21 actors you probably didn't know were musicians

The cliché goes that actors want to be rock stars and rock stars want to be actors, and in some cases, the two worlds do overlap. There are obvious names that have done both relatively well, like Johnny Depp, who’s been performing with the Hollywood Vampires; Keanu Reeves and his band Dogstar; Donald Glover, who certainly made waves as Childish Gambino; and the tongue-in-cheek escapades of Jack Black in the mock metal duo Tenacious D.

But there are plenty of other movie and TV stars who have musical talents that they’ve put to use over the years—including some who might surprise you. Trying to get a wider audience to recognize that talent can be tricky. It’s one thing to moonlight in the musical arena, and it’s another to lure people into one’s more serious side on the screen. Here, in alphabetical order, is The A.V. Club’s list of thespians who are also musicians on the side—and some have definitely curated a special experience for their fans.

Fred Armisen

It’s no secret that famed character actor Fred Armisen is a drummer (and singer and guitarist) since he’s done loads of musical vignettes and impressions on various late-night shows. His “Punk Band Reunion At The Wedding” skit with Dave Grohl on Saturday Night Live is classic, and his “Standup For Drummers” special on Netflix included drum kits and instruments in its milieu. But he also recorded the Dirty Dishes EP with guitarist/vocalist Adam Pally and bassist/vocalist Zoe Lister-Jones featuring songs from 2017’s Band Aid—a movie about a squabbling couple who try to save their marriage through music. For contrast, check out this solo in-store performance by Armisen at the now-defunct Other Music store in New York back in 2011.

Ben Barnes

You may know the dashing Ben Barnes from Prince Caspian and the Westworld series. But did you know that he’s also a vocalist He’s actually sung on soundtracks to some of his lesser-known films, like Killing Bono and Jackie & Ryan. Further, he’s put up singing clips on his Instagram page, and in 2021 he released the five-track EP Songs For You, which People described as coming from “a crooning piano man singing blue-eyed soul.” Fair enough.

Jeff Bridges

After Jeff Bridges nabbed a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a fallen country singer in Crazy Heart—for which he sang six songs on the soundtrack—he released a self-titled Americana effort that got decent good reviews, reportedly sold over 300,000 copies, and hit Billboard’s Top albums chart. His album also featured musical contributions from T Bone Burnett, Roseanne Cash, and Marc Ribot. In 2015, Bridges boldly did an artistic 180 by releasing The Sleeping Tapes, a meditative album of spoken word and ambient sounds meant to, well, knock you out. Quietly. That’s an unusual adventure.

Kevin Costner

The Yellowstone and Dances With Wolves star has done a few screen projects related to the American West, so it only seems natural that he would form a country rock band. Kevin Costner & Modern West put out three albums between 2008 and 2011, although Turn It On was reportedly a European-only release. The group’s most recent effort is Tales From Yellowstone, music inspired by the hit series that he anchored for five seasons. The group has played a few dozen shows here and abroad over the years including this one from 2021.

Zooey Deschanel

Perhaps best recognized for her quirky role in New Girl, fans might not know that Deschanel and M. Ward have released eight albums as She & Him. She sings lead, and they play an array of instruments from guitar and piano to xylophone and vibes. They have recorded six albums and two EPs, with three albums featuring mostly Deschanel originals of a retro-pop flavor. The duo has also delved into classic song covers, holiday music, and a Brian Wilson tribute album. They’re among the most prolific artists on this list, and they proudly avoid pandering to trends while just playing what they like. Kudos.

Minnie Driver

When she hasn’t been busy with projects like Good Will Hunting, Gross Pointe Blank, and TV’s The Riches, Minnie Driver has found the time to put out three albums over the last two decades. Her studio albums focus on a rootsy, folksy sound with the first one featuring her original compositions. 2014’s Beloved offers her elegant renditions of tunes by the likes of Paul Weller, Stevie Wonder, Neil Finn, and a countrified take on The Killers’ “Human.” Driver’s even managed to perform a few concerts along the way.

David Duchovny

He’s been moody as Mulder and horny as Hank, but David Duchovny also has his contemplative singer-songwriter side. He’s released three albums since 2015, the latest being Gestureland, and he’s also played various concerts in Europe, America, and even Down Under. He said he got into music just as another form of self-expression but never thought he’d play live. It looks like he’s unlocked an unintended life goal.

Jeff Goldblum

He’s known for quirky roles in movies like The Fly and The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension, plus his more heroic turns in the Jurassic Park and Independence Day franchises. However, Jeff Goldblum also likes to sing and tickle those ivories, and his magnetic, quirky presence works well with his jazz combo. Since 2018, he has released two studio albums as Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, with their latest release being the EP Plays Well With Others. Fun fact: He did a low-key appearance at the Coachella campground in 2011.

Emile Hirsch

While his resume includes Into The Wild, Milk, and Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood, Emile Hirsch also has a musical sideline in the synthwave pop domain under the name Hirsch. Since 2019, he has released the albums Mnemonic and Denihilism, the latter in collaboration with The Frenchman (a.k.a. Mathieu Carratier). Hirsch is exploring a genre that has been lurking beneath the mainstream surface, particularly after the success of Stranger Things and its retro synth soundtrack. Funnily enough, the actor also recorded a bluegrass album called Simple Things in 2018 under the name Hysterical Kindness. That mixed in various influences, but it seems like the Hirsch project is a more fit natural for him.

Scarlett Johansson

For a short time between 2006 and 2009, ScarJo dived into a solo music career. While her two albums—the mainly Tom Waits-penned Anywhere I Lay My Head, and then her Break Up collaboration with Pete Yorn—didn’t set the world on fire, they did get some chart action here and abroad. Plus the first album featured backing vocals from David Bowie on two tracks. The single “Falling Down,” with her droning singing amid an ambient backdrop, produces a strangely hypnotic effect. Johansson has sung on a few movie soundtrack cuts since then (notably, Sing 2), and she and Yorn released a five-song EP in 2018 called Apart.

Zoë Kravitz

Given her father’s rock pedigree, it’s not surprising that music runs in the family. However, Zoe Kravitz has veered in a very different direction from dad Lenny Kravitz on the two albums and two EPs she’s made with drummer/producer Jimmy Giannopoulos under the name Lolawolf. Their blend of R&B and electro-pop has some quirky sensibilities, and they specifically chose to go with an indie rather than a major label. The twosome has done a number of shows including Bonnaroo 2016, but nothing in recent years. Their second album, Tenderness, arrived in 2020.

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee, the late great thespian who portrayed the villainous likes of Dracula, Saruman, and Count Dooku, tapped into his heavy metal side late in life. It began with narration appearances on mid-2000s albums by Italian band Rhapsody Of Fire, and then a 2010 guest slot on Manowar’s re-recorded Battle Hymns (replacing Orson Welles from the original “Dark Avenger“). After that, Lee sang on two symphonic rock and metal albums of his own: Charlemagne: By The Sword And The Cross and Charlemagne: The Omens Of Death. It actually makes sense—he had a classical background and was once offered opera training.

Juliette Lewis

The actor Juliette Lewis is known to many for her intense character portrayals in Cape Fear, Natural Born Killers, and Showtime’s Yellowjackets, and she has translated that intensity to the stage with her hard rockin’ band Juliette and the Licks who released one EP and two albums in the 2000s. (Dave Grohl played drums on the Licks’ album Four On The Floor.) She’s also made two solo albums since then, with the Rodríguez-López brothers from the trippy Mars Volta playing on 2009’s Terra Incognita. Juliette and the Licks have played many major European festivals since their inception. The band hasn’t played live for a few years, but maybe Lewis will get the urge to rock again soon.

Steve Martin

We’ve known Steve Martin for being a “wild and crazy guy” since his ’70s stand-up days, and he scored gold and platinum comedy albums back then. But the silver-haired actor and Hulu series sleuth is also known for being a banjo player. Since 2009, he has released six albums, all of which have hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart. He’s had six Grammy nominations and three wins, including his 2009 album The Crow: New Songs For The 5-String Banjo and one of the tracks from his 2013 release with Edie Brickell, Love Has Come For You. Two of the songs from that latter album were featured in their 2014 Broadway musical Bright Star.

Robert Pattinson

Acclaimed actor Robert Pattinson has fashioned a strong movie career for himself with the Twilight franchise and The Batman. Many fans may not know he has been singing and playing guitar and piano since he was four years old. While he has sporadically released folksy singer-songwriter tunes over the years, he has yet to put out a full release. However, one YouTuber compiled an “album” from eight available tracks. (The cover of “I Was Broken” is live.) Maybe we’ll get a unified collection of new material someday

Katey Sagal

She may have lip-synched “Respect” on Married...With Children, but Katey Sagal actually made her true start in the entertainment business as a backup singer to the likes of Bob Dylan, Etta James, Olivia Newton-John, and Gene Simmons from KISS (on his 1978 solo album). Since 1994, she’s put out two solo albums of pop and adult contemporary music and a covers album from 2013 which was her last release. Sagal also contributed Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen covers to two Sons Of Anarchy EP releases. Interestingly, Sagal played a creepy retired country star in last year’s horror thriller Torn Hearts.

William Shatner

Some people use the terms “singer” and “vocalist” interchangeably, but the latter seems more apropos of the spoken word/prose style that the iconic Star Trek actor applies to his albums. William Shatner’s original 1968 album The Transformed Man may have felt like a one-off solo project at the time, but then in 2004 he paired up with Ben Folds and guests like Aimee Mann, Joe Jackson, and Jarvis Cocker for more Shatner fun on Has Been. Since then he’s boldly explored classical, rock, and holiday music, while his 2020 release The Blues (featuring many guitar heavyweights) hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues chart.

Kiefer Sutherland

The vampire gang leader from The Lost Boys and the counter-terrorist agent of 24 fame also has a passion for country music. Actor (and former rodeo rider) Keifer Sutherland has released three studio albums since 2016, played out live, and also directed the music video “Broken” for the band Lifehouse. His second album, Reckless & Me, hit No. 3 in Scotland and No. 1 on the U.K. Country Album charts. He’s played close to 200 concerts across North America and Europe.

Mare Winningham

Back in 1995, when she played a popular country-folk singer in her Oscar-nominated performance for Georgia with Jennifer Jason Leigh and John Doe (of X fame), some fans may have been surprised to learn that Mare Winningham sang and played guitar. But Winningham had already showcased that talent as a teenager performing Janis Ian songs in the 1981 TV movie Freedom. Three years prior to Georgia she released her first folk music album What Might Be and has released three more since. She’s also become a name on Broadway, having recently played a Tony-nominated lead role in the Bob Dylan-inspired musical Girl From The North Country.

Finn Wolfhard

After Stranger Things turned into a phenomenon, star Finn Wolfhard fronted the Canadian indie rock band Calpurnia. The band’s roots went back to 2014, and their subsequently low-key songs invoked the ’80s and ’90s indie rock worlds. They managed to put out one six-song EP called Scout in 2018, which has racked up over 65 million Spotify listens and 30 million YouTube views. (Did you catch them live at Lollapalooza 2019) Wolfhard’s next band, The Aubreys, with Calpurnia drummer Malcolm Craig as the other main member, released their Karaoke Alone album in 2021. At various times, it’s folksy or synthy or a bit rock-ish. It’s got a low-key vibe but with a different sound than Calpurnia.

Zendaya

Before becoming the young acting and producing powerhouse she is today, Zendaya began her career with music and a 2013 self-titled pop release through Disney’s Hollywood Records. While the album performed modestly, just missing the Top 50, the lead single “Replay” has gone on to sell 3 million copies. Her later duet with Zac Efron, “Rewrite The Stars” from The Greatest Showman, has gone double platinum. Reportedly scared off by bad contracts and business dealings in music, Zendaya certainly took over the big and small screens. Who knows, maybe she’ll do another album someday—on her terms.