‘Unsolved Mysteries’: 9 Stars Who Got Their Big Break on the Real-Life Crime Series
Every Hollywood star has gotta start somewhere! And the actors below got some of their first onscreen credits in Unsolved Mysteries, the long-running true crime docuseries that aired on NBC, CBS, Lifetime, and Spike.
Even though Unsolved Mysteries went off the air 10 years ago—on April 27, 2010, to be exact—its legacy looms large. Select episodes are still streaming on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube; the official Unsolved website still provides updates on cold cases; and Netflix has a new version of the show in the works.
Scroll down to see the TV stars who appeared as reenactors—or as themselves!—on the popular series.
Matthew McConaughey
Not so alright, alright, alright. The Oscar-winning actor and True Detective alum played a murder victim in a 1992 episode.
Cheryl Hines
The Curb Your Enthusiasm star, also known for her work on Suburgatory, played a grieving mother in a 1997 episode.
Stephnie Weir
The MADtv star, who went on to star in Happy Together, played a hotel resident in a 1991 episode.
Daniel Dae Kim
The Lost and Hawaii Five-0 alum played the brother-in-law of a murder victim in a 1993 installment.
David Ramsey
The Arrowverse veteran—who played John Diggle a.k.a. Spartan across the CW franchise—appeared in a 1994 episode as an unknown American GI who befriended a German boy.
Taran Killam
The Single Parents star—formerly of Saturday Night Live—guest-starred in a 1995 episode as a German boy who witnessed a Christmas armistice between German and American soldiers.
Scott Lawrence
The JAG and Mr. Mercedes alum portrayed the friend of a missing man in a 1990 episode.
Adrian Martinez
The Stumptown star and Blacklist: Redemption alum played a high school track star in a 1992 installment.
Jim Beaver
The Supernatural recurring character and Deadwood alum appeared as himself in a 1995 episode, offering his expertise as a biographer of George Reeves, the Adventures of Superman actor who died under mysterious circumstances in 1959.
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I doubt their time on Unsolved really led to their success, but it likely did help them to pay some bills and continue to pursue an acting career. A show like Unsolved used a lot different actors in the many recreations it showed, so it created a lot of opportunity for aspiring actors to get screentime. I'll have to look for Cheryl Hines role though.
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The guy that was on the Seinfeld episode The Fatigues was on an episode of unsolved mysteries
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B
Billy Crudup in Season 9 / Episode 5. I’m pretty sure he played a bank robber.
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Rex Linn (CSI: Miami, Cliffhanger) appeared in the very first Special playing bank robber Terry Conner.