6 Hollywood actors you totally forgot had huge hit singles

14 January 2022, 10:40

We'll be honest, we never thought Bradley Cooper would score a number one hit.

But the Hollywood actor has did just that with Lady Gaga in 2018 with their duet 'Shallow' from the movie A Star Is Born, which he also directed.

But Bradders isn't the first movie actor to score a one-off success in the music world and he - hopefully - won't be the last. Here are a handful of others who made the transition with surprising results:

See more: These are the top 20 richest actors in the world

1. Bruce Willis

   

   Bruce Willis Respect Yourself (1987)

   It's easy to forget that for a brief period in the late 1980s, Bruce had a pretty successful music career.

   At the height of his Moonlighting/Die Hard pomp, Bruce decided to take his love for blues rock seriously, and his album The Return of Bruno was a surprise hit.

   He teamed up with The Pointer Sisters on 'Respect Yourself', and his version of 'Under the Boardwalk' reached number two in the UK.

2. Nicole Kidman

   

   Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman - Somethin' Stupid

   Not only did Nicole Kidman score a UK hit, but she has a Christmas number one under her belt!

   In 2001, she duetted with Robbie Williams for his Swing When You're Winning album, singing a cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra's 'Somethin' Stupid'. The song was a huge success, and still makes us feel Christmassy.

   See more: Robbie Williams turned down offer to be Queen's frontman before Adam Lambert

3. Kate Winslet

   

   Kate Winslet - What If - Official Music Video

   Kate's one of the UK's finest ever actors, but she also had a brief chart career.

   In 2001, she sang the love theme from that year's A Christmas Carol animated movie, and it was released as a single. It was a top 10 hit in the UK for Kate, and we're surprised she didn't at least give an album a go.

4. John Travolta

   

   Grease - Sandy.. (1978)

   John has reinvented himself so many times in his career that it's easy to forget he was technically one of the most successful recording artists of the 1970s.

   Thanks to his appearance as Danny in Grease, John scored several hits from the soundtrack including two huge number ones with Olivia Newton-John, 'Summer Nights' and 'You're the One that I Want'.

5. Patrick Swayze

   

   Patrick Swayze - She's Like The Wind ft. Wendy Fraser

   Read more: The Story of... 'She's Like the Wind'

   OK, chances are there was no way you were going to forget this one, but we love any excuse to talk about it.

   Patrick co-wrote this classic ballad, which was later used in the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing, and gave him a surprise hit around the world.

6. Lee Marvin

   

   Lee Marvin - Wand'rin Star (ReMastered Audio) (1969) (HD)

   On paper, this sounds so utterly bizarre. But that was the 1970s for you.

   Hollywood veteran Lee Marvin may not have had the most gifted singing voice, but his low-pitched warbling on 'Wand'rin' Star' from the Paint Your Wagon soundtrack gave him a number one hit in the UK, keeping off 'Let It Be' by The Beatles, no less.