20 Iconic Actors’ Surprising Early Roles
All of the talented actors who have been entertaining us for years got their start somewhere. No matter how huge you are, someone has to take a chance on you for that first part. Sure, famous parents can get you in the audition room, but the actors on this list have proved they have huge staying power from their very first performances onward. From background roles, to soap operas, to low-budget genre flicks, these actors have done anything and everything to break in and be remembered.
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Trey Sanders In “Crossing Jordan”
Ali in a character portrait for “Crossing Jordan,” a crime drama series in which he appeared as a medical examiner. He told Interview Magazine that he “really found myself” while acting for television early in his career.
Tom Hanks - Elliot in “He Knows You’re Alone”
Cultural icon Hanks got his start with a single-scene role as a student in this horror slasher flick “He Knows You’re Alone.” The premise is about a mysterious killer who attacks several women before their wedding nights, and spoilers, Hanks’ character isn’t the bad guy all along.
Cate Blancett - Extra in “Kaboria”
Blanchett at the 1999 BAFTA film awards. She had a small part as a partier in the 1990 Egyptian film Kaboria (Crabs) directed by Khairy Beshara. Her first more significant role was in the Australian Drama “Heartland” in 1994.
Anthony Hopkins - Stephen in “A Matter Of Degrees”
A young Hopkins in 1969. The Welsh actor is one of Britain’s most recognizable acting talents and began honing those with two episodes in this short-lived Drama series.
Meryl Streep - Sharon Miller in “The Deadliest Season”
Streep in a still from "The Deadliest Season." She acted in many acclaimed stage plays before jumping to the silver screen in the 1977 TV Movie “The Deadliest Season.” She said that Robert De Niro’s performance in “Taxi Driver’ caused her to pursue screen acting more passionately.
Melissa McCarthy - Melissa In "Jenny"
McCarthy had an interesting family connection with her first screen credit, which was in her cousin Jenny McCarthy's eponymous sitcom which ran for only 17 episodes in 1997.
J.K. Simmons - Patrolman in "Popeye Doyle"
Simmon's first noted screen credit was a tiny part in this 1986 detective flick starring Ed O'Neill, and he was also active in the Seattle Repertory Theatre while starting out.
Patricia Arquette - Kristen Parker in "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Arquette in the film "Time Out." This acclaimed actress got her start with slasher fare as the memorable character Kristen Parker in the 3rd "Nightmare On Elm Street" film.
Samuel L. Jackson - Stan in "Together For Days"
Jackson's first role was in an indie drama about racial tensions in the early-70s. He joked in a 2010 interview with Jay Leno that he was glad that very few copies of his first performance exist.
Kerry Washington - Heather in "ABC Afterschool Specials"
Washington at a 2003 Film Festival afterparty. Her first role was in an ABC afterschool special in 1994 where she played a cheerleader. She would later become an even bigger part of ABC as the lead of "Scandal."
Bryan Cranston - Quarterback in "To Race The Wind"
Cranston in the 1983 soap "Loving." He has been all over the airwaves as a prolific TV actor from sitcoms to prestige dramas, but got his first with an uncredited role as a football player in the TV movie "To Race The Wind."
Nicolas Cage - Nicholas in "The Best of Times"
Cage had his first role as a high-schooler in a pilot "The Best Of Times' which aired for a CBS presentation in 1981, but didn't move forward due to low ratings. One of Cage's co-stars was the actor Crispin Glover.
Reese Witherspoon - Dani Trant in "The Man in the Moon"
Witherspoon at a film festival. She began acting at 14 and started her career in this coming-of-age drama that ended up being one of Roger Ebert's favorite films of 1991.
Bruce Willis - Extra in "The First Deadly Sin"
While he had a big break in the comedy-drama "Moonlighting," Willis' first onscreen role was a more blink-or-you'll-miss-it affair. He was an extra entering a diner in 1980's "The First Deadly Sin."
Salma Hayek - Fabiola In "Un Nuevo Amanecer"
Hayek at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Her first acting opportunities came in Mexican telenovelas and her early collaborations with director Robert Rodriguez entrenched her in Hollywood.
Michelle Yeoh - Miss Yeung in "The Owl vs. Bumbo"
Yeoh was discovered when she shot a commercial with Jackie Chan, and she was first cast in the action comedy "The Owl vs. Bumbo." Her first starring role came only two years later in "Yes, Madam" where she also performed her own stunts.
Pedro Pascal - David in "Window Shopping"
Pascal graduated from acting school in New York in 1997 and might have shot this Syracuse graduate program short film role while finishing his own classes.
Florence Pugh - Abigail Mortimer in "The Falling"
Pugh has already made a name for herself at a young age, and had her debut screen role opposite Maisie Williams in a drama film about two friends in an English all-girls private school in 1969.
George Clooney - Extra in "Centennial"
Clooney raised his profile in TV shows like "ER," but it was also a TV mini-series that gave him his first background acting part in 1978. He had an in because part of it was filmed in his hometown of Augusta, Kentucky.
Olivia Colman - Cast Member in "Bruiser"
Colman has had many great roles and accolades in her career. She got her start on the sketch comedy series "Bruiser," which was created by Colman's future "Peep Show" collaborators: David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
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