# Movies featuring singers as actors and no big deal was made. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781 "2014-06-14T16:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [June 14, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/21 "2014-06-14T18:51:44Z")
Ice T does a lot of straight acting work that doesn’t reference his career as a rapper. Ice Cube, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/22 "2014-06-14T19:00:03Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Harry Connick Jr. eventually got to the “no big deal” level with _Copycat_, and I didn’t even realize he was in _Independence Day_. He was actually scary in that. “Copycat” that is. ---
**Author:** ![Abracadebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Abracadebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abracadebra)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/23 "2014-06-14T19:06:59Z")
Chris Isaak in “Silence Of The Lambs” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/24 "2014-06-14T19:09:30Z")
Frank Sinatra in a whole lotta stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/25 "2014-06-14T19:19:04Z")
I should have said I was looking for supporting roles and not leads or smarmy cameos. Waits in Dracula, Issak in Silence of the Lambs. Those are definitely two good examples. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/26 "2014-06-14T19:33:33Z")
Jani Lane from the band Warrant was in the movie High Strung and did an excellent job playing Vol and did a great job. It was a supporting role. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/27 "2014-06-14T19:37:52Z")
Lenny Kravitz played Cinna, the person responsible for Katniss Everdeen’s wardrobe and presentation, in both Hunger Games movies. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/28 "2014-06-14T19:48:53Z")
Mariah Carey in whateveritscalled _Precious_? Pushing Sapphires? Every review I read mentioned her, but always expressing surprise at the quiet casting, unrecognizable makeup, and unexpectedly good performance. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/29 "2014-06-14T19:53:55Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Lenny Kravitz played Cinna, the person responsible for Katniss Everdeen’s wardrobe and presentation, in both Hunger Games movies. Good one! Sam Phillips played Katya, the mute female terrorist in the third _Die Hard_ movie. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/30 "2014-06-14T20:03:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Levon Helm was primarily known as a singer/drummer, but had a decent [acting](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0375629/) career, starting with _Coal Miner’s Daughter_ (haven’t seen it, don’t know if he sings or not). I have seen him in _The Right Stuff_ (he plays Yeager’s friend and engineer, Jack Ridley, and is the narrator); doesn’t sing, but there is one tiny reference to his music career. Helm didn’t sing in CMD; he was exceptional as LL’s father. Was going to mention John Mellencamp until I read OP was looking for supporting roles. Doesn’t matter, his movie was awful. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/31 "2014-06-14T20:28:15Z")
A: It’s spelled “Lebowski”. Sheesh. B: As punishment, I am going to go off topic slightly and list a few other actors in _The Big Lebowski_ who have also sung: Ben Gazzara in _Tales of Ordinary Madness_ and _Husbands_. Sam Elliott in _Barnyard_ sings “I Won’t Back Down”. Dom Irrera in _Hollywood Shuffle_ sang “Rebels of the Night”. John Turturro was mostly dubbed in _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ but he did sing “You Are My Sunshine”. Jimmie Dale Gilmore (“Smokey”) was a semi-well known country-western singer. Peter Stormare sings in a few films including _Dancer in the Dark_- “I’VE SEEN IT ALL”. Philip Seymour Hoffman sings a couple songs in _The Master_. Julianne Moore plays a singer in _What Maisie Knew_ and does a few songs as well as a song in the _Carrie_ remake. And most importantly John Goodman in many films including _Blues Brothers 2000_, _Raising Arizona_ (“She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”), _True Stories_, and in _Monsters, Inc._ he sang the Oscar winning song “If I Didn’t Have You”. His singing talents helped get him several of his early acting gigs such as _True Stories_ and _Sweet Dreams_ (although he did not sing in the latter). All of which makes Jeff Bridges look like a piker. What did he ever do musically? Besides winning a freakin’ Oscar playing a country-western singer in _Crazy Heart_. _The Fabulous Baker Boys_ obviously doesn’t count. 🙂 And his first real credit is an appearance with his dad on _Sea Hunt_ in 1958 where he sung “Oh! Susanna”. I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread. And you know Smokey has emotional problems. ---
**Author:** ![cococ173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@cococ173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cococ173)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/32 "2014-06-14T20:43:25Z")
Tim McGraw was surprising good in Friday Night Lights. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/33 "2014-06-14T20:57:05Z")
Alanis Morissette had a small role in _Dogma_. She didn’t sing, which, under the circumstances, may have been for the best. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/34 "2014-06-14T20:59:41Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I should have said I was looking for supporting roles and not leads or smarmy cameos. Gene Kelly (admittedly more famous for his dancing than singing, rain notwithstanding) had a supporting role in _Inherit the Wind_ (1960). He was pretty smarmy, though. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/35 "2014-06-14T21:27:45Z")
Bette Midler. I’m not sure which career came first, but nobody in either field thinks she’s a gimmick. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/36 "2014-06-14T21:45:44Z")
going old school. Dick Powell did a whole bunch of stuff. Ken Curtis was an tv cowboy. he had replaced Frank Sinatra in the Tommy Dorsey band. Ed Ames was a tv Indian. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/37 "2014-06-14T22:06:28Z")
Tony Bennett played a forgettable part in the forgettable movie [The Oscar](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060801/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_7). ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/38 "2014-06-14T23:05:31Z")
Trini Lopez in The Dirty Dozen. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/39 "2014-06-14T23:28:21Z")
Gavin Rossdale in Constantine and The Bling Ring. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781/40 "2014-06-15T00:05:31Z")
Steve Van Zandt is best known as a guitarist, but he did do some solo albums before appearing in a recurring role in **The Sopranos** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-featuring-singers-as-actors-and-no-big-deal-was-made/690781.md?page=3)