Well, now that this thread is back in play, I’d like to correct this. Robert Urich starred as Officer Jim Street in SWAT for 2 seasons from 1975-76 before appearing on SOAP as Peter Campbell, the tennis pro.
I remember Helen Hunt as Murray’s daughter on “Mary Tyler Moore.”
I remember Tommy Lee Jones as Meredith Baxter Birney’s boyfriend on “Family.”
Tried to get Wife to watch some Bruce Dern movie. She refused because his laugh on an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour gave her nightmares for years.
Kathy Kinney (Mimi from the Drew Carey Show) appeared in several episodes of Newhart as the (much less made up but still oversexed) town librarian.
OTOH, Wife’s previous bete noir was Bucky Beaver.
I remember Tommy Lee Jones from watching The Park is Mine around 1989. I know he did stuff before that, but it seemed to me that he became very popular and sought after shortly after I saw the movie.
Drew Barrymore: Irreconcilable Differences
Another Philip Seymore Hoffman sighting in Law and Order (Original) & The Talented Mr. Ripley.
And don’t forget her as the little sister in ET.
Drew was already a star from her part in “E.T.”
Anyway, since this thread has been brought back, one I forgot to add first time around - I saw Ani Difranco play at a bar called “Nietzche’s” in Buffalo, NY (our mutual hometown) sometime around the mid to late 80s. She also played at a few ‘coffee-house’ folk nights at the University of Buffalo.
This may not be quite what you’re talking about, but…
In 1961 Regis Philbin was a local TV “personality” on San Diego’s Channel 10. He did news and such, also had a little Saturday Night talk show, kind of a scaled-down version of Steve Allen’s KTLA show. Broadcast live, with a small studio audience sitting in bleachers. He would read question cards from the audience; his assistant (or wife?) “Casey” took phone calls on stage from TV viewers; small-time or local celebrity guests. After the show my Dad and I ran into him as we were leaving the building. Got his autograph.
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I remember Robin Williams in his first appearance as Mork on Happy Days.
I definitely remember that from it’s original run. I also rememberd Helen Hunt froman BC afterschool special called Angel Dusted.
Most of the ones listed I remember after the fact, or from reacking my brain and then checking IMDB. 98% of the time when I am sure I recognize someone but can’t place them, they’ve been in an episode or 3 of some law & Order variant.
I watched CBS soaps in the 80s and 90s and definitely recall Kevin Bacon as a troubled teen alcoholic. Melina Kanakeredes and Nia Long were on Guding Light while I watched. Meg Ryan, Marissa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Parker Posey, and Ming Na Wen, all stood out on As the World Turns. Those are the ones I recall without looking at any list.
Sherry Stringfield was on GL, too but I recognized her from productions in college. Janelle Maloney was at the same school at the same time but I don’t remember her in “You’re a Good man Charlie Brown”, just as someone I saw on campus enough to be driven crazy when she was on Sports Night as a wardrobe assistant. After West Wing started I saw an episode with a college friend and he said “do you remember her from [A production I didn’t remember]? no, well Friend did lights for that show. He was in love with her. Asked her out. She shot him down.” That’s where I remembered her from! A party. A party where Friend got sloppily drunk, gazed at her longingly across the room and bemoaned the fact that she was missing out.
Jeff Goldblum played one of the gang members who break in and kill Charles Bronson’s wife in the film Death Wish.
Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High–which also featured Forest Whitaker as a football player.
William Christopher (Father Mulcahy in MASH) was in Gomer Pyle. I recall being surprised seeing him in MASH.
Bob Denver is always Maynard G. Krebs from Dobie Gillis. I never like him as Gilligan.
Bruce Campbell is Ash from The Evil Dead and Autolycus from* Hercules* and Xena. I feel odd seeing a fat and graying Bruce on Burn Notice.
oh yeah, Howie Mandell in a cheesy movie Walk Like a Man just before his gig on St Elsewhere. Kind of sad seeing him bald, hosting a game show. WTF happened?
I remember Clive Owen from the cutscenes of* Privateer II: the Darkening*, an incredibly buggy (but still excellent) PC game from circa 1996.
When next I saw him, nearly a decade later, my first thought was “Hey! There’s Ser Lev Arrin!”
Got ya beat…I can remember Helen Hunt from the TV series “Swiss Family Robinson”
I remember Teri Hatcher and Jennifer Aniston from Quantum Leap.