Musicians Who Have Become Successful Actors

From music to television and films, these stars can do it all!

1. Harry Styles

Harry Styles may have gotten his start in a boy band, but after One Direction split, he went on to launch both a solo career and an acting career.

In 2017, Harry made his debut in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning film “Dunkirk.” It was recently announced that Styles will replace Shia LaBeouf in “Don’t Worry Darling,” taking the lead in the upcoming thriller starring alongside Florence Pugh.

2. Machine Gun Kelly

Machine Gun Kelly, AKA Colson Baker, kicked off his music career in 2006, but by 2014 he had landed his first acting gig. He made his debut in romantic drama “Beyond the Lights” and two years later was cast in a recurring role in the Showtime series “Roadies.”

He most recently joined the cast of action-thriller “One Way,” where he will play a criminal on the run — and met current girlfriend Megan Fox working on “Midnight In the Switchgrass.”

3. Halsey

Halsey may not have many acting roles under her belt besides a guest appearance — playing herself — in “A Star Is Born,” but she’s about to make her small screen debut.

She just landed a role in “The Player’s Table,” based on Jessica Goodman’s novel “They Wish They Were Us.” Halsey will produce the series as well as portray an emotionally troubled young woman who returns to her Long Island prep school to help prove her brother is not guilty of murder.

4. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga made a few small on-screen appearances — like an uncredited role in “The Sopranos” and a role in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” — before being cast in two seasons of “American Horror Story.” She took home a Golden Globe for her role as the Countess in “AHS: Hotel.”

But Gaga’s biggest break was her starring role in “A Star Is Born,” which earned her critical acclaim including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a win for Best Original Song.

5. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake made his acting debut while still in *NSYNC, appearing on Disney Channel’s “Model Behavior.”

After parting ways with his boy band and launching a solo career, Justin also delved into acting. Since then, he’s appeared in multiple films including “Bad Teacher,” “Friends With Benefits,” and “The Social Network,” where his portrayal of Sean Parker allowed him to transition into more dramatic roles.

His next film, “Palmer,” will follow an ex-convict who strikes up a friendship with a boy from a troubled home.

6. Beyonce

Before Beyoncé had even broken away from Destiny’s Child, she’d already landed roles in MTV’s made-for-TV “Carmen: A Hip Hopera,” as well as a role in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

She went on to appear in “The Fighting Temptations” and “The Pink Panther,” before being cast as one of the leading ladies in “Dreamgirls.” She has also appeared in “Obsessed,” “Cadillac Records” and most recently voiced Nala in the live action version of “The Lion King.”

7. Mandy Moore

While many fans may know Mandy Moore from her starring role in “This Is Us,” she actually started her career as a pop star.

Amid her success as a musician, she landed a minor role in “The Princess Diaries,” before her notable starring role in the tear-jerking adaptation of “A Walk to Remember.” She went on to appear in “Saved!” and “47 Meters Down,” before making her TV debut as Rebecca in “This Is Us.”

8. Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson got her start when she came in seventh place on “American Idol.” Her amazing vocal chops landed her a role in “Dreamgirls,” later taking home both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her portrayal of Effie. She went on to appear in “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Winnie Mandela,” “Lullaby,” “Chi-Raq,” and “Cats.”

Jennifer is also set to star in the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” a role which she was hand-selected for by Aretha herself.

9. Rihanna

During Rihanna’s first film appearance in “Bring It On: All or Nothing,” she may have portrayed herself, but she has since moved on to more serious roles.

In 2012, she played a petty officer in “Battleship” and later landed a role in the “Bates Motel” television series. She’s also appeared in “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” “Guava Island” and most recently portrayed hacker Nine Ball in “Ocean’s Eight.”

10. Cardi B

After her music career skyrocketed her to fame, Cardi B made her big screen debut in 2019’s “Hustlers.” After the film’s major success, Cardi will be appearing in the ninth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, “F9.”

We don’t doubt she’ll have more film and TV roles to come!

11. Tim McGraw

If you’re not a country fan, you may not have realized that music superstar Tim McGraw has also had some major success as an actor.

His first foray into acting was a minor appearance on “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” later landing a role in “Friday Night Lights.” He was highly acclaimed for his role in “The Blind Side,” and has since been cast in “Country Strong,” and “The Shack.”

12. Will Smith

When Will Smith was still a teenager, he and Jeff Townes launched a massively successful rap career under the name DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

By 1991, NBC had developed a show around Will, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which lasted for six seasons. Will then segued to roles in “Bad Boys,” “Independence Day,” and “Men in Black.” He’s even earned Oscar nods for his roles in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and ‘Ali.”

13. Queen Latifah

In 1989, Queen Latifah’s hit record “All Hail the Queen” led her to one of her first on-screen roles on Fox sitcom “Living Single,” for which she also wrote and produced the music.

In 1999, she found her breakout in “The Bone Collector” and since then, has appeared in numerous film and television shows including “Chicago,” “Beauty Shop,” “Hairspray,” “Girls Trip,” and “Star.”

14. Cher

Cher’s illustrious career began in the 1960s as part of Sonny & Cher, with the duo eventually landing two of their own television shows.

From there, she headed to Broadway to star in “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” which earned her a role in the film adaption as well as a Golden Globe nomination. Cher went on to appear in “Mask,” “Moonstruck,” and “Mermaids.” She most recently appeared in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

15. Madonna

Just a year after releasing her debut album “Like a Virgin,” Madonna made her big screen debut in “Desperately Seeking Susan.”

After receiving praise for the role, Madonna went on to appear in “Dick Tracy,” “A League of Their Own,” and in 1996, earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in “Evita.” She also co-starred in “The Next Best Thing” and made a cameo in “Die Another Day.”

She’s also directed two feature films and is set to direct her own upcoming biopic, co-written by Diablo Cody.

16. Mark Wahlberg

In the early ’90s, Mark Wahlberg kicked off his music career under the moniker Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and his debut album went platinum.

Several years later, he landed his first film role in “The Basketball Diaries” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, before starring in “Fear” opposite Reese Witherspoon.

One of his most notable roles came in 1997, when he was cast in “Boogie Nights” and in his portrayal of a dishwasher turned porn star. Since then, Mark has appeared in films like “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “The Departed,” “Planet of the Apes,” and “The Fighter.”

17. Ice-T

After launching his career as a rapper in the 1980s and as frontman of heavy metal band Body Count, Ice-T made an unexpected foray into television the following decade.

In 1991, he landed a role playing a police detective “New Jack City,” later appearing in “Ricochet,” “Tank Girl,” “Trespass,” and “Surviving the Game.” In 2000, he was cast as sergeant Odafin Tutuola on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” who has gone on to be one of the most iconic cop characters on television.