Television a proven springboard for movie stardom

After writing about actors who have transitioned from making movies fulltime to popular roles on TV, I started thinking about actors who began their careers in television and became household names on the small screen before making movies.

Some of today’s biggest movie stars who got their start on TV include:

Leonardo DiCaprio on Growing Pains

He went from a heartthrob after appearing in James Cameron’s epic Titanic to serious movie actor and Martin Scorsese’s go-to guy in films like Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and Shutter Island.

Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street

Here’s another heartthrob who shed that label early in roles that required physical transformations that hid his good looks behind make-up and esthetics, as in Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He continues to take on transformative roles in film – Pirates of the Caribbean, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland - with great success.

Bradley Cooper on Alias

I was a huge Alias fan and if someone had told me then that the same actor who played nerdy, unlucky in love, Will, on that weekly drama would end up becoming a huge movie star, I would never have believed it. Bradley Cooper was memorable as the boyfriend everyone loved to hate in Wedding Crashers and his stock skyrocketed after he starred in the hilarious ensemble comedy The Hangover.

Bruce Willis on Moonlighting

One of my favourite action films is Die Hard. After that hugely successful film, Willis has shown throughout his career that he’s no one-trick pony. His filmography is surprisingly diverse with roles in some superb films like Pulp Fiction and Sin City.

George Clooney on ER

When George Clooney hung up his scrubs, he took the movie world by storm and didn’t look back. Some of his choices were flops (Batman and Robin), but he has also demonstrated over the course of his career a discernment for good films like Out of Sight, Ocean’s Eleven, Michael Clayton and Up in the Air. He’s also donned the director’s cap on films like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck.

Which actor who got their start on television is your favourite? Let us know in the comments section.