Today, it’s pretty common for actors to flip-flop between movies and TV, especially with the rise of limited series and the past decade and a half of prestige television. Even one of film’s biggest stars, Meryl Streep, has done some TV lately, having appeared on Big Little Lies and Only Murders In The Building. However, this wasn’t always the case.
In the past, it was far more common for TV stars to remain TV stars and movie stars to remain movie stars. Therefore, it was impressive and notable when an actor could make the jump from TV into film, and especially when they could become a Hollywood A-lister. Here are ten actors who made the leap from network TV to film.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston As Rachel And Courtney Cox As Monica during Friends season 4
Even today, Jennifer Aniston is best known for her role as Rachel Green on Friends. However, since her time on the iconic NBC show, Aniston has become a full-fledged movie star. In fact, it took until The Morning Show aired in 2019 for Aniston to make her way back to TV as a series regular.
Since her time on Friends, Aniston has starred in movies like He’s Just Not That Into You, Just Go With It, Horrible Bosses, and more. Her next project, however, will be back on TV screens. Aniston is attached to Apple TV+’s I’d Glad My Mom Died, based on Jennette McCurdy’s book.
George Clooney
George Clooney in a doctor’s uniform on ER
Before he was Danny Ocean, and before he was an Oscar winner, George Clooney was a big TV star, having shot to fame as one of the lead actors in ER. The medical drama wasn’t the first emergency room-set show Clooney was in; he was also a recurring guest star in a show called E/R.
ER is the second-longest-running primetime medical drama in the United States, having been beaten out by Grey’s Anatomy. Today, Clooney’s medical TV drama days are behind him. He is now far more known for his roles in the Oceans Eleven movies, as well as Gravity and Up In The Air.
Mila Kunis
Carla (Kathryn Hahn), Amy (Mila Kunis), and Kiki (Kristen Bell) looking disappointed in A Bad Moms Christmas.
Mila Kunis became a household name when she portrayed Jackie Burkhart in The ’70s Show. Famously, Kunis was only 14 years old when she auditioned for the Fox sitcom. The show was only casting people 18 and older, but the brunette lied about her age to nab the role. Ultimately, she was perfect for Jackie, so her age didn’t matter.
Kunis hasn’t given up TV completely, even though she’s now a big movie star. Since season 2, Kunis has voiced Meg in Family Guy, a gig she still has today. However, the bulk of Kunis’s work today is definitely in film. She can be seen in Bad Moms, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Four Good Days, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and more.
Will Smith
Will Smith looking intense in The Gemini Man.
Today, we think of Will Smith for his work in I Am Legend, The Pursuit Of Happyness, and King Richard. He’s also known for his Oscar crash out, when Smith slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife. Due to the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and has been banned from Oscars events for 10 years.
However, before all that, Smith was on everyone’s TV as the title character in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Smith had almost no acting experience when he became the lead of the NBC show. Originally a rapper, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air solidified Smith as a Hollywood star and paved the way for his film career.
Steve Carell
Steve Carell as Michael Scott in The Office Pilot
Of course, most people know Steve Carell for his role as Michael Scott on NBC’s The Office. The syndicated show still airs on Comedy Central almost every day. However, since his time on the mockumetary, Carell has become a bona fide movie star.
Carell has done some movies that stuck to his comedy roots, such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. He’s also, though, branched out into true stories and dramas, including some Oscar-winning titles. Carell himself was nominated for an Oscar for Foxcatcher, and he appeared in the award-winning movie, The Big Short.
Bruce Willis
Frank (Bruce Willis) talking on the phone, looking concerned in Red
Today, we think of Bruce Willis in Die Hard. However, the action star almost turned down his most iconic role due to his television career. Willis wasn’t the first choice to star in Die Hard; actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson were asked first but declined to participate in the film.
Willis wanted the role, but almost said no due to his contractual obligations on the show Moonlighting. Luckily, production was halted due to his costar’s pregnancy, giving Willis just enough time to star in Die Hard. Today, Willis has retired from acting, but in the years since Die Hard, he has mostly stuck to film over TV.​​​​​​
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live
Given her successful film career, it can be hard to remember that Melissa McCarthy was originally known for her work as Sookie, a chef at the local inn and best friend to the show’s lead on Gilmore Girls. The network dramady had a good run, lasting seven seasons on The WB and The CW. McCarthy even made an appearance on the Netflix miniseries, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life.
Since Gilmore Girls ended in 2007, McCarthy has become far more known for her film work, particularly for Bridesmaids, Identity Thief, and the female reboot of Ghostbusters. McCarthy hasn’t given up TV, though, having starred in Mike & Molly, which won her an Emmy.
Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell holding a camera in Veronica Mars
Fans of Frozen may not have realized that Kristen Bell actually started on network TV as the title character in Veronica Mars. The mystery drama followed Bell as a teenage private detective who solves mysteries for her classmates while also trying to solve her best friend’s murder. Veronica Mars paved the way for shows like High Potential and Elsbeth.
Unlike some of her A-list Hollywood peers, Bell has continued her TV career alongside a thriving film vocation. She, like Kunis, was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Bad Moms, but Bell was also the lead in NBC’s The Good Place as well as Netflix’s current hit, Nobody Wants This.
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx smiling on stage doing stand-up in What Had Happened Was
Sure, today he’s an Oscar and Grammy-winning performer, but Jamie Foxx didn’t start off as a movie star. Originally, he was a featured player on Fox’s In Living Color. His success there led to a self-titled sitcom on The WB, The Jamie Foxx Show. The show itself wasn’t a huge hit, but it did act as a launching pad for Foxx’s career.
What a career it’s been! Foxx won an Oscar for his work as the title character in Ray, and received a nomination for Collateral. He was also the eponymous lead in the Oscar-winning movie Django Unchained, which he starred in alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and award-winner Christoph Waltz.
Foxx has done little TV since he became a Hollywood A-lister. However, he hasn’t abandoned the art form completely. Foxx is the host of the Fox game show Beat Shazam. He also created two recent TV shows: Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! and Alert: Missing Persons Unit.
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea
Perhaps the most shocking addition to this list, Michelle Williams was actually a TV star before she was a multi-Oscar-nominated phenom. Williams starred in all six seasons of Dawson’s Creek, although today we know her better for Manchester By The Sea, Brokeback Mountain, and The Greatest Showman.
She still dabbles in TV, largely in limited series. Williams was recently nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work in Dying For Sex on Hulu.