Kobe Bryant is obviously most known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time but he surprisingly also has an Academy Award victory under his belt. It wasn’t for any performance he had in a movie or anything like that and while that might seem odd, he’s not alone in pulling this off.
In fact, there are a handful of well-known celebrities who have earned Oscar wins despite not being known as actors. Many of these are musicians but the one thing they all have in common is a lack of acting credentials. That and the fact that many fans likely don’t remember their wins.
Stevie Wonder
It’s hard to find a more legendary musician than Stevie Wonder. He is as iconic as it gets and has racked up plenty of accolades throughout his storied career, including 25 Grammy Awards, which is a record for a solo artist.
Despite all of his awards and the hundreds of millions of records sold around the world, many don’t realize he won an Oscar. That happened in the Best Original Song category for writing and performing “I Just Called To Say I Love You” from 1984’s The Woman in Red.
Adele
One of the most popular musical artists today, Adele is likely not someone you’d expect to hold an Oscar. It’s not a mark against her talent and not just because she doesn’t act but simply because of her age. Adele is only in her early 30s but indeed already won an Academy Award.
That victory came back in 2013 when she won Best Original Song alongside Paul Epworth. Together, they were behind “Skyfall,” the theme song to James Bond’s Skyfall. That came just a few years before Sam Smith also took home a trophy for the theme song to Spectre. Billie Eilish has a chance to join them this year, nominated for No Time To Die.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is yet another musical performer who can be named among the greatest to ever do it. Like Stevie Wonder, he has won double-digit Grammy Awards but he also has a Pultizer Prize and even a Nobel Prize to his name.
Less well-known is that Dylan also received an Academy Award in 2001. He won Best Original Song as writer and performer of “Things Have Changed,” from Wonder Boys. Interestingly, it was the only time Dylan was nominated at the Oscars.
Quincy Jones
The history between Quincy Jones and the Academy Awards is one of the most interesting you’ll find anywhere. Jones made history when he became the first African American to be the musical conductor and director at the Oscars but winning awards eluded him for the most part.
In fact, Jones was actually nominated for seven Oscars between 1968 and 1986, losing in Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and even Best Picture as a producer on The Color Purple. Thankfully, Jones finally got his win when he was the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1994.
Eminem
Technically, Eminem did indeed act in 8 Mile as it was basically a story about his life. However, nobody would really classify him as an actor since he’s only really done small cameos outside of 8 Mile. It was also for that movie that he won his Oscar.
While most would agree that Eminem’s performance as an actor in 8 Mile is strong, the Academy Award that he won was for his musical talents. Along with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto, they won Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself,” which has gone done as one of the most iconic tracks in Eminem’s catalog.
H.E.R.
Although her victory at the Oscars was very recent, it’s still sometimes tough to remember that the talented H.E.R. indeed secured the win. Maybe it’s because that entire ceremony was odd since it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
H.E.R. won Best Original Song with D’Mile and Tiara Thomas for “Fight for You,” a song from multi-Oscar winner Judas and the Black Messiah. Those who remember this win likely recall Zendaya presenting and cheering hard for H.E.R.’s victory, which was a welcome surprise.
Trent Reznor
Most of the popular musicians to earn an Academy Award did so for Best Original Song but Trent Reznor took a different route. Reznor first found fame as the lead vocalist (and songwriter among other things) for the rock band Nine Inch Nails.
Later in his career, he paired up with Atticus Ross and together they began composing scores for films and TV shows. In 2010, the pair won Best Original Score for The Social Network, before winning again in 2020 (with Jon Batiste) for Soul. In fact, 2020 also saw them nominated for Mank, proving their versatility.
Kobe Bryant
As noted, Kobe Bryant having an Oscar to his name is pretty shocking. He’s not a musician at all and instead picked up a win for helping to produce a film. In 2018, Bryant won Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball, which he narrated along with producing.
The film is based on the retirement letter Bryant wrote for The Players’ Tribune in 2015. The win was historic as Bryant became the first athlete to pick up an Academy Award. He won with Glen Keane, who also got his first win after years of working as a Disney animator.
Elton John
Similar to Eminem, Elton John is someone who has acted before but he’s also not someone who would typically be classified as an actor since he typically plays himself in movies and TV shows. The all-time great musician has actually won multiple Oscars.
He earned his first (with Tim Rice) for Best Original Song for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” in The Lion King. That year, he was also nominated for “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” from the same film, showcasing his skills. He won again (with Bernie Taupin) for Rocketman, a film based on his life, for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”
John Legend
While it’s certainly not all that well known that John Legend won an Academy Award, it’s also just the tip of the iceberg. Legend actually has a pretty legendary career that is almost unmatched when it comes to accolades.
In 2015, he and Common won the Best Original Song Oscar for “Glory,” a song written for Selma. When he won, he already had some Grammy Awards but in the years since, he has added a Tony and Emmy to his credentials, making him an EGOT winner. To top it off, Legend is the first Black man to achieve the feat.
