Actors who thought they could sing

He can sing ok.

Mr T.

Russell Crowe

Angela Lansbury.

Everyone thought she could, but she couldn't.

Jesus.

Maybe her vocal was sweetened here?

Well, this is an easy one. Exhibit A.

Jada.

Richard Harris.

Pia Zadora

I was riding in a car with my mom and the Barbra Streisand - Don Johnson duet came on. Don sounded horrible, as we now know.

My mom said: Barbra Streisand is very good to her boyfriends. (Lets them sing with her even when they don’t have singing talent.)

Elizabeth Taylor in A Little Night Music.

[quote] Angela Lansbury. Everyone thought she could, but she couldn't.

You’re an idiot, r4. She did Anyone Can Whistle when she hadn’t sung for years. When she did Mame two and a half years later, she studied with David Craig, Nancy Walker’s husband and a noted voice coach, and she sounded terrific. Dear World, Prettybelle, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd - all expertly sung. In the Sondheim concert in 1973, she did both of her big ACW songs, and they sounded great

Will Smith and Eddie Murphy

[quote]Pia Zadora

She's fine.

Lara Trump

Lucy in "Mame."

[Quote]Lucy in "Mame."

Thread closed.

Did anyone mention Beanie Bag Feldstein? Any moderately talented member of a high school drama group would have done it better and yet, Miss Fatstein somehow landed on Broadway.

I don’t think Don thought he could sing . I think his minders thought he could sing and make a dollar off it.

Not much can beat this. Absolutely dreadful.

Ouch, R20! That was painful! I cannot believe that his minders and he truly thought that making him perpetrate the song live would be a good idea. As they say, 'the paths of the Lord are inscrutable and the ways of self-deceit, unpredictable'.

r21 Give it up

Heeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!

Seriously, guys?! How was I not your first pick?

Gerard Butler

Scarlett Tits Johannson

Goop

Actually, as a 17-year-old, I was a fan of David's musical talents, when this song became a hit.

And it's R25 for the win!

Anthony Newley, who my Dad astutely noted, that Tony sounded like he was vomiting while vocalizing!

Tab Hunter was pushed into singing by his handlers, but he knew he was terrible.

Maybe he found some action amongst those suited background singers, though.

Suzanne Somers. Raquel Welch.

And they could barely act.

R31 Tab is adorable there and carries the tune. What am I missing? OK he's counting the beats and it's all a bit clipped, but I think it's fine. As is he.

Bruce Willis, doing a miserable George Thorogood impression.

Eddie Murphy.

I hope Rick James got enough coke to make up for this debacle.

R35 That wasn’t as bad as I’d imagined

R16 - I came here to say that.

She, Crawford and Davis were all walking ashtrays.

Natalie Wood

R37 I love love love Bette Davis, but I bought the CD of “Two’s Company “ at a library book sale. I’d heard it decades ago, but I can’t get through one listen now.

GOOP playing a daughter singing about one night stands with her father.

Russell Crowe - Les Miserables

Yikes:

Hilary Duff.

John Travolta.

David Soul.

Keith Carradine.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

EVERY SOAP OPERA STAR

R42, Hilary Duff is a girl who think she can sing and act; she can do neither.

I'm with you R45.

Ariana DeBose

Jennifer Lopez (if you consider that an "actor")

Corey Feldman.

R49, that's a good one. Horrific!

William Shatner

Aaaaand, for the win….

With a song written by Dolly.

Betty Bacall. Jesus.

[quote]Lucy in "Mame."

Nah, Lucille knew she couldn't sing.

Don Johnson is no Helen Reddy

R23 I remember John Travolta singing in Grease, and thinking to myself, this is the level of singing one would expect from a high school musical adaptation of Grease. Listen to Aaron Tveit sing the Danny songs in Grease Live to appreciate how the songs should be sung.

Remember AMC's Jesse, R44?

That cringey Tom Cruise movie where he played a rock star and everyone had to pretend he was incredible.

Don't give up on us, baby.

Pick a note Betty. Any note.

Mills Jovovich is the answer.

Milla, obviously.

Maureen fucking McCormick

Brian Austin Green, possibly.

R57 - He did a song called Let Them In a couple years before Grease. He was much worse in it than he was in Grease.

Let HER In. Dirty bitch.

Travolta was cute and charming. He kinda sorta puts that song over even if he can't sing.

What that ass and bulge talent, few bothered to attend to Shaun's vocal talent.

I love me less album so much. The gentleman who fell is one of my favorite songs and has been since it was first on the radio but that whole album was just amazing to me as a teenager and I still listen to it to this day.

Alyssa Milano had a couple of albums were released in Japan they were crap.

Jasmine Guy released an album in the '90s I came across it at the library once and absolutely loved it.

R12- not to mention Beauty & the Beast!

Pierce Brosnan, nice as he is, shout-singing through Mamma Mia!

All the actors in Everybody Says I Love You

Richard Gere was not a great singer in Chicago (the movie). IIRC, he was talking more than singing.

I don't know if Rex Harrison counts as he probably knew he could not sing thus his talk-singing in My Fair Lady and Dr. Doolittle.

Susan Lucci owns this thread

Anne Bancroft had aspirations to be a singer but I find her tone flat.

Step aside bitches

I'm surprised Trump hasn't released an album. He's tried everything else. 🙄

Scott Baio was the male version of whisper coo.

79 posts wow you girls are slipping.

for R70

He's not feelin' it.

David Soul

Elizabeth Montgomery

Eddie Murphy. Does anyone remember this musical abortion? Michael looked like one of Eddie's t-girl prostitutes

What about this one? :)

R4. I saw Sweeney Todd when it first opened, and then went back later in the run. Len Cariou was having a hard time vocally (I cannot imagine singing that role 8 times a week ),but Angela still sounded great. Impressive. And, OP, as to the original topic, I HATED Linda Lavin’s rendition of the title song in her sitcom Alice. Hated t.

R7 I don’t care for heavy metal but for fans of the genre is Jada actually any good? I’m such a music head that I would never disparage any one genre but I can’t get into heavy metal. Is she a poser or is the shit solid?

[quote]Did anyone mention Beanie Bag Feldstein? Any moderately talented member of a high school drama group would have done it better and yet, Miss Fatstein somehow landed on Broadway.

She was perfectly fine. Go back to enjoying that racist cunt Lea Michele's obvious Streisand impression.

I can't believe this hasn't been discussed!

Lauren Bacall

Top this!!

Lizabeth Scott had a lovely, sultry singing voice.

Anybody memba that Jennifer Love Hewitt song that was out around the time ‘I still know’ came out? She sounded like a low rent Natalie Imbrulio.

JLHewitt

R96 That’s not the song I’m thinking about. This song was very 90s pop-rockish and probably would have been a hit if covered by a more credible singer.

The transition from “live vocals” to the backing track taking predominance in the mix is painfully obvious…

Letterman used to torture Candice Bergen with a clip from “Starting Over”. It was a goto moment that made me realize he does not like women.

Ms. Murphy

Cybill!

Eddie Murphy didn't have a big range, but he could passably sing on key.

Bruce Willis and Don Johnson, on the other hand........

Jodie/Jolie

Mrs. Steele

[quote] Eddie Murphy didn't have a big range, but he could passably sing on key.

Party All the Time was a good song, mainly due to Rick James.

Meryl is often praised for her singing, when what she can only do is carry a tune.

Smell Teresa Brewer at r107.

Kiefer Sutherland sings country.

OMG that Brooke Shields shit.

Hearts, Not Diamonds

Jesus how did all this shit happen. I think Brooke is better than Lauren Maybe I should say not as bad as Lauren. My god who told Lauren she could sing?

The funniest part of that scene in The Fan is that her greatest fan is LATE for the performance.

Bruce "Bruno" Willis.

Tim Curry. He's awesome in "TRHPS," but not so much on "Do the Rock," e.g.

I really liked Milla Jovavich's album so, sue me.

My vote is for Blair Warner herself, Lisa "Hot Sauce" Whelchel.

Muhammad Ali appeared in a Broadway musical!

Yea you could tell Eddie could kinda sing for real from Dreamgirls unlike Will Smith who sounded absolutely horrible in Aladdin.

Don Johnson’s not great, but he’s better than Scarlett Johansson, Eddie Murphy, and others.

Which one of you bitches has heard this one?

Jean Simmons was said to have done her own singing in the film of Guys and Dolls but it sounds dubbed to me.

This is the song I was thinkin bout.

Julie Harris did the musical Skyscraper on Broadway. She's better than expected.

David Hsselhoff and Audrey Landers were 'stars' in West Germany, lol.

Charlene Tilton in France.

Many people think Adjani and Deneuve can't sing, but they do fine in their small lane. And I prefer Deneuve over Adjani though Adjani was adventurous in her choices.

Any of you cunts buy Queen Latifah’s jazz album? Though in fairness she was a rapper first.

Jean Simmons toured in A Little Night Music and played the role in London where the show received a cast album. She's not awful but I wouldn't want to hear her sing Memory.

I don't really know who she is but the Phoebe Cates girl was so fucking gorgeous. She shouldn't sing but she is gorgeous.

Phoebe Cates

Oh...drop dead fred I know her.

Paul Petersen

You are ugly old girl^

Ewww Kiefer what the fuck??

Speaking of Kiefer here's his former room mate RDJ.

Ugh. That headphone to the ear recording studio shot always makes me laugh. Ain't no one who ever recorded an album held a headphone like that.

Sorry R124, but as beautiful, charismatic, elegant and alluring as she has always been, Catherine Deneuve cannot sing at all. The performance you've linked is pre-recorded and yet, she sounds flat most of the time and her breath control is so bad, that her voice almost disintegrates at the end of every phrase. She's awful.

As for Isabelle Adjani, she is just as bad and her material is mostly awful, as the horrible song below proves.

The Brady Bunch kids

So Deneuve did her own singing in THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG?

No, R137. Her singing was dubbed.

I believe we have a winner!

This gem was released in 1973:

R135 I agree with everything you said but note I called this a "narrow lane" which in French song allows all the atrocities you mentioned. Voila.

Please close the hailing frequencies.

Catherine is fine here:

Burt Reynolds: Ask Me What I Am

We all know what you am.

I'm just flabbergasted about the Lauren Bacall singing. WTF

I like how she is smoking at the start of the song.

Are you new to DL, R144?

Gasp

Dinah must have talked him into it.

Clint.

Kristy McNichol being horrible.

I think Kiefer studied with Lee Marvin.

I bought Don Johnson's CD when it came out in 1986. Seriously, nothing for him to be ashamed about - some great tunes, some great guest vocalists and he did very well himself. I'm surprised he didn't do anything on Broadway in a musical as he got older.

As for horrible singers - I can't believe no one mentioned Linda Lavin or Bonnie Franklin. Some people loved Dixie Carter's singing voice whenever she sang on 'Designing Women' - I did not. (Many have said her version of 'How Great Thou Art' was incredible, it doesn't move me like it does others).

The one actress who I thought was very horrible when singing - and she sang every week on her show ! - is Carol Burnett. It took balls of steel to sing every week on her variety show with the lack of talent she had when it came to singing. (Rosie O'Donnell, too).

Joey Lawrence

Drinkenstein!

Oh god. Lauren and Sly should have done a duet.

A whiskey and ciggie soaked duet between Lauren and Kiefer.

With Brenda Vaccaro on intermittent bass.

I'm taking up singing. Please vote for me at the Grammy Awards.

RDJ had a pleasant singing voice.

Bacall sang in The Big Sleep and sounded great. Her voice did not age well for singing, but she could initially carry a tune.

[quote]With Brenda Vaccaro on intermittent bass.

Brenda Vaccaro sang in a Broadway musical, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award.

R360 Bonnie Franklin also sang in a Broadway musical, for which she was nominated for a Tony. So what's your point ?

Brenda sings.

Another vote for Linda Lavin. This woman is delusional if she thinks she can sing. I have no idea how she made it as far as she did on Broadway.

R162, I was referring more to her frequent gasps for breath - “intermittent”.

I think there are a lot more singers who think they can act.

The Brenda song is a patter song so wonder it is hard to breathe.

SCTV was ruthless to poor Brenda.

R167, and now I worry that I’ve been piling on.

This woman has entertained me for decades and I’m still a prick her breathiness.

I’m sure every straight guy needed to fuck her, but… still, she’s not meat.

Any of you cunts buy Queen Latifah’s jazz album?

She sang Lush Life in that Holly Hunter movie Living Out Loud. I hate that song so I am not the best judge.

British kidz got singing:

R269. Whatever happened to Holly Hunter?

Shatner

I remember when Joan Collins sang 'Boys In The Backroom' in an episode of 'Dynasty' - my ears hurt for weeks. And she claims Andrew Lloyd Webber asked her multiple times to star in 'Sunset Boulevard' on B'way back in 1996 ???

Well Marlene was no great singer herself.

Marlene was a great singer - in her narrow lane. She transfixed homosexuals for decades.

I don't think anyone thought she was a great singer. She was a glamorous star with a great wardrobe.

I don't think Linda Lavin had a bad voice. The problem was she could be too "gimmicky" when she sang. She overdid it with inflection and emoting. You could really hear it in earlier versions of the Alice theme song. There were some episodes of the show, however, where she toned it down, and she was pretty good.

Divine.

Kim Fields

Lisa Whelchel

Bette Davis

I don't think Bette Davis ever had any illusions about her singing. She was too smart for that. This thread is about actors who thought they could sing. And she's very entertaining doing "They're Either Too Young or Too Old."

Bette Davis said in an interview when Jack Warner told her he wanted her to sing in the film she laughed for 3 days straight.

Sadly, I'm admitting that I saw Russell Crowe and his band ('Twenty Odd Foot of Grunts') over 20 some years ago and it was only because it was around the time when he had won the Oscar for GLADIATOR and his popularity was at an all-time high (and I had a huge crush on him) It was at the House of Blues and the audience was 99% women. The band was not great, but not as bad as you'd expect. It was definitely a bar band only (singing popular songs, mostly Johnny Cash) with cases of beer strategically placed on stage. To tell you how RC and his buddies felt about the show, their opening act was a barbershop quartet.

I kid you not.

Queen Latifah was the best thing about Living Out Loud. Quirky little movie that seems to have disappeared but Latifah was wonderful acting as well as singing. I love her vocals on the soundtrack. Unfortunately, Danny DeVito croaks out a tune and it's not pretty.

Here’s a little more of singing Joan Collins, the song “Chalk and Cheese” from “Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?” Also known as the film where Tony Newley did nudity and showed off his ass.

Nichelle Nicols.

Nichelle singing

R25 are those commenters for real with the praise? He sounds awful!

I felt like the little boy in THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES while reading the comments.

Dr. Kildare himself with the ORIGINAL recording of the Carpenters' "Close To You" (Bacharach/David.)

Shows you the difference a decent arrangement (and singer) makes.

Esther Rolle

Jena Malone.

And R26 is right - Scarlett Johansson can't sing at all.

I like Scarlett's voice. She seems to be influenced by that reverby Dolores O'Riordan style.

Patty Duke

Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin

R194 That whole thing made me want to puke. She is obsessed with herself. Also, that kind of affected singing voice is godawful. That is NOT her normal singing voice, she's putting on an act.

That's Patty's own voice at R195. She singing was dubbed in the finished movie.

^^ Her singing was dubbed in the finished movie. ^^

Sally Field.

Sally Field's sounds like Carol Burnet on a bad day.

Did Sally really think she could sing? As it is, her speaking voice is horrible: thin and squeaky

Faye Dunaway and Sunset Boulevard.

That guy that played Carmine Ragusa. Every time he shrieked out “Rags To Riches” I wanted to slam his nuts in a car door

Like this

De Niro

Mary Tyler Moore

ugh so irritating

Charles Busch

Patty Duke sang this on her show, but her voice was so weak so I thought I'd post this version by a real singer.

Connie Stevens, but in this case she actually could sing.

Patty's version.

R212. I was always concerned by those perv judges in the front row...

Tell me mama what to do?

Get off the stage!

I'm on the fence about Irene Ryan. There are some theatre performers who don't have great singing voices but can sell a song.

Here's Jill Clayburgh also from Pippin who has a better singing voice in a more demanding song.

I love that Jada was in a heavy metal band. I’m not a fan of hers, but I always thought that was interesting.