Top 10 Biggest Triple Threat Entertainers In The World (2023)

The modern entertainment industry is majorly made up of tons of singers, actors, and dancers, they are however a few people who excel at these three forms of entertainment, they are known as triple threat entertainers, as they excel in acting, dancing, and singing.

The most perfect example of a triple-threat entertainer is the legendary Jennifer Lopez, who began her career as a dancer on a television series before venturing into acting and eventually music in 1999.  Thanks to her, triple-threat abilities, Jennifer Lopez has established herself as the one of most influential Hispanic entertainers in the United States.

J.Lo is however not the only person who has succeeded as a triple-threat entertainer, Superstars like Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Ryan Gosling, and Justin Timberlake all got their triple-threat starts thanks to the Disney Channel. Here are however the 10 biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world.

1. Jennifer Lopez

As stated in the introduction, American singer, actress, and dancer, Jennifer Lopez is the perfect description of a triple-threat entertainer. She began her career, by appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series In Living Color, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. For her first leading role in Selena (1997), she became the first Hispanic actress to earn over US$1 million for a film.

Jennifer Lopez later ventured into the music industry with her debut studio album On the 6 (1999), which helped propel the Latin pop movement in American music.  She has since released 8 studio albums and made numerous appearances in several movies. With a cumulative film gross of US$3.1 billion and estimated global sales of 80 million records, she is considered the most influential Hispanic entertainer in North America.

2. Hugh Jackman

Australian Actor and Singer,  Hugh Jackman is popularly known for his role as Wolverine in the marvel cinematic Universe and as one of the biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world.  The 54-year-old actor began his career as an actor in Correlli, an Australian television series.  After Correlli Jackman went on the stage in Melbourne, performing as a singer and an actor. He starred in the 1998 Midsumma festival cabaret production Summa Cabaret and also hosted Melbourne’s Carols by Candlelight and Sydney’s Carols in the Domain.

Jackman had his breakthrough role playing Wolverine in  X-Men (2000). Following the success of Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has since then featured in numerous movies, most notably the epic musical: Les Misérables (2012), the thriller Prisoners (2013), and the musical The Greatest Showman (2017). Jackman has received various awards and nominations for his accomplishments in music, film, and television. He is a recipient of two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

3. Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris is popularly known as an American Actor, he has however proven his ability as a triple-threat entertainer, after numerous appearances in several musicals. The 49-year-old producer and television host began his Harris began his career as a child actor, he played numerous roles but most notably the title character on the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Harris earned his first film role as an adult in the 1995’s Animal Room, where he was portrayed as a teenager. He made several other appearances in movies and television and is popularly known for playing Barney Stinson on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014). He also worked on Broadway in both musical and dramatic roles.

Harris became prominent for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles. He has received multiple accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for a Grammy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

4. Jamie Foxx

Eric Marlon Bishop professionally known as Jamie Foxx is one of the biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world. The American entertainer is popularly known as an actor but he also doubles as a comedian and a Grammy Winning singer. Foxx began his career as a comedian before joining the cast of In Living Color in 1991. He made his film debut in the 1992 comedy Toys, he has since then appeared in several other roles, most notably his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray.

Foxx proving his ability as a triple-threat entertainer ventured into music. He released his debut album titled Peep This in 1994, Although the album was not commercially successful, it established Foxx’s presence in the industry. His second studio album, Unpredictable was released in December 2005. It topped the Billboard 200 and also charted on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at No. 9. He has since then released three other albums which have charted in the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200.

5. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is a popular American Singer and one of the biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world. He is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. He began his musical career as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC,  one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Following the dissolution of the band in  2002, Timberlake went solo, releasing his debut solo studio album Justified in November of the same year.  Following the success of his debut album, Justin has released 4 other albums all of which were critically and commercially successful.

Prior’s to Timberlake musical success he made his first television appearance as a child appearing on the television shows: Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. Following the Super Bowl XXXVIII incident, Timberlake put his musical career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his career. He appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third. From 2008 through 2012, Timberlake held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits, and In Time.

6. Janet Jackson

Taking the sixth place on the list of the biggest triple threat entertainer in the world  is Janet Jackson,  an American singer, actress, and dancer. As the  youngest child of the Jackson family, she began her career performing at the MGM Grand. She also starred in the numerous  television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.  She released her debut album, Janet Jackson, after signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982.  Over the years She has released 10 additional albums to her discography, establishing herself as a pop Icon and one of the most successful recording artist  in the United States

In July 1993, Jackson made her film debut in Poetic Justice. While the film received mixed reviews, her performance was described as “beguiling” and “believably eccentric”. In July 2000, Jackson appeared in her second film, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, as the role of Professor Denise Gaines. The film became her second to open at number one, grossing an estimated $170 million worldwide. Jackson has since then appeared in various films and television shows establishing herself as an household name in the movie industry. She has been considered a primary example of a musician maintaining a credible acting career, setting a template for artists such as Jennifer Lopez.

7. Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta  professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, actress, dancer, making her one of the biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world. The 36-year-old woman is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She however rose to prominence the in 2008, following the release of  debut studio album, The Fame.

Gaga  has since then released four succeeding studio albums all which  debuted atop the US Billboard 200. She  is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with over  an estimated 170 million records sold, and is  the only female artist to achieve four singles that each sold at least 10 million copies globally.

In 2013, Gaga ventured into acting, making her debut film apperance in the Machete Kills (2013). She also  appeared in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) and the fifth season of the American television series : American Horror Story: Hotel, where she was the lead character.  Gaga also made a lead apperance in the 2018  musical film A Star Is Born  Her contributions to the latter’s soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single “Shallow”, made her the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Grammy Award in one year.

8. Zac Efron

Zac Efron is an American actor and one of the biggest of the biggest triple threat entertainers in the world. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray (2007) and the comedy film 17 Again (2009). Aside his music al appearances Efron has also featured in prominent movies such as  New Year’s Eve (2011), The Lucky One (2012), The Paperboy (2012), Neighbors (2014), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Baywatch (2017), and The Greatest Showman (2017).

Prior to his fame as an actor, Efron worked in the theater The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville,and began taking singing lessons. He performed in shows such as Gypsy; Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up; Little Shop of Horrors; and The Music Man. In High School Musical, Efron’s recordings of the film’s songs were not included in the final cut, and the majority of his parts were sung by Drew Seeley. He however began to do the singing in his subsequent musical films, establishing himself as one of the  biggest triple-threat entertainers in the world

9. Ryan Gosling

Canadian Actor Ryan Gosling takes the ninth place among the biggest Tripe-threat entertainers in the world. The now 42-year-old star  rose to prominence at age 13 for being a child star on the Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1995), and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1995) and Goosebumps (1996). His first film role was as a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he went on to star in several independent films, including Murder by Numbers (2002), The Slaughter Rule (2002), and The United States of Leland (2003). He has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD.

Aside from acting Gosling also hahev an averagely successful music career. He released his debut single called “Put Me in the Car” in 2007 as a solo artist. He however went to form the indie rock band called Dead Man’s Bones, with his friend Zach Shields in the same year.  They recorded their eponymous debut album with the Silverlake Conservatory’s Children’s Choir and learned to play all the instruments themselves. The album was released through ANTI- Records on October 6, 2009 and was met with mixed reaction from the public.  Aside from his career with Dead Man’s Bones, Gosling has also released a few other singles most notably “City of Stars” with Emma Stone.

10. Beyonce

Concluding the list of the biggest triple-threat entertainer is Beyonce, a prominent American Singer and Actress, who is argurably the most influential female musician of the 21st century.  She began her career as a as a member of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, but went solo following the dissolution of the band in 2006. Prior to that Beyonce has released her debut album Dangerously in Love (2003), which featured the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy”. She has since then released 5 additional studio albums, all of which topped the Billboard 200 chart, establishing herself as one the world’s best-selling recording artists, having sold over 200 million records worldwide.

Beyoncé  has also starred in multiple films, She made her theatrical film debut in 2002, playing Foxxy Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmembe. The filmspent its first weekend atop the U.S. box office and grossed $73 million. She has since then appeared in numerous movies  such as The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), Obsessed (2009), and The Lion King (2019).

Conclusion

As stated in the introduction, a triple-threat entertainer is a performer who excels at acting, singing, and dancing. The 10 above listed superstars led are by Jennifer Lopez have been able to build a career based off these three forms of entertainment, making them the  biggest triple threat entertainers in our generation.

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Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_threat_(entertainer)
• https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-triple-threats-in-entertainment/celebrity-lists