10 Actors Who Successfully Crossed Over To Music
Who says you can’t do it all in the entertainment business? Just like musicians have crossed over to starring in movies, actors have also been able to apply their talents in the music world. You may not realize it, but some of your favorite musical acts are actually fronted by people who were actors prior to getting on the mic. Some have tried and failed, while others have successfully transitioned into the music industry and surprisingly have some pretty impressive pipes. Take a look at 10 actors who we’re happy crossed over into the music realm.
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich can pretty much do it all. She started modeling at the age of 12, and starred in her first film role when she was 16-years-old in Return to the Blue Lagoon. She made a name for herself in the action realm when she acted alongside Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element and then went on to star in five Resident Evil movies. The entire time she’s been acting, she’s also been making music. She released an album entitled The Divine Comedy in 1994 and the majority of the songs were written when she was 15. The acoustic and folky album was supposed to be followed up with another, but fans are still waiting for its release. In the meantime, Jovovich has recorded songs that have appeared in other films like Underworld, and releases songs here and there on her website that are available for free download.
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon’s filmography goes on and on. He’s starred in classics like Footloose and Friday the 13th, thrilling dramas like Apollo 13 and Mystic River, and currently a popular Fox television series, The Following. The actor had been playing music with his brother Michael since they were kids, but officially formed their band, The Bacon Brothers, in 1995. They’ve released six country/folk rock albums in that time, and recently performed two of their songs on Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in July.
Zooey Deschanel
You probably know Zooey Deschanel from her starring role on the Fox comedy New Girl, which she has been in since 2011. Her film acting career started in 1999 in a comedy called Mumford, and she also appeared in Almost Famous with Kate Hudson, Yes Man with Jim Carrey, (500) Days of Summer with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Elf with Will Ferrell, which she sang a Christmas carol in. With her unique singing voice and the ability to play a variety of instruments, including keyboards, percussion, banjo and ukulele, she teamed up with guitarist M. Ward to form the duo She & Him in 2006. Since then, they have released three albums and a Christmas record, which have been well received in the indie/folk scene.
Donald Glover
Donald Glover is best known for his role as Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community, but he also made some appearances on 30 Rock when he was a writer for the show, and was in a few movies, including Mystery Team and The Muppets. After entering his name into a Wu-Tang name generator, it spit out “Childish Gambino,” which Glover decided to use as his hip-hop stage name. Starting in 2008, he released a few independent albums and mixtapes, eventually gaining the attention of Glassnote Records and signing with them in 2011. He released his first studio album, Camp, with the label later that year and his second, Because of the Internet, in 2013.
Jack Black
Jack Black has made us laugh in plenty of movies, including High Fidelity, Shallow Hal, and even just with his voice in Kung Fu Panda. His most musical role was in School of Rock in which he played a slacker with a love of rock and roll who impersonated his roommate to make some cash as a substitute teacher, and ended up forming a band with his students. He actually earned an Academy Award nomination for the role for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. In addition to his acting career, Jack Black formed a rock comedy band with his friend Kyle Gass, releasing three albums under the name Tenacious D. They definitely have cred in the rock world since Dave Grohl has played drums for each of their studio albums.
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx’s acting career took off when he joined the cast of In Living Color back in 1991. He later went on to have his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show, and starred in a variety of films, earning him an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. He released his first R&B record, Peep This, in 1994, but it wasn’t until his performance in the biopic Ray about musician Ray Charles that people really started to notice him as a musician. Jamie Foxx had actually been playing piano since he was 5-years-old, and attended United States International University to study classical music and composition. In 2004, his music career took off as he sang on Twista’s “Slow Jamz” and Kanye West’s “Gold Digger,” and he released his second studio album Unpredictable the next year, proving that he could make it in both theatrical and musical realms.
Jared Leto
Jared Leto’s first big acting role was as love interest Jordan Catalano on the ‘90s teen drama My So Called Life. He made his film debut in 1995, and since then, he went on to act in a number of roles, most notably his supporting role alongside Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club, which earned him an array of awards, including the most prestigious of the bunch, an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. However, in 1998, Jared and his brother Shannon Leto formed a band called Thirty Seconds to Mars. He wrote the majority of their songs, but did not want to use his Hollywood fame to promote the band, so their debut self-titled album had limited success. Now three albums later, the band has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, letting no one deny that Jared Leto is a multi-talented entertainer.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez began her career in the entertainment industry as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color, and eventually worked her way into acting in movies. Her big break was when she gained the starring role in Selena, a biopic about the Latin pop star. After filming, she was inspired to record a demo, and in 1999, she released her first studio album, On the 6. While continuing to act in a variety of films, J.Lo also released six other albums, selling 80 million records worldwide. Her successful music career ended up earning her a spot on the judging panel of American Idol tasked with finding the next big music superstar.
Drake
Prior to becoming Drizzy Drake and selling over 5 million albums worldwide, Aubrey Drake Graham began acting while attending Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto. At age 15, Drake met an agent who got him a role on the popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. He played the character Jimmy Brooks on the show, a basketball star who later had to deal with the hardships of being physically disabled. He stayed on the show until 2009 when his character graduated from Degrassi High. During that time, he released a few mixtapes that eventually led to the illustrious rap career he has today.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake is a natural at straddling the music and theatrical industries. Before JT was part of the wildly popular ‘90s boy band ‘N Sync, he appeared on Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club TV show. On the show, he appeared in a variety of skits alongside fellow pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and actor Ryan Gosling. From there, he joined the group ‘N Sync, which he was part of until 2002 when he launched his solo career by collaborating with Timbaland to create some huge R&B songs. Appearing on a number of Saturday Night Live episodes, and getting cast in a number of big film roles, including portraying Napster creator Sean Parker in The Social Network, JT has shown that he can be successful in pretty much any entertainment profession he chooses.
Who says you can’t do it all in the entertainment business? Just like musicians have crossed over to starring in movies, actors have also been able to apply their talents in the music world. You may not realize it, but some of your favorite musical acts are actually fronted by people who were actors prior to getting on the mic. Some have tried and failed, while others have successfully transitioned into the music industry and surprisingly have some pretty impressive pipes. Take a look at 10 actors who we’re happy crossed over into the music realm.