25 Pop Music Stars Who Played Dramatic Roles in Movies

In this 1983 Japanese-British war film, Bowie plays a prisoner held in a Japanese POW camp during World War II. Bowie’s character becomes the object of a romantic obsession by the commander of the camp.

In the film that won John Wayne his only Academy Award, singer Campbell’s portrayal of a Texas Ranger was most notable for the lack of acting skill it demonstrated. With little experience as an actor, Campbell was out of his depth in a cast that included Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and Strother Martin. He did have a hit single with the movie’s theme song, though.

Cher won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Loretta Castorini, a widowed Italian-American woman who falls in love with her fiancé’s estranged, hot-tempered younger brother, played by Nicolas Cage. Cher also won a Golden Globe for the role.

This 1998 drama features Connick as Justin Matisse, who strikes up a romance with Birdee Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) after she is embarrassed when her husband’s infidelity is revealed on a national TV talk show.

In this 1958 romantic comedy, Day plays Erica Stone, a college journalism instructor teaching a night class. Thanks to a series of miscues, a newspaper city editor played by Clark Gable enrolls in her class under a fake name. The city editor, who didn’t go to high school, believes that the only place to learn how to be a reporter is in a newsroom. Day, who began her career performing on radio and with big bands, sings the movie’s theme song over the opening credits.

This 1971 Mike Nichols film brought Garfunkel a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Sandy. The comedy-drama depicts the lives of two Amherst College roommates over a 25-year period. Jack Nicholson plays Sandy’s roommate, Jonathan.

In John Waters’ 1988 cult classic, Harry plays Velma Von Tussle, the mother of Tracy Turnblad’s rival. The film was remade into a Broadway musical in 2002, and the musical was made into a 2007 movie with Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of Velma.

Jagger stars in this 1970 feature about the 19th-century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. “Mick Jagger, the rock singer, with a beard that makes him appear more Amish than Australian, is, sadly, simply a dour renegade who rarely becomes the ‘wild colonial boy’ of the legend,” the New York Times said in its review.

In this 1985 James Bond movie, Jones makes an impression as the hit woman May Day. “Miss Jones doesn’t do much with her dialogue,” the New York Times wrote, “but her startling visual presence is one of the film’s bigger assets.”

In this 1974 comedy drama directed by Martin Scorsese, Kristofferson plays David, an Arizona rancher who offers kindness to Alice (Ellen Burstyn), a single mother who has struggled after the death of her husband and an affair with a married younger man. Kristofferson doesn’t sing in the movie but Burstyn’s character is trying to pursue a singing career.

A 1998 crime comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh showcases Lopez as Karen Sisco, a U.S. marshal who is kidnapped by Jack Foley (George Clooney) when he breaks out of prison. A romance between Sisco and Foley muddies the waters as she endeavors to arrest him.

In this 1992 satire, country singer Lovett plays Detective Paul DeLongpre, who investigates the killing of a Hollywood scriptwriter. The culprit is a studio executive who had received death threats after rejecting the writer’s scripts.

Warren Beatty directed this 1990 movie, in which Madonna plays a baseball player. The New York Times called it “her best role since she made her debut in Susan Seidelman’s ‘Desperately Seeking Susan.'”

In this 1958 drama directed by Vincente Minnelli, Martin plays Bama Dillert, a gambler with a penchant for alcohol who befriends Dave Hirsh (Frank Sinatra), an Army veteran returning home after World War II. They run into trouble thanks to the ex-girlfriend of a gangster. The New York Times review said, “Engaging, too, is Dean Martin (you’re no more surprised than were we!) as a genial professional poker-player who adopts the hero as a pal.”

In this 1986 black comedy, Midler is Barbara Stone, the wife of a villainous wealthy businessman played by Danny DeVito. Barbara, played to campy excess by Midler, is abducted. But when the kidnappers demand a ransom, they run into a problem: Her husband had already planned to have her killed.

This 1989 comedy drama features Parton as Truvy Jones, the owner of a beauty salon in northwestern Louisiana whose philosophy is “there is no such thing as natural beauty.” The salon is the focal point of the story as the women of the town meet up and forge friendships there. Parton shares the screen with an impressive female cast including Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Darryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts.

In this 1969 Western, Elvis Presley stars as Jess Wade, who is blamed by his former gang for stealing a gold-plated victory cannon from Mexico. This is the only Elvis movie in which the rock star does not sing on screen. But he does sing the theme song that plays over the opening credits. The film is considered to be one of his better acting efforts.

In what is widely considered to be Woody Allen’s best movie, Simon has a supporting role as music producer Tony Lacey, who woos the title character away from Alvy Singer (Allen).

Frank Sinatra stars in this 1962 political thriller based on Richard Condon’s 1959 novel. Sinatra plays Major Bennett Marco, who uncovers a sinister plot in which a POW in the Korean War was brainwashed to become an assassin.

Loosely based on the “Men in Black” comic book series, this film had the third-highest box office receipts of 1997. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play agents for a secret organization that monitors extraterrestrial beings who live in hiding on earth. It spawned three sequels, two of which also starred Smith and Jones.

Streisand, who won an Academy Award for the musical “Funny Girl,” sings only the theme song in this 1973 romantic drama about Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), two vastly different people who are strongly attracted to each other.

In his first dramatic role, Styles, who rose to stardom with the boy band One Direction, plays a World War II soldier named Alex. Director Christopher Nolan said that he had not been familiar with One Direction but that Styles had won the role based on his acting skill.

In this biographical drama about Mark Zuckerberg and the early days of Facebook, Justin Timberlake plays Napster co-founder Sean Parker, who became Facebook’s first president. Director David Fincher told the New York Times that he almost didn’t cast Timberlake, who turned his fame from the boy band ‘N Sync into a successful solo career, because “everyone thought he was too famous.”

Singer-songwriter Tom Waits plays a disc jockey named Zack who winds up in a New Orleans jail after being framed in this 1986 film. There he meets up with Jack, who was also set up, and Bob, who is in jail for accidental manslaughter. The unusual threesome escape and wind up on the run in a swamp.

A 1996 drama written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton features country singer Yoakam as Doyle Hargraves, a violent alcoholic whose girlfriend rents her garage to Karl Childers (Thornton), who has spent much of his life in a state psychiatric hospital. Hargraves and Childers come to blows over Hargraves’ abusive treatment of his girlfriend.