10 Great Acting Performances By Musicians

7. Cher in Moonstruck (1987)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz5se4M41ZU Going from the better half of a popular music/comedy duo to an international singular pop sensation, Cher has spent nearly 50 years in the hierarchy of show business. She is not quite an EGOT winner, but she€™s made up for it in other awards including Golden Globes and a Best Actress win from Cannes. Besides, the absence of a Tony does not mean an absence from the Broadway stage. However you feel about Cher as an artist, you have to recognize the diligence of her career. From the iconic rise and fall of Sonny & Cher to the roll and roll persona of the €˜80s and, maybe to some€™s dismay, the Auto-Tune pioneering pop queen of the 1990s, Cher has been a strong force in the entertainment world. Her presence in film has lasted from the beginning to the new millennium with highly varied projects. She€™s worked with some of the greatest filmmakers, whether it be in Peter Bogdonavich€™s Mask or Mike Nichols€™ Silkwood. Cher€™s most successful and critically acclaimed role came in Norman Jewison€™s classic romantic comedy Moonstruck. As Loretta Castorini, she commands a very strong performance that appropriately takes control of the whole film. Moonstruck boasts a fine supporting cast, including a wonderfully smug performance from Nicholas Cage. However, it is Cher that reins the movie in from being too over-the-top in its portrayal of the typical Italian-American family. The character allows her to really stretch out her individualist sensibilities and she comes off as a truly independent person, an image that lends well to Cher after a rather controlled relationship with Sonny Bono.
 
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Marshall Granger is a writer and filmmaker living in Missoula, Montana.