This is still happening today, with the likes of Rina Sawayama stealing the show in John Wick: Chapter 4 and Teyana Taylor blossoming into a Golden Globe winner for her work on One Battle After Another. Still, it's these debuts that remain the best.
10
Eminem - 8 Mile (2002)
People don't mention it enough but Eminem actually won an Oscar for 8 Mile. Granted, it was in the Best Original Song category for "Lose Yourself" but that's still incredibly impressive. The film, which is loosely based on his life, also sees Eminem in the lead role of Jimmy Smith, also known as B-Rabbit.
8 Mile sees B-Rabbit overcome his nerves, his problems at home, and more to find success as a rapper in Detroit. Reception for the movie was strong, with a lot of praise going to Eminem's performance. Despite how great he was, Eminem hasn't acted much outside of small appearances since.
9
Dolly Parton - Nine To Five (1980)
Pretty much everyone loves Dolly Parton. The performer is a legend all over the world and while she's most known for her music career, she also entered the world of acting with a bang. Parton was one of the stars of 1980's Nine to Five, a comedy from Colin Higgins.
The film follows three women (played by Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda) who work together to exact revenge on their sexist and egotistical boss. In a lot of ways, the well-received movie was a vehicle for Parton as she shot from star to pop culture staple thanks to her great performance.
8
Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
Not many stars were bigger in the '80s than Prince. He took that star power from his music career to the big screen with Purple Rain, while also releasing the accompanying soundtrack as an album. The reason the movie worked was Prince's charisma.
Reviews for Purple Rain were solid and most of the praise went to the fact that Prince's work in the lead role was engaging to watch. The plot sees Prince as a rising musician who goes up against a rival while also dealing with the problems of his personal life. The incredible soundtrack had several songs go platinum as well.
7
SZA - One Of Them Days (2025)
The newest performance on this list comes from the talented SZA and actually saw several great debuts. While it was her acting debut, it was also the first feature film for director Lawrence Lamont and writer Syreeta Singleton, and all three did fantastic work.
One of Them Days follows Dreux and Alyssa, two best friends who must find a way to come up with their rent money by the end of the day or else they'll get evicted. SZA plays so well alongside Keke Palmer, with the two sharing an easy chemistry. It's hard to believe that it's SZA debut given her comedic timing.
6
Tupac - Juice (1992)
Considered by many to be the greatest rapper who ever lived, Tupac Shakur was also a talented actor. Technically, Juice wasn't his acting debut but in his three previous roles, he played himself in small appearances as part of the group Digital Underground.
Juice saw him play Roland Bishop, one of four Black friends growing up in Harlem who dabble in petty crime but get into big trouble when they go for something bigger. Tupac was captivating in this role and it marked the true start of a strong acting career that also saw him appear in Above the Rim and Poetic Justice.
5
Madonna - Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Madonna is one of those people who is seemingly great at everything she does. She's one of the biggest music stars ever, she's a fashion icon, she can dance, and when she dipped her toe into the world of acting, she was fantastic at it.
That acting career began with Desperately Seeking Susan, which sees two women get pulled into each other's very different lives when one is mistaken for the other. Madonna's performance was heavily praised (as was Rosanna Arquette's) and it's a great movie to look back on as a Madonna fan, especially since the costuming was inspired by her own legendary fashion sense.
4
Ice Cube - Boyz N The Hood (1991)
Ice Cube has become such a staple of Hollywood that it's easy to forget that he started as a rapper. As a member of N.W.A., Ice Cube became something of a household name and that fame only grew thanks to her tremendous performance in John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood.
The movie focuses on a young man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who reunites with his childhood friends when he moves to South Central Los Angeles and gets caught up in the booming gang culture. Ice Cube plays Doughboy, a character who is heavily into that gang culture, and he steals the show. Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr. also went on to have a great feature debut in 2015 by playing his father in Straight Outta Compton.
3
Janelle Monáe - Moonlight (2016)
Janelle Monáe is one of the most talented performers in the world today. While her music is certainly great, she showed a whole new side of how fantastic she is when she made her acting debut (outside of voice work) in Moonlight.
In the film, Monáe plays Teresa, a woman who acts as a mother figure alongside Mahershala Ali's Juan to the protagonist, Chiron, when he has trouble with his own family. Monáe's performance was up for several awards and she has continued to grow as an actor, shining in Hidden Figures and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
2
Diana Ross - Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
The life of Billie Holiday has been portrayed on screen a few times, including a 2021 iteration where Andra Day earned an Oscar nomination. However, decades before she pulled it off, Diana Ross did the same thing in her acting debut.
Lady Sings the Blues is loosely based on Holiday's autobiography and sees Ross play Holiday. Her performance was so good that Ross was nominated for Best Actress in her debut and she won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female.
1
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls (2006)
It's one thing to get nominated for an Oscar in your acting debut, but it's taken to the next level if you take home the award. That's just what Jennifer Hudson did in Dreamgirls, just a few years after she rose to fame as a contestant on American Idol.
In this film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, Hudson plays Effie, a talented singer who suffers when the man she loves replaces her in the band with his own love interest. Hudson won Best Supporting Actress for her work and her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is breathtaking.
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