16 Actors & Actresses Who Got Oscar Nominations For Portraying Musicians (& Who Won)

The nominations for the 2025 Oscarshave been announced and have seen Timothée Chalamet join the list of actors who have been recognized for their portrayals of musicians. Timothée Chalamet starred as American singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan, in the musical drama movie, A Complete Unknown, which explored the early stages of Dylan's career in the 1960s, when he travels to New York to achieve his dream of becoming an admired musician. The movie explored Dylan's struggles to adapt to the industry's expectations of his work, and the troubles he faced after being booed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

A Complete Unknown was widely praised by critics, with many positively comparing Timothée Chalamet's performance to the real Bob Dylan. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Timothée Chalamet's performance in the movie earned him his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor, which has the potential to break an Oscars record held for 21 years. Chalamet's Best Actor nomination sees him become one of several notable actors who have received Oscar nominations for their portrayals of musicians.

1 Larry Parks As Al Jolson (Nominated)

Best Actor - The Jolson Story (1946)

Directed by Alfred E. Green, The Jolson Story explores the life and career of Al Jolson from his time performing on stage to receiving worldwide acclaim after appearing in the first sound movie, The Jazz Singer. The movie received six Oscar nominations in 1946,winning two for Best Scoring and Best Sound Recording.

While the movie later received criticism for its fictionalized portrayal of Jolson's life, Larry Parks received high praise for his performance and received his first and only Oscar nomination in his career for Best Actor. Parks later portrayed Al Jolson in the 1949 sequel, Jolson Sings Again.

2 Susan Hayward As Jane Froman (Nominated)

Best Actor - With a Song In My Heart (1951)

Susan Hayward starred in With a Song In My Heart as Jane Froman, an American singer, who began her career as a radio singer, but eventually rose to become a popular performer. The movie depicts how Froman's career was negatively impacted after a plane crash in 1943, but she was able to recover enough to perform for soldiers during World War II.

With a Song In My Heart was widely praised upon its release, receiving five Oscar nominations and winning for Best Scoring of a Musical. Susan Hayward received her third Oscar nomination for her performance as Jane Froman and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

3 Susan Hayward As Lillian Roth (Nominated)

Best Actress - I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

Actress Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow

Adapted from Lillian Roth's 1954 biography, I'll Cry Tomorrow depicts Roth's rise to become a popular and successful musical performer and her later struggles with alcoholism and domestic abuse. Roth's biography is considered one of the first to depict the harsh realities of stardom and the problems with alcohol addiction (via The New York Times).

Susan Hayward's Oscar Nominated Movies
Year	Movie	Role	Outcome
1947	Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman	Angelica "Angie" / "Angel" Evans Conway	Nominated
1949	My Foolish Heart	Eloise Winters	Nominated
1952	With a Song In My Heart	Jane Froman	Nominated
1955	I'll Cry Tomorrow	Lillian Roth	Nominated
1958	I Want to Live!	Barbara Graham	Won

The movie was described as a tragic and unique depiction of a singer's inner struggles. I'll Cry Tomorrow is recognized for being Susan Hayward's first time singing in a movie, and was the fourth biopic of her career. She received her fourth Oscar nomination for her performance as Lillian Roth, and won Best Actress at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.

4 Diana Ross As Billie Holiday (Nominated)

Best Actress - Lady Sings The Blues (1972)

Directed by Sidney J. Furie, Lady Sings the Blues depicts the difficult life of Billie Holiday, who is regarded as one of the most legendary jazz singers in history. As a young girl, Holiday worked in brothels, suffering from abuse, while dreaming of becoming a professional singer. The movie depicts how Billie Holiday received her big break when she agreed to be the lead singer of the Reg Hanley Band. As Holliday's career rises, she has to deal with the pressures of fame and an eventual descent into alcoholism and drug abuse.

Lady Sings the Blues was the movie debut of Diana Ross and critics considered her performance of Billie Holiday as the highlight of the movie. Reviews praised Ross for her accurate depiction of Holiday, with her acting described as "a tribute to Billie Holiday, not an impersonation" (via Roger Ebert). She received her first and only Oscar nomination for her performance as Billie Holiday in 1973.

5 Gary Busey As Buddy Holly (Nominated)

Best Actor - The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

Gary Busey portrayed rock singer, Buddy Holly, in Steve Rash's The Buddy Holly Story in 1978. The movie depicts Holly's time as the lead singer of the band, The Cricketts, his romance with receptionist, Maria Elena Santiago, and his eventual success with singles including "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue."

Despite being 33 at the time he portrayed 22-year-old Buddy Holly, Busey was widely praised for his portrayal of the singer.

Despite being 33 at the time he portrayed 22-year-old Buddy Holly, Busey was widely praised for his portrayal of the singer, with critics stating it "gives the movie an analogous conviction and distinction" (via Washington Post). Nominated for Best Actor in 1978, the role of Buddy Holly is still considered the best of Busey's entire career.

6 Sissy Spacek As Loretta Lynn (Won)

Best Actress - Coal Miner's Daughter (1979)

Coal Miner's Daughter

Biography

Documentary

Drama

Release Date: March 7, 1980
Runtime: 125 minutes
Director: Michael Apted
Writers: Loretta Lynn, Thomas Rickman, George Vecsey

Cast

Sissy Spacek
Tommy Lee Jones
Levon Helm
Phyllis Boyens

Main Genre: Biography

Loretta Lynn is known as one of the most successful country singers in history, having released 24 No. 1 singles and 11 albums across her career. Her career and marriage to Doolittle Lynn, was chronicled in the 1979 movie, Coal Miner's Daughter, directed by Michael Apted. The movie depicts how Lynn left her poor upbringing behind after marrying her husband, and the two work together to establish her music career.

Sissy Spacek's Academy Award Nominations
Year	Movie	Role	Outcome
1976	Carrie	Carrie White	Nominated
1980	Coal Miner's Daughter	Loretta Lynn	Won
1982	Missing	Beth Horman	Nominated
1984	The River	Mae Garvey	Nominated
1986	Crimes of the Heart	Rebecca "Babe" Magrath Botrelle	Nominated
2001	In The Bedroom	Ruth Fowler	Nominated

Sissy Spacek was chosen by Loretta Lynn for the movie,and the two developed a close friendship during production. Spacek spent months learning about Lynn's life and practicing how to emulate her singing style. Spacek's dedication to the role earned Spacek the Oscar for Best Actress in 1979.

7 Jessica Lange As Patsy Cline (Nominated)

Best Actress - Sweet Dreams (1985)

Directed by Karel Reisz, Sweet Dreams focuses on the life of country singer, Patsy Cline, from 1956 until her tragic death in a plane crash in 1963. Starring Jessica Lange as Cline, the movie follows the singer's tumultuous marriage to Charlie Dick and her rise to become one of the first successful female country singers.

The movie received some criticism from the singer's close relations for its historical inaccuracies, with Cline's mother expressing her disapproval of the final product. Regardless, Lange's performance as Patsy Cline was received with praise and is considered one of her most underrated roles (via Backstage). Sweet Dreams earned her a nomination for Best Actress, the fourth in her career.

8 Angela Bassett As Tina Turner (Nominated)

Best Actress - What's Love Got To Do With It (1993)

Angela Bassett starred as rock singer, Tina Turner in the 1993 biographical movie, What's Love Got To Do With It. Directed by Brian Gibson, the movie follows Anna Mae Bullock's humble beginnings in St. Louis, Missouri, until meeting talent scout, Ike Turner and establishing herself as Tina Turner. The two start to work together and eventually start a romance, but their professional and personal lives are heavily impacted by jealousy and abuse.

Angela Bassett underwent heavy training for the role of Tina Turner, learning all of Turner's mannerisms and choreography for the movie. She later revealed that she felt she had "a huge responsibility" to provide a strong depiction of Turner's life (via Variety). What's Love Got To Do With It is considered one of Angela Bassett's best movies, and she received her first Oscar nomination for her performance.

9 Laurence Fishburne As Ike Turner (Nominated)

Best Actor - What's Love Got To Do With It (1993)

Ike and Tina Turner look on in Whats Love Got To Do With It

Laurence Fishburne starred alongside Angela Bassett in What's Love Got To Do With It as Ike Turner, a rock-and-roll pioneer and talent scout, who discovers a young Tina Turner in a nightclub and offers to manage her. The two developed a professional and later a personal relationship, and found chart success as the music duo Ike & Tina Turner in the 1960s. The movie depicts how Ike Turner's violent temper and cocaine addiction led to their marriage falling apart.

Fishburne reportedly turned down the role of Ike Turner five times before finally accepting after Angela Bassett was cast as Tina Turner (via Vulture). The movie is considered to be one of Laurence Fishburne's movies and his performance was seen as central to the movie's success; he earned his first Oscar nomination for the movie in 1993.

10 Jamie Foxx As Ray Charles (Won)

Best Actor - Ray (2004)

Ray Charles is recognized as one of the world's most influential musicians. Despite becoming blind as a child, he was determined to find success in the music industry and eventually rose to become one of the most successful performers of all time; Charles is credited for combining blues and jazz music to further establish the soul music genre. The 2004 movie, Ray, starring Jamie Foxx, focuses on the first 30 years of Charles' life, depicting his battles with his disability and addiction and his eventual success as an acclaimed performer.

During filming, Jamie Foxx wore prosthetics over his eyes to offer a realistic portrayal of Ray Charles; despite being known as a comedy actor, Foxx's performance as Ray Charles was seen by critics as "uncannily reproducing Charles' physical movements and idiosyncrasies" (via The Guardian). Foxx's performance in Ray was seen as one of the best dramatic performances by a comedy actor and won him the Oscar for Best Actor in 2004.

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