10 Best Acting Performances By Musicians

For most of us, all can hope for in life is to be OK at one thing. We can hone our skills with every hour we’re given, but 99% are destined for the also-rans scrap heap, goggling bitterly at the overachievers. So when you come across individuals who are brilliant at two things, it doesn't sit well.

But rather than grinding your teeth with resentment at these high flying hyphenates, try a sunnier outlook, and celebrate that rare breed – the successful musician who can also turn in a blinding performance in a film or TV show.

Now, success on the stage does not necessarily equate to the same on the screen, and many’s the talented, charismatic musician whose attempted career leap has fallen flat (sorry, Crossroads fans - Britney will not be featuring in this list). But let’s not focus on failure and folly. Instead, let’s praise those multitalented individuals, of whom we’re not even jealous!

(With apologies to the Fresh Prince and Marky Mark, this list eschews those who have abandoned their singing careers in favour of acting, focussing only on individuals who still derive a living from music. Wahlberg, if you feel like reuniting the Funky Bunch, we’ll reconsider).

He would do anything for love – but he won't talk about Fight Club. The doughy Canadian balladeer turns in a performance both hilarious and heartfelt in David Fincher's ode to a lost generation, while never attempting to steal the show or throw his (not inconsiderable) weight around.

His name is Robert Paulson, and he is a cancer survivor and former steroid abuser who, as a result of his illness, has grown a pair of full on breasts. As one of the first characters to share a scene with The Narrator, the Bat Out Of Hell singer has an important role to fulfil – as a once manly man who has developed feminine features, he is an early encapsulation of the crisis of masculinity that makes up much of Fight Club's subtext. Fincher is an exacting and calculating director; he wouldn't cast Meat Loaf just for the novelty or shock value, and the singer does a great job with the surreal material.

This was far from the start of Loaf's acting career, having previously appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne's World, among others. But as far as character work goes, he turns in as measured and mature a performance as you could expect from any longtime character actor.