Madonna: The Actress

The ever-talented Material Girl has ruled the Pop charts while inspiring moviegoers with her many TV, film and theatre roles.

Madonna: A Triple Threat
A true triple threat, everyone knows Madonna can sing and dance with the best of them, but Madonna has also impressed fans with Madonna tickets and critics alike with her various roles in television, film and theatre. While the Material Girl is not busy jetting off across the globe performing for fans with Madonna tickets, Madonna has taken the time to make over 20 feature films. Here are some of Madonna’s best roles:

Madonna: Desperately Seeking Susan
In 1985, Madonna starred in the Susan Seidelman film, Desperately Seeking Susan, alongside Rosanna Arquette. Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) is a bored housewife whose only pleasure comes from reading the personal ads of a wild and carefree woman named Susan (Madonna) and her boyfriend Jim (Robert Joy). One day, Roberta decided to follow Susan and Jim to their rendezvous point in New York City for an unforgettable adventure, full of mistaken identity, amnesia and the mob.

Desperately Seeking Susan was a critical and box-office success, grossing over $20 million in tickets sold. The film was named one of the 10 best of 1985 by New York Times critic Vincent Canby. Actress Rosanna Arquette won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for her role as Roberta. Desperately Seeking Susan’s soundtrack included Madonna’s hit “Into the Groove,” which catapulted Madonna into the spotlight and helped sell Madonna tickets to her upcoming Like a Virgin Tour with the Beastie Boys.

Madonna: Dick Tracy
Madonna’s next big film role came in 1990 when she starred as Breathless Mahoney alongside Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman in the film Dick Tracy. Warren Beatty stars as detective Dick Tracy, the only man in town who can do battle with crime boss Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice (Al Pacino) and clean up the city he loves. The only witness who can put Big Boy away for good is Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), a lounge singer at Big Boy’s Club Ritz. Dick Tracy soon becomes torn between his love for his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly) and his newfound attraction to Breathless.

Dick Tracy was a critical and box-office success, grossing over $160 million in tickets worldwide.To coincide with the release of Dick Tracy, Madonna released I’m Breathless in 1990; the album featured songs inspired by the film and included her mega-hit single “Vogue.” Dick Tracy won three Academy Awards including Best Original Song for the Stephen Sondheim-penned Madonna song “Sooner or Later.” The success of Dick Tracy helped sell Madonna tickets for the Material Girl's 1990 Blond Ambition tour.

Madonna: A League of Their Own
In 1992, Madonna appeared as Brooklynite Mae Mordabito in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own alongside Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell. A League of Their Own is a fictional account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which began in 1943 when Major League Baseball suffered a loss of players due to World War II. Tom Hanks starred as Jimmy Dugan, a former baseball legend who was picked to coach the Rockford Peaches. Less than enthusiastic about his new job, Jimmy handed over coaching duties to the beautiful and talented catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis). Under Dottie’s direction, the Rockford Peaches became the best in the league and suddenly everyone – including Jimmy Dugan – took notice.

Madonna’s song “This Used to be My Playground” was used as the theme song for A League of Their Own in 1992. “This Used to be My Playground” was another Top 10 Madonna hit around the world; peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Madonna’s role in A League of Their Own and her success with the film’s theme song helped sell thousands of Madonna tickets to the Material Girl’s sold-out 1993 Girlie Show World Tour.

Madonna: Evita
Madonna scored her biggest role to date in the 1996 film Evita; the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical based on the life of Eva Duarte de Perón, the First Lady of Argentina. Madonna starred as Eva Duarte de Perón alongside Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce. Evita follows the life of Eva Duarte de Perón from childhood to her meteoric rise as a  political superstar. As First Lady of Argentina, Eva Duarte de Perón works to distribute aid to the working poor, an act that makes her popular with the poverty-stricken but disgusts Argentina’s wealthy elite.

Evita was another critical and box office smash for Madonna, grossing over $140 million in tickets worldwide. The Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice-penned Madonna song “You Must Love Me” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Evita also won three Golden Globe awards including Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Madonna’s portrayal of Eva Perón. The Evita Soundtrack, which featured the Madonna songs “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Another Suitcase in Another Hall,” topped the charts in 1996. With Hollywood success at her feet, Madonna confidently returned to her music career, selling thousands of Madonna tickets to her 2001 Drowned World Tour.