From the Box Office to the Charts: Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Ryan Gosling & More Actors on the Billboard Hot 100

Michael Calcagno and Starr Bowenbank
·2 min read
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To become a famous actor or actress is a huge feat in itself. And to land a song on the Billboard Hot 100 is a dream for aspiring musicians. But what about the elite few who have accomplished both?

Below, Billboard has rounded up a sampling of more than 50 entertainers who have done just that — from singing actors who starred in movie musicals to comedians who dabbled in pop music to stars who voiced characters in animated films and everything in between.

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One of the earlier stars of the screen to earn charting hits was Debbie Reynolds, whose filmography includes starring roles in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Singin’ in the Rain and Disney’s Halloweentown franchise. In 1957, “Tammy” — from Reynolds’ film Tammy and the Bachelor — became her highest-charting hit on what was then the Top 100 songs chart and ruled for five weeks. After the Hot 100 launched the next year, she earned two entries on the chart, both in 1960: “Am I That Easy to Forget?” (No. 25) and “City Lights” (No. 55).

In the decades since, such actors and comedians as Eddie Murphy, Jack Black and more would carry the torch for musically gifted entertainers. Murphy struck gold with his Rick James-produced hit “Party All the Time” in 1985; the track peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and is one of Billboard‘s Biggest No. 2 Hits of All Time. Black hit the Hot 100 as one-half of Tenacious D (alongside Kyle Glass) with 2006’s “The Pick of Destiny” (No. 78) and later returned to the chart as a soloist this year with “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie (No. 56).

Ryan Gosling made the list of actors with charting tracks on the Hot 100 thanks to this summer’s smash-hit movie Barbie, in which he co-stars as Ken. In the weeks after the film’s theatrical release, Gosling’s self-deprecating power ballad from the movie, “I’m Just Ken,” earned him his first entry on the all-genre tally, debuting at No. 87.

From Meryl Streep and John Travolta to Hugh Jackman, Queen Latifah and more, check out Billboard‘s list of actors and actresses, who — in addition to having a well-documented career onscreen — have crossed over with a song (or two or three or more) on the Billboard Hot 100.

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