The World of Actor Rockstars!

© Nicole Paschal, All Rights Reserved

Sure, you may have seen him in many movies and he may have won an Oscar for best actor, but nothing is hotter than a man that can rock. Although a number of actors have tried their hand at music, only a few have become very successful. Truthfully, many great actors may not be so great musicians. Yet, a passion for music still grants our actors extra sex appeal when we know that underneath all that acting talent is a musical soul. Read below for five hot actors and their bands.

Ryan Gosling/ Dead Man’s Bones
Whether you fell in love with him as a mouseketeer, Noah in “The Notebook,” or the bachelor Jacob Palmer, Ryan Gosling is thought to be one of the most diverse and attractive actors today. Yet, there is even more to the superstar. He’s a burgeoning rocker. Mending the influences of doo-wop, The Cure, James Brown, and The misfits, Gosling’s “Dead Man’s Bones” emerged from a meeting in 2005. While dating sisters, Zach Shields and Gosling were forced to spend time with each other. However, the more they talked; they discovered a similar fascination with ghosts and the undead. After developing a concept for a supernatural-inspired play, both began to learn how to play instruments in order to write the musical score. After some time, they scrapped that idea and continued with the music. While recording their first album, the goal was to artistically integrate their sound mistakes into the recordings. By not making more than three takes and including the sounds of crying, screaming, howling, and other things, “Dead Man’s Bones” does not lack that creative spark. In 2009, for their first album release, they incorporated the voices of the Silver lake Conservatory Children’s Choir.

Christian Kane
You may know him as Eliot Spencer on Leverage, but Kane is also a well-received country singer. Despite the popularity of Leverage, the Oklahoma-bred Kane has always professed music to be his first love. After achieving some popularity with his first band KANE in L.A., Christian and songwriter Steve Carlson took the show to Nashville in an effort to bring more awareness to his sound. Kane’s first album, “The House Rules,” debuted in 2010. Having written all but 3 songs on the album, it made iTunes top ten on the country charts.

Jarod Leto/30 Seconds to Mars
Perhaps having one of the most successful bands on this list, Jarod Leto is a rock force to be reckoned with. Before fronting 30 Seconds to Mars, Leto was known as a teenage heartthrob in My So-Called Life. Later he starred in Fight Club, American Psycho, and lord of War amongst many other films. 30 Seconds to Mars was formed in 1998 with his brother Shannon and Tomo Miličević. By 2002, their first album, “Capricorn,” was released. However, it wasn’t until their second album, that the masses really began to take notice. Later, 2005’s “A Beautiful Lie” and 2009’s “This is War” were phenomenal hits. One unique aspect of their music is that Jarod incorporated his love of film until his music videos. A wildly successful song, the music video for “The Kill” was based Stephen King’s The Shining. From Yesterday, another release from the same album was filmed entirely in China and inspired by The Last Emperor. The single, “A Beautiful Lie,” was filmed on an iceberg in the Arctic Circle to bring awareness to global warming. If you’ve haven’t caught on to them yet, you still have time. 30 Seconds to Mars is currently working on their fourth album release.

Jaime Foxx
With four albums to his name and notoriety as an actor and comedian, Jaime Foxx is a triple threat. Although his last album, “Best Night of My Life,” was released in 2010, it was 2005’s “Unpredictable” that peaked at number one on the Billboard Charts and garnered Foxx his earliest musical fame. Born in Terrell Texas, Foxx (Eric Bishop) showed a very advanced knowledge in music before anything else. Although he excelled in sports and seemed very good in performing, it was his skills as a pianist that paved his way to the U.S. International University San Diego in the form of a pianist scholarship. By 2010, at the 52^nd Grammy Awards, Foxx won his first Grammy, after many nominations on previous albums. “Blame it, featuring T Pain” won the award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.

Russell Crowe/30 Odd Foot of Grunts, Russell Crowe and the Ordinary Fear of God
Russell Crowe, known for his roles in Gladiator and A beautiful Mind amongst others, began playing in bands in the 1980’s. With Crowe on vocals and guitar, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts emerged in 1992. It is said that the title was inspired by some incidents while filming the movie Virtuosity. Under that name, the band released three albums and performed throughout the United States and internationally. Always evolving, Crowe formed a new band named Russell Crow and the Ordinary Fear of God, by 2005. Maintaining some of the previous members, the band has been quite popular with sell-out shows. Altogether, Crowe has released seven albums with both bands. Still performing, he will be in New York’s Gramercy Theatre in October 2012.