If you’ve been watching movies and/or TV shows for a long time, you’ve had the chance to see some people rise in status from extras, walk-ons, bit players, and even supporting cast types to full-fledged stars with tremendous drawing power and clout.
Here’s a chance to pay homage to your favorites, or to reflect on how some people became “overnight successes” after only a decade or two.
I got this idea from watching Lee Van Cleef in one of the sequels to The Magnificent Seven last night. I can remember him as a run-of-the-mill villain in old B Westerns in the 50’s. And I am fully aware of how he came into prominence by way of the spaghetti westerns. But there’s no denying he made it up the ladder the hard way.
Others of note:
Charles Bronson
James Gandolfini
Jim Carrey
Jeff Goldblum
Raymond Burr
Johnny Depp
Samuel L Jackson
Tom Selleck
Sean Connery
Brad Pitt
You are probably going to find that this is the rule rather than the exception. Comparatively few people start out as major stars.
Jeremy Piven was a minor character on The Larry Sanders Show, now pretty big-time in Entourage.
Tom Hanks/Bosom Buddies.
Jackie Chan was a stuntman in crappy HKG chop-socky movies.
Meg Ryan started out in the soaps and in ABC After-School Specials.
Other than child actors (and even they usually start out in commercials), and the odd outlier like Jon Heder, I’d think you’d be harder pressed to find major stars who hadn’t toiled in obscurity but suddenly went to the big screen, than those who had paid dues for years.
Of course you’re right as a general statement. Even the exceptions like Paul Newman, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, and dozens more who made their way to the big screen by way of early TV, Broadway and other places where their talents had a chance to grow before we became aware of them, had their “struggling years” before becoming star material.
The point I had hoped to focus on here was how in many cases we see some actors many times in unheralded roles before they manage that breakout performance that catapults them to big money stardom. Charles Bronson labored in the background a long time before Death Wish got him into star status.
If you can use him and Lee Van Cleef as models for what this thread is after, as opposed to soap stars who are only seen by the faithful who are glued to the TV while doing (or instead of doing) household chores, then the notion of long-delayed “overnight success” can prevail.
You might want to go as far as pointing out people who have become stars in spite of themselves. People like Paris Hilton and Pauly Shore.
Going back quite a bit, William Powell was a character actor during the latter silent era, and did not establish himself as a star until the start of the sound era.
Michael J. Fox was a supporting actor in “Family Ties.” Meredith Baxter Birney was suppose to be the star, and apparently she got quite bummed out when he outshone her.
Leonardo Dicaprio was on the last season of “Growing Pains.” It’s so fun to watch him, that cute little guy.
Speaking of Tom Hanks and “Family Ties,” he made two great appearances as Elysee’s brother, Uncle Ned. In the second one, he bunched out Alex (Michae J. Fox) in an alcoholic rage.
I’m not sure Johnny Deep qualifies for this thread.
His first role was as one of the stars of Nightmare on Elm Street. He quickly moved up to big roles in 21 Jump Street, Cry Baby and Edward Scissorhands.
While it took Pirates of the Caribbean to make him a HUGE star, he’s always been a big name actor.
You may be right. I based my inclusion of him on the OP list on his minor role in Platoon which I saw again recently. I admit that I can’t name a lot of other similarly small roles for him. My apologies.
And before that he had a guest star role on Happy Days as the kid who The Fonz picked on when they were younger so he learned Karate and came back to beat him up.
I’ve always considered him one of those performers that would’ve figured out a way to fame no matter what. I mean, it’s hard to believe that anyone playing Mork would be able to parlay that into stardom. That would be an interesting thread - “actors who would have probably become stars no matter what”…
