From Monday 5 May 2025
Female Actresses who can sing
BUT!
NOT singers who got a part in a movie, but rather actresses who have a passion for music, and can damn well sing.
Someone who was discovered that can sing, and was cast in the part in a movie because of it. Or who sang impressively in their part.
What would be more impressive, is if you can find someone who used to sing before acting, or still sings outside of acting.
Liezel
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Relator
Scarlett Johansson is my favourite Avenger and someone I’ve enjoyed watching as an actress for years. I love her way of spinning “typical” roles into something offbeat and quirky, yet deep.
Today’s song is a fun, feel-good tune, which doesn’t fully do her sultry voice justice, but after collaborating extensively with Jay in this theme’s process, he has made his final decision. I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s because he and mom agree that she is “cute & super-sexy” and we get to see her sing in this one. However, we highly recommend that should you wish to get a real appreciation for the quality of her voice, you should check out her song “Before my time” which is purely audio.
As far as brownie scoring points:
* She pursued a musical career before a professional acting one;
* She started her acting career as a child on Broadway;
* Was cast for her voice in the animated movie “Sing”;
* Added an impromptu Karaoke scene in the movie “Lost in translation”
* Still pursues her singing career and has released a number of albums
* Is a kick ass actress (literally).
I believe that covers all your criteria Master Spinny Wheel?
Paul
Kate Hudson – Glorious (Live From The Voice / 2024)
Her Dad was in the music industry.
This actress has recently launched a singing career, releasing her debut album “Glorious” in May 2024. This album is a culmination of her lifelong love for music, and her own songwriting.
She has also performed live, showcasing her vocal skills on both the album’s title track and covers of other songs. A few short key points about her singing career according to Googley-bots:
• Debut Album: “Glorious” was released in May 2024.
• Lifelong Passion: She has always loved music and has been writing songs for years.
• Stage Debut: She made her stage debut at small events this year, as well as on The Voice
• Collaboration: She collaborated with Linda Perry and her fiancé, Danny Fujikawa, on the album
• “Glorious” Track: She has performed the title track of the album and other covers.
• Positive Reception: She is pleased with the positive feedback she’s received about her singing and music.
Who is she? Well ……
Her Dad was in the music industry.
Her Mom is a very famous actress which everyone knows.
Her Step-Dad – just as popular!
Herself – just as famous, everyone will know her!
I was going to choose a cover she sang but decided to rather play one of her own songs.
I first saw the one she sang live on the Howard Stern show (Go look it up – “*ACTRESS NAME* covers “Voices Carry” Live on the Stern Show”
The song I chose is this one she sang live on The Voice, which is one of the songs from her album.
Sue
Send In the Clowns – Glenn Close
This actress began her acting career on stage in 1974 and moved on to movies in 1984. She has been nominated for Oscar and Toni awards and is still active now. Noted roles include
Total Attraction
Hamlet
The Guardian
101 Dalmations
Hillbilly Elergy to name a few.
She has also appeared on Broaday
I knew she could as she was in a group, “Up with People” for a few years in the early years
This is Glen Close singing “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music” by Soldheim. A truly moving version.
Enjoy!!
Errol
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) – Makin’ Whoopee
Before Ms Johannsen, there was Paris. And before Paris, there was Michelle Pfeiffer. ????
She starred in at least 50 movies.
I remember well Deep End of the Ocean. Nothing quite like being in a movie theatre where every patron is loudly sobbing their hearts out. You should watch it Paul.
In 1989 she starred in the Fabulous Baker Boys as a nightclub singer. Her managers were the two Bridges brothers, Beau and Jeff. (The third brother, Bles, wasn’t in the movie).
Here she is singing my favourite of all her songs. Makin’ Whoopee.
Enjoy.
Wilfred
Marion Cotillard ( Edith Piaf ) – Non, je ne regrette rien
Marion Cotillard is one of contemporary cinema’s most quietly transformative actresses — a performer who disappears so completely into her roles that you often forget she was ever acting at all. Born in Paris to a family of artists, she emerged from the French film scene with a rare combination of vulnerability and intensity, earning global recognition for her ability to anchor emotionally complex stories. From the gritty realism of Rust and Bone to the intricate dreamscape of Inception, she brings a grounded humanity to both indie dramas and major Hollywood productions.
But perhaps her most astonishing turn came in La Vie en Rose, where she portrayed the legendary French singer Édith Piaf with such emotional and physical precision that it earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress — the first ever for a French-language performance. What many didn’t expect was that Cotillard could sing, too. In that role and beyond, she revealed a haunting, expressive voice that, while not her primary craft, proved as arresting as her screen presence — a quiet, devastating talent hiding in plain sight.
Here is Marion Cotillard ( Edith Piaf ) – Non, je ne regrette rien
And if you are intrigued, here is the trailer to the movie:
Karen
Barbra Streisand – Memory
Barbra Streisand (born April 24, 1942, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.)
Initially aspiring to be a dramatic actress, Streisand joined a summer theatre group in Malden Bridge, New York, and began studying acting while still in high school.
After graduation she moved to Manhattan, where her first break came in 1960 when she sang at a small local nightclub and won an amateur talent contest
As an American singer, composer, actress, director, and producer she is considered by many to be the greatest popular singer of her generation. The first major female star to command roles as a Jewish actress, Streisand redefined female stardom in the 1960s and ’70s with her sensitive portrayal of ethnic urban characters. Her immense popularity matched only by her outspokenness, she became one of the most powerful women in show business, noted for her liberal politics and her philanthropy.
Barbra Streisand’s song “Memory” is a poignant rendition of the musical Cats’ anthem. It explores themes of nostalgia, longing for the past, and the bittersweetness of reminiscing while moving forward. The lyrics, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn based on T.S. Eliot’s poems, convey Grizabella’s melancholic remembrance of her glamorous past and her plea for acceptance.
Arno
Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper – Shallow (from A Star Is Born)
LIEZEL:
I have to say the theme would have been a bust if this amazing artist wasn’t recognised. I agree with Paul L that she is one of the best talents in this current era. I knew anything Gaga sang would be amazing and watched the movie because of her singing prowess. I marvelled at her ability to navigate being an actress with such conviction and make a story that I would probably have never been keen to watch as a movie, so memorable and impressionable. I was transfixed, bawling and forever “scarred” in a good way, by her acting portrayal. I have no doubt she has many more Aces up her sleeve and reminds me of a young Streisand, being able to tiptoe both stages.
Geraldine
I’ve Been Waiting For You | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Paul L
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) – I Will Always Love You
All these unbelievably great artists that we’ve had this week makes it a hard act to follow. Ah well. Here goes anyway.
I have always been a Dolly Parton fan. Her most famous song has usually been credited to Whitney Housten, but Dolly wrote it and I believe sings it with more soul and believability.
Elvis wanted to record the song and when his agent indicated that he only recorded songs to which he owned the rights, she turned him down.
Here she performs it in the musical “Best little Whorehouse in Texas”.
Richard
If They Could See Me Now | Sweet Charity
Deborah
Postcards from the Edge – Meryl Streep Singing “I’m Checkin’ Out”
In Postcards from the Edge, Meryl plays Suzanne, a washed-up actress and recovering addict trying to rebuild her life. Based on Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel, Shirley MacLaine plays her manipulative and self-absorbed mother. (I very nearly chose Shirley performing “I’m still here” from that movie, another good one.)
In the final scene, Meryl performs ‘I’m Checking Out’ in one take live on set (a movie-within-a-movie set). No overdubs or studio polish were added later.
It was an incredible ending to an emotionally-charged movie as you see the character taking back her career and her life.
The only version I could find includes the film’s closing credits, so you will probably want to bail out when they start coming up.