Actors rock: Top actors are drawing music fans as well

Act up?  Rock out? Why not take a page from blockbuster actors Jared Leto and Keanu Reeves and do both?

With the Tinseltown A-listers in the Indianapolis area to perform Thursday — Leto with Thirty Seconds to Mars at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville and Reeves with Dogstar at the Indiana State Fair — let’s look at some other TV and film actors who might grace a stage for a musical performance.

Jared Leto

Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club,” “House of Gucci”) is the frontman for Thirty Seconds to Mars, the alternative rock band he formed with his brother Shannon Leto. The band has sold more than 15 million albums since its debut release in 2002.

Keanu Reeves

The action film star (“Speed,” “The Matrix,” “John Wick”) is the bassist for alternative rock band Dogstar, founded in 1991. The band dissolved in the early 2000 and reunited in 2022, releasing the album “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees” in October 2023.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Warner (“The Cosby Show,” “Malcolm & Eddie”), a bass guitar player, in 2003 released his jazz-funk band debut EP, “The Miles Long Mixtape.”

In 2015, he shared a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jesus Children," which featured his spoken word performance.

Warner will perform at The Cabaret, 924 Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, on Sept. 21 as part of Indy Jazz Fest.

Billy Bob Thornton

The “Sling Blade” and “A Simple Plan” actor has released four solo albums and is the vocalist of the rock band the Boxmasters, which he formed with recording engineer J.D. Andrew in 2007.

The band will perform at Hendricks Live in Plainfield on Oct. 2 and at Embassy Theater in Fort Wayne on Oct. 5.

Donald Glover

Glover (“Community,” “Atlanta”) struck gold as his musical alter ego Childish Gambino. His debut studio album was released in 2011. His 2016 single "Redbone" won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance and the 2018 single "This Is America" won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Music Video.

He’s currently touring.

Jack Black

The “School of Rock”  and “Kung Fu Panda” star is the lead vocalist in Tenacious D, the Grammy Award-winning comedy rock duo he formed with buddy Kyle Glass in 1994.

Idris Elba

People magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive (“The Wire,” “Luther”) also performs as a DJ. He’s collaborated with Paul McCartney on a remix of "Long Tailed Winter Bird.”

In 2024, he released the anti-violence song "Knives Down," featuring UK rapper DB Maz, and performed a DJ set at the Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.

Finn Wolfhard

Wolfhard (“Stranger Things,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”)  was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for Vancouver-based indie rock band Calpurnia before moving on to The Aubreys, which released their debut EP in March 2020.

Kevin Bacon

Bacon became a star with Footloose in 1984, and in 1995 formed The Bacon Brothers Band with sibling Michael Bacon. The folk-rock duo has released nine albums.

Johnny Depp

Depp was a guitarist in amateur rock bands before his acting career with films (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”) grossing more than $8 billion.

In 2012, Depp formed the supergroup Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, doing three tours, including one in summer 2023.

Depp recorded an album and toured with guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022, and in July 2024 performed “En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor” with Andrea Bocelli in honor of Beck.

Jamie Foxx

The Oscar-winning actor (“Ray,” “Ali”) recorded an R&B album while he was still on “In Living Color” in the 90s. Sexyy Red sampled his “Infatuation” for 2024’s “U My Everything.” The 2000s saw Foxx featured on two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "Slow Jamz" and "Gold Digger," before his Grammy-winning "Blame It."

Hugh Laurie

The “House” star, who sings and plays the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone, released blues albums “Let Them Talk” (2011) and “Didn't It Rain” (2013).

Jada Pinkett Smith

The 90s movie star (“Menace II Society,” “Set It Off”) and “Red Table Talk” host launched a music career in 2002, fronting the metal band Wicked Wisdom. The band landed spots on Britney Spears' 2004 Onyx Hotel Tour and Ozzfest in 2005.

Jeff Bridges

The Dude (“The Last Picture Show,” “Crazy Heart,” “Tron”) released a self-titled album in 2011, debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200, at number 10 on the Top Country Albums chart, and at number 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Ryan Gosling

Gosling, with films (“The Notebook,” “La La Land”) having grossed more than $2 billion, teamed with buddy Zach Shields to form indie rock band, Dead Man's Bones. The duo released its self-titled debut album and toured North America in 2009. Gosling contributed vocals, piano, guitar, bass guitar and cello. The band was active until 2012.

Eddie Murphy

With his films (“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “Shrek”) grossing more than $6 billion, Murphy has released three studio albums, including his 1985 debut “How Could It Be” which produced the hit “Party All the Time.”

Jeff Goldblum

The “Jurassic Park” and “Independence Day” actor has a jazz band, Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, which released their first album in 2018.

Bruce Willis

During his time on the TV series “Moonlighting” and just before his movie star turn in “Die Hard,” Willis recorded 1987’s “The Return of Bruno” on Motown Records, rendering the number 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Respect Yourself.”  Other albums followed in 1989 and 2001.

Zoe Kravitz

The “Big Little Lies” and “The Batman” star is the frontwoman for R&B and electro-pop duo Lolawolf, which released albums in 2014 and 2020 and has opened for Lily Allen, Azealia Banks and Miley Cyrus.

Michael Shannon

Shannon (“Revolutionary Road,” “Man of Steel”) is lead singer and lyricist for Corporal, an indie rock band that released its first album in 2010.

Michael Cera

Cera (“Superbad,”  “Juno,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) released his debut album “True That” in 2014 and has been the touring bassist for indie rock supergroup Mister Heavenly.

Kevin Costner

Costner (“Field of Dreams,” “Dances with Wolves,” “Yellowstone”) sings in Kevin Costner & Modern West, the country rock band he founded in 2007.

Zooey Deschanel

Deschanel (“Elf,” “New Girl”) began performing in a jazz cabaret act in 2001, and in 2006 joined with M. Ward to form She & Him. She sings and plays keyboards, percussion, banjo and ukulele.

David Duchovny

The “X-Files” and “Californication” actor has released three albums, starting with “Hell or Highwater” in 2015.

Emile Hirsch

Hirsch (“Into the Wild,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) released the album “Mnemonic” in 2019 and the follow-up “Denihilism” in 2021.

Steve Martin

Martin (“The Jerk,” “Only Murders in the Building”) had music as part of his comedy act from the beginning. His first solo music album won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2009.

Robert Pattinson

Pattinson (“Twilight,” “The Batman”), who has played the guitar and piano since his childhood, has contributed his voice to songs that have appeared in several movies.

Kiefer Sutherland

Sutherland (“24,” “Stand by Me,” “Designated Survivor”) caught the country music bug and released his first album, “Down in a Hole,” in 2016.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at [email protected] or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Keanu, Leto acting up on stage: Movie and TV actors winning music fans