Photo: Amy Harris

In this list, we are highlighting actors who have also found success in music. There a few people on this that you already may know as musicians, but even for us, there were some we didn’t even know about. We hand selected actors who cover all genres of music. Some of these actors’ music careers helped transcend their presence on the big screen as well. See below for 10 Actors who are also musicians!

Steve Martin:

Steve Martin may be known for comedic skills and acting abilities, but the Cheaper by the Dozen star is also a very talented musician as well. He picked up the banjo around 17 years old and always played music while pursuing his acting career. He even combined his comedy with music. In the early 70’s, he had the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band join him on his own song “King Tut” which ended up receiving some success. From that point on, Steve Martin continued to pursue a musical career and has even made appearances at festivals like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Enjoy some of his music below:

Johnny Depp:

Johnny Depp is not only one of Hollywood’s  bad boys, he also is a very skilled guitarist. Since the mid-2010’s, he has been a key member of supergroup Hollywood Vampires consisting of Joe Perry(Aerosmith), Alice Cooper and drummer Bruce Witkin. He has been featured on songs with some of the top names in music and even has albums of his own material. While we all know him as a household in the movie industry, there is no denying his talents on the guitar. See what he is all about on stage here:

John Stamos:

While being known as Uncle Jesse on Full House and Blackie Parrish on General Hospital, John Stamos is also an experienced musician. He started playing the drums at a young age and would play music at amusement parks and parties. In the early 2010’s , he shared the stage with John Fogerty. Stamos also has played music with The Beach Boys since 1985 making many sit-ins since then. Other appearances include playing drums on an episode of Dancing with the Stars various benefit shows.

Keanu Reeves:

We all know how much of a bada** Keanu Reeves is. From movies to video games, he has had his hands in many creative art forms. Reeves is also a touring musician in his band Dogstar, an alternative rock act out of Los Angeles, CA. The group started back in 1991 and played up until 2002. Dogstar took some time off but rekindled the fire in 202 and have been playing ever since. It is also cool to see that in the video game Cyberpunk, he plays the rock star Johnny Silverhand. It’s almost like the Bill and Ted prophecy came true!

 

Zooey Deschanel:

Deschanel is known for her talented roles in elf, New Girl, Yes Man and plenty others. But what you might not know is that she also is well rounded when it comes to music. Her and Samantha Shelton would perform in their jazz cabaret If All the Stars Were Pretty Babys back in 2001 all around Los Angeles. In 2013, Her duo group She and Him released Volume 3 which debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. This helped make her more dynamic on the movie side of things and it goes to show like with memorable scenes including her singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Taylor Momsen:

With most of these actors and actresses on the list, you would to have to be in the know to know they are also musicians. Taylor Momsen might be more well known for her time with Pretty Reckless. Momsen is a power front woman carving her own spot out in the world of hard rock. The band has played arenas and theaters all around the world. Not only that, she has been a musician since a kid writing “Where Are You Christmas?” and was the hit off the soundtrack for How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

Scarlett Johansson:

Scarlett Johansson is a powerhouse on the movie screen but has also has released multiple studio albums and EPs. In, 2006 she contributed to Songs From The Stars with her song “Summertime.” Johansson released Break Up, a collaborative album with Bridgitte Bardot which was in the top 50 in the United States.

Jada Pinkett-Smith:

Would you have guessed that Jada Pinkett-Smith is a metal musician? In 2002, she helped form the band Wicked Wisdom. 2006 saw the release of the band’s first album and made it to Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. Her band toured heavily with Sevendust and eventually made it onto the lineup of Ozzfest 2005.

Jack Black:

Now this one is pretty much a given. Jack Black is a true rockstar with his musical career being just as relevant as his movie career. He is half of Tenacious D, a hard rock comedy act formed with Kyle Gass. The group was fomed back in 1994 and has been playing ever since. Their music really came to light witih the release of the movie Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. The movie was released in 2006 and helped elevate the bands music to the public. The movie was an instant cult classic and produced memorable material.

Frankie Muniz:

He ain’t just Malcom in the Middle. Frankie Muniz is a man of many talents including racing cars and playing music. He played drums an unsigned band You Hang Up and then in 2012, joined Kingsfoil, a band based out of York, PA but eventually left because of scheduling problems.  The band eventually ended up getting back together and opened for bands like We the Kings and Cute Is What We Aim For.