Musicians Who Hit It Big at the Movies
AMC Movie List

Musicians Who Hit It Big at the Movies

Do over! Which performer did the best job of reinventing himself for the screen?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Will Smith
Smith went from clownish rapper to two-time Oscar nominee, thanks to director Fred Schepisi, who cast him in Six Degrees of Separation. 59 103
2 Mark Wahlberg
The Funky Bunch front man left the Good Vibrations behind the second he stepped on camera in P.T. Anderson's Boogie Nights. 58 92
3 Bette Midler
Midler already had a successful career on Broadway, but it was her role 1979's The Rose that skyrocketed her to fame. 22 82
4 Queen Latifah
The sometime rapper hit the mainstream running with her role in the hit musical movie Chicago, and hasn't looked back since. 13 79
5 Dolly Parton
Her country-music star may have already been on the rise, but this buxom singer hit the mainstream hard with her starring turn in 9 to 5. 8 68
6 Kris Kristofferson
While the country singer wasn't universally loathed, his career really took off when he made his acting debut in John Sayles' Lone Star. 5 65
7 Jennifer Lopez
This former Fly Girl paved the way for a string of high-profile roles by channeling Mexican-American star Selena to uncanny perfection. -3 85
8 Mos Def
The thinking-man's rapper didn't have a fully-functioning acting career until he grabbed the spotlight in the 2002 romance, Brown Sugar. -6 66
9 Whitney Houston
She went from topping the pop music charts to snuggling with Kevin Costner in the box office hit The Bodyguard. -6 74
10 Diana Ross
Newly split from the Supremes, Ross' portrayal of troubled jazz singer Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues was a star-making turn. -10 66
11 Mandy Moore
Her A Walk to Remember wasn't great cinema, but Moore's turn was strong enough to make her struggling pop career fade from memory. -12 70