation character. Her acting in this comedy/sci-fi film helped her establish her career as a seriously talented actor as well. The following year she was seen in “The Fighting Temptations” and then in 2006’s “The Pink Panther”. In the same year, 2006, Beyoncé starred in one of the leading roles in the Academy Award-winning “Dreamgirls”. Since then she has made appearances and continued to star in multiple roles in Cadillac Records (2008), Obsessed (2009), and recently she voiced Jon Favreau’s reboot of ‘The Lion King’ in 2019.
3. Mandy Moore
It was the year 1999 when the global music industry was being graced by pop princesses like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, a seemingly unknown 15-year-old came to the industry to deliver one of the best pop vocal album debuts. Mandy Moore released her pop debut album ‘So Real’ which became a hit based on the single “Candy.” Soon, acting roles followed, including the very promising movie “The Princess Diaries” in 1991. She soon secured her lead in 1992’s “A Walk to Remember”, giving her the status of a girl-next-door romantic lead. She also gave her pure vocals for “Tangled” in 2010 and has since enjoyed recognition for her return in “This Is Us” as Rebecca. This does not mean she had completely abandoned her career in a recording studio as she made her return in over a decade to release her seventh studio album, ‘Silver Landings’, in 2020.
4. Sting
Being one of the best-selling music artists means having an amazing voice, but Sting ensured his acting skills were honored too. This popular English musician has made the world dance to global hits like "Every Breath You Take", "Shape of My Heart", and "Desert Rose". He was part of a very successful band ‘The Police’ and then he followed his passion for acting. He was also known by his real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, and appeared in a long list of movies and television shows, like the original 1984 Dune movie, David Lynch's Blue Velvet, etc. He was also seen recently in the Emmy-nominated series “Only Murders in The Building”.
5. Will Smith
Did you know Will Smith, the famous Oscar winner was once a singer as well? Before becoming a respected actor in Hollywood, he launched a successful, curse-free rap career Jeff Townes under the moniker DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. He was merely a teenager when he started his rapping career. The pair’s first single was “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble”, which was in 1986. The duo then released their first album “Rock the House” which even hit the Billboard 200. Then in 1991, NBC developed a sitcom around Will Smith, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. In this series, he went on to star for six seasons before breaking into the A-list actors list in Hollywood. He then continued to star in some very successful films such as 1995’s “Bad Boys”, 1996’s “Independence Day”, 1997’s “Men in Black”, 2001’s “Ali” and 2006’s “The Pursuit of Happiness” before finally getting his long-awaited Oscar for “King Richard” in 2022.
6. Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake started his career as a renowned face in the global entertainment industry by starring in the star-generating children's television series "The Mickey Mouse Club". His career started beside Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, along with Timberlake's NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez. However, his career as an actor did not really take off until his singing career by being in one of the best promising boy bands of that time, NSYNC. He then continued his acting career and won two Emmys for his guest spots on Saturday Night Live. His long list of films includes "The Social Network", "Bad Teacher", "Friends With Benefits", "Alpha Dog", and "Inside Llewyn Davis". He did this impressive list of movies while maintaining his career as a world-famous pop singer, releasing five studio albums, and 39 singles. Justin Timberlake proved that one can have two equally successful careers if you have enough passion and love for what you are doing!
