35 Celebs Who Played Very Minor Roles in TV Shows Before Becoming Superstars

These actors played minor roles that served as stepping stones to greater things.

Maryjane

• Published in Film & TV
• May 18, 2022

Every movie star started from somewhere before hitting stardom. Even actors who appear to appear out of nowhere have usually had a few minor roles earlier in their careers.

These actors have frequently appeared in supporting roles in movies. Perhaps they caught a glimpse of Hollywood fame and decided to hit it big, or because they were destined for greatness from the onset.

For example, DiCaprio rose to prominence in his early twenties, when he starred in films such as “Titanic.” The future Oscar winner has been acting since he was a child, including a bit part in “Growing Pains,” where he played the role of a homeless kid taken in by the Seaver family.

Jennifer Lawrence is the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner, so you’d assume she’s always been popular. Not really because of her role as the daughter on “The Bill Engvall Show.”

People on social media, however, like to make reference to the fact that she previously played a mascot on an episode of “Monk.” Yes, she was dressed as a furry animal during her first break.

We’ve compiled a list of actors who had minor TV roles before becoming movie stars. We’re talking about minor roles that served as stepping stones to greater things.

1. Before being cast as Dwight on The Office, Rainn Wilson acted as a demon alchemist on Charmed

2. The Pretty Little Liars star, Shay Mitchell did appear on Degrassi: The Next Generation

3. Yara Shahidi once acted as a young Olivia Pope in Scandal before starring in Grown-ish

4. Actor Dylan Minnette played President Fitz's teenage son on 13 Reasons Why

5. Lord of the Rings star, Orlando Bloom once acted as a womanizing thief on Midsomer Murders

6. Jane the Virgin actor, Gina Rodriguez featured on The Mentalist

7. Before doing the "Carpool Karaoke" segments on The Late Late Show, the host portrayed a Colchester man in Doctor Who

8. On a different season of Doctor Who, Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield acted as a 1930s New Yorker

9. Tiffany Haddish portrayed a museum tour guide on That's So Raven before cracking everyone up in Girls Trip

10. The Grey's Anatomy star, Ellen Pompeo acted as an old college classmate of Ross and Chandler's on Friends

11. The Office actor Leslie David Baker acted as a janitor on That '70s Show

12. Meghan Markle played a murderer on Castle before joining the royal family

13. Sebastian Stan once acted as a teenage sniper on Law & Order before he starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

14. Matthew McConaughey played a murder victim as his first role on Unsolved Mysteries

15. The American Horror Story star, Evan Peters previously acted as a friend of Phil's in Phil of the Future

16. James Marsden once acted as Maggie's boyfriend on The Nanny before he starred on Westworld and Dead to Me

17. Sterling K. Brown who starred on This Is Us once played a hospital lawyer on ER

18. Millie Bobby Brown had her bike stolen on Modern Family long before she starred on Stranger Things

19. Hasan Minhaj previously acted as a medical student on Arrested Development before featuring on The Daily Show

20. Zac Efron got his very first role as a young Dr. Simon Tam in a Firefly episode before starring in High School Musical

21. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress, Melissa Fumero previously acted as one of Blair's minions on Gossip Girl

22. Bradley Cooper who is the director of A Star is Born acted his first role in Sex and the City

23. Dakota Johnson acted as Kevin's replacement in the "The Office" series finale before starring in Fifty Shades of Grey

24. The X-Men star, Jennifer Lawrence first acted as a school mascot on Monk

25. The Bohemian Rhapsody actor, Rami Malek did get his first role as a student on Gilmore Girls

26. Jeremy Renner acted as a vampire on Angel before joining The Avengers

27. Before Brie Larson played Captain Marvel, she acted as a student on Community

28. Timothée Chalamet who acted in Little Women played the vice president's son on Homeland

29. Pedro Pascal who was part of the Game of Thrones casts did appear on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

30. Model Emily Ratajkowski did play Gibby's girlfriend on iCarly, before starring in Gone Girl and I Feel Pretty

31. The Sharp Objects star, Amy Adams featured in Smallville as a girl who craved body fat after going on a diet of meteor-infested veggies

32. Lili Reinhart, who solved weird-ass crimes on Riverdale, once played a teenage murderer on Law & Order: SVU

33. Chris Hemsworth did appear in The Saddle Club long before he acted as Thor

34. The X-Men actor James McAvoy starred in Band of Brothers as a soldier

35. All My Children star, Mark Consuelos was a cop who pulled Rachel over on Friends

Looking at these movie stars’ trajectory to stardom, right from small roles any entry-level artist could play perfectly, you can only stand and stare in great awe. We can all derive inspiration from their trajectory to the limelight.

Which movie stars’ developments amazed you most? Feed us your thoughts in the comments section.

Maryjane