The Six Greatest Entertainers Of All Time Ranked

3. Madonna If Beyoncé is Queen B, Madonna is 'Queen of Pop', and there may never be anyone as great as her. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1958, she is considered one of the most important figures of pop culture.

Most artists have incredible skills to master every genre of music or acting, but Madonna, the revolutionary, has created her own niches, which have later become a part of mainstream music. Fans can never get over her iconic performances like La Isa Bonita, Hung Up, and Papa Don't Preach. In 2021, the 62-year old pop star is estimated to have a mind-blowing net worth of about $850 million

2.Freddie Mercury Queen is one of the most legendary rock bands to have ever existed, but it perhaps wouldn't be as phenomenal if it weren't for Freddie Mercury. He was the lead vocalist of the famous rock band and a record producer and songwriter. No artist could even dare to take him on with his four-octave vocal range and his unique style. Plus, his bold and extravagant way of ruling the stage while performing was an ethereal sight altogether.

He faced a lot of hurdles in his early life and even after becoming a star. He suffered from HIV/AIDS in the latter part of his life. Freddie gave the world its most exclusive treasure of heartfelt and god-tier music. He passed away at the age of 45 but is still considered one of the best singers of all time. Presently the late star has a sumptuous net worth of about $50 million

1. Michael Jackson The King of Pop naturally tops the list of the greatest performers of all time. Michael Jackson was not just a legendary singer; he was a phenomenon that stormed the world. He is and will unconditionally remain one of the most important pop culture icons of the 20th century.

Among his best-known songs are Beat It, Smooth Criminal, and Billie Jean. Likewise, some of his best-selling albums include Thrill and Dangerous. Even in 2021, the late singer continues to have an extravagant fortune worth almost $100 million.

This list of the world's greatest performers can perhaps be never-ending. The world has been lucky enough to have seen performers who have set timeless records. The personalities mentioned on this list are rare, irreplaceable, and invincible talents who continue to rule over hearts with their splendid music

So, all the "greatest entertainers of all time" were from the UK or the US and worked post-1950. And they all worked in the field of pop music.

Riiiiiiiiight.

Where's Bing Crosby...???

Or Prince. Come on!

Madonna should be replaced by Britney Spears. Britney will be the one with a legacy 50 years from now, Madge will be a footnote. Her 80s material is already fading.

What about Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys?

Judy Garland

Frank Sinatra

Judy Gatland

Barbra Streisand

Diana Ross

Tina Turner

Prince

Where's Cher?

I’d take Freddy Mercury off and put the Beatles or Springsteen.

"So, all the "greatest entertainers of all time" were from the UK or the US and worked post-1950. And they all worked in the field of pop music. Riiiiiiiiight."

EXACTLY! WHERE is Baba Lanikai Doovuchnick, the world's most famous plate spinner and puppeteer of 1763?

Say what?

Why was Cilla Black omitted from this list?

Beyonce? My ass.

Sammy Davis Jr. was one of the greats.

Any type of list like this without Prince is absolute tosh.

Liberace could put on a show

I mean whatever, without Janet this list is TRASH! (Mmmmrph!)

Bing Crosby had over 340 hits bretween 1929 and 1960. If you examine the pre-rock and roll charts it puts "our" stars in in a humbling perspective.

Jolson! Cantor! Ruth Etting!

No one will ever be as good as Marilyn Miller.

Senor Wences!

The dumbest list of all time.

Where is Gay Icon Paloma Faith?

Where's Frankie Grande !?

R23 = Frankie Grande

Frankie Shitstain.

Miss Tina Turner.

Larry Bud Melman

No Connie Francis?

What R8 said!!

[quote] Madonna should be replaced by Britney Spears. Britney will be the one with a legacy 50 years from now, Madge will be a footnote. Her 80s material is already fading.

Madonna had a much bigger, broader and longer career, than spears. Entertainers like Spears are the product of Madonnas influence and are therefore a part of her legacy. Spears legacy = crazy town.

Boxcar Willie.

R30, Madonna is not relevant and is never going to be again. Britney has inspired the next generation who hardly know who Madonna is.

It’s all downhill for miss badge.

*vadge

[quote]Where's Bing Crosby...???

Beating a kid somewhere.

It should be:

Elvis Presley The Beatles Freddie Mercury Elton John Queen David Bowie Prince Diana Ross and the Supremes Whitney Houston

Michael Jackson, and Madonna- ok, fine for their work in the 80s but their music is stuck in a time warp. The former entertainers listed are timeless. Beyonce is a joke and a barely talented dancer that caterwauls her songs and really isn' t much of a singer. She can perform her dances, yes but as we've seen, turns into The Hulk during her dance routines. She's not worthy to be on a list of any bests.

How about Judy, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Barbra...

The list is ridiculous.

[quote] [R30], Madonna is not relevant and is never going to be again. Britney has inspired the next generation who hardly know who Madonna is. It’s all downhill for miss badge.

Whether you believe she’s currently relevant or not. Her influence is still felt through the younger artists whom she influenced. She and Michael Jackson dramatically changed pop culture.

It’s an insult to Michael Jackson to say his name in the same sentence as Madonna. He is the type of legend that Madonna will never be.

No Rula Lenska?

Lists like this are pointless, as the masses are fickle. Michael Jackson should have made the list, but for obvious, kid touchin’ reasons, he didn’t.

R40 he was number 1 on the list. He did touch them kids, tho.

If you are really doing an all time list Sammy Davis Jr. should be on it, he was a real triple threat great in drama or comedy.

Personally I would not put Elvis in the top ten or Madonna.

Beyonce does not belong very high on the list either.

Sadly, Madonna is no longer relevant. She's dropped all the way down to #15 in the UK on the all-time biggest female artists in the UK. Lady Gaga is above her now in the US and the UK.

Gaga is more recent, which is why she would rank higher. I would be curious how she would rank in another 15 years.

Gaga >> Madonna

"Beyoncé was born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter..." Really? As stupid a statement as the premise of this "ranking".

Yma Sumac and "Voice of the Xtabay" cannot be omitted from this thread!

Lola Flores destroyed all these bitches. Out sold them, too.

[quote] Sadly, Madonna is no longer relevant. She's dropped all the way down to #15 in the UK on the all-time biggest female artists in the UK. Lady Gaga is above her now in the US and the UK.

These artists who are half her age should be charting higher. Why wouldn’t they? The fact that she’s charting at all is amazing. This is what her 5th decade in the entertainment business. Those artists who chart above her are still products of her legacy. None of them will ever have the career that she has had. Which is okay.

Madonna is the lip syncing queen. That is not performance unless you just want the illusion of a singer.

If they aren’t singing and dancing, why the fuck am I even watching them?

[quote] EXACTLY! WHERE is Baba Lanikai Doovuchnick, the world's most famous plate spinner and puppeteer of 1763?

So you're agreeing, then, that all the greatest entertainers of all time both spoke English and worked only post-1950?

So that leaves out Edith Piaf, ABBA, George M. Cohan, Nat King Cole, Al Jolson, Frank Sinatra, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Celia Cruz, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong...

Umm Kulthum was the biggest entertainer in the Arab world. Still is and she's been dead nearly 50 years. 4 million people filled the streets of Cairo for her funeral.

For longevity, it has to be Jesus of Nazareth...

Not there yet , but Bruno Mars will be at the top of the list one day!

Ahem ........

Lists like that are awfully hard, but the list at OP really seems stupid and thoughtless. Though I would keep Madonna. Bitch owned a decade. That ain't nothing. But still, as someone pointed out, does entertainer really just equal pop singer and nothing else ever?

Silly- not even the greatest talents or artists, which doesn’t make the greatest entertainer necessarily. For example: Many people were disappointed by Whitney Huston in concert because she could be very uneven and kind of cold in concert, whereas a Madonna show is a great time- no contest who’s the greater talent. Then there’s Garland, talent, artistry, and sheer entertainment like a tidal wave without much more than a mike, 4’11” and an orchestra. Beyoncé? Huh?

I will admit "entertainer" and "greatest ever singer, dancer, actor, whatever" are often two very different things. People mix that up all the time, and assume scholars and extremely careful critics are the ones who know who the most beloved and popular entertainers are. The first group rarely has anything to do with the second.

R10 - the key word is "entertain". You are talking about singers and bands (which Freddie agreed with BTW). However, the while the Beatles were cute on stage and Springsteen brought the all-American casual allure to the audience, no way do they top Freddie's intensity, drama, versatility, sexual energy and daring to the audience. I personally found him more interesting than MJ...Freddie went from 70's icon to gay to 80's icon and even sang at the opera. He sang Judy songs in a Mineshaft t-shirt, ballet slippers and leather cap....in the 5th octave to 300K people who sang along. It was absolutely legendary. Too bad we lost him to AIDS so early.

Sammy Davis Jr. is nearly forgotten today.

I LOVE Bowie, but he should not belong anyway on that list.

Prince, Gaga, Sinatra, Judy, Whitney, Aretha all own the stage AND have the chops.

I'd put them above Bowie for sure. And most likely Beyonce.

Anywhere...

Josephine Baker Bette Midler Cher Michael Jackson Elton

People are always diminishing Madonna's worth. Detractors like R51 dismiss her as the "lip synching queen," yet they'll mock her when she's off-key. She's an established internationally known star and entertainer who has indured the slings and arrows of a critical, nasty bunch of naysayers for decades. Her rank over the years may rise and fall, but the others on these lists aren't immune to that fickle fame either, which is why these lists are stupid. If you like an artist who cares what others think or where they rank on lists.

Freddie: Well-deserved, of course — to entertain the notion of replacing him with those dull-eyed Beatles is just laughable.

There is something so fake and calculated about Beyoncé.. don’t like her, but couldn’t tell you exactly why.

Tina Turner commanded some of the largest audiences in history, she has well-earned her place in the list.

I totally forgot about Tina, R67.

She should be just after Freddie and, maybe, Madonna.

[quote]Madonna should be replaced by Britney Spears.

No. Madonna up until like 6 years ago was putting on better shows than Britney ever did, even at her peak. Britney's peak was like 4 years long and she was a vegetable after that. She is nowhere near Madonna as far as being an entertainer goes. Madonna and Michael Jackson changed the music industry and the entertainment game completely. Britney Spears and Max Martin forever lowered the bar in pop music.

Just one of the persons listed there had a movie made about them that earned almost a billion dollars at the BO. And the movie was basically a mash up of their songs. You know who that is.

[quote]Britney Spears and Max Martin forever lowered the bar in pop music.

Stop it! Max Martin is the greatest pop producer of all-time and has the record #1 hits to prove it.

I highly suggest watching the new Netflix series "This is Pop." One of the episodes is called "Stockholm Syndrome" where it covers the dominance of Swedish producers in pop music. The showcase the rise of ABBA, Roxette, Ace of Base and Britney, etc. It's fascinating.

They also have an episode about the emergence of auto-tune in pop music. They name Cher as the artist who made it popular. They have Wendy Williams on the show saying that Beyonce and JLo use auto-tune because they can't sing.

Come on now--number one hits doesn't mean he is the greatest at anything except churning out bland, cheap-sounding hits. But I do think Sweden is a pop powerhouse. The last good thing Max Martin did was the Ace of Base debut and that was like 25 years ago. "Baby One More Time" lowered the bar for pop hits.

What happened to No. 4 -- is it The Invisible Man??

Madonna does not belong on the list.

Fuck you, OP.

"therichest.com"?

Stupidest list with no criterion and sucked from a single time period and place and entertainment genre? Niche players?

Fuck you.

Petula Clark has been working since WWII. Where is she?

Beyoncé’s last name was Carter and she married another Carter?

Greatest entertainera of [italic]all time[/italic]?? Doesn't anyone here remember Le Petomane???

Mrs. Patrick Campbell would like a word with whoever wrote this travesty of a list.

Houdini

Freddie is the only one who deserves to be on this list. The man had serious charisma and rocked an audience like nobody else.

Jackson was all hype.

Freddie Mercury over Barbra...or anyone??? hahahahha

Judy ws the greatest.

Lola Heatherton

Bette Midler during her early years through Divine Madness deserved to be at least in the top 10.

Where is Elizabeth Taylor ?

Yea, R2.

Oh what a time to be alive!!!!!!!

I'm not going to nominate Ricky Martin (television, Broadway, recording artist [Grammy], live concerts), but a "greatest entertainer" candidate should be talented in more than one medium/genre, IMO. Or very highly acclaimed in the one.

Also, OP, "of all time" means exactly that. Salome? Scheherezade? Richard Burbage? Mozart? Bob Hope?

Bob Hope sucked.

He may have, but people in his time loved him r89. Everyone goes out of fashion eventually, or I should say most people.

Would Shakespeare count as one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Certainly people have watched his entertainments for centuries. I seriously doubt anyone on OP's list will be noticed and talked about 100 years from now. Although it isn't impossible, it does seem really unlikely. Maybe some 22nd century hipster will go around finding the last Madonna CDs in existence. Maybe, but chances are most every great entertainer dies with their century or at most the next century.

I saw Tina Turner in concert in 96 or 97. Cyndi Lauper opened for her, and was the main reason I went. Cyndi was extremely pregnant, but put on a great show. Tina Turner was magnetic, and incredibly energetic. She was probably 57 or 58, but you wouldn't have known it from her dancing.

It was a great concert, and they were both terrific.

It was 97 - I just checked my Cyndi T-shirt from the show - Sisters of Avalon Tour '97

It still fits, btw.

Here's my tribute to Elvis Presley, who passed away today (8/16) back in '77. Elvis was just 22 when he made one of his most entertaining films, "Loving You." Presley looks and sounds great here, in all his rockabilly glory. Hard to believe he would be gone just 20 years later. My look back at growing up watching Elvis here!

Beyoncé, I think not.

LIZA was electrifying on stage. No one was better.

Perhaps you'd like to know if I'm doing okay. You may want to revise your list after taking another look of my interview with Oprah.

I propose James brown and Marlene Dietrich.

Where is Gaga ? She should be in top 3.

Madonna and beyonce make this list laughable…. Also “the richest.com”…

Emperor Nero knew how to put on a show that packed the coliseum.

Just someone’s opinion. Nothing more.

Michael Jackson’s popularity is a continuation of the Motown legacy along with his major solo success in the late 1970s and 1980s for another label. It was also because of him that MTV finally caved in and started playing music videos by black artists.

[quote] Stop it! Max Martin is the greatest pop producer of all-time and has the record #1 hits to prove it.

No, I will not stop it, and neither will anybody else who can acknowledge the irrefutable fact that Max Martin is a hack and a beneficiary of white privilege who permanently lowered the bar for popular music. Popularity isn’t quality; in fact, it’s the antithesis.

His schlock is as bad as that shitty neo-Nazi Ace of Base crap.

I agree R98. Gaga is a great performer. She can actually play an instrument and sing (in key) live.

If Beyonce is on the list, Gaga should be.

(But neither really should be anywhere near an all time list. I think we can all agree to that.)

No Jagger?

Of ALL time? If that were true the list would consist of classic composers and entertainers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the likes whose music entertains the public for centuries.

Michael Jackson, yes. Bowie, Freddie and Madonna, sure. Beyonce, I'm not sold on.

When I read "Beyonce" I stopped reading.

She's so overrated it hurts.

I agree with the posters who included Bruno Mars and James Brown

Aretha, Donna Summer, Joan Rivers(nobody said it had to be music, you just said entertainers), Sid Caesar, Johnny Carson.

Judy Garland to the tenth power over all above.

Only on DL, some one one like Joan Rivers would be ranked in all time top 10 entertainers. SMH r111

I know it's a different world than we usually think of for entertainment, but I'd have to throw Muhammad Ali out there. Just world wide stratospheric fame, beloved by millions, yes sports, but somehow well beyond sports. His celebrity went so far beyond, oh, yeah, that boxer guy.

Where’s Miss Peggy Lee?

Sooo Sorry, #113 if laughing is part of entertainment to me! You must be a barrel of fun. The only thing that is entertainment Is singing, God Damn It!! Maybe you never laughed till you almost pissed your pants seeing Joan Rivers, I have.

Here's a brief bit of info.for you. Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Not me babe, that comes from Wikipedia. I'd say it sounds about right.

When I would get into narrowly defining something & basically cut off its legs by my limiting it. ..My Ukie Mom would say, Whatta you got shit for brains?

Siegfried and Roy

Charlie Chaplin

Mary Pickford

Nureyev and Fonteyn

Mel Torme

Rin Tin Tin