Celebrities’ First Roles
It might be hard to imagine a time when Scarlett Johansson or Johnny Depp weren’t immediately familiar faces. These celebrities had to get their start somewhere.
Some leaped straight into the limelight, while others had to put in some time and effort to become the household names they are today.
Robert De Niro
One of the best-known actors in the world, Robert De Niro is famous for roles in The Godfather and Meet the Parents, among others. But this award-winning American actor actually got his start across the Atlantic in European film. His first role was the French drama Trois Chambres à Manhattan, which filmed in Manhattan but was released in France.
Les Productions Montaigne, Three Rooms in Manhattan (1965)
Natalie Portman
Critically acclaimed actor Natalie Portman began her career with an incredible role as a child star. Her role in Léon: The Professional demonstrated that, even at an early age, Portman was destined to become one of the best actors of her generation.
Gaumont, Léon: The Professional (1994)
Heath Ledger
Before the late Heath Ledger blew everyone away with his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight, he debuted on the Australian childrens show Ship to Shore. Ledger’s big screen debut was the much-beloved teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You.
ABC, Ship to Shore (1993-1996)
Donald Glover
Before Childish Gambino and Troy from Community, Donald Glover had a few minor roles on television. He played the title role in the 2006 short film Black Peter Pan and broke into the mainstream with the comedy film Mystery Team, which he wrote and starred in with his comedy troupe, Derrick Comedy.
Hammerkatz, Black Peter Pan (2006)
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman’s decades-long career began with the Australian film Bush Christmas. Telling the story of a family attempting to save their farm, the film was Kidman’s springboard to American film and, eventually, superstardom.
Umbrella, Bush Christmas (1983)
Leonardo DiCaprio
Perhaps one of the best-known actors of the last few decades, Leonardo DiCaprio got a very early start in showbiz. At the age of 5, he had a small role in the long-running children’s television show Romper Room and Friends. His film debut was a small role in the sci-fi comedy Critters 3.
Cameron Diaz
The star of the Charlie’s Angels films and Christmas classic The Holiday, Cameron Diaz’s first film was opposite one of Hollywood’s funniest actors.
Diaz starred alongside Jim Carrey in the comic book-inspired comedy The Mask, just the first of her many successful films.
John Travolta
John Travolta is best known for his starring roles in Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Pulp Fiction.
The actor and dancer got his first role in the television series Emergency!, then landed a supporting role as an undead cult leader in The Devil’s Rain.
Michael Cera
Canadian actor Michael Cera is known for his roles in the television series Arrested Development and the comic book film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
His first role was as a skateboarder in the Canadian TV series Twice in a Lifetime, which was followed by his big-screen debut in Steal This Movie.
Eduardo Merille, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Scarlett Johansson
Another actor whose career began very young, Scarlett Johansson is best known these days for her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Her debut role was opposite Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, and Jason Alexander in the film North, about a boy searching the world for new parents.
Denzel Washington
A familiar face to moviegoers for decades, Denzel Washington has held a diverse array of roles throughout his career. His first role was in a television film about track star Wilma Rudolph, entitled Wilma. Washington’s first film role was in the 1981 film Carbon Copy.
Jennifer Lawrence
Before her big screen star turns in the X-Men and Hunger Games franchises, Jennifer Lawrence debuted as a mascot on the television series Monk.
The Oscar-winning actor’s first film role was in the Lori Petty biopic The Poker House.
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum’s Hollywood success story is thanks to his dance moves. His first on-screen role was as a backup dancer for Ricky Martin in the video for “She Bangs”.
Following a television role in CSI Miami, Tatum’s movie debut was the role of Jason Lyle in Coach Carter.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed actors of the last few decades. She has appeared in nearly 90 films and shows no signs of stopping. Her film debut was a small role in Julia. The film is set during WWII and is about a money-smuggling playwright.
Not to be confused with Julie & Julia.
Twentieth Century, Julia (1977)
Morgan Freeman
One of the few actors who has convincingly portrayed God on screen, Morgan Freeman started on television way back in the 1969 series New York Television Theatre.
Freeman’s first film role was in 1971’s Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow!
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Angelina Jolie
An acclaimed actor and famous beauty, Angelina Jolie got her start in acting from her famous father, Jon Voight. Her first role was in her dad’s film Lookin’ to Get Out, about two gamblers attempting to pay back a debt they owe.
Paramount, Lookin' to Get Out (1982)
Hugh Jackman
Before gaining international fame for the role of Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, Hugh Jackman got his start as an Australian television actor.
His first film role was only a year before the first X-Men hit theaters, playing a truck driver turned author in the film Paperback Hero.
PolyGram, Paperback Hero (1999)
Jake Gyllenhaal
This critically acclaimed actor became a household name after his starring roles in the weird sci-fi Donnie Darko and Academy Award-winner Brokeback Mountain.
Before these star turns, Gyllenhaal got his start with a small role in the 1991 Billy Crystal comedy City Slickers.
Columbia, City Slickers (1991)
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz got her start on Spanish television. Her first role was in a children’s television series, Los mundos de Yupi. A couple of years later she landed her first film role.
Cruz played a starring role in the drama Jamón, Jamón, playing a woman who has an affair with a corporate executive.
Benicio Del Toro
Benicio Del Toro has made a career out of playing very strange characters. So it’s no surprise that one of his first roles was the voice of a dog-faced boy in Big Top Peewee.
This followed an early television appearance in Shell Game, but it was his role as a minor villain in Bond flick Licence to Kill that made his mark.
Paramount, Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh became a bonafide star through her role as Dr. Cristina Yang in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Oh got her start in Canada, with roles in the television series Denim Blues, followed by her film debut in Double Happiness.
Dan Aykroyd
Canadian funnyman Dan Aykroyd is famous for his early days on Saturday Night Live and the smash hit Ghostbusters.
Aykroyd started his road to fame on the Canadian television series Coming Up Rosie and starred in his first film role in the 1977 romantic comedy Love at First Sight.
CFDC, Love at First Sight (1976)
Idris Elba
A star of both the big and small screens, Idris Elba is known for his roles as Heimdall in the Thor franchise, and the title role in British crime series Luther.
Elba got his start playing a skydiving instructor in TV’s 2point4 Children and followed this with the French film Belle Maman in 1999.
Kirsten Dunst
While her breakout role was undoubtedly Claudia in the film Interview with the Vampire, Kirsten Dunst’s first role was a few years earlier in another book adaptation.
Dunst starred opposite Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis at the age of eight in the film The Bonfire of the Vanities.
Warner Bros., The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Johnny Depp
Before Captain Jack Sparrow and the controversy of his trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp had a long and varied career.
Depp gained a great deal of exposure for his starring role in the television series 21 Jump Street, but his first film role was as the doomed Glen Lantz in the original Nightmare on Elm Street.
FOX, 21 Jump Street (1987-1991)
Mila Kunis
Bad Moms and Black Swan star Mila Kunis is probably best known for her role in the hit sitcom That 70s Show.
Kunis began her career in soap operas, with her first role in an episode of Days of Our Lives. Her first film role was in the B-movie horror film Piranha.
Matthew McConaughey
One of Hollywood’s most versatile leading men, Matthew McConaughey got a less-than-illustrious start in the 1993 film My Boyfriend’s Back, playing “Guy #2.”
That same year he began his journey to stardom with a memorable role in the stoner comedy Dazed and Confused.
Touchstone, My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
Eddie Murphy
Revered funny man Eddie Murphy made a name for himself on the small screen as part of the early years of Saturday Night Live. Following his success on late-night television, Murphy made his film debut opposite Nick Nolte in the 1982 crime comedy 48 Hrs. when he was just 18 years old.
Viola Davis
An award-winning actor and producer, Viola Davis is best known for her roles in the film The Help and the television series How to Get Away with Murder.
Her debut big-screen role was a tiny part as a nurse in the film adaptation of the play The Substance of Fire.
Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Russell Crowe
Long before he stunned audiences as Maximus in Gladiator, Russell Crowe began acting at the age of eight on the Australian television series Spyforce.
He also appeared on the long-running Aussie soap opera Neighbours before making his big-screen debut in Blood Oath.
Cate Blanchett
The multi-faceted Cate Blanchett got her start playing "Blonde cheerleader" in the 1990 Egyptian film Kaboria.
She held numerous roles on Australian television through the 1990s, all the while taking parts in Hollywood films that eventually led to her current superstardom.
Jim Carrey
Rubber-faced funnyman Jim Carrey got his start in acting on the early morning Canadian television series The All-Night Show.
His film debut was the 1983 Canadian movie All in Good Taste, and his first Hollywood role was the vampire comedy Once Bitten.
Samuel Goldwyn, Once Bitten (1985)
Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts’ big Hollywood break was the strange David Lynch crime thriller Mulholland Drive.
Before this, Watts played a nameless girlfriend in the Australian film For Love Alone. Her debut role was on television in the 1983 series Return to Eden.
Network 10, Return to Eden (1983)
Don Cheadle
The MCU’s War Machine gained critical acclaim before becoming a superhero. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the drama Hotel Rwanda.
Cheadle’s first role, as a fast-food employee, was in the 1985 comedy Moving Violations.
Twentieth Century, Moving Violations (1985)
Julia Roberts
Perhaps one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Julia Roberts shot to stardom after her role in Pretty Woman.
Her first time in front of the cameras was on an episode of the television series Crime Story. A year later she got her first film role in the Justine Bateman comedy Satisfaction.
Twentieth Century, Satisfaction (1988)
Edward Norton
Edward Norton is considered to be one of the greatest working actors, though he has a reputation for being a bit difficult to work with.
His amazing career began with the drama Primal Fear, about an altar boy who is accused of killing a priest.
Drew Barrymore
Part of the Barrymore acting dynasty, young Drew bounded into the spotlight at the age of seven in the sci-fi hit E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Her first role was in the psychedelic sci-fi film Altered States, though at 11 months old she also appeared in a dog food commercial!
Warner Bros., Altered States (1980)
Seth Rogen
Well-known as a comedic actor and film producer, Seth Rogen got his start on the cult favorite television series Freaks and Geeks. This is also where he met longtime collaborator Judd Apatow.
Rogen’s big screen debut was a small role in the weird sci-fi film Donnie Darko.
NBC, Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Ryan Reynolds
Long before he brought comic book anti-hero Deadpool to life on screen, Ryan Reynolds starred in the high school television series Hillside.
His film debut was the Canadian film Ordinary Magic, in which he plays a teenage activist from India.
