Some lucky actors rose to popularity with their first role, but it rarely happens and most of them had to portray background people, supporting characters or star in movies that weren’t a hit before they were noticed and offered a role that changed their lives and raised them to stardom.
You may have not noticed them at the time you were watching those movies because their names weren’t known around the world, but they might have appeared in films and TV shows you liked to watch.
The online database IMDb gathered some now-famous actors’ early roles in movies that weren’t as successful or didn’t get as much recognition. While these movies might not have been the reason for which we know these celebrities, they were a step in their careers, bringing them closer to where they are now.
More info: IMDb
#1 Morgan Freeman In The Electric Company (1971)
Image source: Children's Television Workshop
#2 Tom Hanks In Bosom Buddies (1980)
Image source: CBS Television Distribution
#3 Jason Momoa In Baywatch (1989)
Image source: LBS Communications
#4 Matthew Lillard And Angelina Jolie In Hackers (1995)
Image source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
#5 Henry Cavill In The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002)
Image source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
#6 Jason Bateman In Little House On The Prairie (1974)
Image source: NBCUniversal Television Distribution
#7 Joaquin Phoenix In Spacecamp (1986)
Image source: 20th Century Studios
#8 Liv Tyler And Renée Zellweger In Empire Records (1995)
Image source: Warner Bros.
#9 Winona Ryder In Lucas (1986)
Image source: 20th Century Studios
#10 Chris Evans In Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Image source: Sony Pictures Releasing
#11 Kirsten Dunst In Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Image source: Warner Bros.
#12 Elisabeth Moss In Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Image source: Columbia Pictures
#13 Laura Dern And Eric Stoltz In Mask (1985)
Image source: Universal Studios
#14 Harrison Ford And Jenny Sullivan In Love, American Style (1969)
Image source: CBS Paramount Domestic Television
#15 Tom Hardy In Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Image source: Paramount Pictures
#16 Leonardo Dicaprio In Growing Pains (1985)
Image source: Warner Bros. Television Distribution
#17 Courteney Cox In Misfits Of Science (1985)
Image source: NBCUniversal Television Distribution
#18 Ryan Gosling In Young Hercules (1998)
Image source: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
#19 Scarlett Johansson In If Lucy Fell (1996)
Image source: Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
#20 Samuel L. Jackson In Do The Right Thing (1989)
Image source: Universal Studios
#21 Sebastian Stan In Law & Order (1990)
Image source: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
#22 Juliette Lewis In Cape Fear (1991)
Image source: Universal Studios
#23 Brad Pitt And Jeremy Miller In Growing Pains (1985)
Image source: Warner Bros. Television Distribution
#24 Chris Pratt In The Extreme Team (2003)
Image source: Paramount Pictures
#25 Saoirse Ronan In Atonement (2007)
Image source: Universal Studios
#26 Jonathan Pryce In Brazil (1985)
Image source: Universal Studios
#27 Salma Hayek In Desperado (1995)
Image source: Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
#28 Michael Caine In The Ipcress File (1965)
Image source: Rank Organisation
#29 Maisie Williams And Florence Pugh In The Falling (2014)
Image source: Metrodome UK
#30 Selena Gomez And Joey King In Ramona And Beezus (2010)
Image source: 20th Century Studios
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