24 Actors From Music Videos Who Went On To Become Super Famous

1.You probably know Taye Diggs from Rent, or Private Practice, or All American.

Taye on a red carpet
Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Critics Choice Association

But his first role? He played a poker player in 2Pac's "Temptations" music video wayyy back in 1995.

Taye shirtless in the music video
UMG Recordings, Inc.

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2.Rosario Dawson had already starred in Kids (her first role), but it was wayyy before all her iconic roles when she starred in her first music video.

Rosario Dawson
Karwai Tang / Getty Images

The year was 1999, and the music video was "Out of Control" by The Chemical Brothers.

Rosario looking over her shoulder in the music video
Virgin Records Ltd

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3.Matt LeBlanc's fame skyrocketed when he began starring in Friends...but that wasn't his first role.

Maat LeBlanc on Jay Leno
Margaret Norton / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

He was in a few different music videos in the '90s, but I think my favorite one has got to be starring in Alanis Morissette's 1991 music video for her hit "Walk Away."

Matt in the video
MCA Records

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4.Friends costar Courteney Cox famously appeared in a major '80s music video.

Cox on a red carpet
Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images

This was, of course, Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" 1984 music video.

Cox in a concert crowd in the music video
Columbia Records

5.Zooey Deschanel became an indie darling in 500 Days of Summer, but is perhaps best-known for starring in the sitcom New Girl.

Zooey on a red carpet
Karwai Tang / Getty Images

However, wayyyy before that, Zooey starred in The Offspring's 1999 "She's Got Issues" music video — only her third role!

Zooey in the music video

Wild to see Zooey without her long, dark locks! (Though of course she was blonde in 2003's Elf.)

Round Hill Records

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6.Jeremy Renner is likely best known for his role as Hawkeye in the Avengers films (and now TV show), as well as his role in the award-winning The Hurt Locker.

Renner on a red carpet
Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Disney

Well, before all that, he appeared in P!nk's 2003 music video for "Trouble."

Jeremy in the video in a cowboy hat
LaFace Records

7.We all know fellow Marvel star Sebastian Stan is a heartthrob, but I only just recently learned he's been a heartthrob since wayyy back.

Sebastian on a red carpet
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

He starred in Hayden Panettiere's music video for her song "Wake Up Call" in 2008. This was three years before he played Bucky Barnes — though he had appeared on Gossip Girl twice for brief guest appearances.

Sebastian in the music video

Also, remember how Hayden used to be a singer?

Hollywood Records

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8.Alexander Skarsgård is now a critically acclaimed actor, but back when he was filming the first season of True Blood — the role that would make him famous — he accepted a role in a strange music video with a new artist.

Alexander on a red carpet
Mike Marsland / Mike Marsland / WireImage via Getty Images

The artist was Lady Gaga, and the music video was 2009's "Paparazzi."

Alexander next to Lady Gaga with an eye patch in the music video
Interscope Records

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9.Robert Downey Jr. has been famous for decades, but I'm still mentioning him here because it was before his Iron Man-level superfame.

Robert at an event
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The throwback music vid he was in is Elton John's "I Want Love." More like "I Want Love 3000," amirite?

Robert in the music video
The Rocket Record Company / Mercury Records

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10.Maybe not a huge star, but still — you likely know Timothy Granaderos Jr.'s face from 13 Reasons Why.

Timothy on a red carpet
Gregg Deguire / WireImage via Getty Images

Years before, he had a blink-and-you-miss-it role in Selena Gomez's "Love You Like a Love Song" video in 2011. It was his first role.

Timothy in the music video with a sombrero and lightsaber
Hollywood Records

11.X-Men actor Lucas Till has a very long resume — it's almost impossible you've never seen him onscreen, even if you don't immediately recognize him.

Till on a red carpet
Francois G. Durand / Getty Images

Allow me to refresh your memory — back in 2009, he appeared in Taylor Swift's iconic music video for "You Belong with Me."

Till next to taylor swift on a bench in the music video

He also starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie the same year.

Big Machine Records

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12.Miranda Kerr was already a successful model in 2006, but she wouldn't rise to mega-fame until she became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2007.

Miranda at the Victoria's Secret fashion show
Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic via Getty Images

A year before, she had actually appeared in the music video for "Number One" by Pharrell ft. Kanye West.

Kerr in the video
Virgin, Star Trak, Interscope

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13.Kim Kardashian is now one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

Kim on a red carpet
Karwai Tang / Getty Images

But that wasn't the case back in 2007, when her reality TV show had only just started. In fact, you may have even missed her in Fall Out Boy's music video for "Thnks fr th Mmrs."

Kim and Pete Wentz in the music video
The Island Def Jam Music Group

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14.Angelina Jolie is another SUPER recognizable face — but this wasn't so back in the early '90s.

Jolie on a red carpet
Alex Wong / Getty Images

Her second role, all the way back in 1991, was in Antonello Venditti's music video for "Alta marea."

Angelina reading something in the music video
Heinz Music Srl

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15.It's hard to avoid Chrissy Teigen now, but she wasn't always this famous.

Chrissy on a red carpet
Amy Sussman / Getty Images

She was a successful model, but not as famous as she is now, when she starred in John Legend's "Stereo" music video in 2007. Of course, the two met on set, and ended up getting married and raising a beautiful family.

Chrissy and John
Columbia Records

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16.Evan Rachel Wood is famous for so many films and shows, most recently Westworld.

Evan on a red carpet
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO via Getty Images

But way back when, she also appeared in Green Day's 2005 music video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends." (Okay, this is two years after her role in Thirteen, but it was so long ago and before her mega-fame that I'm still counting it!)

Wood in the music video
Reprise Records

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17.Ana de Armas recently starred alongside then-boyfriend Ben Affleck in the flick Deep Water, as well as appearing in major blockbusters No Time to Die, Blade Runner 2049, and Knives Out in the last five years, catapulting her into fame.

Ana de Armas
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images For Louis Vuitton

But way back in the day, she was in the music video for the Sidecars' 2009 song "Mundo Fragil."

Ana in the music video
Allison Music, S.L./SBME España, S.L.

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18.Eva Mendes is known for her many TV and movie roles (and marriage with Ryan Gosling), but she was also in multiple music videos back in the day.

Eva Mendes
Alexander Tamargo / FilmMagic via Getty Images

The second was in 1997, for Aerosmith's "Hole in My Soul."

Eva Mendes in the music video.

The first was in 1996, for Pet Shop Boys' "Se a vida é."

Columbia Records

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19.Another Aerosmith darling was Alicia Silverstone, best known for her role in 1995's Clueless.

Alicia in Clueless
CBS via Getty Images

She appeared in four Aerosmith music videos before her starring role in Clueless. The first was 1993's "Cryin'."

Alicia in the music video

Two of the Aerosmith videos Alicia appeared in were with a pre-fame Liv Tyler (though of course Liv was a bit famous with her father being Steven Tyler).

UMG Recordings, Inc.

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20.Most of the examples on this list are of stars in music videos as young adults, but Labyrinth star Jennifer Connelly was still a kid in her first music video role.

Jennifer on a red carpet
Victor Boyko / Getty Images

The video — which was also her first acting role overall — was Duran Duran's "Union of the Snake." The year was 1983, and Jennifer would've been around 12 when it was filmed.

Jennifer in the music video
Sony ATV Publishing

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21.Zach Galifianakis skyrocketed to fame in 2009's The Hangover.

Zach on a red carpet
Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic via Getty Images

But before that, in 2005, he was in Fiona Apple's "Not About Love" music video.

Zach in bed in the music video

He was also in Kanye's 2007 "Can't Tell Me Nothing" music video.

Epic Records

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22.Bobby Moynihan is a famous comedian and actor that was on SNL for almost a decade.

Bobby in a red carpet
Jesse Grant / Getty Images for Disney

But back when Bobby Moynihan was in his first season of SNL as a featured player, he starred as the love interest in Colbie Caillat's 2009 hit "Fallin' for You."

Bobby Moynihan in "Falin' for You."
Universal Records

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23.ER, Love, Victor, and Divergent actor Mekhi Phifer has definitely been around the block — he has a ton of roles and credits.

Mekhi on a red carpet
Leon Bennett / FilmMagic via Getty Images

But some of his first roles were in '90s music videos. These include "Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue and "Nobody" by Keith Sweat — but most iconic is Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" from 1998.

Brandy and Mekhi
Atlantic Records

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24.And finally, you probably know Adrian Grenier from Entourage or as the annoying boyfriend from The Devil Wears Prada.

Adrian on a red carpet
Eugene Gologursky / Getty Images for CoinGeek

But even before those roles, he had a more important one — in Britney Spears' 1999 "(You Drive Me) Crazy" music video.

Adrien in the music video
Jive Records

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