3 Country Singers Who Also Have an Impressive Acting Resume

Being a country music artist takes an incredible amount of talent. But some country music artists are gifted in other areas of entertainment as well, including acting. These three singers all had successful country music careers while also boasting an impressive acting resume.

Videos by American Songwriter

Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson’s first acting role came in the 1971 film, The Last Movie. Out one year after his eponymous freshman record, Kristofferson balanced both his acting and music careers, excelling at both for decades.

Kristofferson starred in many films over the years, including A Star Is Born, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also appeared in Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, Vigilante Force, Blade, Stagecoach, and many more. His last movie role came in 2018, with Blaze. He was also no stranger to the small screen. He appeared in numerous TV shows over the years, including Stagecoach, Amerika, 14 Hours, and Texas Rising, among others.

Although he was a successful actor, as he was a successful artist, Kristofferson remained humble about both aspects of his career.

“I feel about my acting the same as I do about my performing,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I’m sure as hell no Laurence Olivier. When it works, I feel blessed that it does, but it works just when I’m being as honest as I can be with whatever it is I am playing.”

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is well known both as a singer and as an actor. Parton’s first film, 9 To 5, also features one of her biggest hits, with the title track. Parton’s other numerous acting credits include Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Joyful Noise, and others.

Parton has also appeared in TV shows and films, such as A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Dolly Parton’s Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love, and more.

9 To 5 might be Parton’s first acting role, but she could have been in other movies. She reveals she turned down other roles because they didn’t feel right to her.

“I had been asked a lot of times to be in the movies, and I didn’t think I was ready quite yet,” Parton recalls (via Taste of Country). “I also thought, ‘Well, if the right thing came along, I might be willing to do it.’ Because I was still building my music career at the time.”

Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire might have never discovered her love of acting if not for her first country music video. It was while filming the video for “Whoever’s In New England” that McEntire realized she wanted to explore other areas of performing.

In 1990, four years after the release of “Whoever’s In New England”, McEntire starred in her first film, Tremors. She also appeared in several other movies, including Maverick, The Little Rascals, and voiced a role in Charlotte’s Web.

Of course, McEntire also became a very successful TV star. She appeared in Reba for seven seasons. Since 2024, she has appeared in the NBC sitcom, Happy’s Place.

Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images