Celebrities for one reason or another that made a jump to the big screen…who’s good and who’s bad?
I’d say Denis Rodman was terrible as an actor, and Bon Jovi is just OK as an actor, better than say The Rock. Who are your picks? I’m having a difficult time remembering which actors were essentially nobody sports stars or rock stars…hmmm
Well, Terry Bradshaw was pretty terrible in The Cannonball Run. I don’t know if he has done much lately.
Kris Kristofferson has done some pretty good stuff, and his acting is okay as well.
I think The Rock has a ton of potential to be a HUGE movie star in the years to come, at least for action-adventure roles. You can make fun all you want because he’s a wrestler who made the jump to acting, but the truth is, he is extremely charismatic and surprisingly funny. The Rundown was one of the better action-comedy buddy movies in recent years, and he carried the leading role well, playing the straight man to comic sidekick Sean William Scott and the hero to over-the-top villain Christopher Walken. His guest appearances on Saturday Night Live are usually hilarious, and he is great at self-deprecating humor. I’m not saying The Rock should sign on to do Shakespeare anytime soon, but he already is a lot more fun to watch than Vin Diesel, Steven Seagal, or Keanu Reeves.
I agree with BBVL about The Rock.
the bad: Howie Long, Mariah Carey, Gene Simmons
There are some rap/ hip hop guys that get my respect:
Ice Cube
LL Cool J
Heavy D
And a few others from the music scene that are ok:
Meat Loaf
Neil Young
Jon Bon Jovi (as mentioned)
I don’t know if you’d consider directors who act in this cathegory, but there are a few that do a good job:
Frank Oz
Rob Rainer
Sydney Pollack
Bad:
The Usual Suspects.
I love Ice-T. He and Belzer make a great team on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. He’s even better when playing a bad guy. And it almost goes without saying that he plays a perfect pimp.
Completing the rap list, Tupac Shakur was a very, very good actor. At least he was in that one thing I saw him in, Gridlock’d.
I thought George Stienbrenner did a surprisingly good job when he hosted SNL. Definitely better than Wayne Gretzky, anyway.
Arnold is the only one I will go out of my way to watch. Showing my complete lack of taste, I really enjoyed True Lies and Twins.
Or doesn’t he count since he has successfully made the transition from Body Builder to Movie Star now to Governor of California.
James Taylor and Dennis Wilson were bland in Two-Lane Blacktop. It worked with the psuedo-existentialist vibe of the film, but wouldn’t for most acting roles.
David Crosby has been adequate in sitcom roles, although he was a little better on The John Larroquette Show.
Willie Nelson has been better than most with his roles in films like Thief, Barbarossa, and Wag The Dog.
Busta Rhymes was better than I expected in Narc, haven’t seen his other work.
Master P is awful, just look at Dark Blue.
Glenn Frey was passable in “Miami Vice”.
Burton Cummings was actually pretty good in “Melanie”
John Prine was supposedly pretty good in “Falling from Grace” and “Daddy and Them”, but I never saw either one.
And who can forget Suzi Quatro as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days…
And, Sam Stone, I may be in the minority, but I thought that John Mellencamp did a passable job in Falling from Grace.
Harry Connick Jr. has a recurring role on Will and Grace, but I don’t watch that show.
Wil Smith definitely made the jump from rapper to actor.
Sebastin Bach didn’t.
How was NBA star Ray Allen in Spike Lee’s He’s Got Game?
I never watched Hill Street Blues back in the day. IIRC, though, former Minnesota Vikings running back Ed Marinaro got some acclaim for his role on the show (IMDB says no Emmies or nominations, though). Marinaro was also on the '90s evening soap Sisters.
Former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Fred Dryer starred on the long-running TV series Hunter. I watched some of that show now and then. Dryer seemed passable as an action star, but never made a blockbuster film.
…
Ol’Gaffer, Terry Bradshaw was genuinely funny in another Burt Reynolds vehicle, Hooper.
Also, I’m surprised to see no mention of Dolly Parton in this thread yet. After a decade of country-music superstardom, Parton recieved a Golden Globe nomination for her motion-picture-debut role in 9 to 5. She received another GG nomination one a few years later for Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I’d say she held her own in Steel Magnolias, as well.
I liked Dwight Yoakam in the three movies I’ve seen him in (Red Rock West, Sling Blade and Panic Room).
Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride - magnificent.
Brett Favre (Green Bay QB) had a brief role in that terrible Mary movie and was all right.
Ronald Reagan. Nuff said.
Howzabout the bajillion models who turned to acting, some with passing results (Milla Jovovitch stands out as very good).
Huey Lewis was in Back to the Future, but I have no idea if he did anything else.
Al Yankovick made and starred in UHF.
George Foreman has been on TV constantly since the days of old (he guest-starred in an episode of Sanford and Son).
J-Lo
Mic Jagger played an amusing security chief in that “Flashjack” or whatever it was with Emilio Estavez.
David Bowie was probably just playing himself in Labyrinth.
Phil Collins has a cameo in the beginning of Hook, but I’m not sure if he did anything else.
Sting was in the original, and frighteningly annoying Dune and I’m certain has been in things since, but I just can’t think of any right now.
Billie Idol played himself with much hilarity in The Wedding Singer.
Good point. Elizabeth Hurley was fantastic in Bedazzled, and Rebecca Romijin-Stamos has been pretty good as Mystique in the X-Men movies.
That’s Freejack. I dated a guy several years ago who was in that movie as an extra. Six degrees, indeed. That movie sucked almost as much as that relationship did…almost. 
Phil Collins was actually an actor as child before he seriously got into drumming. He also played the title role in the film Buster sometime in the late 80’s. I’ve never seen it, but I think at the time it was pretty much panned by critics and movie goers alike.
To add to the list:
I’ve seen John Doe from the punk band X in a couple of things, including a recent episode of Carnivale in which he did an excellent job of playing the smarmy owner of a rival carnival operation.
Eminem did a decent job in 8 Mile, but then again it wasn’t much of a stretch since he was basically playing himself.