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Actors you were surprised when you learned they could sing


Jackie Chan
Steven Seagal
Bruce Willis

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Val Kilmer. Watched the spoof film "Top Secret" recently & holy sh*t, he's such an amazing singer.

And before anyone mentions "The Doors", I've never actually seen that film

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If I remember correctly in The Doors movie in scenes where you see him on stage singing it is Val Kilmer’s voice. The background music is original Doors music with Jim Morrison.

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howard keel

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Hugh Jackman
Kim Basinger

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I didn't see the movie "1776" (1972) until about twenty years ago. For those who don't know, it's a musical about the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Now, the musicals I've seen seem to have three types of performers. One is a very good singer who can't act that well, who has a bit part which includes doing a smashing performance of one song. The second is a good actor who is a mediocre singer, who has a large part. (For example, William Daniels, who played John Adams and is seen in the linked video.) And the third type is the rarity who can both act and sing very well.

So anyway, there's this character in 1776, Edward Rutledge, a delegate from South Carolina. He looked and sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen the actor at. Not the biggest part in the movie but he had his share of lines, and he was doing a good job. Then he gave this fantastic performance of a song, "Molasses To Rum To Slaves." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeuaTpH6Ck0

"OK," I thought, "here's this guy who's in the third group. But where the hell have I seen him?" I looked him up on IMDB and found the answer. Twenty years later, before I saw this movie, John Cullum had played "Holling Vincoeur" in the TV series, "Northern Exposure."

I had no idea he could sing like that.

Honorable mention -- Jeremy Brett, who gave a fine performance of "On The Street Where You Live" in My Fair Lady (1964).

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