52 actors who completely transformed themselves into real-life music legends

• Actors often transform into real-life musicians for biopics.
• Some actors go through physical transformations to play musicians.
• Many, like Jeremy Allen White and Angelina Jolie, employ coaches to nail their performances.

Musical legends have been portrayed on the big screen for decades, in biopics that range from transformative to highly mediocre.

Actors hoping to accurately depict those artists often need to undergo musical training and major physical transformations.

While some roles merely require learning a little choreography and slight makeup, others are more intensive, like Jamie Foxx having his eyes glued shut to portray blind musician Ray Charles.

The most recent addition to the list is Jeremy Allen White, who plays Bruce Springsteen in the upcoming film, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” directed by Scott Cooper.

Cooper is no stranger to musical films, having previously directed the movie “Crazy Heart,” which earned Jeff Bridges an Academy Award for playing the fictional country musician Bad Blake.

But for White, playing the singer-songwriter was a new challenge, and he spent hours learning to sing and play like The Boss.

Here are 52 of the most notable musician biopic transformations.

Olivia Singh and Anjelica Oswald contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Jeremy Allen White had to cover up his signature blue eyes to play Bruce Springsteen in “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

In addition to covering up his baby blues with brown contacts, White also had to learn to play guitar to take on The Boss in the 2025 biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

“Picking up a guitar for the first time when you’ve never held one before, and knowing in six months you have to be playing it, that was humbling and the most frightened I’ve been in my work life,” he told Sean Evans during an episode of “Hot Ones.”

That’s impressive, but even more impressive is listening to him sing as Springsteen — it’s uncanny.

Timothée Chalamet was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”

“A Complete Unknown” chronicles Dylan’s rise to fame in the ’60s. Because of delays due to COVID-19 and the Hollywood strikes in 2023, Timothée Chalamet ended up having five to six years — rather than a couple of months — to work on his portrayal of the singer-songwriter.

During that time, he worked with a guitar teacher named Larry Saltzman and a vocal coach named Eric Vetro. In addition to singing, guitar, and harmonica lessons, Chalamet grew out his real nails and kept speaking like Dylan on set, even when cameras weren’t rolling. Chalamet also told NPR that he gained 20 pounds because he was thinner than Dylan.

Monica Barbaro also received an Oscar nod for “A Complete Unknown” for playing Joan Baez.

Barbaro received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for playing Baez, another folk music icon and frequent collaborator with Bob Dylan. She sang and played guitar in the film.

“I mean, she was a brilliant singer — is a brilliant singer — and particularly at this time, her voice was absolutely pristine; it was what she was known for. I was not a singer, and she sang in keys that I could not sing in and, I had never even really tried vibrato,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

Angelina Jolie plays famed soprano Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria.”

Angelina Jolie, who never publicly sang before starring in the 2024 film, spent seven months taking singing, voice, and Italian classes. Even while filming “Maria,” Jolie had nightly singing rehearsals to prepare for the next day of shooting.

“Industry” star Marisa Abela spent four months taking singing lessons with a vocal coach to portray Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s 2024 biopic “Back to Black.”

Marisa Abela worked with a dialect coach, vocal coach, movement coach, music producer, and guitar tutor to fully inhabit the character. Some of her costumes in the film contain real pieces of clothing worn by Winehouse, too.

Sebastian Stan spent three hours a day getting transformed into Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in “Pam & Tommy.”

The 2022 miniseries starred Stan as Lee and Lily James as Pamela Anderson during their tumultuous relationship in the ’90s.

Stan spent hours in the makeup chair getting Lee’s tattoos applied, as well as prosthetic nipple piercings, per USA Today.

The biggest challenge, though, was nailing Lee’s signature drumstick twirl. “It’s not easy to do,” Stan told Variety. “My fingers were swollen for a good week and a half. I kept hitting myself in the head with it.”

Kingsley Ben-Adir starred as reggae legend Bob Marley in the film “Bob Marley: One Love.”

The 2024 movie “Bob Marley: One Love” explores Marley’s rise to fame, his hardships, and his performance at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica in 1978.

Ben-Adir worked with a guitar coach, movement coach, dialect coach, and Jamaican language coach to portray Marley. The performance scenes in the movie blend Ben-Adir and Marley’s voices.

Former Nickelodeon star Austin Butler earned an Academy Award nomination for his astounding transformation into “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.”

Austin Butler landed the role over stars like Miles Teller and Harry Styles, per the LA Times.

To play Presley, the actor watched old interviews of the singer, studied the way he talked and sang, and worked with vocal and movement coaches. Butler also developed a close bond with Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley during the process of making the film.

Jacob Elordi played Elvis in a different movie, “Priscilla,” starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley.

Butler and Elordi’s portrayals of Presley couldn’t be more different — and that’s the point of 2023’s “Priscilla,” which tells the myth of Elvis and Priscilla from Priscilla’s point of view.

But that doesn’t mean that Elordi put in any less work. “I averaged like a pound of bacon a day,” Elordi told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s not that noticeable because I’m quite long. But I was the biggest I’ve ever been.”

Kurt Russell received an Emmy nomination for his memorable portrayal of Presley in the 1979 TV movie “Elvis.”

Before the movie aired, Russell told the Los Angeles Times: “I know one thing, there’s no in-between. It’s either really going to be great or really horrible, just stinking.”

It was a success. The film helped shoot Russell’s career forward.

“I said, if I’m going to do this, I’m going out in flames. I’m controlling this airplane,” Russell told GQ in 2016. “I’m taking it down, or I’m going to break through the clouds my way. And when I did that, that’s when I had an epiphany moment, saying, ‘Kurt, where have you been your whole life? Wake the f–k up. This is what you’re supposed to do.'”

Daniel Radcliffe played the titular musician of the 2022 biopic “Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story.”

The “Harry Potter” star won a Critics Choice Award for his performance as the eccentric musician. And yes, Radcliffe’s thick mustache in the film is completely real.

Evan Rachel Wood played Madonna in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”

The movie is a largely exaggerated retelling of Yankovic’s life and career.

“I watched tons of interviews, and I was constantly playing them on set just so I have the cadence of her voice and the tone in my head,” Wood told E! News of her process into becoming Madonna.

“I just sort of let her loose on set and took the foundation that I had and turned it up and made it the most unhinged, sort of stage mom Madonna that one has ever seen,” Wood added.

Naomi Ackie portrayed singer Whitney Houston in the biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”

Naomi Ackie portrayed the Grammy-winning singer at different stages of her life. As part of her preparation, she worked with a vocal coach and listened to original recordings of Houston’s isolated vocal tracks.

Gary Busey scored his first and only Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in 1978’s “The Buddy Holly Story.”

According to Gary Busey’s biography, he played the guitar, recorded the songs for the film, and lost 32 pounds to play Holly.

Viola Davis earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of legendary blues artist Ma Rainey in the 2020 film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

The film also won two Oscars, for best costume design and best makeup and hairstyling.

Jason Mitchell transformed into Eazy-E for “Straight Outta Compton.”

Jason Mitchell’s transformation into the late N.W.A rapper Eazy-E for “Straight Outta Compton” blew critics away.

A New York Times review said the actor “consistently out-acts the rest of the performers.” Mitchell, who has a similarly built frame to Eazy-E, gained weight, practiced a South Los Angeles accent, and learned how to rap for the role, according to the Los Angeles Times. Corey Hawkins became Dr. Dre and O’Shea Jackson Jr. transformed into his father, Ice Cube, for the film.

Tom Hiddleston played Hank Williams in “I Saw the Light.”

English actor Tom Hiddleston transformed into the folk singer, Southern drawl and all, for “I Saw the Light.” Hiddleston stayed with singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell for five weeks and was coached in Williams’ mannerisms and singing style.

Kristen Stewart became rocker Joan Jett for the 2010 film “The Runaways.”

Jett and Stewart met before the movie was filmed so Stewart could learn about the rock star from the musician herself.

“The thing that came through to me was that it was important to her to capture it,” Jett told Interview Magazine. “She really wanted to nail it, so I gave her all The Runaways music that I could find; I gave her tapes of me talking…And she really soaked it in. When we were hanging out together on set, it was like I had a mirror image. Even just sitting around, we’d do the same thing at the same time.”

“Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman channeled his inner funk and broke it down as James Brown in 2014’s “Get on Up.”

Chadwick Boseman spent three hours in the makeup chair for his full-body prosthetics and wig to get the looks. With the help of a vocal coach and choreographer and advice from some of Brown’s surviving relatives and Mick Jagger, one of the film’s producers, Boseman gave an electrifying performance.

Jennifer Lopez’s breakout role came when she was cast as the beloved Tejano singer Selena in “Selena.”

The Puerto Rican actor was met with some backlash because of her heritage. Lopez perfected the late singer’s dialect and studied performance footage of the music sensation for the 1997 film.

“This is someone who’s fresh in the public’s mind, so you need to do your homework on this gig,” Lopez told Entertainment Weekly.

“The Walking Dead” star Christian Serratos portrayed Selena in a Netflix series.

In November 2019, Netflix shared a first look at the actor transforming into Quintanilla for “Selena: The Series.” The show debuted on the streaming service in 2020, and the second and final part was released on the streamer in 2021.

Paul Dano played a young Brian Wilson in the 2014 film “Love & Mercy.”

To play a younger version of the Beach Boys founder Wilson in “Love & Mercy,” Paul Dano learned how to play piano and bass.

Wilson told the Chicago Tribune, “He looked a little bit like me at age 24. But the way he portrayed me producing records — you know? — was very factual, accurate, stimulating.”

Dano received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. John Cusack plays an older Wilson in the film.

Jamie Foxx received universal acclaim for his portrayal of the blues legend Ray Charles in “Ray.”

He won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics’ Choice Award for best actor for his portrayal in the 2004 film. To embody the blind pianist, he had to lose nearly 30 pounds and had his eyes glued shut every day.

Marion Cotillard received critical acclaim for her portrayal of French singing icon Édith Piaf in the 2007 film “La Vie en Rose.”

Marion Cotillard won numerous awards, including the Oscar for best actress. She wasn’t initially considered for the role, but when she met with director Olivier Dahan, he was transfixed by her eyes and how they reminded him of a photo of a teenage Piaf.

Joaquin Phoenix earned an Academy Award nomination for best actor for his portrayal of Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.”

Joaquin Phoenix sang all of the songs in the 2005 film, mimicking Cash’s signature voice.

“Music is always part of how John communicates what he’s feeling and seeing,” Phoenix told ABC News. “And that couldn’t be faked.”

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s breakout role was playing the Beatles member John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy.”

Based on a biography written by Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird, the 2009 film told the story of Lennon’s adolescence. It covered his relationship with his aunt, Mimi Smith, and his mother, Julia Lennon, as well as the formation of his first band, the Quarrymen, which would evolve into the Beatles.

Angela Bassett earned an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Angela Bassett prepared for her audition for the 1993 film with the film’s choreographer, and after performing “Proud Mary,” she got the role. Laurence Fishburne, who played Ike Turner, also earned an Oscar nomination.

Miles Davis’ story was told on the big screen by Don Cheadle in the 2015 film “Miles Ahead.”

Cheadle was first linked to the biopic about Davis in 2006 when Davis, who died in 1991, was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Afterward, Davis’ nephew announced Cheadle would play his uncle in a film of his life. Cheadle eventually cowrote a script, signed on to direct, and portrayed the jazz musician in “Miles Ahead.”

(Cheadle also portrayed Sammy Davis Jr. in 1998’s “The Rat Pack,” for which he won a Golden Globe.)

Queen Latifah became blues queen Bessie Smith for “Bessie.”

Portraying the “Empress of Blues” “left this mark on me,” Queen Latifah told NPR. The singer was praised for her role in the 2015 HBO film “Bessie,” which won an Emmy for outstanding television movie.

Jamal Woolard made his acting debut portraying Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., in 2009’s “Notorious.”

He reprised the role of Biggie Smalls in “All Eyez on Me,” a biopic about Tupac Shakur released in 2017.

Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace was a producer on “Notorious.” And according to MTV News, she helped pick Woolard to play her son.

“He came in the room, and I said, ‘That’s my son,'” Wallace told the outlet.

John Lloyd Young originated the role of Frankie Valli on Broadway in “Jersey Boys” and reprised his role in the movie adaptation.

Valli’s life as the front man of The Four Seasons has been documented on Broadway since 2005. Young won a Tony Award for his portrayal. Clint Eastwood brought the story to the big screen in 2014.

Val Kilmer played The Doors rocker Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.”

To land the role of Morrison in the 1991 film, Kilmer made his own eight-minute video highlighting his singing abilities and changing his looks to match Morrison to send to director Oliver Stone.

Once cast, he dieted for months and spent six months rehearsing songs. He also trained with Paul Rothchild, who produced all but one of The Doors’ albums. However, surviving band members were not thrilled with the film.

Zoe Saldaña’s transformation into Nina Simone for “Nina” was controversial.

Zoe Saldaña‘s skin was darkened and the filmmakers added prosthetics to make her appear more like Simone.

In response to the casting choice and backlash, Simone’s daughter told Time, “It’s unfortunate that Zoe Saldaña is being attacked so viciously when she is someone who is part of a larger picture. It’s clear she brought her best to this project, but unfortunately she’s being attacked when she’s not responsible for any of the writing or the lies.”

But she also said she was against the making of the film.

“The project has been tainted from the very beginning,” she said. “Clearly, it is not the truth about my mother’s life and everyone now knows that. This is not how you want your loved ones remembered.”

Dennis Quaid took on Jerry Lee Lewis for “Great Balls of Fire.”

Quaid practiced piano and took singing lessons for about three to five hours a day in order to learn how to imitate Lewis’ piano skills, The New York Times reported.

Though Lewis wasn’t a big fan of the film according to AMC, Lewis said Quaid “really pulled it off.”

Jessica Lange received high praise for her transformative performance as Patsy Cline in “Sweet Dreams.”

She earned her fourth Oscar nomination for the role.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Meryl Streep wanted to play Cline, but later said, “When I saw [‘Sweet Dreams’] … I couldn’t imagine doing it as well or even coming close to what Jessica did because she was so amazing in it.”

Gary Oldman portrayed the late Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in “Sid and Nancy: Love Kills.”

Goldman reportedly beat out Daniel Day Lewis for the part and initially turned down the chance to play Vicious. But after accepting the role, he started to lose weight to mimic Vicious’ skeletal body.

GQ reported that the actor wasn’t eating enough and collapsed in his car, too weak to move.

He told Playboy that he didn’t like himself in the film.

“I don’t think I played Sid Vicious very well,” he said.

Joe Mantegna played Dean Martin in the TV film “The Rat Pack,” earning a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for his role.

About playing the role, Joe Mantegna said, “My goal wasn’t to mimic him. It was to capture him.”

Sissy Spacek earned an Academy Award for her portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Lynn had chosen Spacek to play her based on a photo she saw of the actor. To prepare for the role, Spacek traveled with Lynn for a year to study how she spoke and sang. Spacek did all her own singing in the movie.

Lou Diamond Phillips’ breakout role was playing the late Ritchie Valens in the 1987 film “La Bamba.”

The biopic about the teen musician earned a Golden Globe nomination. Los Lobos singer David Hidalgo lent his vocals to the film, while Phillips lip-synced the words. A guitar instructor was also on set to coach him on strumming the guitar.

Diana Ross transformed into Billie Holiday for “Lady Sings the Blues.”

Ross, a famous musician in her own right, played Holiday in this 1972 biographical movie based on Holiday’s autobiography of the same name. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, including best actress in a leading role.

Marc Anthony played salsa singer Héctor Lavoe in 2006’s “El Cantante.”

The biopic was told from the perspective of Lavoe’s wife Puchi, who was played by Jennifer Lopez. The movie was controversial for focusing on Lavoe’s drug addiction and death from AIDS, which he contracted through sharing needles.

Ethan Hawke learned trumpet basics to portray Chet Baker in “Born to Be Blue.”

Trumpeter Ben Promane helped Hawke grasp basic trumpet skills and taught him how to look like he played the trumpet with his front tooth missing, like Baker. The 2015 movie was more drama than biopic though.

Michael Douglas won an Emmy for playing flamboyant pianist Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra.”

The 2013 film was based on the memoir “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace,” written by Scott Thorson, Liberace’s lover later in life. Matt Damon plays Thorson in the movie.

Michael Douglas didn’t actually play the piano for the film.

David Carradine played folk singer Woody Guthrie in the Oscar-winning movie “Bound for Glory.”

Aside from Guthrie and his first wife Mary, most of the people and events portrayed in the 1976 film are fictional. The movie earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won for music and cinematography.

Rami Malek played Queen front man Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Rami Malek played the musician in the 2018 movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” named after Queen’s hit song. The film followed 15 years of Mercury’s life, from the band’s beginnings to six years before his death.

Malek won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his portrayal.

Renée Zellweger starred as Judy Garland in “Judy.”

The 2019 biopic “Judy” centered on the “Wizard of Oz” actor’s final concerts in London before her death at 47.

Zellweger won a best actress Oscar for her portrayal.

Taron Egerton played Elton John in the 2019 film “Rocketman.”

The Elton John biopic “Rocketman” followed John’s rise to musical acclaim starting from childhood and his early partnership with Bernie Taupin. Jamie Bell, Gemma Jones, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Richard Madden also starred in the movie.

“When I saw Taron, I was not looking at him — I was looking at me. And when I was hearing the voice, I was hearing me, but it wasn’t me,” John told Indie Wire. “Everything about it was extraordinary.”

Daniel Webber played Vince Neil, Mötley Crüe’s singer, in Netflix’s “The Dirt.”

The Netflix movie was a biopic about how rock band Mötley Crüe formed and rose to fame.

Douglas Booth played Nikki Sixx, Mötley Crüe’s bassist, in “The Dirt.”

“The Dirt” was adapted from the autobiographical book “The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band,” authored by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss.

Iwan Rheon played Mick Mars, Mötley Crüe’s guitarist, in “The Dirt.”

Rights to the book were first bought in 2006, but the film moved around to various studios until Netflix bought the rights in 2017.

Machine Gun Kelly transformed into Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe’s drummer.

“The Dirt” was released on Netflix in 2020.

Jennifer Hudson starred as “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin in the biopic titled “Respect.”

“Respect” hit theaters in 2021. The actor previously said that the singer specifically asked Hudson to portray her.

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