# Celebs with talents everyone (but you) knew about **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860 "2016-11-24T02:03:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/1 "2016-11-24T02:03:56Z")
When I was growing up in the 70s, Charo was everywhere. She was on _Chico and the Man, Hollywood Squares, Love Boat, Fantasy Island_ and on and on. I only knew her as that flaky lady with the weird clothes and weirder accent. Turns out she’s an incredible [flamenco guitarist](https://youtu.be/XmNPXqG6ovg)! Who knew? Everybody but me. Hey, to be fair, I was born in 1969. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/2 "2016-11-24T02:47:44Z")
I knew about Charro. I was watching the musical Reefer Madness on TV and I found out that Veronica Mars can really fucking sing. It’s common knowledge now but, boy, was I surprised back then. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/3 "2016-11-24T16:57:23Z")
Brian May, astrophysicist Peter Weller, classical scholar ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/4 "2016-11-24T17:15:12Z")
Clint Eastwood, jazz pianist QB/football coach Jim Zorn, classical violinist Football coach Chuck Noll, classical guitarist ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/5 "2016-11-24T17:32:21Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I knew about Charro. I was watching the musical Reefer Madness on TV and I found out that Veronica Mars can really fucking sing. It’s common knowledge now but, boy, was I surprised back then. Hence her role in _Frozen_. In the same vein, I was watching old Muppet Show episodes and (re-)discovered that Lynda Carter had a proper set of pipes too. That Neil Patrick Harris can do magic tricks is broadly known, but apparently he’s a competent acrobat as well. Simon Helberg is an excellent pianist and genuinely played as part of his role as accompanist Cosmo McMoon in _Florence Foster Jenkins_. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/6 "2016-11-24T18:33:39Z")
Former major league baseball players Bernie Williams and Bronson Arroyo are classical guitarists. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/7 "2016-11-24T20:16:57Z")
Before _Ghostbusters_ typecast him forever, Rick Moranis was a superb impressionist. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/8 "2016-11-24T20:18:58Z")
Justin Bieber is a surprisingly good drummer. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/9 "2016-11-24T20:27:50Z")
Bruce Dickinson, lead singer for Iron Maiden, was also a competitive, national level fencer, and is a qualified Boeing 757 and 747 pilot. I also believe that he is also a qualified 777 pilot as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/10 "2016-11-24T21:12:38Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Before _Ghostbusters_ typecast him forever, Rick Moranis was a superb impressionist. Writes some damn good country songs, too. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/11 "2016-11-24T23:21:16Z")
I once saw an episode of _Quantum Leap_ in which Sam jumped into the life of Broadway musical singer doing\* Man of La Mancha\*. Scott Bakula, who played Sam, is, as I learned, a fine singer who did all the musical numbers for his character. I like hearing him belt out his introductory number, the title song _Man of La Mancha_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/12 "2016-11-26T14:51:26Z")
Both John Lithgow and Jason Alexander are fine tenors. The latter won a Tony for Jerome Robbins Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/13 "2016-11-26T15:26:14Z")
Christopher Walken is an amazing dancer who got his start in musical theatre. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/14 "2016-11-26T15:33:10Z")
Jerry Orbach was a song-and-dance man in his youth. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/15 "2016-11-26T16:10:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Jerry Orbach was a song-and-dance man in his youth. in his youth? IN HIS YOUTH.? Orbach’s last theatrical credit was in [1985](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Orbach#Stage), when he was _fifty_. Orbach was a song-and-dance man all his life, and don’t you ever forget that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/16 "2016-11-26T16:58:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > in his youth? IN HIS YOUTH.? > Orbach’s last theatrical credit was in [1985](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Orbach#Stage), when he was _fifty_. > > Orbach was a song-and-dance man all his life, and don’t you ever forget that fact. It was a voice role and so presumably did not require any dancing, but he did sing even later than that as Lumière in Disney’s 1991 _Beauty and the Beast_. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/17 "2016-11-26T17:18:04Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Former major league baseball players Bernie Williams and Bronson Arroyo are classical guitarists. I don’t know if Bernie plays classical but I’ve only seen him play jazz. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/18 "2016-11-26T17:40:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I don’t know if Bernie plays classical but I’ve only seen him play jazz. :smack: I knew that. Really, I did. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/19 "2016-11-26T19:16:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Christopher Walken is an amazing dancer who got his start in musical theatre. Check him out doing “Let’s Misbehave” in Steve Martin’s movie version of “Pennies From Heaven.” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860/20 "2016-11-26T19:20:29Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Before _Ghostbusters_ typecast him forever, Rick Moranis was a superb impressionist. Rick Moranis was never going to have a career where he was not typecast as Rick Moranis. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-talents-everyone-but-you-knew-about/772860.md?page=2)