50 Movie Stars Who Have Delved Into Music

Lindsay Lohan – Perhaps more synonymous with her debauched antics, DUI offences and jail time than anything else in recent months, 21-year-old Lohan has made her name through a dual career in music and movies. Her acting debut came first at the age of 11 in Parent Trap. Shortly before singing on the soundtrack to Freaky Friday, Lohan signed a five-album deal which has so far seen her release such two albums – ‘A Little More Personal (Raw)’ and 2004’s ‘Speak.’

Michael Cera, star of Juno and Superbad, is touring with new Sub Pop signing Mister Heavenly. It is not clear whether the Scott Pilgrim Versus The World actor is looking to make the move permanent.

Robert Pattinson, star of the Twilight films, has continued to speak about his interest in music, despite establishing himself as one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Although his only official music release came on the soundtrack to first film in The Twilight Saga, the 24-year-old British actor has repeatedly been linked to album deals. He has also revealed that he was heavily influenced by Eminem as a youngster.

Star of Harry Potter and the inspiration behind our look at movie stars who have turned to music, Tom Felton is set to record his debut album after signing a recording contract. The as-yet-untitled release is expected to follow Felton's interest in guitar and will – probably – contain lots of spellbinding magic courtesy of his days at Hogwarts.

Scarlett Johansson - The 23-year-old's move into music has been quite a revelation. The stunning Hollywood actress, who is more known for her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Lost in Translation, is on the verge of releasing 'Anywhere I Lay My Head': an album of ten Tom Waits covers and one original composition. Already on the receiving end of positive acclaim for her singing, the star was recently praised by the one and only David Bowie - who also features on her album.

Steven Seagal - The veteran belongs to the generation of actors that includes Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis. He's much more than Under Siege and Under Siege: 2, as Seagal is also a pretty talented guitarist. In 2005 he released his first album 'Songs From The Crystal Cave' - a blend of blues, country and that bizarre genre; World Music. It was all good though because a year later he dropped second album 'Mojo Priest' to surprising critical acclaim.

Jennifer Lopez - There’s no denying it, when it comes to crossover success Jennifer Lopez is up there with the best of them. After making her name in film, J-Lo turned to music in 1999, with her debut album ‘On The 6’. It was her second album, ‘J. Lo’, however, that really caught people’s attention. Released in 2001, it went straight in at number one on the Billboard chart and featured such club giants as ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’ and ‘Play’.

Jamie Foxx - Although he?d released his debut album, 'Peep This', in 2001, it wasn't until his cameo appearance on Kanye West's mega-hit 'Slow Jamz' that Foxx's music career really took off. A pianist since the age of five, the Texas born actor released a second LP, 'Unpredictable', in December 2005.

Clint Eastwood - The King of the Spaghetti Western is also an avid fan of Country music having released several singles and albums. On ‘Barroom Buddies’ he performed a duet with the legendary Merle Haggard and he also released a live album, ‘Eastwood After Hours: Live At Carnegie Hall’.

Jack Black - As one half of Tenacious D, Jack Black has managed to combine a rising Hollywood career with an equally successful musical one. The band even became a film in 2006 to coincide with the release of their second album ‘Pick Of Destiny’.

Patrick Swayze - With a mildly-successful television career under his belt, Swayze melted girls' hearts across the globe with his depiction of romantic lead Johnny Castle in 1987's Dirty Dancing. Swayze himself sang 'She's Like The Wind' - a track he personally composed alongside Stacy Widelitz.

Alanis Morissette – Most think that the Canadian singer-songwriter started her life in music and then went on to make appearances in movies such as Dogma, but nope, this isn’t true. In fact, in 1986 (four years before she penned a record deal), Morissette made her first foray into acting by staring in the children’s TV show ‘You Can’t Do That On Television.’ She subsequently used the money earned from this to kick start her music career.

Corey Feldman – Star of such movie classics as Gremlins, The Goonies and Stand By Me, Feldman’s movie career has been fading ever since he voiced a turtle in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 2002 he released the aptly titled album ‘Former Child Actor’ which fizzled into obscurity almost immediately after its release.

Jennifer Love Hewitt - Hewitt actually released her debut album at the age of 12, but it only graced the ears of the Japanese. After starring in Party Of Five she signed to Atlantic Records and released her first album for the label ‘Let’s Go Bang’ in 1995.

Paris Hilton - We don’t actually know what Paris Hilton is famous for but she has been in a few movies and she has also released an absolutely terrible album. She also has her own label, Heiress Records, and has recently stated that her second record will be mostly dance influenced – we can’t wait.

Jared Leto - After rising to fame in the 1990s, firstly in the TV show My So-Called Life and later in the films Fight Club and Thin Red Line, Jared Leto’s move into music was incredibly natural. The actor is the lead vocalist in 30 Second to Mars. Not only does the band have two albums to their name and an incredibly loyal fanbase, but in 2007 they also opened for rock giants Linkin Park.

Bruce Willis - There’s no doubt about it, Bruce Willis and the phrase ‘music career’ just shouldn’t go together. Perhaps not surprisingly Willis’s career in music, if you can call it that, has never really taken off. Instead, as we think he probably realises deep down, it’s best that he sticks to blowing people up and shouting Yippee Kai Yay to on-the-run terrorists.

Juliette Lewis - She’s one of only a few people on our list that has genuinely formed the foundations of a proper career in music. Juliette Lewis and the Licks, as her band is known, have three albums to their name, including the most recent ‘Four To The Floor’, which was released in 2006. Like you would expect, Lewis is a proper rock goddess when it comes to music – especially in the live arena.

Keanu Reeves - The megastar is no stranger to the music world. The last time we saw him he was sucking on a cigarette whilst watching The Strokes perform in London in 2006. Bassist Reeves famously filled in for The Vandals during a New Years Eve party in New York sixteen years ago. However, we all remember him best for his bass playing in the god-awful Dogstar.

Russell Crowe - The Australian’s first foray into music came in the 80s under the pseudonym Rus Le Roq. Unsurprisingly that didn’t stick and Crowe went on to form 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts in 1992. Since then Crowe had released an album on iTunes and more recently performed with his new band The Ordinary Fear of God on Tonight with Jay Leno.

David Hasselhoff - To many of us David Hasselhoff is more affectionately known as the Hoff and that man who ran Baywatch. To others Hasselhoff is a celebrated musician. Indeed, when he's not drunkenly slurping hamburgers of his lounge carpet, The Hoff is often found bringing the Berlin Wall down - well OK, that happened in 1989. In all seriousness though, Hasselhoff is the man in Germany when it comes to music, with a plethora of successful albums to his name.

Minnie Driver - With films like Goldeneye and Good Will Hunting under her belt; deep down, however, Minnie Driver is a rock chic. After failing to get an earlier attempt in music of the ground, Driver released a top-50 charting album, ‘Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket’, in 2004 as part of a deal with EMI Records. Her second album ‘Sea Stories’, released in 2007, was good but didn’t really set the charts alight.

Hilary Duff - After shooting to fame in the TV show Lizzie Maguirewho also has the film titles Agent Cody Banks and A Cinderella Story to her name, released her first album Santa Claus Lane in 2002. You don't need us to tell you that the album comprised of Christmas covers. Duff's music career really got off the ground with her 2003 debut studio album 'Metamorphosis', which has so far sold in excess of 3.5million copies.

Nicole Kidman - The star was not known for her musical ability until she appeared in Moulin Rouge. Seemingly given a sudden confidence she released the number 27 charting ‘Come What May’ – a collaboration with Ewan McGregor - then came the Robbie bit. In 2001 the duo captured the coveted Christmas number one spot with their cover of ‘Something Stupid’, which featured on Williams’ ‘Sing When You’re Winning’ album.

Woody Allen - A passionate fan of jazz, Allen’s particular instrument of choice is the clarinet and even took his stage name from his musical hero Woody Herman. He often performs live with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and has a residency every Monday at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan with his New Orleans jazz band.

Dan Akroyd / John Belushi - Akroyd and Belushi created The Blues Brothers as sketch for Saturday Night Live, debuting the band on January, 1976. By 1978 the band became more than just a sketch and full tours and albums ensued before the famous Hollywood movies followed.

Billy Bob Thornton – The acclaimed actor took time off from Hollywood in the late 90s to concentrate on his music career and went on to release three albums (‘Private Radio’, ‘The Edge of the World’, ‘Hobo’) before 2005. He is also a member of the band Tes Hombre and is currently working on another record.

Kevin Bacon - When he's not trying to avoid burning on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere - he starred in Apollo 13 for anyone who thinks we're not taking this seriously - Kevin Bacon is found jamming in The Bacon Brothers alongside his brother, Michael. With three albums to their name since their formation at the turn of the century, the duo have performed just about everywhere from New York to Peru.

Jane Birkin - The star of numerous cult movies, Jane Birkin later forged a pretty successful music career. Her past collaborations and duets include Feist, Bryan Ferry and Beth Gibbons from Portishead. In addition to those she's also got some fantastic albums to her name, including the 1990 LP, 'Amours des Feintes', written by Serge Gainsbourg, her one-time husband who she performed the classic hit 'Je T'aime' with all those years earlier.

Telly Savalas – Best known for playing the title role in seventies TV show Kojak, Savalas’s distinguished career on the silver screen (where he predominately played bad guys) stretches way back to 1961. A household name, the late Savalas used his fame to help boost his singing career, the crowning achievement of which was when he topped the single charts in the UK in 1975 with his cover of the Bread track ‘If.’

Eartha Kitt – Actress, singer and inadvertently a cornerstone of cockney rhyming slang (for shit, in case you didn’t know), Kitt is very much a living legend. Her singing career goes back a massive 55 years, when she released her debut record ‘RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt.’ She made her first silver screen appearance in 1948 on the film Casbah.

Traci Lords – The former pornstar moved into music when she retired from the adult film industry at the impossibly young age of 18 in 1987 (she started four years earlier aged 15, having faked ID). As well as carving out a successful career on the big screen, Lords used her retirement to focus on her music. Her first musical appearance was on the Manic Street Preachers track ‘Little Baby Nothing’ in 1992, before she forged a solo career which included her only full-length album, 1995’s 1000 Fires.

Milla Jovovich – Best known for her acting roles in such movies as Resident Evil and The Fifth Element, the multi talented Jovovich is also a model, fashion designer and musician. She released her only (proper) solo record in 1994 under her own name called ‘The Divine Comedy’ – a release which saw her tour with the likes of Crash Test Dummies. Since then, she formed a band called Plastic Has Memory, appeared on the soundtracks to numerous films and has even worked with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan.

John Travolta – Following his appearance in the Bee Gees soundtracked ‘Saturday Night Fever’, the then 24-year-old Travolta got another big break in the shape of Grease. Playing Danny Zuko, Travolta sung a number of the movie’s famous songs including ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Greased Lightnin’, ‘You’re The One That I Want’ and ‘Sandy.’

Mr T - Having been propelled into the limelight thanks to his debut movie role as James 'Clubber' Long in Rocky III, T was soon after offered the part as B. A. Baracus in The A-Team. A global superstar thanks to these roles, T used the platform to release a rap album in 1984 for children called 'Mr T's Commandments', on which he told kids how to stay out of trouble. Another album 'Be Somebody, Or Be Somebody's Fool' followed later that year.

Burt Reynolds – With over 90 movies and 300 television appearances to his name, you wouldn’t normally associate 72-year-old Burt Reynolds with music. Yet, the legend does have a few skeletons in his closet – specifically the truly atrocious track ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ from the 1975 flick Lucky Lady. Definitely a song to forget about.

Don Johnson - While not as successful or iconic as his role in Miami Vice, Don Johnson’s music career isn’t to be sniffed at either. His two albums from the 80s, plus his work with the Allman Brothers have spawned several hit songs including the single ‘Heartbeat’ which reached Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gwyneth Paltrow - Ol' Gwynnie may look as innocent as apple pie but that doesn't stop her getting a bit gangsta now and then. Back in ?06 the actress joined Jay-Z on stage at the Royal Albert Hall and performed the chorus of the track 'Song Cry' from the rapper's classic album 'The Blueprint'. In 2000, on the soundtrack to the movie Duets, Paltrow contributed three songs, dueting with Huey Lewis and Babyface along the way.

Michelle Pfeiffer - After appearing in a string of commercial flops, Pfeiffer was thrust into the limelight when she secured a starring role in Grease 2 in 1982. As Pink Ladies leader Stephanie Zinone, Pfeiffer sung such numbers as 'Cool Rider', 'Love Will Turn Back The Hands Of Time' and 'We'll be Together.' Her singing credentials surfaced once again in 1989 when she played singer Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Judy Garland – Having signed a motion picture contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935, Garland’s vocal talents were noticed three years later when she sung ‘You Made Me Love You’ to Clark Gable at a birthday party for the actor. Following this, she was handpicked by MGM to appear in a string of musicals including 1939’s The Wizard Of Oz featuring her signature song ‘Over The Rainbow.’ A successful music career naturally followed.

Eddie Murphy - Starting off as a back up singer for the Bus Boys, Murphy first went solo in the 70s mid-80s before finally hitting the big time musically with the songs ‘Party All The Time’ and Put Your Mouth On Me’. He’s released three studio albums and eight singles.

Jeff Bridges - More known for his roles The Big Lebowski, The Fisher King and Tron, Bridges released his one and only album ‘Be Here Soon’ in 2000. However, it wasn’t the first time he had ventured into the world of music and once contributed a song to the soundtrack to the movie ‘John and Mary.’

Heather Graham - Austin Powers, Scream 2, Scrubs…you name a comedy/spoof film or TV series and Heather Graham has probably starred in it. Graham’s stumble into music is a bit bizarre. It came in the form of a song called ‘The Hanging Tree’ – a menacing ballad from a film called Ballad. Is it any good or should she just stick to acting? Well, she hasn’t released much lately so maybe that says something.

Kate Winslet - The star didn’t give up hopes of a music career when Leonardo Dicaprio failed to hold on to the driftwood in Titanic. Oh no. He debut single, ‘What If’, which featured on the soundtrack to the film A Christmas Carol, went straight in at number six on the UK singles charts and the Irish liked it so much it was a chart topper. Since then she has sung a duet with Weird Al Yankovic and sung in the 2006 film Romance and Cigarettes.

Ron Jeremy - Massive in the world of adult films in more ways than one, rather bizarrely though Jeremy is also quite a hit in music as well – particularly promo videos. To date he’s starred in videos for Kid Rock (hardly a surprise there), Guns N’ Roses and Mercury Rev. In addition to that, he’s also released a rap single, ‘Freak Of The Week’, which spent a whopping great big 27 weeks on the Billboard chart. We told you he was a big star.

Will Oldham – He began his acting career at the tender age of 17 but has been associated with the ethos of punk for almost as long. It all started with his debut album ‘There Is No-One That Will Take Care Of You’ in 1993. Since then he’s released 13 albums under different guises, most recently as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

Keira Knightley - One of Britain's most talented and beautiful actresses has never had a particularly blossoming relationship with the world's media. As a result, her revelation in 2007 that she was to release an album was met with a fair bit of distain. Although she admitted to not being particularly good at singing, she described her voice as "not disagreeable". That all serves up for quite an interesting sound, we think you'll agree.

Leonard Nimoy - The Star Trek legend released a series of popular albums that often referenced the TV show and film series that made him famous. He also directed the video for The Bangles’ 1995 hit, ‘Going Down To Liverpool’, in which he made a short cameo.

Marilyn Monroe – One of the most iconic figures ever to grace the silver screen, Norma Jeanne Mortenson was also an accomplished singer - in fact, many believe that she was hideously underrated in the singing capacity. Add to all this her sultry good looks, modelling and film executive work and you’ve got an all-round cultural icon unlikely to ever be surpassed.

William Shatner - William 'Captain Kirk' Shatner began his music career with the spoken word album 'The Transformed Man', which was released in 1968. The Canadian, who famously played Kirk in Star Trek, has taken numerous bows in music in between steering the Starship Enterprise. However, the actual follow-up to his debut didn't appear till 2004. 'Hasbeen' scored well in the charts, making it to number 22 on the Billboard countdown.

Robert Downey Jr. - He’s probably taken more drugs than Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty put together, so Robert Downey Jr would probably make a great rock star. In 2005 he released his only album, ‘The Futurist’, which included eight self penned tracks and covers of two Charlie Chaplin songs.