The Jazz Singer while Judy Garland became one of the biggest of her era to balance both an acting and singing career.
Over the decades, movies have seen many successful musicians make the leap to the big screen. While, as with any career, there have been varying degrees of success, many have made a serious mark in the movie world. Here are 10 that are among the best.
Tupac Shakur - Juice (1992)
Already a successful rapper and poet, Tupac Shakur stunned critics with his dangerous performance in 1992's Juice. Shakur played Bishop, one of four friends who navigate the streets of New York. Bishop gets caught up in his lust for money and respect and goes from a soulful buddy to a dangerous antagonist.
Critics remarked on Tupac's natural skill as an actor and the role led him to more praise in future acting roles until his untimely death in 1996 at the age of only 25.
Tom Waits - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
in the "All Gold Canyon" segment of The Coen Brothers anthology of Western tales, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the musician/actor played an unlucky and lonely prospector who finds gold both literally and figuratively.
Waits was praised for his performance and many agreed that his work was a standout in a film full of great work by an eclectic cast.
Cher - Silkwood (1983)
In her first real movie (she did a goofy Sonny and Cher movie in the late 60s), Cher proved herself to be a capable actress. Mike Nichols' Silkwood told the rue tale of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) who exposed safety violations at the plutonium plant where she was employed.
Cher played her gay best friend Dolly Peliker and received extremely high praise from critics. Her performance would lead to her first Oscar nomination as Best ing Actress and give birth to a long and successful acting career.
Mary J. Blige - Mudbound (2017)
Mary J. Blige was already a popular R&B singer but her role in 2017's Mudbound proved she has what it takes to be an actress.
Blige played a mother living in the racist Mississippi south of post-WWII. Her character is the heart of the film and represents the sacrifices and struggles of being a Black woman in the Jim Crow South. For her great work, Blige was nominated for Best ing Actress.
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born (2018)
What cinema didn't need was another remake of A Star is Born. What we didn't know is how wrong we were, as Bradley Cooper brought us a moving character study that brought the oft-told tale to 2018.
Lady Gaga wowed audiences and critics with her quite powerful portrayal of an up and coming singer who finds instant fame while falling in love with a depressed, suicidal, alcoholic (Cooper). What Gaga did with her performance showed a soulful skill that introduced a true acting talent and the singer/actress was nominated for Best Actress at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Dean Martin - Rio Bravo (1959)
Already a popular actor in comedies, Dean Martin proved he could hang with the best of them with his role in Howard Hawks' classic Western Rio Bravo. Martin played "Dude", a disgraced lawman who, with the help of his best friend (John Wayne) gets sober, picks his badge and guns back up, and helps to fight the bad guys.
Martin received excellent reviews and the film went on to be a big hit and is considered one of the classic Western films. Martin would go on to pepper his career with more dramatic roles.
Joan Jett - Light Of Day (1987)
Paul Schrader is one of the great screenwriters of our time. When he began directing, with 1980's American Gigolo, his skill with broken characters continued. In 1987, the director made Light of Day, the story of a broken family where the brother and sister headline a Rock & Roll band.
Joan Jett played sister to Michael J. Fox and in a strong film, her performance was a standpoint. Jett brought out the essence of small-town Indiana life and the struggle to make something of the music that burns inside us. While the film received only mixed reviews, most critics recognized Jetts' great performance.
Kris Kristofferson- Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973)
By now, Kris Kristofferson is recognized as a great actor. In 1973, the singer/songwriter had done only two films that weren't well-received. Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid cast the singer as the famous outlaw with James Coburn as his friend who is paid to hunt him down.
Both actors were praised for their work but it was Kristofferson who surprised. His performance was different from previous portrayals, as he played it mellow and infused the work with a sense of regret, as he became not the legend but a gunman knowing he is reaching the end of his days.
Ice Cube - Boyz n the Hood (1991)
John Singleton broke barriers and wowed the film world with his important 1991 drama Boyz n the Hood. Ice Cube also surprised audiences with his performance as "Dough Boy", a young man who is caught in the violent world of the 1990's era South Central Los Angeles.
Ice Cube's performance was highly praised for its realism and the natural way the performer inhabited the role. He was a tragic character that brought a soul to a man who most of America would normally consider a villain.
Frank Sinatra - From Here To Eternity (1953)
Frank Sinatra starred in the sought-after role of "Angelo Maggio", the bullied recruit who antagonizes a violent Seargent (Ernest Borgnine) and befriends the story's main character, Montgomery Clift.
This role began what was to be a long and successful movie career. He perfectly embodied the kid from the streets who is forced to grow up in the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a widely respected performance and one that earned him the Oscar for Best ing Actor.
