Double Threats: These Starlets Sing and Act Equally Well

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel is known for portraying the timid shy starlets and for, of course, her piercing blue eyes. She is best known for acting in films such as '"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "500 Days of Summer", as well as being the star of the Fox sitcom, "New Girl."

The talented Deschanel also has a full-blown music career. In 2006 Deschanel got together with M. Ward to create the music duo 'She & Him', and tore our hearts out with singles like "You Really Got a Hold On Me." She also plays the keyboard, percussion, banjo, and Ukulele.

Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph started her career as a singer in an alternative rock band called The Rentals. However, people quickly noticed her great comedic side and pushed her to be a comedian. "Saturday Night Live" was the obvious place for her to land eventually and her successful screen career took off shortly after.

In addition to singing and acting, this gorgeous lady used to keep her credit score perfect by co-hosting a show and doing impressions of celebs on national TV. Maya may not have inherited that amazing soprano from her late mom, but with so many other talents and skills, she has climbed her way to a $10 million net worth.

Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones was born among artistic geniuses. Her father, Quincy Jones, is a famous musician, music producer, composer, and film producer with 80 Grammy Award nominations and 28 wins. And her mother, Peggy Lipton, was a famous 1960s actress. Needless to say, Rashida saw talent from an early age.

Rashida even wrote her own music scores and campus plays, many of which she performed in herself. She is best known for her many appearances on "Saturday Night Live, "Parks and Recreation," and countless roles in light comedies alongside Jason Segal, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and the like.

Katey Sagal

Best known as Peggy from the hit sitcom "Married with Children," Katey Segal is an actress, singer, and songwriter whose career in entertainment has spanned decades. She has also lent her voice to the animated series "Futurama," as well as starred  in shows such as "8 Simple Rules," and "Sons of Anarchy."

When it comes to singing, don't be mistaken, this woman can belt out a tune. Sagal actually started her entertainment career as a backup singer for big names like Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, and Tanya Tucker and has released two albums of her own.

Courtney Love

Formed in 1989, the band Hole was Courtney Love’s path to stardom. While some may argue that it was her relationship with Kurt Cobain that threw her into the spotlight, others maintain that Courtney has always been a talented rocker chick. In addition to Hole, Love also created a successful solo career for herself.

Aside from her involvement in a string of Kurt Cobain documentaries, Love has starred in films "Man on the Moon" alongside Jim Carrey, "The People vs. Larry Flynt, "Sid and Nancy," and more.

Jennifer Lawrence

This super accomplished actress who has starred in films like "Hunger Games," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "American Hustle" just to name a few,  has claimed that she actually hates singing in front of people. Though that didn't stop her from recording a song for the "Hunger Games" sequel "Mockingjay."

"The Hanging Tree" ended up debuting at No.12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2014. The song was written by the Lumineers’ Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz.

Carrie Brownstein

Comedian, actress, and musician Carrie Brownstein has seen success on many fronts. From her band Sleater Kinney to her successful sketch show "Portlandia" to various other artistic pursuits such as a memoir, and other musical projects, Brownstein is certainly multi-talented.

Recently she partnered up with musician Annie Clark aka St. Vincent for the musical mockumentary "Nowhere Inn" where she showed her musical and acting chops. Another notable performance was her stint on the Amazon Prime series "Transparent."

Leighton Meester

You wouldn't expect this gossip girl to sweep you off your feet with her lovely 'Jewel-esque' voice, but that's exactly what happened with her cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac that she performed with friend Dana Williams. She also made an appearance on Cobra Starship's 2009 “Good Girls Go Bad.”

Musical accomplishments aside (and "Gossip Girl") the actress has starred in "The Roommate," "That's My Boy" and more. Recently she's appeared on the TV series "Single Parents."

Brie Larson

Now an Oscar-winning actress and Marvel queen, Brie Larson led up to her megastar status with a string of successful indie films, so it's fair to say that Brie Larson is an accomplished Hollywood actress. As for her musical pursuits, she played Envy Adams and lent her vocals to the fictional band in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Her song “She Said” earned over three million views on YouTube and gained her some much-deserved radio play.

Lea Michele

As the star of "Glee" Lea Michele was a total singing, acting, and dancing sensation, or as they say in the biz a "triple threat." The actress who has a classic Disney singing voice was made to entertain.

It's no surprise that the actress has starred in a string of Broadway musical productions including "Les Misérables, "Ragtime "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Spring Awakening."

Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff built her career as an actress and singer when she was just a tween. The actress starred in the hit show "Lizzie McGuire." At the same time, she released a bunch of pop tracks, which, if you were in middle school during the 2000s, you were a big fan.

Her music career continued long after, and so did her TV career. Currently, she stars on the show "Younger" and is actually set to appear in the spin-off of "How I Met Your Mother," aptly called "How I Met Your Father."

Nicole Kidman

We all know Nicole Kidman very well from the big screen with films like "Cold Mountain," Lion" and "Boy Erased" (and much more) and recently the small screen too ("Big Little Lies" and "The Undoing"). Throw in the musical "Moulin Rouge" and a hit single, and you've got yourself one of the biggest talents in Hollywood.

The actress can clearly sing just as well as she can act. Her famous duet with Robbie Williams, which was a cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra's "Something Stupid" reached number one in the UK, New Zealand, Italy, and Portugal.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez, or J.Lo, as fans like to call her, is one of America’s leading artist entertainers. She does everything from singing, dancing, acting, producing, and even fashion design. The actress established herself as a successful musician after releasing her debut album, 'On the 6', and worked on both music and acting careers simultaneously.

Lopez has a long list of screen accomplishments and has starred in films including "Maid in Manhattan," The Wedding Planner" and most recently "Hustlers" (which she also produced.)  These days Lopez is a savvy businesswoman too.

Scarlett Johansson

Marvel blockbusters, Oscar winners, and indie hits, there's nothing that Scarlett Johansson hasn't touched, so it's only natural that the megastar dabbled in the music world. Well, dabble is putting it mildly. Scarlett released an entire album entitled "Anywhere I Lay My Head" mostly filled with Tom Waits cover songs. Interesting.

She also formed a band called The Singles with Este Haim, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. Together they released the song "Candy." The film star loves pop music and wanted to emulate some of her favorites such as The Bangles, Grimes, and the Go-Gos.

Zosia Mamet

Zosia Mamet saw her rise to stardom on the groundbreaking HBO series "Girls" as the quirky Shoshana. She has since continued to steadily appear in films such as "The Boy Downstairs" "Bleeding Heart" and recently "The Flight Attendant." As a music lover, Mamet has some additional accomplishments.

Together with her sister Clara, she formed the folk duo The Cabin Sisters. The name was actually inspired by their father, the great playwright David Mamet, who built their family home in Vermont. According to them, his greatest works were written in that very cabin.

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens got her start in musical theater. Before the smash hit that was "High School Musical" Hudgens was shining in local productions of "Carousel," "The Wizard of Oz," The King and I, and "Cinderella," so it's safe to say that the girl can sing, act and dance. After the Disney movie success, Hudgens continued with her film career.

In 2019, she took her talent behind the camera and worked as executive producer (and starred in) the Netflix original film, "The Knight Before Christmas." Then, in 2020, she starred in the third installment of the "Bad Boys" franchise.

Anna Kendrick

Actress Anna Kendrick had been sneakily starring in a whole bunch of films that not once had required her to sing. Then she blew us away (and Brittany Snow) in that iconic shower scene in the musical "Pitch Perfect" with the song "Titanium" by Sia.

The success of the first film spawned two more sequels and now it's one of the most successful musical comedy films ever made. It also helped Anna Kendrick's music career and landed her another musical role as Cinderella in "Into the Woods."

Emma Stone

Emma Stone won us over with films like "Easy A," "Superbad" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love," and continued on an upward climb. Though the actress isn't the typical choice for a musical, it was precisely her unique quality that landed her in one of the most successful screwball musicals of the current day "La La Land."

Stone, who appeared alongside Ryan Gosling showed off her pipes in the charming musical. Though her performance did get some mixed reviews, many felt her sweet and even somewhat crackling voice had a very special quality.

Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz has made quite a few big-screen appearances of her own- she played, Angel Salvadore, in the superhero film "X-Men: First Class," and had a lead role in "Mad Max: Fury Road." Her latest project is as the lead in "High Fidelity," which not coincidentally is centered around music (and her mother starred in the original.)

Besides her rising acting career, she's also the frontwoman in the band, LOLAWOLF. Did we mention that her father is no other than, Lenny Kravitz? No wonder she's such a rock star!

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood has been acting since she was just a kid and has been a longtime indie darling of cinema. These days you can catch the beautiful actress in the HBO show "Westworld." Of course, the big and small screen is only half of the picture. Wood wowed audiences with her tender voice in The Beatles-inspired musical "Across the Universe."

She also starred in "Frozen 2" performing the duet "Show Yourself" with Idina Menzel. The song eventually reached No.70 on the top 200 Billboard chart. Aside from that, the actress was half the pop duo Rebel and a Basketcase, with multi-instrumentalist Zach Villa (her ex-fiance.)

Anne Hathaway

Actress Anne Hathaway has been a leading lady for years now, and with that amount of star power, it's only natural that she can blow audiences away with her amazing singing voice.

The dramas and the odd romantic comedies aside, Hathaway starred and sang in "Les Misérables," "Ella Enchanted," "Hoodwinked," "Rio," and "Rio 2." Her showstopping performance as Fantine in "Les Misérables" won her both an Oscar and a spot in the Billboard 200 for the song "I Dreamed a Dream."

Olivia Newton-John

Australian singer Olivia Newton-John was mostly known for playing Sandy in "Grease", but her career in music was just as successful. She had four Grammys to attest to that. Her singles and albums have been consistently rated high on Billboard Hot 100 singles and Billboard 200 solo albums.

14 of her albums, as well as eleven of her singles, got the gold certificate from the Recording Industry Association of America. Oh, and Grease wasn't her only film. She starred in "Xanadu," reunited with John Travolta in 1983 in the film "Two of a Kind" and appeared in a few other Australian films. In August 2022 she sadly passed away after a long battle.

Norah Jones

If you are ever in need of someone to sing you a lullaby, let us recommend Norah Jones for the part. As the daughter of the world-renowned musician Ravi Shankar, Jones knows her way around music.

Her smooth voice is internationally famous thanks to the 50 million records she sold globally. Critics obviously love her too or she wouldn't have won nine Grammy Awards. Fans were surprised when she appeared in the beautiful indie film "My Blueberry Nights" alongside Jude Law and Rachel Weiss.

Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates is a former actress and singer, born in 1963. Her career took off in the ‘80s, with popular portrayals on "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Gremlins  1 & 2," and, "Private School."

Alongside her steady film career throughout the 90s, Cates recorded an album entitled Paradise. With all l that talent, she ended up passing some of it onto her daughter Greta Kline who goes by the stage name Frankie Cosmos.

Kylie Minogue

Australian native, Kylie Minogue is a world-famous singer who initially achieved fame as an actress with her role on "Neighbours." But it was the success in the long-running soap opera that led her to her second career, music.

Her debut studio album titled Kylie was released in 1988, and she continued to release a whole bunch more after that. Her latest work –  "Golden," from 2018, debuted at #1 in Australia and the UK. Kylie’s commercial and critical success earned her several titles, like the ‘Princess of Pop’ and the Order of the British Empire Officer rank.

Lindsay Lohan

Lohan got her first taste of stardom after starring in the 1998 remake of "The Parent Trap," but she began as a recurring young actress on the soap opera "Another World". She'd go on to star in projects like "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls," which made her a household name, but her reputation and antics got the better of her.

The teen sensation may have not been the best singer in the world but she did forge a pretty successful pop career for herself in the 2000s. Most notably, the soundtrack for the hit teen film, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen."

Taylor Momsen

Long before Taylor Momsen's fame from her role as Jenny Humphrey on "Gossip Girl," she played Cindy Lou in 2000s "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Yep, that sweet little with the pretzel-like braided hair a mini Momsen.

However, in 2011, she retired from acting to focus on her rock band The Pretty Reckless in which she is the lead singer and frontwoman. Never judge a book...

Doris Day

The legendary Doris Day was the biggest female actress to grace the big screen in the early 60s. The iconic actress has been in far too many films to list them all here and she was ranked sixth among the box office performers by 2012. Besides her acting career, she was also one of the most celebrated singers of the 21st century and recorded more than 650 songs.

The acting and singing legend retired from acting after her sitcom “The Doris Day Show” when it went off the air in 1973. Before she passed in 2019, Day was also a successful animal welfare activist.

Jada Pinkett Smith

The beautiful Jada Pinkett Smith began her rise to fame in the ‘90s, when she appeared in a number of major films, including playing opposite Eddie Murphy in 1996’s "The Nutty Professor." Since making her motion picture debut, she’s been in over twenty feature films, but did you know Jada is an ex metal-head?

In the year 2002, the actress created the metal band Wicked Wisdom, for which she was the lead singer and songwriter. The band released their self-titled album in 2006 and featured in some top-notch metal festivals around the world including Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne's "Ozzfest."

Emmy Rossum

In her 2003 role in "Mystic River," Emmy Rossum caught the industry's attention. Though these days, most people know Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher in the hit Showtime series "Shameless." But what really made waves was her performance as Christine Dae in the film adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera."

Rossum wowed audiences with her impressive operatic voice. In fact, her singing in the film caught the attention of record companies who flocked to her with deals to record a classical album. Ultimately the talented actress and singer turned them down and opted to produce a contemporary pop album. "Inside Out" was released in 2007.

Alyssa Milano

If you are familiar with ‘Who’s The Boss?’, you would obviously remember Milano as the adorable and beloved daughter of Tony Danza. You wanna know how she managed to get the world’s attention? By trotting into the limelight with "Charmed," a TV show revolving around three sisters with magical powers.

It's clear that Alyssa Milano has accomplished a lot because at 12 years old, long before her run on "Charmed" she had a successful bubblegum pop career in Japan. Yep, a Japanese record company offered a five-album deal that reached platinum status in the country.

Adele

This incredibly talented singer has a set of pipes on her. It’s never a surprise when Adele wins Grammy awards — after all, she racks up awards every time she releases an album and so far has won 15 out of the 18 she was nominated for. But aside from her singing achievements, she also some serious comedy chops.

Recently the accomplished singer appeared in an episode of SNL as host and surprisingly not as a musical guest! Adele proved just how great she is at improvised comedy, appearing in a handful of the show's sketches getting many laughs.

Brandy Norwood

The world considered Brandy to be a full package of entertainment, as she sang, composed songs, and acted. Now, that is some incredible talent! In 1994, her album, "Brandy," climbed up the Billboard charts so fast that it became platinum in no time! It landed her on Broadway. People were mesmerized by her portrayal of Roxie, on the Broadway production of "Chicago."

It only grew after that and Brandy’s passion for acting got her the role of "Moesha," in 1996, and this was to be her last role for TV. Brandy continued to amp up the heat on screen, with noteworthy roles in "90210," "Zoe Ever After" and "The Game."

Reba McEntire

Referred to as the queen of country music, Reba McEntire is a musician and businesswoman that’s been around for longer than many of her male country counterparts. The singer has dominated the genre with over thirty albums to date of which almost all attained a gold status or more. She is one of the all-time best-selling country singers and has over 75 million album sales to brag about.

Those less acquainted with the country music genre certainly know her from her hit family sitcom "Reba" in which she showed off her spunky personality. The show ran for a whopping five seasons. Aside from that, she has made guest appearances in countless other TV shows and films including "Young Sheldon," and "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar."

Barbra Streisand

Barbara Streisand is among the most iconic women figures in the music and film industry. In a career spanning six decades, she has been honored with accolades and awards in multiple fields of entertainment, including 9 Golden Globes, 2 Oscars, 10 Grammys, and 5 Emmys.

It's hard to even say in which arena she's more accomplished. With a string of successful films to her name such as "A Star is Born, "Yentl," "The Guilt Trip" and more, as well as having sold a total of 150 million albums and singles sold worldwide, the woman is a force.

Björk

Whether you're a fan or not,  Björk's extremely unique music has majorly influenced indie music in the last couple of decades, and even if she's often been the target of cruel media buzz, but she is armed with awards. The Icelandic songbird has 13 Grammy Award nominations, a feat considering how esoteric her style is. And then there's acting.

The Icelandic songbird starred in the musical melodrama "Dancer in the Dark" and even won an Oscar for her impeccable performance. Björk has also starred in a string of TV shows, surprisingly around the world including TV shows in Germany and the States.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez is an actress, singer, and songwriter from Grand Praire, Texas. She started her career in 2002 as a child actor on the Disney Channel, with one of her earliest roles being on "Barney and Friends".

After her time with Disney, she went on to pursue a singing and songwriting career and has writing credits on over 40 songs. As of today, she enjoys a hefty estimated net worth of $75 million.

Whitney Houston

Regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time, Whitney Houston held the Guinness Record for the most awarded female artist of all time. She has sold over 200 million records worldwide. Her first album was released in 1985 and its success was immediate.

Subsequently, the songstress successfully broke into the world of cinema, while simultaneously holding onto her chart-topping music career. Houston starred in films such as "The Bodyguard," "Waiting to Exhale, and "The Preacher's Wife" all of which were major '90s classics. Her tragic death in 2012 left her many fans mourning the loss of her outstanding vocal cords.

Lady Gaga

Known by her stage name, Lady Gaga, this artist is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She is widely recognized for her wild fashion and provocative work. Getting her start performing in school plays and at open mics around NYC, she ultimately sold over 27 million albums and 146 million singles, which makes lady Gaga one of the best-selling music artists of all time. And then she ventured into film.

With magnetic screen quality, Lady Gaga starred in the Oscar Award-winning film "A Star is Born" and revealed to her fans her incredible acting skills. Gaga even went on to nab herself an Oscar for her role.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé Knowles rose to fame in the 1990s as the lead singer of the ever-popular R&B girl group Destiny's Child. Throughout her expansive career, Beyoncé has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. It was only natural that with such a presence, she would foray into films.

Beyoncé did especially well in films with a musical flavor where she could boast both her acting and singing chops. If you've seen "Dream Girls" you would know it's roughly based on a sensational singing trio "The Supremes" and Diana Ross. We suppose there's no one better to portray her than Beyoncé. She also starred in "Cadillac Records" "Lion King" (2019) "Pink Panther" and more.

Madonna

Everyone knows Madonna. She has been revered in the music world as the Queen of Pop since the '80s. Her music has always pushed the boundaries of songwriting, film, and mainstream art. The reason behind her being so successful throughout the years is her ability to reinvent her music, and herself, every time. As a mistress of reinvention, it's no surprise that she is made herself into a bona fide movie star.

While her singing career takes the lead, Madonna has starred in a whole host of major films, some of the major blockbusters such as "Evita," "Swept Away," "The Next Best Thing" and a whole more. Needless to say, whether it's stage or screen, Madonna kills it.

Julie Andrews

As a Broadway and musical star, no one demonstrates both singing and acting talents more than Julie Andrews. The English actress and singer made her film debut in "Mary Poppins" for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. She also starred in "The Sound of Music" in 1965, playing Maria von Trapp, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

In 1982 Andrews also starred in the cabaret music "Victor/Victoria." Today, she's the voice of Lady Whistledown in "Bridgeton," Julie Andrews has one of the biggest names in the industry since the ’60s.

Miley Cyrus

It all began in 2003 when she starred as Young Ruthie in Tim Burton's 'Big Fish'. Things began to really turn around soon after that, when she won the part in the Disney series, "Hannah Montana". That also marked the beginning of her singing career and in 2006 the "Hannah Montana" soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard 200.

Three more soundtracks later, Miley was once again topping charts, and at 16, she was the youngest performer in history to have four albums at number one. As an adult, she has become bigger than life itself. Her music has become more influenced by hip hop with the help of producers like Pharrell Williams and Mike WiLL Made-It. In 2020, "She Is Miley Cyrus" hit the shelves.

Kristen Bell

There was a point in time where we all knew Kristen Bell exclusively from film or TV. She burst onto our screens with "Veronica Mars" and quickly climbed up the ladder with appearances in some majorly successful movies such as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "When in Rome" and many other romantic comedies. But then "Frozen" came along.

Bell, who played Prince Anna in the modern Disney classic showed off those pitch-perfect Disney pipes with "Love Is an Open Door," She also had additional songs from the film "First Time in Forever" and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" which reached 57 and 51 on the Billboard charts, respectively.

Cara Delevingne

Cara Delevingne was ushered into the world of fashion modeling and inadvertently onto everyone’s faces when she became the industry’s it girl. However, she decided to pursue a different career path far from the catwalk. She once declared that she always wanted to be famous and the center of attention. She may further fulfill that dream now that she is also acting.

On top of her successful acting and modeling career, she also sings! The English beauty sings, plays the drums and guitar. She's been part of some very successful collaborations with British soul and jazz singer-songwriter Will Heard, Pharrell Williams, St. Vincent, and Fiona Apple.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton got her initial success by writing songs for other people. In 1967 she made her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly. "She gained a pretty steady stream of success throughout the 1960s. She continued on as a solo artist and eventually went onto become one of the most influential country singers in history. Over the span of her career, she has 41 top-10 country albums, and she had 110 charted singles over the past 40 years.

But Dolly didn't stop there and had a mightily successful acting career in too. With films like "9 to 5," "Steel Magnolias" "Unlikely Angel" and more, the country singer showed us how comfortable she was on screen. In fact, "9 to 5" was the single highest-grossing film of 1980.

Judy Garland

One can't really separate Judy Garland's musical and film career as it goes hand in hand. While "The Wizard of Oz" is arguably one of her most famous films, her acting and singing talents can be seen in an array of works from stage to screen. Garland starred in a string of Golden Era films where she demonstrated her unbelievable vocal range.

Her early rise to stardom marked her incredible-yet-short-lived career. One of her breakthrough achievements is becoming the first woman to be awarded a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1961. Some of her films include "Babe in Arms,"  "A Star is Born" "Wizard of Oz" and many, many more.

Cher

It’s hard to say whether Cher is more successful as a singer or as an actress. She’s definitely a master of reinvention. She’s the only recording artist with a No. 1 hit song spanning six consecutive decades. She’s one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, and she’s won an Emmy, an Academy Award, a Grammy, and three Golden Globes.

With a diverse list of films to her name such as "Tea with Mussolini, "Moonstruck," "The Witches of Eastwick, and"Burlesque" she’s a pop culture icon who's impossible to pin down.

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson had her big break in 2004 when she competed on “American Idol.” Oddly enough, she didn't win and only got to seventh place, but that was just the springboard she needed to have a full career as a respected musician.

Just a few short years after competing on "American Idol," Hudson won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress win for her performance in "Dreamgirls". The movie also won her a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award.