Music and movies have gone together almost since the day motion pictures were invented. Early movie theaters sometimes had orchestra pits, where live musicians provided themes keyed to scenes in silent films, and many more of movie palaces had pipe organs, whose commanding tones matched the actions and emotions depicted on-screen. The first sound films had no dialogue, but added synchronized pre-recorded musical tracks to the cinematic goings-on.
When dialogue entered the picture, as it were, actors who could sing and singers who could act won roles in movie musicals, from the Busby Berkeley extravaganzas of the late 1920s through the landmark productions of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s (“The Wizard of Oz,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The King and I,” and scores of others), right up through the Disney animated entries of the ‘90s and beyond, and such recent story-centered songfests as the remakes of “A Star is Born” (2018) and “West Side Story” (2021).
Appearances in music-based films aside, a number of performers who are best known for their musical talents have appeared in dramatic or comedic roles over the decades. Some have played enough parts, without singing necessarily involved, to almost qualify as full-time actors in addition to their musical careers — for instance, Kris Kristofferson, Cher, David Bowie (who had roles in more than 20 films), Jennifer Lopez, Elvis Presley (who starred in 31 features, though he did do a lot of singing in them), and Frank Sinatra (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1953’s “From Here to Eternity”).
There have also been many singers cast in just one dramatic role or at most a handful, like Linda Ronstadt, Lady Gaga, and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. And at least one musical celebrity made a full-time transition to the thespian arts — Mark Wahlberg, who first gained fame as 1990s hip hop star Marky Mark before dedicating himself to acting in movies like “Boogie Nights” (1997), “The Perfect Storm” (2000), “The Fighter” (2010), and “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017). And speaking of actors, Bruce Willis is among those known almost entirely for their acting careers who nonetheless had three musical hits — versions of classic R&B songs, recorded in 1987. (Willis has never been nominated for an Academy Award. Here’s a list of the most nominated actors who have not won an Oscar.)
To determine the best movies starring real-life musicians, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies in which a musician with at least one song on the Billboard Hot 100 received top-three billing were considered, and documentaries were excluded. Cast information is from IMDb.
Scroll down to see a ranking of the best movies starring real-life musicians.
While some of the films on this list do feature the starring musicians actually doing their day jobs (singing), these are not movie musicals per se — they’re comedies or dramas that allow noted personalities to face new creative challenges and perhaps to underline the similarities between two different genres of performance.
50. Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Source: Courtesy of Cinecom Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Cinecom Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (4,407 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (2,579 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (5 reviews)
- Musician(s): Cher
49. Palmer (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+
Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (29,002 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (805 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (107 reviews)
- Musician(s): Justin Timberlake
48. Labyrinth (1986)
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (129,400 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (373,425 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (49 reviews)
- Musician(s): David Bowie
47. Porgy and Bess (1959)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (1,644 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (1,066 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (7 reviews)
- Musician(s): Sammy Davis Jr.
46. The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (3,383 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (8,477 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (16 reviews)
- Musician(s): Linda Ronstadt
45. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (3,787 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (3,612 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (10 reviews)
- Musician(s): Barbra Streisand
44. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (19,137 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (6,576 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (26 reviews)
- Musician(s): David Bowie
43. Out of Sight (1998)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (89,365 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (59,867 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (91 reviews)
- Musician(s): Jennifer Lopez
42. Soul Food (1997)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (7,692 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (20,824 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (42 reviews)
- Musician(s): Vanessa Williams
41. Hustle & Flow (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Classics
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Classics
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (39,694 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (120,198 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (163 reviews)
- Musician(s): Ludacris
40. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (15,952 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (6,012 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (22 reviews)
- Musician(s): Ann-Margret
39. Begin Again (2013)
Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
N/A
Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (149,194 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (40,090 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (169 reviews)
- Musician(s): Adam Levine
38. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (10,689 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (4,118 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (58 reviews)
- Musician(s): Frank Sinatra
37. Hairspray (2007)
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (123,893 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (763,557 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (221 reviews)
- Musician(s): Queen Latifah
36. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (96,412 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (44,485 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (56 reviews)
- Musician(s): Courtney Love
35. Three Kings (1999)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (165,898 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (186,185 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (129 reviews)
- Musician(s): Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube
34. Clouds (2020)
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (10,595 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (250 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (25 reviews)
- Musician(s): Sabrina Carpenter
33. Juice (1992)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (25,540 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (48,700 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (26 reviews)
- Musician(s): Tupac Shakur
32. White Christmas (1954)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (36,513 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (50,190 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (43 reviews)
- Musician(s): Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney
31. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (18,848 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (7,669 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (21 reviews)
- Musician(s): Kris Kristofferson
30. Friday (1995)
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (105,351 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (265,739 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (27 reviews)
- Musician(s): Ice Cube
29. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (189,822 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (450,619 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (131 reviews)
- Musician(s): Eartha Kitt
28. Von Ryan’s Express (1965)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (13,368 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (5,861 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (20 reviews)
- Musician(s): Frank Sinatra
27. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (22,621 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (9,864 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (33 reviews)
- Musician(s): Kris Kristofferson
26. Men in Black (1997)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (535,658 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (1,049,562 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (89 reviews)
- Musician(s): Will Smith
25. Hairspray (1988)
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (20,835 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (64,169 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (42 reviews)
- Musician(s): Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown
24. Help! (1965)
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (20,584 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (28,127 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (27 reviews)
- Musician(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
23. Moonstruck (1987)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (55,331 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (44,875 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (65 reviews)
- Musician(s): Cher
22. A Star Is Born (2018)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (355,833 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (20,903 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (527 reviews)
- Musician(s): Lady Gaga
21. Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (11,972 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (6,009 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (40 reviews)
- Musician(s): James Taylor
20. Nobody’s Fool (1994)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (19,566 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (8,547 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (55 reviews)
- Musician(s): Bruce Willis
19. True Grit (1969)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (45,503 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (26,192 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
- Musician(s): Glen Campbell
18. Mask (1985)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (30,063 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (44,020 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (28 reviews)
- Musician(s): Cher
17. Thief (1981)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (28,472 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (7,277 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (31 reviews)
- Musician(s): Willie Nelson
16. On the Town (1949)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (16,831 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (13,178 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (29 reviews)
- Musician(s): Frank Sinatra
15. King Creole (1958)
Source: Keystone / Getty Images
Source: Keystone / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (4,979 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (7,177 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (23 reviews)
- Musician(s): Elvis Presley
14. Funny Girl (1968)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (21,324 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (19,909 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
- Musician(s): Barbra Streisand
13. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (16,707 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (10,170 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (13 reviews)
- Musician(s): Dean Martin
12. Big Night (1996)
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (18,990 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (8,199 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews)
- Musician(s): Marc Anthony
11. Yellow Submarine (1968)
Source: Keystone Features / Getty Images
Source: Keystone Features / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (25,318 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (47,825 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (60 reviews)
- Musician(s): Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
10. What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (22,317 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (10,080 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (44 reviews)
- Musician(s): Barbra Streisand
9. Down by Law (1986)
Source: Courtesy of Island Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Island Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,905 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,383 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (31 reviews)
- Musician(s): Tom Waits
8. Holiday Inn (1942)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (14,023 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,884 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
- Musician(s): Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire
7. The Social Network (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (708,395 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (204,423 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (329 reviews)
- Musician(s): Justin Timberlake
6. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (46,890 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (50,513 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (113 reviews)
- Musician(s): The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney
5. Boogie Nights (1997)
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
N/A
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (268,611 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (189,642 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (73 reviews)
- Musician(s): Mark Wahlberg
4. Fight Club (1999)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,940,882 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (1,093,796 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (179 reviews)
- Musician(s): Meat Loaf
3. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (73,496 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (31,403 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (60 reviews)
- Musician(s): Frank Sinatra
2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (47,356 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (4,853 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (37 reviews)
- Musician(s): Burl Ives
1. Rio Bravo (1959)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (59,080 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (23,955 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (42 reviews)
- Musician(s): Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson