David Duchovny joins pantheon of actor-turned-musicians

David Duchovny, best known for his starring roles in "The X-Files" and "Californication," has announced he's got a debut album on the way, the latest in a long line of actors to take the leap into music.

Duchovny is something of a Renaissance man already, having published his debut novel, "Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale," last month. With time between the end of his run on "Californication" and the upcoming series "Atlantis" (plus a recently announced "X-Files" revival), he's now turned his attention to music, with the album "Hell or Highwater" due out May 12 from ThinkSay Records and a lead single now out on iTunes.

"Making this record is a dream come true, but I never had this dream -- it's still a shock when I think about how all this music happened," Duchovny said of the release, according to Consequence of Sound.

Other actors to recently make forays into music (sometimes surprising us, if not themselves) include:

Scarlett Johansson
Johansson released her debut album, "Anywhere I Lay My Head," in 2008, offering up a collection of Tom Waits covers plus one original song. "Break Up," a collaboration with Pete Yorn, followed in 2009, and last month she announced she'd formed a new group, The Singles, and released first single "Candy."

Michael Cera
The "Arrested Development" and "Scott Pilgrim" star unexpectedly dropped a solo album in 2014 called "True That," consisting of 18 experimental and eclectic tracks. While he'd already collaborated with other musicians, this marked his first solo output.

Ryan Gosling
The beloved actor has quite the loyal fan base at the ready to support him in new endeavors. He formed the indie folk duo Dead Man's Bones with Zach Shields and the two released their debut, self-titled album in 2009, featuring the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir throughout.

Taylor Momsen
Everybody's favorite little sister Jenny Humphrey on "Gossip Girl" revealed a darker side on her first album with her New York rock band The Pretty Reckless. Their 2010 debut, "Light Me Up,"was followed by last year's "Going to Hell."

Hugh Laurie
Fans of the British actor and comedian had had several opportunities to see him flaunt his musical chops on screen before Laurie released his own solo music in 2011. The blues album "Let Them Talk" was followed in 2013 by "Didn't It Rain," which adds elements of jazz and R&B.