18 December 2015

EFSP's Dazzling Dozen: Pop ánd Film Stars

Here are 12 pop stars who also starred in films. Films with singers are often musicals, like the Schlager film in Germany or the Musicarello in Italy. But a few pop stars proved to be genuine actors, even film stars on the screen.

Cliff Richard in The Young Ones (1961)
Spanish postcard, no. 18. Photo: British Pathe. Publicity still for The Young Ones (Sidney J. Furie, 1961) with Cliff Richard.

In the late 1950s British singer, actor and Sir Cliff Richard (1940) was known as Britain's answer to Elvis Presley. The ‘Cliff Richard musical’ became the number one cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963.

Adriano Celentano
Dutch postcard by N.V. Dureco, Amsterdam/Jolly hi-fi records. Publicity card for the records Impazzivo per te and Fitagora. At the backside Adriano Celentano is called 'the Italian Elvis Presley'.

One of Italy's best-loved artists, Adriano Celentano (1938) has been equally successful in film and music.

Johnny Hallyday
French postcard by Editions Publistar, no. 774. Photo: Aubert / Philips.

Flamboyant singer and actor Johnny Hallyday (1943) is the father of French Rock and Roll. He was a European teen idol in the 1960s with record-breaking crowds and mass hysteria, but he never became popular in the English-speaking market. In recent years he has concentrated on being an actor and appeared in more than 35 films.

Conny Froboess, Peter Weck
Dutch postcard by Int. Filmpers, Amsterdam, no. WPS 168. Photo: Centrafilm. Publicity still for Mariandl (Werner Jacobs, 1961) with Conny Froboess and Peter Weck.

Peter Kraus
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4445. Photo: Hafbo. Publicity still for Die Frühreifen/The precocious (Josef von Báky, 1957).

German singer and actor Peter Kraus (1939) was a teen idol in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was nicknamed ‘the German Elvis’.

Marie Laforet
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 69.

Marie Laforêt (1939) is a French singer and actress of Armenian descent. After her first appearance in the drama Plein Soleil (1960, René Clément) opposite Alain Delon she became very popular and interpreted many roles in the 1960s.

Paul McCartney in A Hard Day's Night
Czechoslovakian postcard by Press Foto, Praha (Prague), no. S 148/10, 1965. Photo: publicity still for A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, 1964) with Paul McCartney.

With John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney (1942) gained worldwide fame as the Beatles. They starred in films like A Hard Day's Night (1964).

David Bowie
French postcard by Underground, no. U 182. Photo: publicity still for The Man Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976) with David Bowie.

English musician and actor David Bowie (1947) was a major pop star for over four decades. Particularly during the 1970s, he was an influential innovator. He also earned acclaim with various stage and film roles.

Eddy Mitchell
French postcard by Editions Lyna, Paris, no. 2013. Photo: Casanova - Formidable.

French singer and actor Eddy Mitchell (1942) began his career in the late 1950s, with the rock & roll group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks). He went solo in 1963 and also played in a many films. In numerous black and white French musical comedies of the 1960s he appeared as himself fronting his band. His ‘real’ acting career started with Coup de torchon (Bertrand Blier, 1981).

Sting
French postcard by Peutsch, no. 964.

Sting (1951) is best known as the pop star with the high-pitched, raspy voice and blonde, spiky hair. The British rock artist made his breakthrough as singer and bass player for The Police and then launched a successful solo career. Sting occasionally ventured into acting on both film and television. He was memorable as the Mod leader in Quadrophenia (1979) and as Eddie’s father in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).

Grace Jones in A View To A Kill (1985)
British postcard by Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. Photo: Grace Jones as May Day in A View to a Kill (John Glen, 1985).

Grace Jones (1948) is a Jamaican singer, supermodel, and actress. Classic is her album Nightclubbing (1981) and unforgettable are her hits La Vie en Rose, Pull Up to the Bumper and I've Seen That Face Before. She was also memorable as a James Bond villain in A View to a Kill (1985). But foremost, the unusual, androgynous, bold, dark-skinned artist was a style icon for the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Vanessa Paradis
Swiss postcard by Editions de la Lune, no. VP 106, 1989. Photo: Patrick Rouchon.

Only 14, Vanessa Paradis (1972) became a child star with the worldwide hit single Joe le taxi (1987). Since then, the French beauty made several films and albums, became the face of Chanel, and was in a long relationship with Johnny Depp.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday, hosted by Beth at the The Best Hearts are Crunchy. You can visit her by clicking on the button below.



No comments: