Top 10 Singers Who Can Act

Elvis truly was “The King”; a pioneer in multiple musical genres including rock, blues, rockabilly, and gospel, he went on to become the best-selling solo artist in history. Presley took the world by storm, not only with his soulful voice, but also with his unique dance moves, specifically those gyrating hips, which earned him the nickname “Elvis the Pelvis.” It soon became clear that Elvis’ talent and moves could transition to the big screen, which they did; and they also drew millions of fans to dozens of films through the ‘50s and ‘60s as the line between his music videos and films began to blur.

Country music superstar Tim McGraw had humble beginnings in the acting world, first appearing in an episode of fellow southerner Jeff Foxworthy’s T.V. show. However, he really caught audiences’ eyes as an intense father in the high school football drama “Friday Night Lights.” He followed this up with his first starring role in “Flicka” before appearing once again as a football dad in “The Blindside.” In 2010, McGraw returned to his roots by taking on a role in “Country Strong,” which is set in the world of country music. Then in 2015, he tackled a new territory in the highly anticipated science fiction flick “Tomorrowland.”

The cast of “Dreamgirls” featured a number of talented performers, with one surprise, the seventh place contestant from “American Idol”’s third season: Jennifer Hudson. It became apparent pretty quickly that Hudson may have deserved a better finish on the show when her performance of “Love You I Do” won a Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar. Of course, her vocal talents were not the only thing on display in “Dreamgirls,” as she was hailed as the breakthrough performer of the year by several organizations and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Female Actor in a Supporting Role as well as the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Aside from his sensational decades-spanning musical career, Frank Sinatra may be best known for his appearances with his fellow Rat Pack members in films like “Ocean’s 11,” as well as a variety of musicals, including “Guys and Dolls” and “Robin and the Seven Hoods.” However, Sinatra’s film career lasted almost as long as his singing career, and included classics like “The Manchurian Candidate,” “The Man with the Golden Arm,” and “From Here to Eternity.”

For those that grew up in the nineties, Bette Midler will always be remembered as Winifred Sanderson from “Hocus Pocus”. However, long before she was casting a spell on you, Bette was a platinum-certified musical artist, with hits like “Wind Beneath My Wings.” With a background in musical theater, it came as no shock when Bette starred in her first major film, “The Rose,” which was based on the life of famous rocker Janis Joplin, and continued her success by appearing in critically acclaimed films like “Get Shorty” and “Beaches.”

Although she was a superstar in the ‘60s, by the early ‘70s, Cher had begun to fall out of popularity with younger audiences. All that changed when she and then-husband and singing partner Sonny Bono debuted the hit variety show, “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” After the show ended, it wasn’t difficult for Cher to take her talents to the big screen in films like “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” and “Mask.” However, she will forever be remembered for “Moonstruck” and slapping Nicolas Cage in the face.

Babs holds the distinction of being one of only a handful of people to have completed the highly prestigious EGOT, earning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Special Tony, and proving that she is one of the most multi-talented individuals in all of showbiz. She has worked with some of the most prolific talents in the music industry, while also appearing in a surprisingly diverse amount of films, including everything from “The Way We Were” to “Meet the Fockers.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Tom Waits
- Justin Timberlake
- Queen Latifah
- David Bowie
- Björk
- Mos Def

Although he is now one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Will Smith had started out as the rapping half of the musical duo simply called DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Smith would take the Fresh Prince moniker to T.V., more specifically Bel-Air shortly thereafter, and gave us one of the most memorable theme songs of all time. He eventually transitioned from television to film, securing starring roles in “Six Degrees of Separation”, “Men in Black” and “Ali.” From then on, there was no stopping Smith as he quickly became one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

Do you agree with our list? Which singer with a talent for acting is your favorite? For more entertaining top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.