Tupac Shakur, in addition to being one of the most well-known rappers of all time, was also an accomplished actor. Tupac received critical recognition for his evil performance as Bishop in his follow-up picture, Juice, after making his screen debut as a background actor in the star-studded comedy Nothing But Trouble in 1991.
Tupac altered gears once more in 1993, when he starred opposite Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice as a sweet-natured mailman. Prior to his death, Tupac starred in seven feature films and two television episodes, not including appearances in preserved video or as himself on other TV shows.
Kevin Pantoja updated this page on October 14th, 2021: Everyone thinks of Tupac Shakur’s music career whenever his name is mentioned. That’s understandable given his status as one of the best rappers of all time. His acting career, on the other hand, is probably more deserving of praise. While he was never likely to win an Oscar, he was known for giving excellent performances. Tupac’s acting, as well as his appearances on television, received a lot of positive feedback. Many fans believe that if he had lived longer, he would have branched out into even bigger parts, as he was still on the rise at the time of his death.
A Different World, S6E21 (1993) – 8.6
According to IMDb, Tupac Shakur’s highest-rated acting credit is the episode “Homey, Don’t You Know” from the 1990s sitcom A Different World. Tupac does not appear in the program as himself or as a member of the Digital Underground rap group; instead, he portrays a character named Piccolo. Jada Pinkett Smith, his longtime friend, also appears in the episode.
Piccolo (Tupac) and his friends, Lena’s (Pinkett Smith) ex-boyfriend, arrive in her new neighborhood to pay her a visit. Piccolo and his team, on the other hand, quickly become apparent as out of place in Lena’s new setting.
Above The Rim (1994) – 6.6
Tupac returned to the big screen a year later as the major villain in the inner-city basketball film Above the Rim, after playing a semisweet-natured protagonist in Poetic Justice.
Kyle Lee Watson (Duane Martin), a high-school basketball standout who aspires to play for Georgetown University, is the focus of the story. Kyle declines his coach’s suggestion that his mother’s lover Shep (Leon) take over as the new coach and instead enters a basketball street competition. Birdie (Tupac) is Shep’s younger brother, a brutal gang leader who leads a rival basketball team in the tournament and recruits Kyle. Finally, Kyle competes in a high-stakes competition against Birdie’s team.
Bullet (1996) – 6.5
Bullet, which was co-written and starred Mickey Rourke, who also acted as the music supervisor, was released three weeks after Tupac’s death in 1996. The film, however, was directed by Julien Temple and shot in 1994.
The plot follows Butch “Bullet” Stein (Rourke), a Jewish heroin addict who has recently completed an eight-year prison sentence. Bullet steals from a rival drug dealer named Tank (Tupac), who employs a hitman to kill Bullet as soon as possible after his parole. Adrien Brody, Ted Levine, Peter Dinklage, and Michael K. Williams are among the cast members.
Drexell’s Class, S1E17 (1992) – 7.4
Tupac made an appearance as himself in the penultimate episode of the short-lived sitcom Drexell’s Class, which aired for one season and eighteen episodes from 1991 to 1992.
The show follows Otis Drexell (Dabney Coleman), a white-collar criminal who is discovered dodging taxes. Drexell is compelled to teach an elementary class as a punishment until the back taxes are paid in full. In the episode “Cruisin’,” Tupac makes a guest appearance alongside Jason Priestly and Brittany Murphy.
Gang Related (1997) – 6.5
Gang Related, a drug-themed action thriller starring James Belushi, Dennis Quaid, James Earl Jones, Gary Cole, and Lela Rochon, was Tupac’s final posthumous feature.
The film, written and directed by Jim Kouf, follows Detectives Divinci (Belushi) and Rodriguez (Tupac), two filthy detectives who find themselves into a lot of trouble when they mistakenly murder a DEA agent. In their haste to cover up the crime by framing a homeless guy, the two men end up doing more harm than good.
Gridlock’d (1997) – 6.9
Tupac and Tim Roth star in Gridlock’d as best friends and heroin addicts who are desperate to quit after a pal dies from an overdose. Stretch (Roth) and Spoon (Tupac) face far more bureaucratic bother than it’s worth when they enter a detox program.
Vondie Curtis-Hall wrote and directed the film, which also stars Thandie Newton, Charles Fleischer, John Sayles, and Lucy Liu. The National Board of Review gave the picture a Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Filmmaking.
Juice (1992) – 7.1
In Ernest Dickerson’s Juice, four inner-city New York buddies plan to loot a liquor shop to earn neighborhood reputation as a result of peer pressure. When the plot backfires with fatal consequences, their friendship quickly deteriorates.
In the film, Tupac plays Bishop, one of the four pals alongside Omar Epps, Jermaine Hopkins, and Raheem (Khalil Kain). Bishop transforms into a cruel murdering machine once he obtains a taste of power through the ownership of a handgun, and his closest friends no longer recognize him. In the end, Bishop’s “juice” comes at the most exorbitant price.
Nothing But Trouble (1991) – 5.1
Tupac featured in the Dan Aykroyd-directed farce Nothing But Trouble with Shock-G (aka Humpty Hump) as part of the Digital Underground rap crew.
Chevy Chase plays Chris Thorne, a financial advisor who, with his girlfriend Diane (Demi Moore), takes a wrong turn in a run-down backwater. Chris and Diane are brought to a spooky mansion full of bizarre traps built by a lecherous judge after getting arrested for speeding (Aykroyd). Tupac helps Chris ring in the festivities by singing, putting his two best talents on display, as Chris is forced to marry the judge’s daughter.
Poetic Justice (1993) – 6.1
Janet Jackson stars as a soulful poet on a cross-country road journey with her best friend Iesha (Regina King), Iesha’s boyfriend Chicago (Joe Torry), and his postal companion Lucky in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice (Tupac).
Justice (Jackson), still reeling from the loss of her boyfriend, is uninterested in Lucky’s flirtations. However, as the two get to know each other on the trip, Justice discovers that Lucky has his own problems with an ex-girlfriend who is a drug addict and their little daughter Keisha. The more time Lucky and Justice spend together, the closer they get.
