Top 10 Biopics When the Actors Actually Sang
These actors have hidden talents! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movies about famous singers where the actors actually performed the songs themselves.
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00:00 "Well, I'm packed pretty tight in here tonight. I'm looking for a dolly, you'll see me right."
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movies about famous
00:11 singers where the actors actually perform the songs themselves.
00:14 "So what are we gonna sing, Johnny? You got me out here, is that where your plan ends?"
00:18 Number 10. The Buddy Holly Story
00:21 Charting the early life, rise to fame, and tragic ending of 50s rock and roll idol Buddy Holly,
00:27 the filmmakers of this 1978 biopic opted for realism.
00:30 "My love, all my kissing, you don't know what you can missin'
00:36 Star Gary Busey and his on-screen bandmates sang and played all their numbers live during the
00:44 shoot. Although Holly was a small guy, his wailing and growling style left some big shoes to fill.
00:50 "Baby, how I love you, baby, baby, you know I love you, baby, you know I love you from day to day"
01:02 Tackling some of rock and roll's most popular songs, Busey was a revelation in the role. He
01:07 was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the music won the Best Adaptation Score Oscar.
01:13 "I'm gonna show you how it gets, you're gonna feel it. Hey, you're gonna hear it too."
01:19 "I'm gonna show you how it gets, you're gonna feel it. Hey, you're gonna feel it too."
01:22 Number 9. Cadillac Records
01:24 Based on the luminaries who made up the real-life chess records,
01:27 this 2008 biopic boasted an impressive cast.
01:30 "You were born for good luck, that you'll see. I got $700, don't you worry, yeah"
01:44 Although not every single song was sung by the actors, plenty of them actually were.
01:49 It makes sense, as most of the actors were well-known vocalists and musicians before then.
01:53 "The night was young and the room was gold, so we both decided to take the stroll.
01:59 Can you imagine the way I felt? I couldn't think faster than I said, "I felt"
02:06 Though not exact soundalikes, most deaf, Beyonce and Jeffrey Wright in their respective roles as
02:11 Chuck Berry, Etta James and Muddy Waters revive the classic tracks these artists made famous.
02:16 The movie itself got mixed reviews for its lack of originality,
02:20 but the soundtrack was often its most celebrated component.
02:23 "And life is like a song"
02:29 Number 8. The Runaways
02:31 In this 2010 biopic, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning played Joan Jett and Sherry Curry of the
02:36 late 70s band The Runaways. "I'm a one-bound shelf, living where it's wet. Your mama says
02:44 you're going straight to hell" Both actresses were at a crossroads in their careers, and playing two
02:50 trailblazing, boundary-smashing women of rock gave both stars a chance to cut their teeth on
02:54 more mature roles. What's more is that their vocals were used in many scenes,
02:59 including on the band's biggest hit, Cherry Bomb.
03:01 "I'll give you something to live for. Have ya, grab ya, tell your sores. Hello,
03:09 daddy. Hello, ma. I'm your cherry bomb"
03:15 Both Joan Jett and Sherry Curry themselves were reportedly impressed with their on-screen
03:19 counterparts. With its driving soundtrack and the charisma of its leads, The Runaways is a
03:24 rousing tribute to late 70s punk rock seediness. "Wild beaches, it's all too wet.
03:31 Have fun summer and then"
03:36 Number 7. The Doors
03:38 Val Kilmer auditioned for a role in this wild retelling of the 60s rock band's brief rise and
03:43 fall from stardom by producing a tape of him singing various songs by The Doors. It worked
03:48 almost too well. Director Oliver Stone decided to have him perform the songs in the movie himself.
03:53 "Try to run, try to hide, break all truth to the other side"
03:59 Kilmer's stamina was constantly put to the test with multiple takes of concert scenes
04:03 as the energetic, hard-partying frontman Jim Morrison. His hard work paid off.
04:07 The movie is a wild ride, made more immersive and intimate by the inclusion of the actor's voice,
04:18 allowing him to fully inhabit the role. Even critics who weren't exactly in love
04:23 with the film felt his performance alone was worth the price of admission.
04:26 Number 6. Judy
04:52 Despite already giving one Oscar-winning turn, Renee Zellweger was hesitant to take this role.
04:56 That's understandable. Judy Garland is only one of the 20th century's greatest entertainers.
05:01 No big deal. But the fact that Zellweger did her own singing makes it an even more
05:05 courageous decision. "I'll face the unknown, I'll build a world of my own"
05:21 Zellweger didn't seek to impersonate Garland, but opted instead to build the voice around
05:26 her view of Judy as a character. Playing the legendary entertainer in her later years,
05:30 her voice is worn and slightly damaged, but nonetheless powerful and full of emotion.
05:36 Zellweger tears through Garland's most famous songs, winning a second Oscar.
05:40 "I'm with you always, come rain or shine"
05:53 Number 5. Rocketman
06:08 This biopic takes a more unconventional approach. Yes, it still covers the ups,
06:12 downs, triumphs, and failures of Sir Elton John from his childhood in Britain to his superstardom,
06:17 but it also does it in a highly stylized, fantastical way.
06:21 Taron Egerton takes the role of the piano-playing pop icon, and sings all the songs himself.
06:26 "He's a panda wizard, he's scared to turn you on, a panda wizard to watch you be the boy"
06:37 Pairing surreal imagery with Egerton's powerhouse performance,
06:41 Rocketman finds a novel way to track a famed performer's battles with addiction,
06:45 betrayal, and the pressures of fame. The movie's premiere showings were met with standing ovations,
06:51 and it would receive several nominations and awards for both Egerton and the soundtrack.
06:55 "And don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did"
07:02 "Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid"
07:11 Number 4. Elvis
07:13 Director Baz Luhrmann is known for his frantic and jarring approach.
07:22 So, when he announced he was helming an Elvis Presley biopic,
07:25 people knew this wasn't going to be a straightforward kind of movie. People were
07:28 even more intrigued and maybe even skeptical when it was announced that several actors would be singing.
07:33 "Well, you may go to college, you may go to school, you may have a pink Cadillac, but don't you think nobody's real"
07:42 Performers Cody Smit-McPhee, Yola, and Shanka Dukere sang the songs of the famous vocalists
07:47 they played. But it was star Austin Butler who stole the show as the king. Although his voice
07:53 is mixed with the real Elvis's in his older years, much of his performances as a younger
07:57 man were performed solely by Butler. "Well, since my baby left me, well I found a new place to dwell"
08:06 Number 3. Lady Sings the Blues
08:10 The most ironic thing about this one is that the star of the movie and its subject sound
08:19 almost nothing alike. Diana Ross's lilting and pristine coup would never be mistaken for Billie
08:25 Holiday's resonant rasp. Yet Ross's performance is so believable that it doesn't even matter.
08:30 "If I should take an ocean to jump into the ocean, ain't nobody's business if I do"
08:41 While the 2021 biopic starring Andra Day found an actress who could match Billie Holiday's sound,
08:46 Lady Sings the Blues proved that Diana Ross wasn't just dabbling in acting. The former
08:51 supreme was able to create a fully fleshed out character from the history of one of music's
08:55 most tragic and battered souls. "Now every day I start by saying to you,
09:03 good morning Harley, what's new?" Number 2. Walk the Line
09:11 Johnny Cash wasn't a one-man band. His wife and frequent duet partner June Carter Cash was an
09:16 important if not essential part of his success and long-standing legacy.
09:20 In Walk the Line, their very personal story is given a very personal touch.
09:34 Not only do stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do their own singing,
09:38 but they also learned how to play their characters' instruments.
09:41 It's a harmonious match, whether you're talking about the actor's musicianship or their on-screen
09:59 chemistry. If its success with critics and audiences is any indication,
10:03 it is easily one of the best movies of its kind.
10:06 "I'm Jonah Jackson, and that's a fact. Yeah, I'm Jonah Jackson, ain't never coming back."
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10:35 Number 1. Cole Miner's Daughter
10:37 Sissy Spacek turned out to be a pretty great match for Loretta Lynn,
10:53 especially when you consider the singer only picked her because they looked alike.
10:56 It's even more unlikely how good she is considering the actress only wanted to do her own singing so
11:01 the producers would quickly realize their mistake in casting her. But Spacek embodies her Oscar
11:06 winning role from head to toe, taking complete ownership of Lynn's characteristically sassy
11:11 country classics. "Yeah, I'm proud to be a coal miner's daughter. I remember well,
11:22 the well where I drew water." Just as uncanny is actress Beverly D'Angelo's
11:29 take on Patsy Cline's haunting records. Their very real skills as vocalists elevate the movie,
11:34 grounding it in the kind of authenticity its real subject was known for.
11:38 Does casting an actor who can sing the role really make a biopic better?
11:53 Sound off in the comments below. "I'll be a bum if you don't pull in 15 bucks in tips tonight.
11:57 15 bucks! Now that's my definition of a good singer." Do you agree with our picks? Check out
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