Today we are having a little bit of fun by looking at musicians who one day decided that they were going to make the jump from singing in front of thousands of people to acting on the big or small screen. While some musicians acting talents have been less than spectacular, there have been more than a few who have surprised many people. Here are a few of the best musicians who have become actors.
Cher
We simply had to put Cher on this list. Here we have a very talented lady who went from being a pop music superstar to a very talented actress. She has a ton of credits to her name and she has played many memorable roles such as her role of the protective and not your everyday mother in the movie The Mask, her amazing role in Mermaids, she just oozes charm in The Witches Of Eastwick and she even won an Oscar for her role in the 1987 movie Moonstruck.
Will Smith
It’s very easy to forget now that before he was the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. And before he was shooting down aliens in Independence Day and before he was becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet in movies such as Men In Black and I Robot, Will Smith was actually a rap superstar. Interestingly, Will Smith did not rap with any profanity and he still had a successful music career. Thanks to his roles in movies such as Ali, Changing Lanes and 7 Pounds, Will Smith has proven that he has the acting chops to hang with any one on the big screen.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake the once front man of boy band NSync actually started his career with the Mickey Mouse Club TV show when he was a kid. So it’s not really all that surprising that after selling millions of albums with NSync and then as a solo artist that he decided he wanted to give acting a shot. He has played some pretty diverse roles showcasing how talented he is. He was in the fun action/sci-fi movie In Time, played a nerdy school teacher in the comedy Bad Teacher and received critical acclaim for his role in Trouble With The Curve. The sky is the limit for the still young Justin Timberlake.
Jennifer Hudson
Even though she did not win American Idol, it is more than fair to say that Jennifer Hudson is one of the biggest success stories from the show. She has a truly amazing voice, but it was her role in the movie Dreamgirls that made the whole world just say WOW. In a movie that stars people like Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson stole the show and became an even bigger phenomena than she already was. While that role in Dreamgirls was her stand out performance, this is one lady who can have an amazing movie career.
Mark Wahlberg
Say what you want about his acting ability, but mark Wahlberg has proven time and time again that he can put butts in movie theatre seats. He is now one of Hollywood’s premier action super stars with his roles in movies like Transformers Age Of Extinction and Shooter proving this. He has even shown a more dramatic side in movies such as The Departed. And he even got to flex his comedy muscle in movies like Ted and Pain & Gain. No one in a million years could have predicted that the guy who was Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch would have such an acclaimed acting career.