10 Best Acting Performances By Musicians

Often in film, there's nothing more powerful than an unknown quantity. In America, Jennifer Hudson was perhaps known as a contestant on American Idol; elsewhere, she wasn't known at all. Flash forward to 2008, and she's an Oscar winning actress, and a major recording artist. Stroke of luck, or a just reward for a great talent?

Well, mostly the former. It's not often such a perfect role falls into a performer's lap. In Motown quasi-biopic Dreamgirls, Hudson plays Effie, the golden voiced sole singer who just can't catch that big break. Having come seventh in a TV talent show, one could suggest that Hudson knows a little about artistic disappointments and the like. But there's no doubt this is one opportunity she grabbed ahold of with both hands. Upstaging Eddie Murphy – perhaps the biggest star of the '80s – and Beyonce – perhaps the biggest star of the '00s – on your first try? That's worth the Oscar alone.

Most impressively for Hudson, the role served as a double breakthrough – the Academy Award lead to a sequence of varyingly successful film roles (including a slightly surprising part as Winnie Mandela), and the sheer vocal bravura gave her singing career a real kickstart. It is likely to remain the barometer by which debut acting jobs are judged for some time to come.