A lot of performers are multi-talented, so it’s not too surprising when an actor can act, sing, and dance. In my experience, people who are deeply creative are often able to tap into more than one area of creativity and self-expression.
There are a lot of big-name actors who have sung in movies, but it’s also pretty commonplace for actors in Hollywood to have their singing parts dubbed over by professional singers.
Here’s a list of actors complied by Brightside who didn’t do their own signing — and who sang in their place.
- Marni Nixon sang for Deborah Kerr in The King and I (1956)
- Marni Nixon also sang for Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961)
- Again, Marni Nixon sang for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964)
- Bill Lee of the Mellomen sang for Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music (1965)
- David Hidalgo sang for Lou Diamond Phillips in La Bamba (1987)
- Andrea Robertson sang for Wendy Makkena (the shy Sister Mary Robert) in both Sister Act (1992) and Sister Act 2 (1993)
- Jason Weaver sang for Jonathan Taylor Thomas in The Lion King (1994)
- Joseph Williams from Toto sang for Matthew Broderick in The Lion King (1994)
- Selena’s own voice was used for Jennifer Lopez’s performance in Selena (1997)
- Donnie Osmond sang for BD Wong in Mulan (1998)
- Dan Tyminsky sang for George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)
- Drew Seeley sang for Zac Efron in the High School Musical films (2006)
- Edith Piaf’s own voice was used for Marion Cotillard’s performance in Le Vie en Rose (2007)
- Deborah Cox sang for Yaya in Whitney (2015)
- Loren Allred sang for Rebecca Ferguson in The Greatest Showman (2017)
- Marc Martel’s voice was combined with Freddie Mercury’s voice in the role played by Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
- Molly Sandén sang for Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Why Don’t Actors Do Their Own Singing?
It’s not always because an actor can’t sing. Sometimes, they just can’t sing well enough to make the movie work with their voice.
When it comes to biopics of famous singers, they are often iconic for both their voice and their appearance. Freddie Mercury is a great example. Rami Malek portrays the rock star in Bohemian Rhapsody, and he was able to embody Mercury’s appearance, demeanor, and way of speaking.
However, there are very few people in the world who can duplicate Freddie Mercury’s incredible voice, so it made sense for the producers to find a talented singer who could perform the part while Malek sang along.
Later, when Dexter Fletcher directed Rocketman, the Elton John biopic, he was able to find someone who had the looks and the vocals: Taron Egerton. When you watch Rocketman, that’s really Egerton’s voice you’re hearing. He sings most of the songs on the soundtrack, too.
