10 Musicians Who Landed the Leading Role in a Movie or TV Show

Barbra Streisand made history when he starred in the classic film Funny Girl in 1968. The “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” singer played the role of Fanny Brice in the flick, winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance.

Her role also earned her the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award at the Golden Globe Awards.

In 1987, Cher worked with Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello and Olympia Dukakis in the Norman Jewison-directed film Moonstruck. It follows the story of a widowed woman, played by the Goddess of Pop, who falls in love with her fiancé’s younger brother.

David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly led the 1986 film Labyrinth as Sarah and Jareth, respectively.

The “Let’s Dance” singer’s project became so successful that it was adapted into books, video games, comics and boardgames in the years after its release.

Among the characters he portrayed, Elvis Presley chose his role in King Creole as his favorite. In the 1958 flick, he starred as Danny Fisher and worked with other stars like Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger and Vic Morrow, to name a few.

Eminem went by his real name, Marshall Mathers, to mark his film debut in 2002, the Curtis Hanson-directed film 8 Mile. Although the movie follows the journey of rapper Jimmy Smith Jr., aka B-Rabbit, it also shows true-to-life elements based on the rapper’s life and career.

It put actor Eminem in the spotlight, scoring the No. 1 spot in the U.S. when it earned $242.9 million worldwide.

Hailee Steinfeld breathed life into Nadine Franklin’s character in the 2016 film The Edge of Seventeen. The coming-of-age comedy-drama tells the story of a teen with unideal relationships with her brother and mother. Her father, who she is close to, died of a heart attack when she was 13.

The project also features Woody Harrelson, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Hayden Szeto, Kyra Sedgwick, Nesta Cooper, Meredith Monroe, Eric Keenleyside and Alexander Calvert.

Jennifer Lopez started her career as an actress and musician in the 1980s, and she has already led several movies throughout the years. She marked her first leading role in the 1997 biopic Selena before appearing in more flicks like The Wedding Planner, Enough, Maid in Manhattan, Gigli, Monster-in-Law, The Boy Next Door and Hustlers, to name a few.

One of Lady Gaga’s biggest acting career breaks occurred when she was tapped to join the cast members of A Star Is Born. The gig also made her the first woman to win a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award and an Academy Award in a year for her song “Shallow,” which the musical used as its soundtrack.

In 1992, Madonna became part of Penny Marshall’s A League of Their Own with Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. Years prior, she marked her acting debut in the indie film A Certain Sacrifice.

Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett joined forces to play the lead roles in the romance film Waiting to Exhale in 1995. Based on the 1992 novel of the same name, the late “I Will Always Love You” singer portrayed Savannah Jackson’s role, a TV producer who moves from Colorado to Arizona after suffering several heartbreaks.