12 musicians who successfully made the jump to acting
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Many artists have successfully made the transition from music to acting.
Stars like Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Beyoncé have all managed to use their careers as popular musicians to nab roles in major films.
But they're not the first ones to make this transition. In the past, icons like David Bowie also made the jump from music to film.
Making the move from music to acting isn't always easy, but some musicians have managed to make the jump.
Well-known musicians like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles have successfully transitioned from singers and songwriters into actors, too. Styles notably starred in the 2017 film "Dunkirk," and Swift plays the cat Bombalurina in the new adaptation of "Cats," which will be released on Friday.
Many other musicians have made similarly successful moves to the big screen. Take a look at 12 musicians who transitioned into actors.
Anjelica Oswald contributed reporting to an earlier version of this post.
Harry Styles shot to fame as a member of the hugely popular boy band One Direction, and is now a successful solo musician.
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As a solo artist, Styles released his debut, self-titled album in 2017, and just released his second album "Fine Line" on Friday.
He made his acting debut in"Dunkirk," Christopher Nolan's 2017 war film, and received rave reviews for his performance.
Warner Bros.
In addition to his role in "Dunkirk," Styles recently hosted an episode of NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
Rihanna rose to fame after Jay-Z signed her to his label and released her first single "Pon de Replay." She now has nine Grammy Awards.
Getty
Recently, Rihanna has taken a break from music to focus on developing a luxury fashion label, in addition to her successful cosmetics and lingerie lines.
Rihanna's first major release was the 2012 action film "Battleship," and more recently, she appeared as Nine Ball in 2018's "Ocean's 8."
Warner Bros.
She's also played Marion Crane on "Bates Motel" and starred in the 2017 space film "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets."
Justin Timberlake become a star thanks to his role as lead vocalist in NSYNC, and was able to parlay his past as a boy band heartthrob into a successful solo career.
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After NSYNC's heyday in the early 2000s, Timberlake went on to be a successful artist in his own right, releasing hits like "Sexyback" and "Suit and Tie."
Timberlake made his acting debut in "Model Behavior," a 2000 Disney Channel movie, while still in NSYNC.
Disney
He went on to star in other films, including "Alpha Dog," "The Social Network," "Friends With Benefits," and "Inside Llewyn Davis," as well as animated features like "Trolls."
Jennifer Hudson competed on the third season of "American Idol."
Fox
And even though she didn't win, she has since won two Grammy awards.
Hudson won an Oscar for her acting debut as Effie White in 2006's "Dreamgirls," and stars as Grizabella in the "Cats" adaptation.
Universal Pictures
She has continued acting, appearing in films like "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Chi-Raq," as well as on shows like Fox's "Empire."
David Bowie's self-titled debut album was not a charting success, but his subsequent albums soon rocketed him to stardom.
REUTERS
Throughout the course of his decades-long musical career, Bowie released a variety of albums, most of which experimented with musical style and featured profound, introspective lyrics.
Bowie had technically begun acting in shorts before he rose to fame, but his first major role was in the 1976 sci-fi film "The Man Who Fell to Earth."
British Lion Films
Some of his other famous roles were in "Labyrinth," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and "The Prestige."
Mark Wahlberg was first known as the frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
Associated Press
The Boston-born entertainer had his first hit with "Good Vibrations" in 1991.
He made his acting debut in the TV movie "The Substitute," which was followed shortly by his feature film debut in "Renaissance Man."
New Line Cinema
Wahlberg has since had a prolific movie career, starring in films like "Boogie Nights" and even earning Oscar nominations for "The Departed" and "The Fighter." More recently, he starred in several "Transformers" movies.
Ludacris began his career as a hip-hop artist in the 1990s.
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He won his first Grammy in 2005 for the hit single "Yeah," a collaboration with Usher and Lil Jon.
Ludacris' acting breakthrough came with his role in "2 Fast 2 Furious."
Universal Pictures
He has appeared in all of the "Furious" movies since "Fast Five."
Tim McGraw's country music debut wasn't an instant smash, but he shot onto the country charts with his second album.
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McGraw has three Grammys, and is married to fellow country singer Faith Hill.
McGraw's first acting role was a brief appearance on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show."
Universal Pictures
He followed it up with a role in the indie movie "Black Cloud," but it was his role in "Friday Night Lights" that established him as an actor.
He has since starred in many other films, including "The Blind Side," "Country Strong," and most recently, 2016's "The Shack."
Beyoncé became famous for heading Destiny's Child, and has become a musical and style icon since going solo.
After rising to fame with Destiny's Child in the '90s, Beyoncé became a successful solo artist throughout the 2000s, and has released numerous hit albums, including 2013's "Beyoncé" and 2016's "Lemonade."
She made her theatrical debut as Foxxy Cleopatra in the comedy "Austin Powers: Goldmember."
New Line Cinema
She acted alongside Jennifer Hudson in the critically-acclaimed 2006 film "Dreamgirls" and appeared in 2009's "Obsessed." More recently, Beyoncé voiced the character Nala in Disney's 2019 remake of "The Lion King."
Mandy Moore rose to fame in the late '90s thanks to her 1999 single "Candy."
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She has released six albums since 1999, but the last one was in 2009. However, she has recently returned to music and will be releasing an album in early 2020.
Moore made her film debut as the mean girl in "The Princess Diaries," but is best known for her role on NBC's drama "This Is Us."
Moore has also appeared in films like "Saved!" and "47 Meters Down," and has voiced the character of Rapunzel in Disney's "Tangled" films.
Ice Cube rose to fame as a member of rap group N.W.A. before moving into his solo career.
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The rapper formed NWA with Dr. Dre and Eazy E in the late 1980s, but eventually left the group to pursue a solo career.
Ice Cube made his acting debut in the Oscar-nominated "Boyz n the Hood" in 1991.
Columbia Pictures
After "Boyz n the Hood," Ice Cube appeared in films like "21 Jump Street," "Are We There Yet?" and "Barbershop."
Taylor Swift became an instant star after the release of her eponymous album in 2006.
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Since then, Swift has released numerous No. 1 albums, including "Speak Now," "1989," and "Lover," which received critical acclaim after its release earlier this year.
Swift made her film debut in the 2010 film "Valentine's Day," and plays Bombalurina in the new "Cats" movie.
Universal Pictures
The singer has also voiced an animated character in 2012's "The Lorax," and appeared in the 2014 sci-fi film "The Giver."
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