Musicians seem like they would be naturals for the silver screen. They're used to performing and they tend to ooze stage presence. Yet for every Moonstruck, there seems to be a dozen movies like Glitter. We've put together some of the more successful examples of singer who made the transition from the pop charts to the big screen.

Photo by MGM, Everett CollectionCHER -- MOONSTRUCK

By honing her skills on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" from '71 to '74, Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere prepared herself for a bountiful future with fantastic turns in unforgettable films like Silkwood, Suspect, Mask, and Mermaids. When she struck gold at the 60th Annual Academy Awards for her portrayal of Loretta Castorini, the one-and-only Cher once again left people over the moon.

Photo by United Artists/Kobal, WireImageFRANK SINATRA -- THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

Though in the past he received raves for playing an army pugilist and junkie, Old Blue Eyes made his iconic star turn as a freaked out Korean War vet in this brilliant tale of Cold War paranoia. Not only did he play the part with memorably sweaty determination but he also made movie history to boot. While unraveling a diabolical commie plot, Sinatra threw down in the first-ever karate fight in Hollywood motion pictures.

Photo by Columbia Pictures, Everett CollectionWill Smith -- Ali

Will Smith went from being a bubblegum rapper as the Fresh Prince into a Hollywood institution. Not only has he managed to star in eight consecutive movies that grossed over $100 million, but his lifetime box-office domestic gross is over $2.45 billion. He's also been nominated twice for an Oscar, once for "The Pursuit of Happyness and once for his performance as Cassius Clay in "Ali."

Photo by Buena Vista Pictures, Everett CollectionMADONNA -- EVITA

Despite numerous misses in messes such as Swept Away, Shanghai Surprise, and Body of Evidence, the Material Girl has managed to amaze audiences in A League of Their Own, Desperately Seeking Susan, and Evita, the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webbers opera for which she snagged a much-deserved Golden Globe by besting heavyweights Barbra Streisand, Debbie Reynolds, Glenn Close, and Frances McDormand.

Photo by DreamWorksBEYONCE -- DREAMGIRLS

Beyonce gained fame as the lead singer of a hugely successful pop band. In "Dreamgirls," Beyonce plays the lead singer of a hugely successful pop band. Her role might not have been much of a stretch, but she does carry it off with aplomb.

Photo by New Line Cinema, Everett CollectionJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE -- ALPHA DOG

Forget Black Snake Moan. Skip Southern Tales. Overlook The Love Guru. But, do yourself a favor and rent this gritty crime drama in which the pop star shines as Frankie "Nuts" Ballenbacher, a tattooed thug and drug runner, who steals scenes after stealing Nicholas Markowitz, the victim who was actually kidnapped in this tragic true story.

Photo by Tri-Star PicturesLUDACRIS AKA CHRIS BRIDGES -- HUSTLE & FLOW

Ludacris might be one of the biggest selling hip-hop artists in history, but he's also developed a pretty nice side gig in Hollywood. In "Hustle & Flow," he plays a role that on the surface wouldn't seem like much of a stretch -- a southern rapper who struck it rich. Yet, his character, Skinny Black, is a far cry from Ludacris' persona. And he doesn't actually rap in the flick.

Photo by New Line Cinema/Kobal, WireImageICE CUBE -- FRIDAY

It's been a long strange road for a guy who first gained attention spinning rhymes on albums like "Straight Outta Compton" and "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" to starring in family fare like Are We There Yet?, but that's the unlikely career of Ice Cube. Yet of all his films, his movie "Friday," which he both co-wrote and starred in, has become a stoner cult classic.

Photo by Miramax/Kobal, WireImageQUEEN LATIFAH -- CHICAGO

Leaving her music career in the dust probably wasn't too tough for Queen Latifah once she began to land roles in respectable films like Living Out Loud and Set It Off. However, the rapper-turned-leading lady didnt reign supreme until she won new fans (and a multitude of acting accolades) as Matron Mama Morton in 2001's Best Picture winner, Chicago.

Everett CollectionDAVID BOWIE -- MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE

While it's not surprising that the ever-changing David Bowie can act, he proved his dramatic chops in this acclaimed WWII POW drama. Bowie played the part of Jack Collier perfectly as the epitome of upper class grit. Also check out Japanese rock icon Ryuichi Sakamoto in the role of Captain Yonoi.

Everett CollectionMICK JAGGER -- PERFORMANCE

With his trademark rooster strut and freakishly full lips, Mick Jagger is no stranger to theatrics. Though he played an Australian bush ranger in Nelly Kelly, a time-traveling security agent in Free Jack, and a male escort in The Man From Elysian Fields, he's probably best remembered in Nicholas Roeg and Donald Cammell's bizarro masterpiece "Performance," where he aptly plays a burned out rock star. Sir Mick has gone on to produce movies too, the most recent being, believe it or not, the Meg Ryan vehicle The Women.

Photo by Miramax, Everett CollectionBJORK -- DANCER IN THE DARK

Bjork started out atonally crooning about car crashes with the Sugarcubes, and then went on to become the indie diva of the '90s. She made her one and only turn as an actress in Lars Von Trier's "Dancer In The Dark," which has to be one of the most depressing musicals ever made. The experience of making the flick was so emotionally draining for the singer that Bjork vowed never to act again.

Photo by Columbia Pictures, Everett CollectionTUPAC SHAKUR -- POETIC JUSTICE

Between the time that his "2Pacalypse Now" wowed hip-hop fans everywhere and when he became a casualty in the East Coast-West Coast rapper rivalry, Tupac appeared in a slew of movies about the thug life, from Juice to Gridlock'd. In John Singleton's follow up to Boyz in the Hood, he showed a more romantic side opposite fellow recording artist and "Diff'rent Strokes" alum Janet Jackson.

Photo by Miramax, Everett CollectionLYLE LOVETT --THE PLAYER

With his weird visage, Eraserhead-like shock of hair, and deadpan delivery, country singer Lyle Lovett has long been the a favorite of indie directors. He was a trash-talking baker in Short Cuts, a LSD pusher in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Lisa Kudrow's unlikely love interest in The Opposite of Sex. But his first and arguably most memorable role was as Pasadena homicide cop and Freaks enthusiast Detective DeLongpre.

Photo by Buena Vista Pictures, Everett CollectionBETTE MIDLER -- BEACHES

The Divine Miss M has come a distance since the swinging 70s when she debuted her divalicious act beside Barry Manilow in New Yorks bawdy bathhouses. With two Lead Actress Oscar noms to her name (The Rose, For the Boys) and countless comedic performances (Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune...), Bette solidified her superstardom even before her most memorable character, C.C. Bloom, hit the big screen along with BFF Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey) in this classic chick flick.

Photo by Universal Pictures, Everett CollectionSTING -- DUNE

Before his slide into adult contemporary crooning, Sting was riding high as The Police's lead singer when he starred in a bunch of movies in the early '80s, the biggest being David Lynch's deliriously weird box office bomb "Dune." As Feyd-Rautha, Sting spent much of the movie looking -- and acting -- like he was attached to an electrical outlet.

Photo by Warner Bros., Everett CollectionTINA TURNER -- MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME

Even though the tousled-hair grand dame of Rock and Roll played the Acid Queen in The Who's Tommy, her role as the chain-mail sporting ruler presiding over bloody battles in the Thunderdome made her a movie icon.

Everett CollectionBARBRA STREISAND -- THE WAY WE WERE

Babs started out singing torch songs in Greenwich Village and went on to being the biggest selling female pop singer in history. Though Babs' first big Hollywood role was a reprise of her Broadway hit Funny Girl -- which landed her an Oscar -- she didn't really show her chops as a thespian until this 1973 tearjerker. Though the movie received mixed reviews, critics raved about Streisand's acting. As a result, she got a second Oscar nomination.

Photo by 20th Century Fox/Kobal, WireImageDOLLY PARTON -- 9 TO 5

After Jane Fonda demanded that Dolly be cast in her first (and most fabulous) role to date as disgruntled secretary Doralee Rhodes, it came as no surprise when the country crooning perfectionist transitioned into a confident comedienne with such ease. As the empowering picture took the box office by storm in 1980, Dolly became a household name and quickly proved that she was not just a singer, nor simply a step on the boss mans ladder.

Photo by Warner BrothersMARK WAHLBERG -- THE DEPARTED

By the time Marky Mark's bare chest was plastered on every billboard across the country, he already had a lengthy police record. Since then, he's gone from being funky fresh to being a bona fide A-lister -- playing an adult movie star, a master thief, and an astronaut enslaved by monkeys. But it's as the foul-mouthed Boston cop Dignam that Wahlberg got an Oscar nom.

Everett CollectionJON BON JOVI -- U-571

After earning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nom for his power ballad Blaze of Glory, everyone knew that Jon Bon Jovi was itching to step onto the big screen. With decent reviews for stints in Moonlight and Valentino and Little City, the hot hairbander paved the way for his breakout role as Lt. Pete Emmett in this submarine actioner alongside bigger box office draws Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey.

Photo by Miramax/Kobal, WireImageDWIGHT YOAKAM -- SLINGBLADE

Dwight Yoakam is a country star that just about everyone from Nashville traditionalists to rockabilly punks seems to dig. Yoakam also garnered heaps of critical praise as an actor as Doyle Hargraves, the abusive drunk that Karl (Billy Bob Thornton) eventually reckoned he has reason to kill. Mmmm huh.

Photo by 20th Century Fox/Kobal, WireImageMEATLOAF -- FIGHT CLUB

He might be a Bat out of Hell, but Meatloaf played this cancer victim turned anti-capitalist revolutionary with remarkable subtlety and depth, especially when compared with his other work in movies like Spice World.

Photo by Touchstone, Everett CollectionMOS DEF -- THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

Mos Def started out as a righteous rapper of the Native Tongues school but somewhere along the line became the go-to guy for quirky comedies by European directors. In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," perhaps the least hip-hop flick this side of Beaches, he plays Ford Perfect, an extraterrestrial travel writer and does so with, um, out-of-this-world timing.

Everett CollectionCOURTNEY LOVE -- THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT

She maybe a one hit wonder when it comes to her cinematic escapades, but when Courtney Love transformed into Althea Leasure, the runaway-turned-exotic dancer in this critically acclaimed flick, audiences were pleasantly surprised to see that the rocker was capable of brilliance beyond the music biz.