Actors You Don’t Know Are Also Musicians

Robert Downey Jr., better known as Iron Man from the Avengers franchise, released his debut studio album “The Futurist,” which contained eight pop ballads and two cover songs, in 2004. Back then he told The New York Times, “Clearly, I have some hesitation in being an actor who puts out an album. But after years of writing songs, it gradually became more real.”

Russell Crowe started out as a rock singer before he became a Hollywood icon. In the 1980s, in his native New Zealand, he performed under the name Russ le Roq. In his teenage years, he released a single called “I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando.” In 1992, he formed a band called 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, releasing three albums, the latest of which came out in 2003. After 2005, when the band split, Crow has released two solo albums.

Ryan Gosling started out in The Mickey Mouse Club along with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake. He also starred in the hit musical “La La Land.” In 2009, he and his friend Zach Shields, with whom he formed the rock duo Dead Man’s Bones, released an album with the same name. The two also played all the instruments on the album.

These days, Scarlett Johansson is better known as the Black Widow, one of the Avengers in the hugely popular Marvel superheroes franchise. But she also sings. Johansson released her debut album “Anywhere I Lay My Head” in 2008. The album featured Tom Waits songs and one original track. Since 2015, Johansson has been part of a pop band called The Singles.

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, known for his people impressions and voice imitations, has been nominated for five Grammys, most recently in 2017 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. All in all, MacFarlane has released six albums between 2011 and 2020. His 2014 Christmas album “Holiday for Swing” peaked at 51 on the Billboard 200.