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Who Knew? The Top 10 Unlikely Vocal Performances From Non-Singing Actors
Posted by Seth at 10:00 AM on July 17, 2008
In light of Pierce Brosnan's brave, warbling turn in Mamma Mia—as well as recent news that Kate Hudson would veer off the Bongo Romcom highway to explore the musical theatre side roads in Rob Marshall's Nine—Defamer videologist Molly McAleer has compiled a countdown of 10 Classic Musical Crossover Performances. We've ordered these from least to most successful; some of these actors-who-sing are arguably better singers than they are actors, and have gone on to cut their own records. Some are clearly better actors than singers. And some should probably just give up both and become something sensible like a dental hygienist or insurance broker. We have no doubt you have your own strong opinions on notable omissions; feel free to post video in the comments.
In light of Pierce Brosnan's
10. Tom Cruise, Top Gun
9. Renee Zellwegger, Chicago
8. Keira Knightley, Edge Of Love
7. Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge
6. Rupert Everett, My Best Friend's Wedding
5. Diane Keaton, Radio Days
4. Scarlett Johansson, Lost In Translation
3. Gwyneth Paltrow, Infamous
2. Zooey Deschanel, Elf
1. Heath Ledger, 10 Things I Hate About You
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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litaroza
Posted 11:00 AM 17/7/08
Sorry, one more and I'll stop -- everyone in Magnolia.
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litaroza
litaroza
Posted 10:56 AM 17/7/08
Also, Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet. A bit off-key, but that's not the point...
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litaroza
litaroza
Posted 10:53 AM 17/7/08
RDJ in Heart and Souls, + special guest star BB King!
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litaroza
Jimmylegsue
Posted 10:51 AM 17/7/08
Madonna in "Evita"
Jimmylegsue
Ed Grabianowski
Posted 10:46 AM 17/7/08
Gary Busey!
Ed Grabianowski
Triborough
Posted 10:24 AM 17/7/08
How about Sarah Polley in The Sweet Hereafter?
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Triborough
Little Mintz Sunshine
Posted 11:27 AM 17/7/08
People states: An original song, "Cinema Italiano," was added to the film's lineup for Hudson.
I'm not very musically inclined, but can they write songs without any notes?
Little Mintz Sunshine
litaroza
Posted 11:14 AM 17/7/08
@Ha Ha Sound: Well, in that case:
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litaroza
Ha Ha Sound
Posted 11:07 AM 17/7/08
You left off the greatest vocal performance ever by an actor:
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Ha Ha Sound
BigBoobsMagee
Posted 11:52 AM 17/7/08
+ Watch video
BigBoobsMagee
BigBoobsMagee
Posted 11:51 AM 17/7/08
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Happy Endings?
BigBoobsMagee
bugupit
Posted 11:47 AM 17/7/08
P.S. Gord Downie: if you're out there, call me, baby!
Sigh.
bugupit
bugupit
Posted 11:44 AM 17/7/08
@Triborough: Unusual, haunting cover of a great song. Original's here:
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bugupit
Smitros
Posted 11:40 AM 17/7/08
Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys and her rendition of "Carrots and Peas," which she also composed.
Smitros
knitterly
Posted 11:34 AM 17/7/08
Wait a damned minute! Screw Nicole What's-Her-Face. What about Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge? I accidentally channel-landed on that movie once and he blew my mind! But then again, it doesn't really matter what he's doing, he'd blow my mind anyway. But for reals, I thought he was pretty damn good.
knitterly
ceejeemcbeegee
Posted 12:19 PM 17/7/08
Brittany Murphy in Happy Feet:
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Honorable Mention: the whole damn cast of DreamGirls.
ceejeemcbeegee
kookla
Posted 12:11 PM 17/7/08
Just about EVERYONE in the Woody Allen flick Everyone Says I Love You?
kookla
quinticire
Posted 12:07 PM 17/7/08
Kirsten Dunst in "Spiderman 3". If not in the top 10, maybe # 11>
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quinticire
krazykarot
Posted 1:03 PM 17/7/08
how about Joaquin Phoenix?
krazykarot
mcbeachy
Posted 12:56 PM 17/7/08
@Imnotatnbc: Jinx! You owe me a coke.
mcbeachy
DrPiglet
Posted 12:55 PM 17/7/08
I know he recorded a full album, but all I remember is the wine cooler ad:
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DrPiglet
Imnotatnbc
Posted 12:52 PM 17/7/08
Meryl Streep in Postcards From The Edge
Imnotatnbc
Cam/ron
Posted 12:49 PM 17/7/08
From Altman's years in Camelot:
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The immortal:
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Cam/ron
mcbeachy
Posted 12:42 PM 17/7/08
Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge.
mcbeachy
brechtgirl
Posted 12:35 PM 17/7/08
@knitterly:
+ Watch video
also unlikely singing: everyone in Nashville, especially Keith Carradine and Barbara Harris.
brechtgirl
OldTowneTavern
Posted 1:38 PM 17/7/08
Amy Irving
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OldTowneTavern
mothrafairy
Posted 2:23 PM 17/7/08
I know this is going way back, but Sissy Spacek in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' was actually something special.
mothrafairy
mcbeachy
Posted 2:55 PM 17/7/08
yikes. the computer is getting tweaky.
mcbeachy
mcbeachy
Posted 2:54 PM 17/7/08
Let's go waaaay back. Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel.
mcbeachy
mcbeachy
Posted 2:53 PM 17/7/08
Let's go waaaaay back. Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel.
mcbeachy
notanista
Posted 3:35 PM 17/7/08
JLO in Selena
notanista
Frecklepup
Posted 4:14 PM 17/7/08
Craig Ferguson in Born Romantic.
Frecklepup
unclevanya
Posted 5:09 PM 17/7/08
Everyone in Everyone Says I Love You.
unclevanya
miss_msry
Posted 6:11 PM 17/7/08
Elizabeth Taylor in "A Little Night Music."
miss_msry
monkeydance
Posted 11:02 PM 17/7/08
John Travolta in Grease....
or even Michelle Pheifer in Grease 2
and Rupert Everett has an album. and performed at concerts.
monkeydance
ExtensionOfBob
Posted 12:16 AM 18/7/08
@notanista: She didn't do the vocals in Selena
ExtensionOfBob
Iconocleft
Posted 12:15 AM 18/7/08
Greg Kinnear in "Stuck on You." Very succesful. No, really.
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Iconocleft
EleanorRigby
Posted 12:14 AM 18/7/08
But Zooey is actually a singer! I saw She & Him perform and she was awesome.
Pierce Brosnan's singing in Mamma Mia is reallllllly not good. It kind of ruins the movie. No offense, 007.
EleanorRigby
Clare
Posted 12:05 AM 18/7/08
You picked Scarlett Johansson's tuneless recitation over Bill Murray's elegiac performance? Tsk tsk.
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Clare
masser
Posted 11:57 PM 17/7/08
Clint Eastwood in "Paint Your Wagon"
masser
trucha
Posted 11:48 PM 17/7/08
Bill Paxton in Club Dread
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trucha
virgilicious
Posted 11:47 PM 17/7/08
some favorites:
Danny Aiello:"Fly Me to the Moon" in Once Around (Now he's a cabaret singer)
Meryl Streep: "Amazing Grace" in Silkwood
Penelope Cruz: some spanish song in Volver
Jack Black: "Lets Get it On" in High Fidelity
virgilicious
tominjersey
Posted 11:21 PM 17/7/08
Madeline Kahn in Young Frankenstein. Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life.
tominjersey
Mark Graham
Posted 1:46 AM 18/7/08
I liked Ed Norton in Everyone Says I Love You.
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Mark Graham
Caroline Meeber
Posted 1:45 AM 18/7/08
@EleanorRigby: You are right! She apparently moonlights under the name "Katy Perry" in her spare time.
Caroline Meeber
gwendolyn
Posted 2:11 AM 18/7/08
I don't know if 'non-singing actors' includes or excludes my all time favorite film star, Marilyn Monroe, but I dare anyone to deny that her performance of 'I Wanna Be Loved By You' and 'I'm Through With Love' in Billy Wilder's absolutely perfect 'Some Like It Hot' are not among the most delightful and/or touching vocals ever put on film.
Especially in a movie that wasn't primarily a musical.
gwendolyn
hummingpenguin
Posted 2:48 AM 18/7/08
@Mark Graham: According to IMDB, he also sings on the soundtrack to Keeping the Faith. I'm trying to decide if I'm enough of a nerd to try and find the track.
hummingpenguin
thebullfrog
Posted 2:34 AM 18/7/08
Sorry if this is a repeat but I can't see any of the embedded videos.
Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley. ddf
thebullfrog
epiclady
Posted 2:28 AM 18/7/08
I'm going to be a bit of a smitty (as Sassy magazine--sigh--used to call it), but Diane Keaton was well established as a vocalist before the movies. She was in the original cast of "Hair", and can be found on the album itself.
As for Gwyneth Paltrow, I'm gettin' preeeeeeeetty sick and tired of her attempts at celluloid caterwauling. When she does a duet with Meatloaf, maybe then I'll have some respect for her.
epiclady
boringpants
Posted 2:24 AM 18/7/08
As long as we're on the subject, Meryl Streep in "Postcards from the Edge."
And why Diane Keaton in "Radio Days" rather than "Annie Hall"? Too obvious? Too soon?
boringpants
Lapinot
Posted 2:58 AM 18/7/08
Billy Boyd in the Fellowship of the Ring.
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Corinne Marchand - 'Sans Toi' in Cléo de 5 à 7.
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Eric Idle's 'Always Look on the Bright side of Life'
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and 'Galaxy Song'.
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If they count as non-singing actors.
Lapinot
aloysius
Posted 3:50 AM 18/7/08
@knitterly: Yes! Ewan deserves to be on this list more than Nicole does (though Nicole was serviceable). At the time that movie came out, EW or someone got some label A&R people to listen to both of them without identifying them, and the label people flipped out over Ewan and demanded to know who it was so they could sign him immediately.
Speaking of Ewan-- what about his and Renee's "Here's to Love" at the end of "Down With Love". Cute sendup, but effective on its own, plus flawless technique and emotion from both.
Also, some of the 8 femmes were impressive- catherine deneuve's "toi jamais" is my favorite. Perfect match of voice, style, lyrics.
aloysius
Huge Tracts of Land
Posted 4:51 AM 18/7/08
@tominjersey: Oh yeah I agree! Also throw in there Madeline Kahn's I'M TIRED from Blazing Saddles is an excellent performance!
Huge Tracts of Land
pillowparade
Posted 6:41 AM 18/7/08
Before "Infamous," there was "Duets," and omigod Scott Speedman is in this clip!
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pillowparade
TimGunn
Posted 6:29 AM 18/7/08
um, what about Britney Spears in Crossroads.
TimGunn
Bear_Necessities
Posted 7:34 AM 18/7/08
Denzel Washington in "The Mighty Quinn". Added bonus: he accompanies himself on the piano.
Bear_Necessities
Dagnabbit.
Posted 9:16 AM 18/7/08
@ceejeemcbeegee: Yes, very sweet. Also she's done a lot of cartoon voice work, and I always (illogically) assume female V.O. actors can also sing-- see E.G. Daily.
(sotto voce)I also liked that single she did with Paul Oakenfold(voce)
Dagnabbit.
Dagnabbit.
Posted 9:07 AM 18/7/08
@tominjersey: @Huge Tracts of Land: @Lapinot: Ah I love Madeline Kahn (that combo of sexy/funny/talented) is so rare, and now I've got Eric Idle as my mental soundtrack today. Great memories, all.
@virgilicious: Much as I love "Volver", Penelope was totally lipsyncing to someone else, sad to say. Additionally, her spectacular bum in said flick? Pa dding.
@EleanorRigby: Yes, agree on Zooey D.'s talent. I've never watched "Elf" all the way through, but the shower song was so lovely.Will Ferrel's sweet in the duet, too, but the real revelation for me was he oft-costar, John C. Reilly in "Chicago". I had NO idea. Nice set of pipes.
Gwenyth should not be within 10 feet of mic.
Dagnabbit.
wordsoveractions
Posted 9:36 AM 18/7/08
zooey deschanel shouldn't be on this list as she actually is a singer. she is in the indie band She & Him, and they're actually quite good.
wordsoveractions
Indiana Bento and the lost Temple of Citroens
Posted 10:19 AM 18/7/08
@wordsoveractions: Agreed! Zooey is way ahead of any of the other actors on this list!
Indiana Bento and the lost Temple of Citroens
HelloFeralKitty
Posted 4:24 PM 18/7/08
Uh Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman in Sweeney Todd, duh.
HelloFeralKitty
raincoaster
Posted 7:16 PM 18/7/08
@HelloFeralKitty: Johnny Depp I will grant you, but it should be no surprise to anyone that Alan Rickman's voice could charm the angels down from heaven.
raincoaster
unclevanya
Posted 8:43 PM 18/7/08
Madeline Kahn trained in opera, and studied music and drama at Hofstra. She was a real singer, and a beautiful one.
unclevanya
Little Mintz Sunshine
Posted 2:32 AM 19/7/08
I would offer Gerard Butler in Phantom but I watched it with the sound off.
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Probably NSFW...Wait... you actually expected me to post a clip of him singing?
Little Mintz Sunshine
TXcatwoman
Posted 2:44 PM 20/7/08
Audrey Hepburn singing Moon River in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
TXcatwoman
EstePhrixus
Posted 5:52 PM 17/7/08
Edward Woodward in Breaker Morant he has a fantastic voice and did release a couple of albums Jimbo
EstePhrixus
LostinAbsolut
Posted 3:49 PM 17/7/08
@knitterly:
EM is a an actor who can actually fucking sing not a non-singing actor as such he doesn't qualify for this list.
Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh should be on this list for their 'Like a Virgin' duet.
LostinAbsolut
StephanoAlcimede
Posted 11:22 AM 17/7/08
A couple of worthy honorable mentions form the past here, Clint Eastwood in "Paint Your Wagon", and Lee Van Cleef in a train wreck called "Captain Apache" (Lee wasn't so much tone deaf as "rhythm deaf" in his one and only singing part) :-D
StephanoAlcimede
AnnieRay
Posted 11:19 AM 17/7/08
Okay, this wouldn't be in my top ten, but it is Katie Holmes (who is mentioned in part of the title?)
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AnnieRay
TheOneandOnlyPragmatist
Posted 10:35 AM 17/7/08
Maybe Maggie Gyllenhaal in Happy Endings? Did anyone see it?
TheOneandOnlyPragmatist