There has been no shortage of actors showcasing their singing talents on TV and film, particularly those making star turns in movie musicals like Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls, Michelle Pfeiffer singing “Makin’ Whoopee” in The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born. Heck, even John Travolta pulled it off in Grease. They can be some of the most surprising and memorable performances on the screen.
This isn’t the case with these 10 performances which, admittedly, are just the tip of the iceberg. While all of the actors we’ve selected are bona fide stars, you don’t think of them as singers, and in some cases, you may not be aware that they’ve sung in public.
10. Will Ferrell and Co-Stars Singing “Afternoon Delight” The tongue-in-cheek Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was a hit when it was released in 2004 and has gained in stature over the years. Bonus points: A 2013 sequel, with Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Christina Applegate reprising their roles, was also a significant success.
9. William Shatner – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” It’s a timeworn theme: Take a TV star, put him in a recording studio and make an album. In this case it was Captain Kirk making a spoken word album in 1968. Bonus points: The ageless Shatner released a blues album in 2020 at age 89.
8. Cristopher Walken, Robert De Niro, John Cazale and John Savage Singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in The Deer Hunter The 1978 film about a bunch of steelworkers sent to fight in the Vietnam War earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Bonus points: The jukebox recording they’re singing along to is, of course, the 1967 solo hit by the Four Seasons’ Frankie Valli.
7. Bill Murray Performing “Physical” We’ve previously written about the actor’s lounge singer alter ego, Nick Winters. Here, he clowns to the Olivia Newton-John smash while appearing on Late Show With Dave Letterman. Bonus points: ON-J’s recording was just months old at the time and ultimately was named by Billboard as the most successful single of the ’80s.
6. Michael Cera Singing “These Eyes” in Superbad In this scene from a favorite movie of 2007, the actor is mistaken for someone else by tough guys at a party and is coerced into singing. “Don’t make this weird… sing…” You can feel Cera sweating in the hopes that he’ll be allowed to exit the room once he’s finished. Bonus points: Superbad‘s great cast also included Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Bill Hader and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (as “McLovin”).
5. Val Kilmer Singing as Jim Morrison in The Doors The actor’s performance was reportedly so spot-on that when the surviving members of the band heard it, they couldn’t tell whether it was Kilmer or Morrison singing. Bonus points: Director Oliver Stone initially offered the lead role to Ian Astbury of The Cult.
4. Joe Pesci Singing “To Love Somebody” If you thought Shatner’s poetic Beatles cover (above) was strange, how about Pesci doing the Bee Gees? Before he won an Academy Award for Goodfellas, cracked us up in Home Alone and the Lethal Weapon films as the comedic sidekick Leo Getz, and starred as would-be lawyer Vincent Gambini in the 1992 hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, the then-25-year-old actor was a budding recording artist on Brunswick Records. Bonus points: Barry Gibb said, “I love Joe Pesci! I didn’t know he was also a great singer. I have followed him throughout my life and hearing that he sings some of our songs on this album is such a great honor.”
3. Raquel Welch Singing “Different Drum” It’s no wonder that the actress was a popular attraction on Bob Hope’s USO tours for troops. This 1967 performance of Michael Nesmith’s composition that was popularized by the Stone Poneys’ recording, showcases the beauty’s stunning figure, during Bob Hope’s Christmas show in South Vietnam. Bonus points: One of the comments on YouTube notes, “As a veteran who has actually been to a similar type of show, the modern pin-ups got nothing on Raquel’s moves in this video. Damn fine, woman, damn fine.”
2. Al Pacino Singing in Jack & Jill The 2011 film starring Adam Sandler has a “generous” 3% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Pacino, as himself, couldn’t help salvage this mess. Bonus points: From the New York Post‘s review: “It’s pretty sad if you’re a comic and Al Pacino is the funniest thing in your movie.”
1. The Brady Kids Singing “Time To Change” on The Brady Bunch The performance, featured in the sitcom’s third season in 1972, allowed the series to delicately explain to its youthful viewers how actor Christopher McKnight’s (“Peter Brady”) voice was changing. (It’s even true for voices, when boys begin to grow; the actor would’ve been around 14 years old when it was filmed.) Bonus points: “Time To Change” was actually released as a single but didn’t chart.
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