Did you know these stars could dance? Let us know below, and check out our video of the Top 10 Sitcom Stars Who Are Surprisingly Good Dancers - th-cam.com/video/mBUaS6C0odY/w-d-xo.html
Anyone who does there research knows actors who come from the stage are also dancers and usually singers as well. You can’t work in theatre without basic to advanced skills.
Christopher Walken, dancer/choreographer Tommy Tune and I shared an apartment in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s when we were all aspiring, and often unemployed, actors. Richard Gere, not having the money to rent a hotel room when he came into town for auditions, would sleep on our sofa. Chris and Tommy appeared as chorus dancers in several Broadway musicals to include the Sherlock Holmes musical "Baker Street". We still are friends today. As of 2023, Chris and Tommy are 80, Richard is 73 and I'm 71. Chris taught Richard the tap steps for his number in "Chicago" but refused to have his name put in the movie's credits.
@Richard White, this is great. I’m not surprised that Christopher Walken didn’t want to be credited for that, it seems to fit in line with his character. I bet that you have a lot of great stories/memories. Thank you for sharing this one 😊
Actors like Catherine Zeta Jones & Hugh Jackman originally made their names as triple threats in stage shows. Tom Holland started off as Billy freaking Elliot. And Christopher Walken was a professional dancer for years.
Yeah, for those of us who knew Broadway, our only surprise about Hugh Jackman in Greatest Showman was "it took them *this* long to make a musical movie starring him?"
The problem with Ms Mojo is it never thinks before 1990. Christopher Walken started as a dancer and has made a few movies featuring his dancing. Hello, "Pennies from Heaven"?! That bar scene was HOT 🔥🔥🔥
Read the title. It's people we forgot were dancers. I doubt anyone cam forget that Christopher Walken can also dance. Because as you said he was in several movies where he danced.
@@Althea-M but not all of us knew. I found out he could dance watching him in Hairspray. It's still the only other time I can remember seeing him dance.
Some of us aren’t old Enough to remember the times where he danced and therefore it shocked us when we found out he could dance… hence the title. The point is that we were shocked they could not that they never had. You see the Christopher Walken I grew up with and the Christopher Walker my mom knows are basically two different actors.. I never saw him dance in sleepy hollow, pulp fiction, blast from the past, nick of time, or mouse hunt. Just to name a few from my child hood. So when he danced in weapon of choice it was… wait for it… shocking!
Joseph Gordon Levitt was incredible in Lip sync battle doing Janet Jackson's Rhythm nation video, she is my idol when it comes to celebrity dancers and Joseph nailed it
I can't believe they didn't include Joseph Gordon Levitt! I saw him recreate Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" dance on SNL, including the runs up the wall. SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE!!
YEEESSSSS!!! I came on here to add a comment about Joseph Gordon Levitt; he was amazing on Lip Sync Battle. He was on Saturday Night Live too and did a sexy little dance there. 💙♥💜🧡 I think men that can dance are so sexy and usually make amazing lovers.
Christopher Walken, besides being essentially a dancer, has always done a song and dance number in his openings of every SNL he's ever hosted. How anyone could NOT know that Mr. Walken is a song and dance man in his heart is beyond me. He's never been shy of telling everyone that either, in interviews.
I think Travolta has to be the movie dance king. Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Urban Cowboy, Pulp Fiction... and small dance scenes in many other movies. Even with training, you need some natural grace to pull off so many different styles so well.
I'm totally with you on this one. It seems like a serious oversight to skip Travolta. And, though the Fat Boy Slim video with Ealken is epic and I love it, it's technically not a movie (though I realize that he has danced in films before).
I can't believe Brendan Fraser didn't even get an honorable mention! Mrs Winterbourne and Blast From The Past both showcase his smooth polished dance moves. That Tango is incredible!!
I hear the no before 1990 movies. There were a lot of song and dance men. James Cagney was a dancer but they wanted him to be the ultimate gangster. Vivien Leigh, known for dramatic roles could dance very well on stage and earlier movies Walken is a good dancer.
It's about actors who were not necessarily known for being good dancers. Travolta and Swayze were almost exclusively known for their ability to dance. Swayze's mom was a dance instructor.
Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale in SWING KIDS are unbelievable. Some of the best swing sequences ever put to film are in that movie. I could watch the opening sequence of SWING KIDS a million times and never get tired of it.
10. Jenna Ortega. Uh, that's a hard no. She freely admits she can't dance. And if you hadn't noticed in her dance routine, she never uses her upper body and lower body at the same time. When she's moving her upper body, her feet are glued to the floor. Her actual steps involving her feet are limited to just walking. Nothing against her as an actor or a person. But when she says she can't dance, we should probably believe her.
I can't believe you said Christopher Walken hasn't ever been known for dancing?!? He's danced in movies years ago, during award shows and other televised events. He's been called a great, wonderful dancer.
Walken was a dancer before he was an actor, and puts a dance move or two in every movie (including King of New York). How anyone wouldn't know he's a dancer is a mystery to me. Check out his tap dance/striptease in Pennies From Heaven.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt should've been in there for his dance scene in 500 Days of Summer and his Rhythm Nation Lip Sync Battle! Also, Jensen Ackles tap dancing in season 15 of Supernatural... he had a 3 hour lesson for less than 2 minutes of screentime!
When I saw Tom Holland and #2, I literally thought to myself, "What could be #1? Only thing that comes to mine is Christopher Walken in Weapon if Choice". Have never been so happy to be right about something.
Also Gates McFadden, who's probably best known for her "Star Trek: The Next Generation" character "Beverly Crusher" is a trained dancer and choreographer, who did the choreography for "Labyrinth", and showed off some of her talents in "TNG" too. Showed off her tap dancing at a few comic cons too.
The hip hop part, sure. But not the ballet. I like her as an actress but as a former ballet dancer, it was obvious she doesn't have a ballet background.
They had to get creative with filming scenes with her face, and use a body double for a lot of the ballet wide shots. She did NOT do most of the ballet.
Julia Stiles was also great in "Ten Things I Hate About You." She does a short dance when she's drunk at a party. She's another actor who studied dance. When they were blocking the dance in "Ten Things," she said, "You know I can dance, right?"
Christopher Walken started out as a dancer. Have you seen his movies where he tapped on a bar & danced the tango? Believe it or not, he even danced (& sang) in The Deer Hunter.
Daniel Radclifffe? His performance in both "How to Succeed in Business...." and also Miracle Workers - doing the "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"
It’s DIDN’T Know they could dance. I guess your perspective depends on your age. Same reason l didn’t feel Jackman belonged on here asl knew his theatre history.
nearly all of these actors and actresses listed were trained first as dancers (formal dance training to be pro dancers, or for pro theatre work) before acting, so really not surprised ☺️ i recall Amanda Schull from PLL being a corps member in San Fran Ballet, which is an absolute feat - it’s not easy to get into a renown professional ballet company. i believe some other actors/actresses were also professional backup dancers for famous singers before they came into their own celebrity status.
You missed a snip of Christopher Walken dancing in Hairspray with John Travolta, who you totally missed, and you missed Zendaya and Anna Kendrick and Tom Hiddleston
THANK YOU!!!! I was going to mention Tom Hiddleston, but you also pointed out a few others I'd have missed. Though they are all good dancers when choreographed, Tom Holland has said that he can't dance otherwise, he even once tried with MADONNA!!!! and couldn't do it. I think Tom Huddleston is the only one that dances in front of people no matter what. THERE'S VIDS OF HIM DOING IT. And Shakira's song hips don't lie, is SO TURE for him. OH MY GODDESS, HIS HIPS!!!!, and everything else about him too.
I love watching Tom Hiddleston dance. Benedict Cumberbatch is a fabulous dancer, as are RDJ and Chris Evans. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and even Jeremy Renner are fantastic dancers.
I don't know if Zendaya has formal dance training, but I love watching her dance. Maybe it was all her years on the Disney Channel, especially her show "Shake It Up."
Well, but he could dance... after all, he was in a production of Grease back in the day. EDITED TO ADD: I verified that… He was Danny in the Original Broadway Cast of Grease!
@@raindancer6111 Wow, that’s cool! I’m sure it had a lot to do with the fact that Travolta was a rising star on TV by the time they were casting the movie, and Gere was still an unknown. That’s happened so often in Hollywood, right? That happened to Julie Andrews with My Fair Lady. Anyway, she got them back by winning the Oscar for Mary Poppins, lol!
@@HeatherDeweyPettet What was worse with Julie Andrews was that they wanted her to do the singing to be dubbed into the film. Talk about adding insult to injury. She did not accept that offer (probably in good old anglo saxon terms, I hope). 😄
@@HeatherDeweyPettet It was 1973 when Grease opened in London and Richard Gere was playing Danny then. I must admit that I preferred the original show songs. I didn't like the alterations made for the film.
Fun video. It’s really amazing to see actors who aren’t trained dancers do these- I think most of these are trained, or trained adjacent. Goldie Hawn is a dancer & I think Kate has lots of training. Walken was originally a dancer then acted, which should’ve been mentioned. Travolta and Patrick Swayze both should been top 5. Because of that, Travolta not only should’ve been in this, he should’ve been #1. He trained for SNF, but I don’t think he’s a trained dancer. He’s danced in several movies & is iconic.
My favorite Christopher Walken performance that went totally against his usual type was in 1982’s Who Am I This Time? It was a romantic comedy for PBS American Playhouse, directed by Jonathan Demme, based on a Vonnegut short story, co-starring Susan Sarandon. Walken and Sarandon have serious chemistry together, and his portrayal of a nearly pathologically shy small-town clerk who blossoms on stage is riveting. It’s a real shame he never got another romantic lead role again.
I love that Vonnegut story and always thought Johnny Depp reminded me of the male character in that one, but Chris Walken is quite breathtaking in that role. I always thought it was about a guy who had no real life or personality until he got up on stage and then he became an incredible chameleon-type man, capable of brilliant acting and interpretation.
@@barbarahecht4617 IMO, the story version of Harry is what you describe. But the tv version is given more personality by Walken, who makes him a severely shy guy who blossoms through his love match with Helene. The way he interacts with the town at the very end shows that he has changed in the course of their relationship. Helene, otoh, was also shy, but showed it by putting up barriers. What I love about the film is that that Helene doesn’t need the love of Harry to break through her walls-she does it herself by making friends with the playhouse members. It is only the confidence she gains at that point that gets her to grab onto Harry and not let go, literally.
How can you mention Sam Rockwell in a dance video and not mention Fosse / Verdon where he dances as Bob fricken Fosse?! He actually had to seriously train to learn to properly dance like Fosse - one of the greatest choreographers ever!
Back in the late 1980’s, Christopher Walken began hosting Saturday Night Live on occasion. That first time, his opening monologue featured a sing and dance number in which he was thrown a top hat and cane and proceeded to sing a song, “I feel like a million dollars.” It. Was. Epic.
Seriously, Jon Heder deserved a spot on this list for THAT scene in Napoleon Dynamite, especially when you find out that he came up with the dance moves ALL on his own.
Yeah, nobody knew he could dance. But nobody thought he COULDN'T dance, either, because nobody ever heard of him before Napoleon Dynamite. (Or much since then, either).
Now, THAT’s what I think of when people say “actors you didn’t know could dance”. All the choreography stuff and people who were trained as dancers shouldn’t be on this list. People who know how to move on their own to music is real dancing to me. AND that scene made the whole movie worth it. If only he was well known for something else.
What do you mean, Christopher Walken wasn't known for his dancing skills? He started his career as a Broadway dancer! He danced in Pennies from Heaven!
He was already famous as a dancer before he started acting, he won some Tony's, so it was no surprise... in fact I remember going to see White Nights when it came out specifically because Hines and Baryshnikov were going to be dancing in it together.
Mads Mikkelsen and Christopher Walken both used to be professional dancers, prior to becoming actors. Earlier this year, Penelope Cruz impressed in the Italian movie, L'immensita with her cool dance moves.
Hugh Jackman being a great dancer wasn't a surprise for anyone. Everybody knew (or learned during his years as Wolverine, long before The Greatest Showman) he had been a major Broadway star, playing between others, like The Boy from Oz, even Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast musical. Even more (even rocks) know TOM Holland started his career in musical theatre, it came out as soon as his first Spider-man movie came out.
I was surprised you didn't include Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), or John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever). I think you missed some pretty big ones there.
@@DrJenX Not for the whole movie. About 80% of the dancing long shots was of her double; the rest of the long shots and her close-ups were her. Not too shabby, she was able to sell it.
I know about his background in ballet now, pretty much everyone does. But I don't think audiences knew that before Dirty Dancing. I remember in the 80s he was popular as Bandit from The Renegades, and in films like The Outsiders and Red Dawn. I was a teen at that time and he was just one of those guys there was a lot of fan girling over. I remember all the buzz when Dirty Dancing came out and how surprised people were at how good a dancer he was, I don't think his ballet training was common knowledge to his fan base before that.@@l.a.3479
most of the dancing for her role was done by a professional ballet dancer as her body double! i believe the most that Natalie did were simple things on flat that didn’t need much flexibility (plies and tendus), and arms during close ups - still, the gorgeous port de bras she did herself as odette and odile were no small feat. kudos to her, and also to her body double!
I laughed out loud on the first clip with Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps playing. 😂🤣😂👏👏👏👏this was an obscure song which my friends and I only knew about from watching “URGH! A Music War” as middle schoolers back in the early 1980’s. We rented that movie from Blockbuster, as a lark, and it was SO GREAT!
Hugh Jackman was in "Oklahoma" well before he was in "The Boy From Oz." That breakthrough role required a great deal of dancing, including a modified ballet. Christopher Walker wasn't known for dancing? Ever seen "Pennies From Heaven"?
Great list! I had a brief moment of panic when I thought Christopher Walken wasn't going to be number one but thankfully all is well. The video for Weapon of Choice is an instant shot of joy directly into my soul. 😁 Also, there have been tons of great performances on Lip Sync Battle (Anne Hathaway comes to mind) by Tom Holland is my all time favorite. This was an awesome list!
I was absolutely thrilled to see Christopher Walken as number 1, no one else could be in my opinion, but why didn't you mention he had been on screen dancing before the Fatboy Slim video? He was in Hairspray as Tracy Turnblats father where he has a rather nice dance scene with John Travolta. Of all the actors on the list, he's one of the very few I'd want to dance with. I feel like he'd be the most understanding that I need teaching.
That's not Christopher Walken doing the cartwheel between 12:14 and 12:16. It's a body double. That's why they have him duck off camera for a split second at the end, so Walken just has to pop up and show his face.
Totally, whole-heartedly agree with your number one. That was so good and relaxed and confident, that you knew he had it in him all the time, and that he just never had the proper venue to show it off before. It takes a lifetime of dancing to dance like that.
Although that wasn't just Christopher Walken dancing in the video. A double subs in for the more physical elements (that's not him at 12:14 to 12:15 in this video).
Some more of these moments came out of The Muppet Show, where guest stars were taken out of their comfort zones. So you got actors dancing, dancers singing, etc
Yes, it's only an honorable mention, but Daniel Craig has never looked so sexy! And Christopher Walkin's smooth moves were heaven. He was 57 when he filmed this.
I hope that Jenna will have more opportunities to dance next season. She was also sick with CoVid while filming the dance, not that you'd ever have guessed!
I know you usually favor more recent movies from the past 20-25 years, but in this case it is certainly justified! I think you have made a very good case for the last 20-25 years as an absolutely golden age for Hollywood dance! Those dance sequences were just stunning!
Did you know these stars could dance? Let us know below, and check out our video of the Top 10 Sitcom Stars Who Are Surprisingly Good Dancers - th-cam.com/video/mBUaS6C0odY/w-d-xo.html
Anyone who does there research knows actors who come from the stage are also dancers and usually singers as well. You can’t work in theatre without basic to advanced skills.
*Ann MiLLer!!!!*
John Travolta. C'mon. How is he not in this list?
WTF, how could you forget Robert Downey Jr's 5 seconds of ballet dancer moves in Chaplin!!!!
@@biosnap_art *DumbAzz AvaTar, DumbAzz User Name,*
*DumbAzz Comment!!!*
Christopher Walken, dancer/choreographer Tommy Tune and I shared an apartment in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s when we were all aspiring, and often unemployed, actors. Richard Gere, not having the money to rent a hotel room when he came into town for auditions, would sleep on our sofa. Chris and Tommy appeared as chorus dancers in several Broadway musicals to include the Sherlock Holmes musical "Baker Street". We still are friends today. As of 2023, Chris and Tommy are 80, Richard is 73 and I'm 71. Chris taught Richard the tap steps for his number in "Chicago" but refused to have his name put in the movie's credits.
@Richard White, this is great. I’m not surprised that Christopher Walken didn’t want to be credited for that, it seems to fit in line with his character. I bet that you have a lot of great stories/memories. Thank you for sharing this one 😊
Small world. What a group to hang out with, @Richard White!
l remember those days and those names tq for filling in the spaces wonderful stories big old lanky Tommy
OMG! Thank you for share you history with us of your and your friends early steps into making it big , congrats to all of you !
What a great memory !! Thanks for sharing it with us .
Actors like Catherine Zeta Jones & Hugh Jackman originally made their names as triple threats in stage shows. Tom Holland started off as Billy freaking Elliot. And Christopher Walken was a professional dancer for years.
He went to Hofstra University on Long Island. So there's that.
Wow, I'm usually great with faces, and I had no idea Tom Holland was Billy Elliot....really like him
@@thehours59 He was in the stage version. Jamie Bell was in the film.
Yeah, for those of us who knew Broadway, our only surprise about Hugh Jackman in Greatest Showman was "it took them *this* long to make a musical movie starring him?"
Mads Mekkleson also started as a professional dancer.
Tom Holland’s lip sync battle dancing was EPIC 😉
I think he should have been number 1!
@dark chocolates who?
I watched his Umbrella routine a bazillion time, and of course Joseph Gordon Levitt
Tom Holland brought his A game to perform "Umbrella" by Rihanna.
I agree. That is my favorite lip sync ever.
The problem with Ms Mojo is it never thinks before 1990. Christopher Walken started as a dancer and has made a few movies featuring his dancing. Hello, "Pennies from Heaven"?! That bar scene was HOT 🔥🔥🔥
Read the title. It's people we forgot were dancers. I doubt anyone cam forget that Christopher Walken can also dance. Because as you said he was in several movies where he danced.
You need to read the title and the title says The Top Ten Moments We Found Out an Actor was a Great Dancer
Exactly. Christopher has a well known dance background
@@Althea-M but not all of us knew. I found out he could dance watching him in Hairspray. It's still the only other time I can remember seeing him dance.
Some of us aren’t old Enough to remember the times where he danced and therefore it shocked us when we found out he could dance… hence the title.
The point is that we were shocked they could not that they never had.
You see the Christopher Walken I grew up with and the Christopher Walker my mom knows are basically two different actors.. I never saw him dance in sleepy hollow, pulp fiction, blast from the past, nick of time, or mouse hunt. Just to name a few from my child hood. So when he danced in weapon of choice it was… wait for it… shocking!
Joseph Gordon Levitt was incredible in Lip sync battle doing Janet Jackson's Rhythm nation video, she is my idol when it comes to celebrity dancers and Joseph nailed it
I can't believe they didn't include Joseph Gordon Levitt! I saw him recreate Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" dance on SNL, including the runs up the wall. SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE!!
YEEESSSSS!!! I came on here to add a comment about Joseph Gordon Levitt; he was amazing on Lip Sync Battle. He was on Saturday Night Live too and did a sexy little dance there. 💙♥💜🧡 I think men that can dance are so sexy and usually make amazing lovers.
cannot believe you missed this
Agree! He was incredible!
Even a Magic Mike impression on SNL. Mainly remember it cuz I never saw my niece sit up so fast.
Christopher Walken, besides being essentially a dancer, has always done a song and dance number in his openings of every SNL he's ever hosted. How anyone could NOT know that Mr. Walken is a song and dance man in his heart is beyond me. He's never been shy of telling everyone that either, in interviews.
Sam Rockwell is so underrated and a phenomenal dancer! ❤
Christopher Walken ~ there are no words for his level of dance moves! 🤟
Want to see Sam Rockwell's dance talent? Watch him as Bob Fosse in Fosse/Verdon. Kudos also to Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon.
@@cair124 I did watch it C and enjoyed every second of it...
Shame msmojo didn’t mention fosse/verdon
I was going to bring up Fosse/Vernon too
Tom Hiddleston should be on this list
Tom does have confidence and style for sure!
Exactly!
Exactly what i was thinking
It’s the whole reason I clicked on this video
I kept waiting for Tom Hiddleston too!
Thank you for recognizing Mads Mikkelsen
That scene was so beautiful and to think it was all improvised.
I love Mads. He used to be a dancer and a gymnast. He's such a good actor.
I think Travolta has to be the movie dance king. Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Urban Cowboy, Pulp Fiction... and small dance scenes in many other movies. Even with training, you need some natural grace to pull off so many different styles so well.
I agree! And who could forget him dancing with Princess Di!?!?!
Ikr??
I'm totally with you on this one. It seems like a serious oversight to skip Travolta. And, though the Fat Boy Slim video with Ealken is epic and I love it, it's technically not a movie (though I realize that he has danced in films before).
Nailed it.
@@mysticskexis7459 The criteria isn't "movies", it's "moments" we realized the actors could dance.
Up until about thirty years ago, actors had to know how to sing, dance *and* act... 🏆 🏆 🏆
And ride a horse as well as fencing 😊
Still do, if they want to be on Broadway.
They still do learn all 3 most of the time.
Still do if they take their craft seriously
Now they let just about anybody be on screen.
Anybody actually. Tictoc and TH-cam.
Lost art.
Much praise to Tom Holland in that dance. Consider me extremely impressed and amused.
He was famous as a dancer first. See Billy Elliot.
I can't believe Brendan Fraser didn't even get an honorable mention! Mrs Winterbourne and Blast From The Past both showcase his smooth polished dance moves. That Tango is incredible!!
You forgot Encio man.
@@LaraCroftEyes1 Didn't forget, just picked my two favourites so others can mention theirs.😀
He did Ok in Blast From the Past but over half of the dancing was done by a stunt double.
And in Encino Man!
I hear the no before 1990 movies. There were a lot of song and dance men.
James Cagney was a dancer but they wanted him to be the ultimate gangster.
Vivien Leigh, known for dramatic roles could dance very well on stage and earlier movies
Walken is a good dancer.
You completely forgot about John Travolta and Patrick Swayze they should have definitely been on the list!!
100%. It's a ridiculous omission!
And Antonio Banderas!
@@selmamoura3441 well he is backup to catherine at Number 4 7:00 .. soo . I see him included. But yes, he has many roles.
It's about actors who were not necessarily known for being good dancers. Travolta and Swayze were almost exclusively known for their ability to dance. Swayze's mom was a dance instructor.
Yeah, was just gonna say that too! PS studied w his mom for years
Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale in SWING KIDS are unbelievable. Some of the best swing sequences ever put to film are in that movie. I could watch the opening sequence of SWING KIDS a million times and never get tired of it.
10. Jenna Ortega. Uh, that's a hard no. She freely admits she can't dance. And if you hadn't noticed in her dance routine, she never uses her upper body and lower body at the same time. When she's moving her upper body, her feet are glued to the floor. Her actual steps involving her feet are limited to just walking.
Nothing against her as an actor or a person. But when she says she can't dance, we should probably believe her.
Isolated movements in dance were used frequently by Bob Fosse. I think she did a fine job.
I can't believe you said Christopher Walken hasn't ever been known for dancing?!? He's danced in movies years ago, during award shows and other televised events. He's been called a great, wonderful dancer.
absolutely agree. Not to mention his age when he did the noted dance above. The guy is phenominal.
Yep
And he was in Hairspray dancing with John Travolta
Fred Astaire loved his dancing!
Ms Mojo's Top 10 Christopher Walken dance moves is a separate video!
He's not only Christopher Walken'.... he's Christopher Dancin'!! 🕺🕺🕺
Walken was a dancer before he was an actor, and puts a dance move or two in every movie (including King of New York). How anyone wouldn't know he's a dancer is a mystery to me. Check out his tap dance/striptease in Pennies From Heaven.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum, Alfonso Ribeiro, Penelope Cruz, Jamie Bell, Tom Hiddleston & Sutton Foster
There was a time when EVERY actor could dance, sing, play the piano and ride a horse, now it's a feat if they can just act.
And sword-fight
Tom Holland has been dancing his entire life & has formal ballet training. Have people not seen him in Billy Elliott?
He was in Billy Elliott in the West End. Jamie Bell played the role in the movie.
The majority of people never make it to the theater in London or New York....
@@lpollock7893 So? I knew that's where he got his start even though I've never seen it.
Its mostly brits who know that element of his past, most Americans especially back then didn't really know
But most did not know. I did not know he could dance
Joseph Gordon-Levitt should've been in there for his dance scene in 500 Days of Summer and his Rhythm Nation Lip Sync Battle!
Also, Jensen Ackles tap dancing in season 15 of Supernatural... he had a 3 hour lesson for less than 2 minutes of screentime!
When I saw Tom Holland and #2, I literally thought to myself, "What could be #1? Only thing that comes to mine is Christopher Walken in Weapon if Choice". Have never been so happy to be right about something.
I was very surprised to see Walken when I first saw that music video.
Christopher Walken and John Travolta in Hairspray were soo much fun to watch!
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker is a big one! That stair dance is insanely impressive.
Also Gates McFadden, who's probably best known for her "Star Trek: The Next Generation" character "Beverly Crusher" is a trained dancer and choreographer, who did the choreography for "Labyrinth", and showed off some of her talents in "TNG" too. Showed off her tap dancing at a few comic cons too.
Gotta give it to Julia Stiles in Save The Last Dance. She nailed the ballet and Hip Hop dance
The hip hop part, sure. But not the ballet. I like her as an actress but as a former ballet dancer, it was obvious she doesn't have a ballet background.
@@MR-hu3ht she said that too
They had to get creative with filming scenes with her face, and use a body double for a lot of the ballet wide shots. She did NOT do most of the ballet.
Julia Stiles was also great in "Ten Things I Hate About You." She does a short dance when she's drunk at a party. She's another actor who studied dance. When they were blocking the dance in "Ten Things," she said, "You know I can dance, right?"
Well, as a non former ballet dancer, I was blown away by Julia Stiles moves in that movie. I thought she was wicked awesome!!
Zoe actually played a dancer in Drumline as well
Tom Holland started off playing Billy Elliot on stage, so it’s never been a secret that he can dance…
Not common knowledge outside of the U.K., especially in U.S.A.
Christopher Walken started out as a dancer. Have you seen his movies where he tapped on a bar & danced the tango? Believe it or not, he even danced (& sang) in The Deer Hunter.
Daniel Radclifffe? His performance in both "How to Succeed in Business...." and also Miracle Workers - doing the "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"
I came here to say this! I expected him to be number 1!
@@carmelinahernandez3224 Me too!! Should have AT LEAST been on the list!
If, like me, you can't handle all the unnecessary and incessant yapping, here you go:
00:36 - #10 - Jenna Ortega
01:39 - #09 - Hugh Jackman
02:36 - #08 - Kate Hudson
03:42 - #07 - Christian Bale
04:47 - #06 - Amy Adams
05:51 - #05 - Sam Rockwell
06:55 - #04 - Catherine Zeta-Jones
08:06 - #03 - Zoe Saldaña
09:02 - #02 - Tom Holland
10:15 - Honorable Mention - Richard Gere
10:31 - Honorable Mention - Paul Rudd
10:48 - Honorable Mention - Mads Mikkelsen
11:00 - Honorable Mention - Daniel Craig
11:32 - #01 - Christopher Walken
You forgot the ultimate dancing divo John Travolta.
Loved him in Hairspray😂
It’s DIDN’T Know they could dance. I guess your perspective depends on your age. Same reason l didn’t feel Jackman belonged on here asl knew his theatre history.
After seeing Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything he can do.
I knew Christopher Walken as a Broadway dancer before he acted in film ! I'm so glad he was #1 !! He was brilliant as a dancer.
While Mads Mikkelsen doesn’t dance a lot in movies or TV shows, sadly, he is a classically trained dancer.
nearly all of these actors and actresses listed were trained first as dancers (formal dance training to be pro dancers, or for pro theatre work) before acting, so really not surprised ☺️ i recall Amanda Schull from PLL being a corps member in San Fran Ballet, which is an absolute feat - it’s not easy to get into a renown professional ballet company.
i believe some other actors/actresses were also professional backup dancers for famous singers before they came into their own celebrity status.
Christopher Walken makes it a point to fit dancing into nearly every part he's ever played. He's just plain excellent at it all.
He started off as a dancer and only later became an actor.
Ms Mojo's Top 10 Christopher Walken dance moves is a separate video!
I don't believe you haven't even mentioned Kevin Bacon in Footloose!
Kevin Bacon didn't do the dancing in Footloose. A stand in professional dancer was brought in. Look it up.
From what I've read he did the majority of the dancing in the movie and wanted to do all of it.
You missed a snip of Christopher Walken dancing in Hairspray with John Travolta, who you totally missed, and you missed Zendaya and Anna Kendrick and Tom Hiddleston
THANK YOU!!!! I was going to mention Tom Hiddleston, but you also pointed out a few others I'd have missed.
Though they are all good dancers when choreographed, Tom Holland has said that he can't dance otherwise, he even once tried with MADONNA!!!! and couldn't do it. I think Tom Huddleston is the only one that dances in front of people no matter what. THERE'S VIDS OF HIM DOING IT. And Shakira's song hips don't lie, is SO TURE for him. OH MY GODDESS, HIS HIPS!!!!, and everything else about him too.
Yes I was thinking the same thing watching this video I'm glad I'm not the only one 😅
Walken and Travolta were such a great team. They looked like they were on a cloud.
I love watching Tom Hiddleston dance. Benedict Cumberbatch is a fabulous dancer, as are RDJ and Chris Evans. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and even Jeremy Renner are fantastic dancers.
I don't know if Zendaya has formal dance training, but I love watching her dance. Maybe it was all her years on the Disney Channel, especially her show "Shake It Up."
While they're showing the Lip Sync Battle clips, they need to mention Joseph Gordon Levitt. His Rhythm Nation and Yeah dances are phenomenal!
We didn't know Richard Gere could tap dance before Chicago because he learned to tap dance for Chicago.
Well, but he could dance... after all, he was in a production of Grease back in the day. EDITED TO ADD: I verified that… He was Danny in the Original Broadway Cast of Grease!
@@HeatherDeweyPettet I saw him in Grease and could never understand why he didn't get to play Danny in the film.
@@raindancer6111 Wow, that’s cool! I’m sure it had a lot to do with the fact that Travolta was a rising star on TV by the time they were casting the movie, and Gere was still an unknown. That’s happened so often in Hollywood, right? That happened to Julie Andrews with My Fair Lady. Anyway, she got them back by winning the Oscar for Mary Poppins, lol!
@@HeatherDeweyPettet What was worse with Julie Andrews was that they wanted her to do the singing to be dubbed into the film. Talk about adding insult to injury. She did not accept that offer (probably in good old anglo saxon terms, I hope). 😄
@@HeatherDeweyPettet It was 1973 when Grease opened in London and Richard Gere was playing Danny then. I must admit that I preferred the original show songs. I didn't like the alterations made for the film.
Fun video. It’s really amazing to see actors who aren’t trained dancers do these- I think most of these are trained, or trained adjacent. Goldie Hawn is a dancer & I think Kate has lots of training. Walken was originally a dancer then acted, which should’ve been mentioned.
Travolta and Patrick Swayze both should been top 5.
Because of that, Travolta not only should’ve been in this, he should’ve been #1. He trained for SNF, but I don’t think he’s a trained dancer. He’s danced in several movies & is iconic.
But a lot of the actors on this list are trained dancers.
"Weapon of Choice" with Christopher Walken is my all-time favorite. I can watch that one over and over. Fabulous! 🤸♂️🕺
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
I don’t quote it the most but it’s going on my headstone-“all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain”
I am not surprised Kate Hudson has dancing talent. Her mother danced well too.
Christian Bale tore it up in “Swing Kids.” 😎
My favorite Christopher Walken performance that went totally against his usual type was in 1982’s Who Am I This Time? It was a romantic comedy for PBS American Playhouse, directed by Jonathan Demme, based on a Vonnegut short story, co-starring Susan Sarandon. Walken and Sarandon have serious chemistry together, and his portrayal of a nearly pathologically shy small-town clerk who blossoms on stage is riveting. It’s a real shame he never got another romantic lead role again.
“Sarah, Plain and Tall” (1991) + two sequels 🙂 (TV movies) 😉
I love that Vonnegut story and always thought Johnny Depp reminded me of the male character in that one, but Chris Walken is quite breathtaking in that role. I always thought it was about a guy who had no real life or personality until he got up on stage and then he became an incredible chameleon-type man, capable of brilliant acting and interpretation.
The story is in Vonnegut's book of short stories called Welcome to the Monkey House.
@@barbarahecht4617 IMO, the story version of Harry is what you describe. But the tv version is given more personality by Walken, who makes him a severely shy guy who blossoms through his love match with Helene. The way he interacts with the town at the very end shows that he has changed in the course of their relationship. Helene, otoh, was also shy, but showed it by putting up barriers. What I love about the film is that that Helene doesn’t need the love of Harry to break through her walls-she does it herself by making friends with the playhouse members. It is only the confidence she gains at that point that gets her to grab onto Harry and not let go, literally.
How can you mention Sam Rockwell in a dance video and not mention Fosse / Verdon where he dances as Bob fricken Fosse?! He actually had to seriously train to learn to properly dance like Fosse - one of the greatest choreographers ever!
I thought Tom Hiddleston would claim the top spot! 🥹
He should've been included in the top 10 for sure, but not the #1 spot, IMO.
What a great and entertaining video with some good surprises!
Back in the late 1980’s, Christopher Walken began hosting Saturday Night Live on occasion. That first time, his opening monologue featured a sing and dance number in which he was thrown a top hat and cane and proceeded to sing a song, “I feel like a million dollars.” It. Was. Epic.
I think I saw that one. He was so light on his feet. Loved when he danced on Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice
He was great on SNL but needed more cowbell
Seriously, Jon Heder deserved a spot on this list for THAT scene in Napoleon Dynamite, especially when you find out that he came up with the dance moves ALL on his own.
😂😂😂
Yeah, nobody knew he could dance. But nobody thought he COULDN'T dance, either, because nobody ever heard of him before Napoleon Dynamite. (Or much since then, either).
Now, THAT’s what I think of when people say “actors you didn’t know could dance”. All the choreography stuff and people who were trained as dancers shouldn’t be on this list. People who know how to move on their own to music is real dancing to me. AND that scene made the whole movie worth it.
If only he was well known for something else.
What do you mean, Christopher Walken wasn't known for his dancing skills? He started his career as a Broadway dancer! He danced in Pennies from Heaven!
You forgot Gregory Hines, he was a great actor and fine tap dancer
He was a great dancer, who later on in his career sometimes acted.
Yes, but he was known primarily as a dancer.
He was already famous as a dancer before he started acting, he won some Tony's, so it was no surprise... in fact I remember going to see White Nights when it came out specifically because Hines and Baryshnikov were going to be dancing in it together.
Love Christopher Walken!
And Tom Holland’s Rihanna performance is the best lip sync battle star to date. 👍🔥
Mads Mikkelsen and Christopher Walken both used to be professional dancers, prior to becoming actors. Earlier this year, Penelope Cruz impressed in the Italian movie, L'immensita with her cool dance moves.
Hugh Jackman being a great dancer wasn't a surprise for anyone. Everybody knew (or learned during his years as Wolverine, long before The Greatest Showman) he had been a major Broadway star, playing between others, like The Boy from Oz, even Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast musical.
Even more (even rocks) know TOM Holland started his career in musical theatre, it came out as soon as his first Spider-man movie came out.
I really enjoyed all of those! Thank you.
I was surprised you didn't include Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), or John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever). I think you missed some pretty big ones there.
Natalie Portman had a dance double.
@@DrJenX Not for the whole movie. About 80% of the dancing long shots was of her double; the rest of the long shots and her close-ups were her. Not too shabby, she was able to sell it.
Swayze was generally known to be a dancer before he was an actor. His mother taught ballet for many years in Houston.
I know about his background in ballet now, pretty much everyone does. But I don't think audiences knew that before Dirty Dancing. I remember in the 80s he was popular as Bandit from The Renegades, and in films like The Outsiders and Red Dawn. I was a teen at that time and he was just one of those guys there was a lot of fan girling over. I remember all the buzz when Dirty Dancing came out and how surprised people were at how good a dancer he was, I don't think his ballet training was common knowledge to his fan base before that.@@l.a.3479
Kate Hudson also delivered some brief but memorable rug cutting in Something Blue.
👣 Natalie Portman - "Black Swan" (2010)
most of the dancing for her role was done by a professional ballet dancer as her body double! i believe the most that Natalie did were simple things on flat that didn’t need much flexibility (plies and tendus), and arms during close ups - still, the gorgeous port de bras she did herself as odette and odile were no small feat. kudos to her, and also to her body double!
@@annellle This is one of the best most balanced comments I've ever read on the Natalie Portman/Sarah Lane "dance controversy". 👍
I laughed out loud on the first clip with Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps playing. 😂🤣😂👏👏👏👏this was an obscure song which my friends and I only knew about from watching “URGH! A Music War” as middle schoolers back in the early 1980’s. We rented that movie from Blockbuster, as a lark, and it was SO GREAT!
In the UK if you go to drama school as a child you are trained in dance!
Christopher Walken usually tries to get a few dance moves into his roles. He is fantastic!
I loved Christian Bale in swing kids!! It is one of my favorite movie of all time!
Tom Holland went nuclear on that challenge
Hugh Jackman was in "Oklahoma" well before he was in "The Boy From Oz." That breakthrough role required a great deal of dancing, including a modified ballet. Christopher Walker wasn't known for dancing? Ever seen "Pennies From Heaven"?
He was a graduate of NIDA in music theatre and I think his first role was as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.
Renee Zellweger was awesome dancing in Chicago
There should be no surprise that Kate Hudson can dance. Her mother, Goldie Hawn, was a dancer before becoming known as an actress.
Great list! I had a brief moment of panic when I thought Christopher Walken wasn't going to be number one but thankfully all is well. The video for Weapon of Choice is an instant shot of joy directly into my soul. 😁 Also, there have been tons of great performances on Lip Sync Battle (Anne Hathaway comes to mind) by Tom Holland is my all time favorite. This was an awesome list!
Mads Mikkelsen studied ballet and moderne dancing, even toured with a company before he became an actor.
Best pick for number 1
I was absolutely thrilled to see Christopher Walken as number 1, no one else could be in my opinion, but why didn't you mention he had been on screen dancing before the Fatboy Slim video? He was in Hairspray as Tracy Turnblats father where he has a rather nice dance scene with John Travolta.
Of all the actors on the list, he's one of the very few I'd want to dance with. I feel like he'd be the most understanding that I need teaching.
That's not Christopher Walken doing the cartwheel between 12:14 and 12:16. It's a body double. That's why they have him duck off camera for a split second at the end, so Walken just has to pop up and show his face.
Wednesday's dance stood out in the scene, but if everyone else had been doing it, it wouldn't have got any attention.
True. Not particularly impressive as a dance number, it being just a mishmash of other dance bits.
Christopher Walkens...awesome. I didn't know he danced so great.
Let's also give credit to the choreographers who work so hard with actors to make them dancers.
Antonio Banderas can make anybody sizzle 😂. But I have to admit Joseph Gordon, Levitt, and Tom Holland, or my favorites and the biggest surprise
*are
@@l.a.3479 seriously 😒
I believe Sam Rockwell managed to throw his dance moves in just about every movie he starred in.
Totally, whole-heartedly agree with your number one. That was so good and relaxed and confident, that you knew he had it in him all the time, and that he just never had the proper venue to show it off before. It takes a lifetime of dancing to dance like that.
How about Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing? Both before and after, he was known for his "tough guy" roles.
Everyone knew he was a dancer.
Although that wasn't just Christopher Walken dancing in the video. A double subs in for the more physical elements (that's not him at 12:14 to 12:15 in this video).
Some more of these moments came out of The Muppet Show, where guest stars were taken out of their comfort zones. So you got actors dancing, dancers singing, etc
I loved the Muppet Show, sadly missed. Real talent and improvisation- as much as can be managed with puppets.
I totally didn't expect to see Zoë Saldaña in this list. 😱😁😄😆😀😱
Tom Hiddleston did some awesome moves on a chatshow.
Walken is a legendary danceman. And Zeta-Jones was by far the best dancer in 'Chicago' (with all due respect to Gere).
Walken is a legend!
Sam Rockwell is my favourite but i ve never been so amazed as to Mads Mikkelsen! Really, my jaw dropped!
Yes, it's only an honorable mention, but Daniel Craig has never looked so sexy!
And Christopher Walkin's smooth moves were heaven. He was 57 when he filmed this.
Jim Carey in MASK. Amazing dancing!
I hope that Jenna will have more opportunities to dance next season. She was also sick with CoVid while filming the dance, not that you'd ever have guessed!
100% agree with this
Jenna Dewan IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROFESSIONAL DANCER FIRST.
@@jenleigh342 She was talking about Jenna Ortega
Loooove all these actors/dancers. Hate your clickbait title tho ✌️
You forget tom Hiddleston ANd sebastian stan and chris evans
I know you usually favor more recent movies from the past 20-25 years, but in this case it is certainly justified! I think you have made a very good case for the last 20-25 years as an absolutely golden age for Hollywood dance! Those dance sequences were just stunning!
Tom Holland played Billie Elliot on Stage, so definitely knew he could dance
While waiting for number 1 i was disappointed Christopher's walken wasnt on here😂thanks for never disappointing!