12 Major Movie Stars Who Got Their Start as TV Supporting Acts
Give it up for the television industry’s casting directors: Many of them have found future A-listers to fill out the call sheets of TV shows.
The stars below, for instance, went from bolstering television casts to getting top billing on movie posters — and, in some cases, becoming even more famous than their TV shows’ leads. (But you didn’t hear us say that!)
Austin Butler
Long before he was an Oscar nominee for 2022’s Elvis, Butler played Sebastian Kydd, a love interest for a young Carrie Bradshaw (then played by AnnaSophia Robb), in The CW’s The Carrie Diaries.
Michael Cera
After getting a part as awkward teen George Michael Bluth on the Fox sitcom Arrested Development, it wasn’t long before Cera was starring in Superbad, Juno, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Bradley Cooper
This acclaimed director and actor of A Star Is Born and Maestro fame got his start as Will Tippin, best friend of spy Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), on ABC’s Alias.
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio was still several years away from his Titanic stardom when he played once-homeless kid Luke Brower in the final season of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains.
Michael B. Jordan
Before starring in the Black Panther and the Creed series, Jordan played high school quarterback Vince Howard in the NBC-turned-DirecTV drama Friday Night Lights.
Jennifer Lawrence
This Academy Award winner — known for Silver Linings Playbook and The Hunger Games — had a TV role as Lauren Pearson, Bill Engvall’s onscreen daughter, in the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show.
Lucy Liu
Liu earned an Emmy nomination playing Ling Woo in the Fox comedy-drama Ally McBeal before hitting the big screen in the Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill film series.
Chris Pratt
This Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star’s early roles include supporting parts on The WB’s Everwood, as Bright Abbott, seen here, and Andy Dwyer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation.
Emma Stone
Now an Oscar winner for La La Land and Poor Things, Stone appeared in the short-lived Fox series Drive, playing Violet Trimble, one of the competitors in an underground cross-country road race.
John Travolta
Years before Grease, Travolta landed a breakthrough role as Vinnie Babarino, one of the troublemaking high school students in the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.
Denzel Washington
Washington got “Also Starring” status as Dr. Phillip Chandler on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere, which ended just before the actor’s role in Glory earned him his first Oscar.
Michelle Williams
Speaking of Oscar darlings, Williams has racked up five nominations at that awards show — for her roles in Brokeback Mountain, The Fabelmans, and other pictures — since her days as Jen Lindley in The WB’s Dawson’s Creek.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services