# How many actors started off on children's shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702 "2004-11-14T14:23:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/1 "2004-11-14T14:23:28Z")
S. Epatha Merkerson, Lt. VanBuren on Law and Order, started off playing the mail lady on Pee Wee’s Playhouse. In his early days of acting, Michael Jeter (Eduard Delacroix in The Green Mile) was Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street. And of course, the cream of the crop, Morgan Freeman hosted PBS’s Electric Comapny. These are the only three I can think of, but there _have_ to be more. So, come on, folks, what well-known actors started out on children’s shows? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/2 "2004-11-14T14:38:13Z")
Michael Keaton pulled the Trolley and ran Picture Picture on “Mister Rogers”. And I believe had a part where he played one of the Zuccinni Brothers in the Land of Make Believe. And Laurence Fishburn (Cowboy Carl) and Phil Hartman used to be on “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” as well. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/3 "2004-11-14T14:39:43Z")
[Emilio Delgado](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0216937/) and [Sonia Manzano](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544448/) both began on Sesame Street and have played other characters since. One nitpick: Michael Jeter played Mr. Noodle’s Brother Mr. Noodle toward the end of his life. He had a long career before then. Robin ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/4 "2004-11-14T15:42:16Z")
> [@Agrippina](#): > > Michael Keaton pulled the Trolley and ran Picture Picture on “Mister Rogers”. And I believe had a part where he played one of the Zuccinni Brothers in the Land of Make Believe. I did not know that. > [@](#): > > And Laurence Fishburn (Cowboy Carl) and Phil Hartman used to be on “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” as well. I knew that but had forgotten. > [@MsRobyn](#): > > One nitpick: Michael Jeter played Mr. Noodle’s Brother Mr. Noodle toward the end of his life. He had a long career before then. You are, of course, absolutely correct; you have fought ignorance well today, grasshopper. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/5 "2004-11-14T15:54:06Z")
To pick another nit: > [@Agrippina](#): > > Michael Keaton pulled the Trolley and ran Picture Picture on “Mister Rogers”. And I believe had a part where he played one of the Zuccinni Brothers in the Land of Make Believe. Michael did a lot of things at WQED, which, like most PBS stations, uses the same technical staffers on all of their local productions, so he began his career behind the scenes at Mr. Rogers and a host of other shows as well. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/6 "2004-11-14T16:14:54Z")
Jeremy Irons got his big break on _Play Away._ So did Tony “Baldric” Robinson. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/7 "2004-11-14T17:03:53Z")
Didn’t Britney and Justin start out as mouseketeers? Not that either of them are actors, of course. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/8 "2004-11-14T17:15:45Z")
She was never a “star” or even a regular, but actress Holly Robinson Peete occasionally appeared on “Sesame Street” as a little girl, back when her father, Matt Robinson, was playing Gordon. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/9 "2004-11-14T18:01:41Z")
Wasn’t Benicio Del Toro also on _Pee Wee’s Playhouse_? IMDb doesn’t seem to know about it, if so. Irene Cara was also on _Electric Company_. Lynne Thigpen was Chief on _Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?_. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/10 "2004-11-14T18:53:28Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > Didn’t Britney and Justin start out as mouseketeers? Not that either of them are actors, of course. Also Christina. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/11 "2004-11-14T18:56:09Z")
Long time soap-opera star Don Hastings got his start as the Video Ranger on Captain Video. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/12 "2004-11-14T19:00:17Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Lynne Thigpen was Chief on _Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?_. True, but she had been working in film since 1973 so she didn’t “start off” on a children’s show. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/13 "2004-11-14T20:41:23Z")
The show “Kids Incorporated” started the careers of a lot of younger celebrities, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Eric Balfour (formerly of “Six Feet Under” and the late, unlamented “Hawaii”), Stacy Ferguson (aka “Fergie” from the hiphop group Black Eyed Peas), Mario Lopez (better known as Slater on “Saved by the Bell”) and the single-monikered singers Martika and Shanice. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/14 "2004-11-14T21:09:16Z")
Mike Myers started out on a UK kids’ TV show called _The Wide Awake Club_. I used to watch him. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/15 "2004-11-14T21:31:12Z")
Most of the cast of Monty Python, got together on a kid’s show called [Do Not Adjust Your Set.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061247/) Actor David Jason was also in the cast. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/16 "2004-11-14T21:46:10Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > Didn’t Britney and Justin start out as mouseketeers? Not that either of them are actors, of course. Keri Russell, too. **TeaElle** stole my Kids, Inc. post. So yeah, what she said. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/17 "2004-11-14T21:52:36Z")
> [@SilverFire](#): > > TeaElle stole my Kids, Inc. post. She snuck in while you were sleeping; if you’re going to sleep during the day, you should really lock your door first. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/18 "2004-11-14T21:53:12Z")
Don’t forget Annette Funicello. Several of her Mickey Mouse Club co-stars — Cheryl Holdridge, Tommy Cole, Bobby Burgess, Cubby O’Brien, Sherry Alberoni, Sharon Baird, Lonnie Burr, Darlene Gillespie, Don Grady and Johnny Crawford, for example – also continued to perform on TV, in music and in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/19 "2004-11-14T22:02:50Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > And of course, the cream of the crop, Morgan Freeman hosted PBS’s Electric Comapny. Did he host it, or just play some roles like ‘Easy Reader’? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702/20 "2004-11-14T22:29:37Z")
Stockard Channing started on Sesame Street. The Number Victim or something like that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-actors-started-off-on-childrens-shows/274702.md?page=2)