Singing stars who shone bright on the big screen

We bring to you a list of successful musicians who didn’t hold back on their acting careers
When Lady Gaga’s first look as Harley Quinn was revealed, the internet went crazy. But interestingly, this is not the Poker Face singer’s first rhodeo. Though her role in A Star Is Born in 2018 got her plenty of attention, when she was just 15, Lady Gaga starred in an episode of The Sopranos.To fans of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, she is also familiar as the Countess, a performance that won her a Golden Globe. But Lady Gaga is not the only musician to have tried their luck on the silver screen.
Time travel
Harry Styles, the lead singer of One Direction, made his feature film debut in 2017’s Dunkirk, the critically acclaimed and Academy Award-winning World War II epic directed by Christopher Nolan. He starred in Don’t Worry, Darling by Olivia Wilde and My Policeman alongside Emma Corrin. Both movies were released in 2022. He also starred in the 2021 Marvel movie Eternals.
Golden act
Less than a year after she put out her hit album Like A Virgin, Madonna also gave one of her most famous acting performances as Rosanna Arquette’s co-star in Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan. Madonna also won the Golden Globe for best actress for Evita in 1997, apart from playing memorable roles as Mae Mordabito in A League of Their Own (1992), The Next Best Thing (2000), and a cameo in Die Another Day (2002).
Queen Move
Only a few hip-hop or R&B performers have been nominated for an Academy Award in the acting category, and Queen Latifah is one of them. Before she played leading roles in movies like Chicago, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Beauty Shop, Hairspray, and 2017’s blockbuster Girls Trip, she was a rapper who put out her debut album, All Hail the Queen, on Tommy Boy Records in 1989.
Riri spotted
The Barbadian singer had first acting role in the 2006 film Bring It On: All or Nothing linked to a music career. She was also seen in Battleship (2012), Annie (2014), Bates Motel, Valerian, City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and in the hit movie Ocean’s Eight (2018).
Frank of the Oscars
Frank Sinatra may be best known for his work as a musician, but during the 1950s and 1960s, he amassed an impressive list of film roles. He appeared in musicals like Anchors Aweigh, On the Town, Guys and Dolls, and Pal Joey as well as dramas like From Here to Eternity, for which he won the 1954 Oscar for best supporting actor, The Man with the Golden Arm, and Some Came Running.
Star at multi-tasking
Justin Timberlake debuted with the children’s series The All New Mickey Mouse Club. He was also seen in The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends With Benefits, Alpha Dog, and Inside Llewyn Davis while maintaining a music career that includes 5 albums, two compilation albums, and 39 singles.
Side Hustle
She made her acting debut while breaking into the folk-rock scene in the middle of the 1960s with Sonny & Cher. Soon after, she had her Broadway debut in Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean by Robert Altman. She later returned to the character in the 1982 movie adaptation, and bagged a Golden Globe nomination.
Dream role
Beyoncé starred in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), The Pink Panther (2006) and The Fighting Temptations (2003) before obtaining one of the lead parts in Dreamgirls. She was also seen in Cadillac Records (2008), Obsessed (2009), and The Lion King (2019).
—Compiled by Likhitha Prasanna