.css-ftsoqv{display:block;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}.css-ftsoqv img{vertical-align:top;}.css-1dc3fjj{background-color:bg-block-content-four-across;}.css-h01skt{background:linear-gradient(to bottom,#F5F5F5 0,#F5F5F5 100%);-webkit-background-position:0 100%;background-position:0 100%;-webkit-background-size:0 0;background-size:0 0;display:inline;font-family:SangBleuOGSerifRegular,SangBleuOGSerifRegular-roboto,SangBleuOGSerifRegular-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-size:1.25rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0.0075rem;line-height:1.4;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0.75rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-h01skt:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-h01skt{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}.css-h01skt:hover{-webkit-background-size:0.625rem 3.125rem;background-size:0.625rem 3.125rem;}Cher’s Best Acting Roles, Ranked

7. Suspect (1987)

Barry King//Getty Images

Cher took on the role of Kathleen Riley, a Washington, D.C. public defender, for the crime thriller Suspect. Filmed in Ontario, Canada, the movie also stars Dennis Quaid and Liam Neeson.

6. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

the witches of eastwick
Hulton Archive//Getty Images

In The Witches of Eastwick, Cher plays Alexandra Medford, a single mother who works as a sculptor in Rhode Island—and inadvertently makes a deal with the devil with her two friends. Based on the novel by John Updike and directed by George Miller (of Mad Max and Babe fame), the supernatural comedy also stars other big names like Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.

5. Mermaids (1990)

winona ryder and cher in 'mermaids'
Archive Photos//Getty Images

Cher stars in this family comedy-drama as another single mother, who moves with her two daughters to a small New England town in the ’60s. The picture, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, also stars Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. The movie was Ricci’s very first film role, but certainly not her last. Shortly after Mermaids, she went on to star in iconic flicks like The Addams Family, Casper, and Now and Then.

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4. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

Samir Hussein//Getty Images

How could we put together a list of Cher’s greatest roles without mentioning Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again? The timeless sequel, which stars Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, and Pierce Brosnan, also features several of ABBA’s greatest hits.

Here We Go Again was a reunion of sorts for the singer. Cher and Streep had worked together on Silkwood decades earlier. “I met her for the first time in a sushi place in Texas when we were working on Mike Nichols’s Silkwood,” Cher said in a Harper’s Bazaar interview in 2018. I walked in, and she came over and hugged me and said, ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’ We were together all the time after that. We used to go to the movies on Sundays. When I was in New York, I would go to her house every day.”

3. Mask (1985)

cher hair
Keystone//Getty Images

Cher appeared in Mask as Rusty Dennis, a motorcycle-riding mom who’d once made a living as a go-go dancer. The biographical drama is based on the real life of Rocky Dennis, a young boy born with a rare bone condition, and his relationship with his strong-willed mother.

2. Silkwood (1983)

1984 academy awards
William Nation//Getty Images

Cher joined fellow stars Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell for the biographical drama Silkwood. The movie, which was nominated for five Oscars (including a Best Supporting Actress nod for Cher), was cowritten by Nora Ephron, who would become a screenwriting and directing legend not long after, thanks to When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail.

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1. Moonstruck (1987)

on the set of moonstruck
Sunset Boulevard//Getty Images

Moonstruck may be Cher’s best-known film—she won multiple awards for it, after all. It tells the story of Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn who falls in love with Ronny Cammareri, a baker. The only problem is, Ronny is also Loretta’s fiancé’s brother.

Lettermark

Brittany is a freelance writer based in her hometown of New York City. She writes about everything from fashion and beauty to food and wellness. When she’s not writing, she can often be found at her local library, playing with her cats, or exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

preview for Harper's BAZAAR Culture Playlist

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