Musicians/Actors (besides Bowie) Who're Actually Pretty Good

It's easy to scoff at musical artists who try to make it big in the film industry, and sometimes it can prove to be a complete flop. Occasionally, and not all that rarely though, a popular singer/artist/musician can prove themselves fairly adept at the art of acting...I've left off Bowie because I've dedicated a whole article to the legend's screen presence, but here it is if you've missed it, https://actorvsactor.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/david-bowies-screen-presence.html

Ice Cube

O'Shea Jackson Sr., better known as the eponymous Ice Cube, has always been a larger than life sort of personality, well-renowned for somehow making everything he say somewhat intimidating. This talent is played to brilliant effect in the likes of Boyz N the Hood, where he plays Dougboy, a tough street thug with a secret sensitive and insecure side. He's great at being the abrasive and violently unpredictable criminal, but also very impressive at showing the more tender side to the man, and his final monologue is downright brilliant. Then in the 21 Jump Street films he's hilarious by using his intensity to marvellous deadpan effect as Captain Dickson, I particularly love his dynamic with Jonah Hill's Schmidt as the former is so aggresive and the latter so hapless in their interactions.

Björk

Basing this purely off Dancer in the Dark, Björk is not only a breathtakingly unique singer, but also an extremely compelling dramatic actor. She carries this rather depressing musical (directed by Lars von Trier, who else?) on her shoulders beautifully, disappearing effortlessly into the role of a single mother beset by an onset of blindness, and yet still trying to always see the beautiful side of things. She's endearing, heartfelt, complex and makes her character one you root for to succeed, and one to weep for her tragic fate.

Tom Waits

More often than not he gets fairly miniscule roles, but even with these in the likes of Ironweed as the local drunk, or Dracula as a particularly repulsive Renfield, he's rather compelling in, like Bowie, his one-of-a-kind performance style. When he gets something a bit meatier like the role of the Devil in The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus or best of all, his equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking turn as Zacharia, a serial killer who went round the country killing people who went round the country killing people (I'll never stop loving that line of dialogue) in Seven Psychopaths,

Ludacris

He's perfectly fine in the Fast and Furious films, in being just a naturally charming part of the ensemble of antiheroes you root for. As Anthony in Crash, he showed a different side to his abilities; despite an awful script and atrocious, heavyhanded direction in a film that's all about 'RACISM', but does very little in terms of making its point, he makes his race card playing and ultimately redeemed street crook Anthony's storyline actually resonate emotionally, and is rather funny to watch despite the often terrible dialogue he has to work with.

Cher

Haven't seen Silkwood yet, but on the basis of most of her 80s output, Cher's a particularly engaging onscreen performer who can excel in both showboating turns in the likes of Moonstruck as a quirky Sicilian-American widow looking for love and excitement (which she finds in the form of none other than ol' Nic Cage), and the understated turn as a druggie biker-cum-loving mother in Mask where she generates beautiful warmth in the connection between her and her onscreen son Eric Stoltz, the fierce passion she has in defending her son and the complex selfishness of her drug addiction making her Rusty a truly great character.

Dwight Yoakam

Actually haven't seen all that much of him, but he's a fantasic ball of sleaze in Panic Room and especially Sling Blade where he shows countless other failed attempts, how to play the alcoholic deadbeat asshole abusive boyfriend chillingly and effectively. It contrasts very well with how he usually comes across as just a pretty chilled and relaxed guy.

Eminem

Only seen him in 8 Mile and Funny People. He plays himself in both films essentially, but that's actually harder than it sounds. He's really interesting to watch in 8 Mile as the rapper with a chip on his shoulder, and is never dull to watch despite the somewhat repetitive nature of his character. Then in Funny People he elicited pretty much the only laugh I got all the film with his putdown of Ray Romano from Everybody Loves Raymond.

Tupac

It's a shame we didn't get to see more from him, as his turn as a heroin addict trying to rehabilitate himself and failing in Gridlock'd is a very promising and naturalistic piece of work where he shares some great chemistry with Tim Roth and more than proves himself as a screen presence.

Bing Crosby

Confession: I don't mind his Oscar win, at all. At worst he's a good singer and a charming presence as the sweet young Father O'Malley. At his best, in the likes of The Country Girl he proved he could certainly be a compelling dramatic actor in the right sort of film, with his rather unsettling performance as a washed up musician.

Dean Martin

Fabulous at playing the drunkard, it has to be said, but also a very interesting emotional presence. In Rio Bravo he actually steals the show away from John Wayne, AND Walter Brennan, as the pitiful alcoholic sherrif's deputy who gradually finds in himself the strength to become a better man.

Courtney Love

The People vs Larry Flynt is actually not a very good film about porn mogul Larry Flynt, and I find the best part of the film is easily the controversial Courtney Love as Flynt's AIDS-infected, drug-addicted girlfriend who provides both the happiest and saddest moments of his life. The role reeks of Oscar bait but Love never lowers herself down to that, and instead delivers a knockout turn that's so hard to watch because it's so good.

Frank Sinatra

He's bad, bad, bad in From Here to Eternity, but in everywhere else, especially Von Ryan's Express I dins ol' Frank a fairly compelling presence as the smarmy, quick-talking sort, and as he showed in The Manchurian Candidate he's not half bad at playing the darker and more brooding type either.

Burl Ives

One of the best musicians-turned-actors, period. He even won the Oscar for The Big Country where he's great as a domineering father figure, but even more so in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof where he takes on an iconic role as a dying family patriach and is so goddamn moving. Then in something like Our Man in Havana he's effortlessly hilarious and heartfelt without ever feeling the need to steal the spotlight. One of the best examples of a musician-turned-actor because there's not a hint of ego in his acting style, and yet despite being so selfless he always manages to steal the show,

Mariah Carey

She's apparently terrible in general onscreen, and her music isn't really my sort, and I've gotten the vibe from some interviews that she's a bit egotistic. But I may be completely wrong since her performance in Precious as the supportive school counselor, is the ultimate example of underplaying a role generously to allow co-stars to thrive, while also making her presence felt.

Jared Leto

Ignoring Suicide Squad completely, because besides that I really like him in general. In particular, in Dallas Buyers Club he disappears into the role of Rayon, an effective heart and soul that permeates Ron Woodruf's (Matthew McConaughey) rough exterior, and in Requiem for a Dream he's pretty good at just being a well-intentioned guy whose descent into decadence through drugs is quite poignantly felt.