# Singers who turned into actors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681 "2008-11-20T18:23:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [November 20, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/21 "2008-11-20T21:24:24Z")
Elton John. Waddayamean he’s not an actor? He got a 2 hour interview on “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” James Lipton wouldn’t dare put a one-shot actor on such an important show. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/22 "2008-11-20T21:26:48Z")
Vanessa Williams (though, to be fair, she started as a (disgraced) beauty queen, then became a singer, then an incredible actress) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/23 "2008-11-20T21:50:14Z")
Jennifer Hudson, although she made the transition pretty quickly ---
**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:** [November 20, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/24 "2008-11-20T21:54:03Z")
[David Soul](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815800/) [Shirley Jones](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429250/) [Julie Andrews](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000267/) For the record, they were all singers before they went into musical roles, then into straight acting. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/25 "2008-11-20T21:54:17Z")
Jack White (of the White Stripes); _Cold Mountain_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/26 "2008-11-20T21:58:53Z")
Justin Timberlake has gotten good reviews in his acting gigs. The SNL crew were reportedly very impressed by what a good actor he is. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/27 "2008-11-20T22:03:40Z")
Grace Jones. Harry Connick , Jr. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/28 "2008-11-20T22:34:26Z")
Tim McGraw (Friday Night Lights, Flicka) ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/29 "2008-11-20T22:39:01Z")
[Jon Bon Jovi](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000954/#actor) ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/30 "2008-11-20T23:47:42Z")
Once again, you whippersnappers missed. Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/31 "2008-11-20T23:57:32Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Jennifer Lopez? (for certain definitions of “singer” and “actor”). Nope. She was a highly respected actor before she became known as a singer, unfortunately tarnishing her reputation as an actor at the same time. See \*Out of Sight \*before you write her off. Hopefully she’ll eventually recover some street cred. (Though it probably doesn’t help that even before that she was a dancer on _In Living Color_ . . .) ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/32 "2008-11-21T00:13:44Z")
> [@chacoguy420](#): > > Once again, you whippersnappers missed. > > Elvis. _Psst, post 14._ ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/33 "2008-11-21T01:03:28Z")
Christopher Walken was a song-and-dance man before becoming a mainstream actor. thwartme /this thread needs more cowbell! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/34 "2008-11-21T01:12:07Z")
If we’re counting rappers, then LL Cool J (now credited as James Todd Smith, I think), Ice Cube, and Ice T all have quite respectable acting careers. Ice Cube is a particularly appealing actor. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/35 "2008-11-21T02:34:40Z")
Yul Brynner worked as a nightclub musician, playing guitar before he became an actor ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/36 "2008-11-21T03:12:05Z")
[Tom Waits](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits) (_Short Cuts_, _Mystery Men_, _Down By Law_) [John Lurie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lurie) (_Down By Law_, _Stranger Than Paradise_, _Wild at Heart_) ---
**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 21, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/37 "2008-11-21T03:17:27Z")
What? No Dean Martin? No Bing Crosby? ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/38 "2008-11-21T03:20:07Z")
mandy Patinkin ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/39 "2008-11-21T03:44:02Z")
I’ve been surprised to see Chris Isaac and Lyle Lovett turn up in acting roles. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681/40 "2008-11-21T03:44:22Z")
Alice Cooper He starred in the world’s worst movie. It’s called monster Dog and that about describes it. It was originally made in English, in Spain, and then the master soundtrack was scrapped and the whole thing was dubbed in Spanish. THEN, the whole thing was wiped again and the English was restored, but with different actors doing the voices. The result is, uh, unsettling. On top of that, it’s a really, REALLY, lame wherewolf movie. Alice is also in Prince of Darkness as the leader of the zombies and one of the Nightmare On Elm Street movies as Freddy’s evil stepfather. He’s played himself too, most notably in Wayne’s World and Roadie. Oh, and he was in the atrocious Sergent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. On TV, he’s been in Something Wilder and That 70’s Show and of course The Muppet Show, not to mention Welcome To My Nightmare which did involve some acting. Whoops, almost forgot The Snoop Sisters! ( **FaithFool** , beat ya to it! 😉 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-turned-into-actors/473681.md?page=3)