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Musicians making good Actors


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I loved that movie and thought Bowie was perfectly weird as Tesla.

 

As I mentioned, Dwight Yokem as the drunk asshole in Slingblade.

 

Jack White in Cold Mountain as the rebel soldier musician. Not a real acting stretch but I dug his presence.

 

Singer Sam Phillips (T Bone Burnett's wife) as the bad guy's silent but deadly girlfriend in Die Hard with a Vengeance.

 

What was the movie Meatloaf was in where he had breasts. I know, he really does have breast, but he had lady breasts and played a emotionally distraught transexual...

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Yeah I was thinking Dwight Yoakam; saw him in 'The Three Burials of Menchilades Estrada' with Tommy Lee Jones (also directed by TLJ) and then I discovered his music :idea:

 

Also Glenn Frey of Eagles fame did a movie, I believe.

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I was about to mention Harry Connick Jr, too. A LOT of screen presence.

 

And Courtney Love did a truly good job of acting in Man On The Moon. Ebert said of her role in The People Vs Larry Flynt (which I haven't seen) - "It is quite a performance; Love proves she is not a rock star pretending to act, but a true actress.."

 

Dwight Yoakum also was the sexually-hampered sherrif in Tommy Lee Jones' Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - a pretty decent job if not riveting.

 

Levon Helm has a great face and knack in the small roles he's been given - you may not have recognized him as the blind old loner in the Three Burials movie.

 

It wasn't much of a role, but how many of you recognized Aimee Mann as the skinny, pathetic girlfriend of the nihilists in The Big Lebowski?

 

Tom Waits is always good in the roles he's played. Another great face - same goes for Lyle Lovett. He was a baker in some movie I can't recall very clearly, but I remember he did well.

 

Rappers have here and there some very good roles. Mos Def has proven over and over that he's a pro. Ice T has acting chops, as does Ice Cube - the list can go on - Dr Dre, Queen Latifah.....

 

Cher also was made for the movies. And Jason Schwartzman is I think someone with a long career ahead of him - the film stuff will totally eclipse the Phantom Planet band.

 

nat whilk ii

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How about Chris Isaak? He always does a pretty good in his acting roles.

 

The only other person I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is...

 

normal_rickspringfield_04.jpg

 

...Rick Springfield in his memorable portrayal of Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. :thu:

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Joe Strummer in Candy Mountain and Mystery Train.

John Lurie in, like, all of Jim Jarmusch's films

Sting in...Sting sucks.

John Lennon in How I Won the War

Love Bruce Springsteen's cameo in High Fidelity but I'd hardly call it acting.

Flea is in The Big Lebowski and something else I saw recently

Don Johnson in Miami Vice...

Dexter Gordon in 'Round Midnight!

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who? Will Smith? He was the first rapper to win a grammy in the rap music catagory in 1988. it wasn't until 1990 that NBC started the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air".

 

aww :eek:

I stand corrected. I loved "The Fresh Prince" show.

 

 

... and then, that is why the Grammy has no credibility :D

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Linda Ronstadt was well-received in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.

 

George Strait was in that lukewarm cowboy flick back in the early 1990's...

 

Remember Glen Campbell in TRUE GRIT?

 

...and Bob Dylan's turn in PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID

 

Reba MacEntyre in ONE NIGHT AT McCOOL'S, as the psychotherapist "Naomi Greene"?

 

Levon Helm was Sissy Spacek's old coal miner daddy in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER

 

Meat Loaf did some interesting movie set in the 1950's where he played some creepy next-door-neighbor, remember that one?

 

Then there was The Who in TOMMY and LISZTOMANIA!, Paul Nicholas in PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, Sting in QUADROPHENIA

 

Madonna in DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN

 

I dunno how far back ya wanna go, but Frank Sinatra is a prime example of a pure singer who later did some very good movies; ditto Pearl Bailey, Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Shelley Fabares, Patti Page (in ELMER GANTRY), Doris Day (first she was a big band singer in WWII), Desi Arnaz. Rita Moreno was a brilliant singer and dancer but has had some stunning fiction roles since (like CARNAL KNOWLEDGE with Art Garfunkel).

 

Do you want to count the movies made by Britney Spears and The Spice Girls?

 

Billy Idol had that funny cameo in 1999's, THE DOORS.

 

The Monkees in that immensely creative-and-stupid 1968 movie, HEAD.

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Perhaps in the future a new artform will develop where a performer both acts AND sings :eek:

 

EUREKA! Aform of theater that is musical..."musical theater" if you will

 

Like imagine what you'd get if you set Les Mis or Oklahoma! to music...I know it's crazy, but maybe just crazy enough to work!

 

BA weld some crap to that bulldozer (borrow some coconus from the professor if you have to)

Murdoch, get that chopper warmed up

 

I love it when a plan comes together

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