While there are a lot of actors and comedians who go on to dominate the screen and stage, many of them have also dabbled in the music industry, giving that world a chance before shifting gears into acting. These nine celebrities started out strong on stage with their bands before ultimately breaking away into the worlds of action and comedy.
9 Creed Bratton Had A Favored Following
Best known for his off-beat and interesting character of the same name in The Office, Creed Bratton actually has his heart in the music industry and has from his days as a kid. The actor started his successful music career in the 1960s, joining The Grass Roots in 1965. With several charting singles to their name, it was about a decade or so after joining that Bratton turned towards acting. While he’s mainly stuck to smaller roles in his time acting, Bratton moved back to music with albums out in 2018 and 2020.
8 Chuck Woolery Connected With A Love Of Music
While his name may not circulate as widely as it did in the '70s and '80s, Chuck Woolery explored the world of fame prior to a career of game show hosting. The Love Connection host played a large role in the 1960s through his psych-pop group The Avante Garde. Though the band wasn’t widely recognized, they did manage to get three of their singles at number 40 on the Billboard chart before Woolery made his way into the game show world.
7 Ricky Gervais Hit International Radio Waves
Best known as the creator of the original version of The Office, Ricky Gervais explored industries outside of television for a few years with his friend Bill McCrae. In the 1980s, Gervais operated as part of Seona Dancing, a duo with McCrae that focused on synth-heavy music. The two released a few singles that flopped and didn’t find real success aside from in The Philippines where one of their singles was renamed and seemed to be a hit.
Related: These Are The Most Controversial Moments Of Ricky Gervais' Career
6 John Belushi Did Some Damage
This Blues Brother star did his best to be a one-hit-wonder prior to making it big on screen. Belushi adored the world of hardcore punk and worked alongside a band called Fear. Though he didn’t play a huge part in their music, the actor did assist in writing and singing on the occasional track. The downfall came when he got them booked on Saturday Night Live and the group (with their fans) did over $20,000 in damage to the studio. Not a great reputation for the band to gain.
5 Teenage Ben Stiller Just Wanted To Rock
Ben Stiller made his way to Hollywood at a quick pace thanks to his work on MTV and The Ben Stiller Show, however, acting wasn’t always where his passion was. As a teenager, Stiller adored music and joined the band Capital Punishment as a drummer. The noise band recorded an album in 1982 and, while they never found much success during Stiller’s reign as the drummer, the actor proudly remembers the band and his time in it. They even re-released their album in 2018 to a new audience.
Related: Ben Stiller Directed These Shows Before The Apple TV+ Hit 'Severance'
4 Fred Armisen Had A Whole Other Career
He may be conquering the comedy and acting worlds currently, but Fred Armisen wasn’t always front and center on stage. Anyone following his stand-up knows that the actor has a comprehensive background in music, especially drumming, but some may be shocked to hear that he had a pretty good run in the music industry. His band Trenchmouth released five albums and one EP. In fact, his work with them led to him joining the background for Blue Man Group which ultimately brought him to Saturday Night Live. He owes music for his whole career.
3 Peter Dinklage Played With Punk
Peter Dinklage already holds a reputation for action and fantasy through his work on Game of Thrones, but the Tyrion Lannister actor had been in the metal world for years prior. Working as an angry frontman, Dinklage joined Whizzy on stage, taking to diving into the crowd and getting the audience pumped. When not playing cornet and trumpet in select songs, he was busy rocking to the punk beats. In fact, one of his gigs even led to a kick in the head which resulted in a scarred face that seemed to fit right into the Lannister life.
Related: How Peter Dinklage Is Adding To His $25 Million Net Worth
2 Maya Rudolph Praised Prince
Maya Rudolph may be killing it in comedy, but that wasn’t her entrance into the world of fame. Rudolph has been in not only one, but two bands throughout her career, both of which stood up with some impressive results. In the 1990s, Rudolph was making rounds with The Rentals, an alt-rock group that’s still going. Her proud time with the band dwindled as she entered the world of comedy, but in 2016, she took back to the stage with Princess, a group dedicated to covering the music of Prince. Also notable: Maya is the daughter of the late singer-sonwriter Minnie Riperton.
1 Russell Crowe Started Out Singing
The year 2012 saw a world of intrigue as Russell Crowe joined the cast of Les Misérables in the film adaptation. While his vocals in the main role became a talking point, the film actually wasn’t the first time the actor expressed himself through music. Crowe actually started his career as a musician under the name Russ Le Roq, releasing multiple singles in New Zealand. While he didn’t chart during that time, the ‘80s saw him record with a variety of groups, including his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. He seems to have stepped away from music to focus on acting, but as it was a big part of his career in the early days, there’s no telling if he’ll go back.
