# Which actor has had the best success after his or her breakout series? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745 "2013-04-03T17:41:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/1 "2013-04-03T17:41:02Z")
I’m thinking of people like Michael C. Hall, Michael Chiklis, Timothy Olyphant, and others in their category where the series they were key members of have passed away. The one who comes immediately to my mind is Olyphant and _Justified_ after his stint in _Deadwood_. Who’s had better follow-up work than Tim? The flip-side of the issue would be those gifted actors whose recovery from their initial success has been slow in coming. Donal Logue in _Terriers_ is an example. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/2 "2013-04-03T17:46:08Z")
Either Tom Hanks (_Bosom Buddies_) or Johnny Depp (_21 Jump Street_). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/3 "2013-04-03T17:48:31Z")
John Travolta - Welcome Back, Kotter. Robin Williams - Mork & Mindy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/4 "2013-04-03T17:55:03Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > The flip-side of the issue would be those gifted actors whose recovery from their initial success has been slow in coming. Donal Logue in _Terriers_ is an example. Terriers was Logue’s followup to his breakthrough show, Grounded For Life. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/5 "2013-04-03T18:15:41Z")
Bruce Willis, Moonlighting. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/6 "2013-04-03T18:17:59Z")
Jennifer Aniston? ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/7 "2013-04-03T18:18:52Z")
Clint Eastwood - Rawhide ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/8 "2013-04-03T18:22:16Z")
This question seems almost unanswerable… do SNL alums count? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/9 "2013-04-03T18:32:54Z")
Norman Reedus had a string of B-movie roles after appearing in The Boondock Saints but has found immense popularity as a lead character on The Walking Dead. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/10 "2013-04-03T18:33:28Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > This question seems almost unanswerable… do SNL alums count? Some of them, for sure. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/11 "2013-04-03T18:37:43Z")
George Clooney - ER ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/12 "2013-04-03T18:45:13Z")
Will Smith - The Fresh Prince of Bel Air Leonardo DiCaprio - Growing Pains ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/13 "2013-04-03T18:46:32Z")
Bryan Cranston may have gotten a small start in Seinfeld, but his ‘breakout’ was in Malcolm In The Middle and his best success has been in Breaking Bad ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/14 "2013-04-03T18:47:22Z")
**Alyson Hannigan** - _BtVS_ - _American Pie_ franchise, _How I Met Your Mother_. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/15 "2013-04-03T18:58:56Z")
Courtney Cox - Misfits of Science (or if this isn’t considered “breakout” enough, Family Ties) Debbie Allen - 3 Girls 3 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/16 "2013-04-03T19:00:57Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/17 "2013-04-03T19:02:15Z")
Danny Devito has a record most would envy. In spite of many obstacles (physical appearance and age being the biggies) he’s had roles in several BIG movies and been behind the scenes in many others and is currently starring on a major cult hit. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/18 "2013-04-03T19:02:31Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Courtney Cox - Misfits of Science (or if this isn’t considered “breakout” enough, Family Ties) I think I’d go with Friends for her breakout, but I’d also call it her most successful (but then, I don’t watch Cougar Town). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/19 "2013-04-03T20:28:42Z")
Tim Allen - Home Improvement. The show launched him into a successful movie career, including Galaxy Quest and The Santa Clause franchise. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745/20 "2013-04-03T20:29:55Z")
Michael J. Fox - Family Ties [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actor-has-had-the-best-success-after-his-or-her-breakout-series/654745.md?page=2)