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RSSThe MegaList of Actors Who Tried to Sing
Yesterday’s post spawned a discussion about actors who tried to make of a go of it in the music business. It was noted that Chuck Norris actually sang the theme to Walker, Texas Ranger, and I know I used to have the Paradise Alley Soundtrack, which featured an impossibly awful Sly Stallone on vocals, but I have to say that I drew a major blank on the topic and didn’t make much of a contribution.
When I got home, I started compiling a small list to post, and whole bunch googling later it’s three fucking AM. The list has grown from Gadzuki to Godzilla, and I’m dangerously close to comatose. As you peruse, if you find that you can’t remember where an actor might be from, mouse over their album to get a tool tip containing at least one show that they were in. If you find that you need even more info, most of the albums link to Amazon.
If you see me being walked out of the building tomorrow for sleeping at my desk, at least you’ll have this MegaList to remember me by. And to the poor bastard who might have to take over my job: again, I say, sorry I’m such a spaz.
Enjoy.
(If you think of any more than this, add them into the comments.)
Christina Aguilera
Danny Aiello
Dan Aykroyd
Tatyana Ali
Kevin Bacon
Scott Baio
John Belushi
Crystal Bernard
Danny Bonaduce
Pat Boone
Jeff Bridges
Chris Burke
Tisha Campbell
Tia Carrere
Lynda Carter
David Cassidy
Shaun Cassidy
David Charvet
Dominic Chianese
Robert Clary
Stephen Collins
Russel Crowe
Tony Danza
Zooey Deschanel
Robert Downey Jr.
Minnie Driver
Hilary Duff
Patty Duke
Clint Eastwood
Buddy Ebsen
Barbara Eden
Corey Feldman
Samantha Fox
Jamie Foxx
Annette Funicello
Peter Gallagher
Leif Garrett
Crispin Glover
Lorne Greene
Joel Grey
Andy Griffith
Richard Harris
David Hasselhoff
Larry Hovis
Natalie Imbruglia
Janet Jackson
Don Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson
Shirley Jones
Milla Jovovich
Ted Knight
Vicki Lawrence
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Nicole Kidman
Eartha Kitt
Joey Lawrence
Jared Leto
Juliette Lewis
Lyndsay Lohan
Jennifer Lopez
Traci Lords
Tina Louise
Jayne Mansfield
Martika
Maureen McCormick
Kristy McNichol
Eddie Mekka
Alyssa Milano
Kylie Minogue
Robert Mitchum
Marilyn Monroe
Dudley Moore
Alanis Morissette
Donny Most
Megan Mullally
Billy Mummy
Eddie Murphy
Jim Nabors
Nichelle Nichols
Brigitte Nielsen
Leonard Nimoy
The Olsen Twins
Jack Palance
Gwyneth Paltrow
Mandy Patinkin
Joe Pesci
Tony Randall
Raven
Jerry Reed
Keanu Reeves
Burt Reynolds
Esther Rolle
Tim Russ
Telly Savalas
John Schneider
Steven Segal
William Shatner
Cybill Shepherd
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jada Pinkett Smith
David Soul
Brittney Spears
Brent Spiner
Rick Springfield
Frank Stallone
Cree Summer
Patrick Swayze
Mr. T.
John Tesh
Philip Michael Thomas
Billy Bob Thornton
Justin Timberlake
John Travolta
Jack Wagner
Jack Webb
Lisa Whelchel
Johnny Whitaker
Bruce Willis
Anson Williams
Barry Williams
Tom Wopat
Kari Wuhrer
Kathleen York
Tina Yothers
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:36 am
A couple for ya:
- Marilyn Munroe
- Kevin Bacon (part of the Bacon Brothers act)
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:39 am
Addendum 1:
- Corey Feldman
- Adam Sandler
Addendum 2: Now I see why you were up till 3AM. This can get easily obsessive.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:45 am
Incredible list!!
You forgot Lisa Whelchel, aka Blair Warner from Facts of Life.
http://fablf.keepoffmedia.com/ (its like halfway down)
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:02 am
Russell Crowe (gack!), Shawn Cassidy (or was he singer turned actor?), Florence Henderson, Tom Wopat….
March 3rd, 2006 at 11:40 am
You have gomer but you don’t have andy! Andy Griffith.
March 4th, 2006 at 4:03 am
first off, tatyana ali was on the “fresh prince of bel air”, not the “cosby show”. raven simone from cosby had an album. do kids from the mickey mouse club count? because then you have britney spears, justin timberlake, annette funicello, martika. don’t forget kathy lee gifford and juliette lewis, queen latifa. shit, i’m going to be up til 3am trying to help you out. i love these kind of challenges. jack black. crap…they keep coming. mark wahlberg. donny wahlberg. ice-t. ok, need to sleep, but i’m sure i’ll have more tomorrow.
March 4th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Thanks, everyone! I added your suggestions and another 20 or so, putting the list at 85. I have a few more stashed, but I just can’t track down the covers right now. Plus, this is just out of control.
Will Smith was removed, because he was a rapper before he was an actor.
March 6th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
That list is just downright scary…scary, I say!
March 6th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
The megalist of actors who tried to sing!…
Actors should act; singers should sing. Jamie Foxx proves the two shouldn’t mix….
March 7th, 2006 at 8:26 am
I am hereforth doing everything I possibly can to get my hands on the Steven Segal album. I mean I will pay TOP DOLLAR…
March 8th, 2006 at 6:23 am
You’re going to have to because it’s $22 USD on Amazon. Plus shipping. That’s one expensive joke…
March 8th, 2006 at 9:42 am
1. Holy crap, what a list!(Yes! Another person more obsessive than me)
2. Minnie Driver ??!?
3. I think Briggitte Bardot did an album. And Catherine Deneuve. And Kari Wuhrer! (But can you really call her an actress?)
4. I can sing the whole Godzilla/Godzuki theme song. Envy me.
March 9th, 2006 at 3:02 am
Damn.
Just… daaaaamn. What an exhaustive list! I bow before thee, o king of the list.
Excellent job.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:50 am
Kris Kirstofferson is both a movie ’star’ and a recording ‘artist’. I’m not sure he is good at either, but he makes a living…
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/44632/002-5210589-9815219
Be prepared for bandwidth when this list hits the popular sites… Good Job!
March 10th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
what about j-lo? (yes, i’ve been around the block)…
melrose place’s jack wagner…
March 10th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Thanks gain, everyone! J-Lo was added, Jack Wagner was already there, and Kris K was a singer before he was an actor, so was is ineligible.
My previously unwritten guidelines that determine eligibility for inclusion seem to be:
1. The singer must must have a credited role before the year of his or her first album’s release. This eliminates singers turned into actors like Will Smith and all around entertainers like Dean Martin.
2. An actor’s credited roles cannot primarily consist of “singer,” “as himself,” or “as herself.”
3. Cast, Broadway, and comedy albums are excluded (Sorry Laverne & Shirley, Jack Black, and Adam Sandler).
4. The actor must have at least one full album to their credit. Releasing a single is excusable dabbling.
5. The crappier the album, the better.
March 14th, 2006 at 9:26 am
I think i have that traci lords movie….eer cd. and i wouldn’t accually call her an actor. How bout J.black. tenacious d beotch
May 3rd, 2006 at 5:43 am
Surely Keanu Reeves doesn’t count as he’s the BASSIST in Dogstar!
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:02 am
Oh… and by the way… what about Scott Bakula?
He sang on the Quantum Leap album.
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:03 am
You’re totally right, but my interpretation is pretty loose, and I think his inclusion has comedic value.
May 3rd, 2006 at 7:15 am
[...] Kylie Minogue, Scott Bakula, Kate Winslet, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, David Cassidy, Minnie Driver, Russell Crowe, Hilary Duff, Minnie Driver, David Hasselhoff, Natalie Imbruglia, David Soul, Patrick Swayze, John Travolta, Jack Black, Mr. T, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Belushi, Robert Downey Jr., Tony Danza, Tia Carrere, Marilyn Monroe, Megan Mullally (Karen from Will and Grace). There’s a lot there - and a lot more inspiration on sites like this one and, to be fair - not ALL of it is god-awful… Megan Mullally’s version of “Danny Boy” is quite good in fairness (that girl can SERIOUSLY sing, - and she sounds nothing like her TV character, thank god!), as are Kate Winslet’s “What If?”, Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like The Wind” (seriously!), Tia Carrere’s “Ballroom Blitz” - and yes, certain tracks by last week’s No. 1 (number 1 TV theme tune), David Hasselhoff! That Top Ten was compiled by myself and the final chart looked like this: [...]
September 25th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
1. The entire cast of kids from the original Brady Bunch series later had a variety show and albums released. What was that all about ? HA-HA!
2. Sara Paxton ( Darcy’s Wild Life ) has also jumped into the singing game.
September 25th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
There is also Mandy Moore and that guy who sang “How do you talk to an Angel?”
November 18th, 2006 at 12:48 am
Oh yeah, what about Jasmine Guy and Tyra Banks?
November 18th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Your out of you mind. Some of these actors can sing One I know for sure is Eddie Mekka>(Carmine) I saw him Live and there was no faking. He’s a Singers Singer. Even Tony Bennett and Sinatra said he’s got some voice. So your full of it. Shame on you for taking cheap shots.
Danny
November 21st, 2006 at 5:30 pm
John Schneider is actually a pretty good singer. He scored 11 Top-10 hits on the Country charts, with 4 going to # 1. As the picture above shows, he was able to put a “Greatest Hits” album together.
November 21st, 2006 at 8:02 pm
I think Tyra Banks and Mandy Moore sang before they acted, but I added Jasmine Guy.
I’m glad to see that Eddie Mekka found a fan, but I don’t see the cheap shot that I should be ashamed of…
I’m not disputing the quality of any of these albums, but given the fact that Skid Row and Quiet Riot both have greatest hits albums, I don’t see it as a measure of quality.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:14 pm
To bad you can’t count Actors/Actresses who did one or two songs….like Catherine Bach…Daisy Duke; Farah Fawcett, Eddie Murphy, Clint Eastwood.
December 7th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
I had to make that rule to keep the list from spiraling out of control.
March 15th, 2007 at 8:50 am
is it sad that i own that john travolta album? because i do.
October 13th, 2007 at 5:23 am
When was Alanis Morissette an actress? :S
October 13th, 2007 at 10:20 am
In 1986, Morissette had her first stint as an actress: five episodes of the children’s television show You Can’t Do That on Television.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:55 am
How about Vanessa Paradis?
November 4th, 2007 at 6:03 am
i recently found this…Simon Rex from, Scary Movie 3 & part of 4..and the movie Shriek, is a singer/comedy rapper, under the name ‘Dirt Nasty’
November 4th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Two words: William Shatner
November 5th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Good calls on both Vanessa Paradis and Simon Rex. Unfortunately…
Vanessa Paradis had her first record in 1987, one year before she became an actress, so she is technically an singer turned actress.
Simon Rex doesn’t seem to have an album that can be added.
Good calls, though.
November 26th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Dude, you have too much time on your hands
January 11th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Leonard Nimoy (Spock)
March 18th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
You did not mention Marlon Brandon. He sang in Guys & Dolls
March 18th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
add Patty Duke
March 18th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I don’t know if you should really include Mandy Patinkin and Shirley Jones since they both first appeared in musicals. Patinkin’s first major role was Che in Evita on Broadway and Jones’s first movie role was in the musical Oklahoma.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:31 am
@Dfwguy: thanks for the tip. Patty Duke was added.
@Bec: They are a bit iffy, I agree, but how can Shirley Jones be eliminated? It would be a travesty to not include her.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Wow, these are some astoundingly bad albums (the Don Johnson one especially.) But some of these aren’t all bad. Hollywood actors just abide by an I act-therefore I sing mentality, from time to time. And this just isn’t the case.
You’re logo is a little creepy, btw…
April 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Tom Wopat is a very good singer. His last couple of albums have been wonderful.