There was a time when starring on television was deemed a step or two below starring in films. Streaming has altered that mentality considerably, but there is still a tendency to start on the small screen before moving on to the big.
But back in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, starring in television was more or less an actor’s necessary rite of passage, and some soared while many faded into obscurity. The following actors starred in a hit show, one that made their personas into household names, but one hit series a career does not make, and these performers have all had wonderful and long careers.
15 Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980-1989)
One of the 1980s’ most successful and long-running series, CBS’ Magnum P.I. has held a large enough fanbase to warrant a remake on the same network (though the latter has moved to NBC). The show follows Tom Selleck‘s private investigator Thomas Magnum as he solves cases in Hawaii.
About midway through the series’ eight year run, Selleck started to break into film. Unfortunately, leading roles in Lassiter and Runaway didn’t do much to instill hope Selleck could be a major film star. But then Three Men and a Baby showed it just had to be the right project.
14 Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele (1982-1987)
Well before Pierce Brosnan was playing James Bond in four theatrical installments, he was playing the titular character in Remington Steele. It’s a series that went through several changes, starting out as a hybridization of the romantic comedy and the detective procedural before ultimately settling a bit more in Brosnan’s future comfort zone: Intrigue and espionage.
Naturally, Brosnan has had a massively successful career since the close of Remington Steele. On top of playing Bond in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Brosnan put in memorable appearances in Mrs. Doubfire (pre-Bond), Dante’s Peak, The Thomas Crown Affair, the two Mamma Mia! films, and as Doctor Fate in Black Adam.
13 Don Johnson in Miami Vice (1984-1989)
Series creator Michael Mann would come back to adopt his Miami Vice as a feature film, but it’s nothing compared to the charm of the show. The series follows two undercover detectives, Don Johnson‘s James “Sonny” Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas’ Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs. Of the two, Johnson has certainly gone on to have the more prolific career, but both are terrific in the series.
As for Johnson, the success of Miami Vice in the ’80s led to further success in the ’90s via Nash Bridges, co-starring Cheech Marin. Johnson has also had appearances in the excellent Tin Cup, Robert Rogriguez’s Machete, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.
12 Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street (1987-1991)
Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s two phenomenal Jump Street films brought the IP back into public consciousness, but for a while, it was “the show that made Johnny Depp famous.” Like the films, the five-season show follows a group of young-looking cops going undercover in high schools and other various teen-frequented locations. Depp’s Tom Hanson Jr. only appeared in the first four seasons, as he was itching to part with the role and its attached teen idol status.
Depp did reprise his role in Lord and Miller’s first film, making it canon. Dressed up as a biker, he was so well-disguised even co-star Brie Larson didn’t recognize Depp on set. Depp didn’t make any movies during 21 Jump Street‘s run, but, prior to it, he had a supporting role in Wes Craven’s classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, a tiny role in Oliver Stone’s Platoon, and even led the forgettable Private Resort.
11 Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny in The X-Files (1993-2018)
Arguably the biggest cult series of all time, The X-Files gave spotlight to both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and allowed them to play to their strengths. Loaded with memorable episodes and tender moments, The X-Files is a show that very easily could have been niche, but ran for nine seasons, two movies, and two more seasons way down the line.
Since the wrap of the original run back in the early aughts, Anderson has starred in The Last King of Scotland, Johnny English Reborn, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and played Eleanor Roosevelt in Showtime’s The First Lady. Duchovny has been similarly successful, especially given the long run of fellow Showtime series Californication. But the actor has also put in appearances in the films Zoolander, The TV Set, The Joneses, The Craft: Legacy, and Judd Apatow’s The Bubble.
10 Jennifer Garner in Alias (2001-2006)
An early project from J.J. Abrams, Alias did a lot to bring Jennifer Garner into the public spotlight. The show also included Bradley Cooper during its first two seasons (with guest appearances in the third and fifth), but really Alias was the show of Garner’s CIA double agent Sydney Bristow top to bottom.
Throughout Alias‘ run, Garner had small roles in Pearl Harbor and Catch Me If You Can before scoring the major role of Elektra Natchios in Daredevil. This was followed by leading roles in 13 Going on 30, Elektra, and Catch and Release all before the show had even wrapped. Since then, she’s given strong performances in Juno, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Invention of Lying, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Dallas Buyers Club, The Adam Project, and even in STARZ’s recent revival of Party Down.
9 Zachary Levi in Chuck (2007-2012)
NBC’s Chuck wasn’t the network’s most popular show, but it did carry a passionate fanbase. The series follows the titular character (Zachary Levi) as he opens an email that makes him instantly go from a mundane tech store worker to an expert on everything CIA.
Levi himself was so popular the actor was able to branch out of television even while Chuck was on air. Specifically, a role in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel and a vocal role in Disney’s massively successful Tangled. Since Chuck wrapped up, Levi has starred as Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok (taking over for Josh Dallas) and played the titular character in Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
8 Charlie Hunnam in Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)
FX’s Sons of Anarchy was a major success for the young network, even if it skews more cult item than crossover success like AMC’s Breaking Bad. It also not only gave Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman their best roles in years but brought Charlie Hunnam into the spotlight (though Green Street Hooligans fans were already well-versed).
Hunnam also stayed busy with other projects during the production of the series, most notably as the lead in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Since the close of Sons of Anarchy in 2014, Hunnam has had significant roles in Crimson Peak, The Lost City of Z, and the Guy Ritchie films King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and The Gentlemen.
7 Danai Gurira & Jon Bernthal in The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
AMC’s long, long-running flagship series The Walking Dead brought a lot of people further into public consciousness, e.g. Love Actually‘s Andrew Lincoln and The Boondock Saints‘ Norman Reedus. But the show has done the most for Jon Bernthal and Danai Gurira, the latter of whom will be returning alongside Lincoln in The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne. Reedus’ Daryl Dixon will also be getting his own spin-off.
Gurira started taking on big film roles a few years into her Walking Dead tenure. First was a role as Tupac Shakur’s mother in All Eyez on Me, but then came her extensive work as the MCU’s Okoye, most notably in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
6 Antony Starr in Banshee (2013-2016)
Underseen but simultaneously a wonderful showcase for The Boys‘ Antony Starr (who recently starred in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant), Ciemax’s Banshee is a show well worth revisiting. Set in Pennsylvania Amish country, the series features Starr as a conman who assumes the identity of Banshee’s recently-deceased sheriff. Unfortunately for Starr’s conman, he hasn’t evaded trouble so much as dove headfirst into more of it.
Starr is currently in the process of blowing up. And given his involvement in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant and July 2023’s Cobweb, it seems Banshee (and The Boys) are leading into some memorable film roles.
5 Mr. T in The A-Team (1983-1987)
Cultural icon Mr. T technically achieved notoriety with Rocky III in 1982, just one year before the debut of The A-Team, but it was the latter project that kept him in the public’s consciousness for years after. A lot of his known persona comes from these two projects, Rocky III for “I pity the fool!” and A-Team for his proclivity for jewelry (though there was some show-offing going on in that Rocky sequel, as well).
Since then, Mr. T has moved in and out of the public spotlight. But, for a figure predominately famous in the 1980s, he’s still impressively known. Perhaps because of his appearances over the years in movies like Inspector Gadget, Not Another Teen Movie, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, not to mention Dancing with the Stars.
4 Charlie Cox in Daredevil (2015-2018)
Netflix’s Daredevil may have started stronger than it finished (and its place in the MCU is still murky, even with Matt Murdock’s eventual official introduction in Spider-Man: No Way Home), but it still did a lot for both Netflix and actor Charlie Cox. For his part, Cox is perfect, as he carries Daredevil’s fearlessness and begrudged vulnerability well. If any Marvel hero is laced with internal conflict, it’s the ultra-religious Murdock, and Cox never falls short of making the audience believe this.
Cox has some MCU installments coming his way, but that’s not all he’s starred in since Daredevil ended its Netflix run. For instance, he had a role in the Gerard Butler-led King of Thieves, the Irish series Kin, and the lead role in Netflix’s miniseries Treason.
3 Lou Ferrigno in The Incredible Hulk (1977 – 1982)
Other actors on this list ended up being more well-known for their subsequent projects than their initial television claim to fame, but in the case of The Incredible Hulk‘s Lou Ferrigno, he’s basically still known as the first Hulk. This is probably because of his cameos in 2003’s Hulk and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, not to mention his vocal assistance on other MCU installments.
With that being said, he did play Hercules in two 1980s theatrical films and even starred as the titular character in Sinbad of the Seven Seas to close out the decade. He also put in a fun extended appearance as himself in I Love You, Man.
2 Jack Quaid in The Boys (2019 – )
Jack Quaid, son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, had been in projects prior to Amazon’s The Boys (most notably as Marvel in The Hunger Games). But, the superhero series almost instantly catapulted him to stardom.
Since the series debuted in 2019, Quaid has been brought into the fold for the animated Batman: The Long Halloween and Star Trek: Lower Decks. However, his biggest post-Boys-debut role is as Richie Kirsch in Scream, where he really got to sink his teeth into a fun if also sinister role.
1 Alan Ritchson in Reacher (2022- )
Alan Ritchson worked quite a bit prior to Reacher, an adaptation of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, but there’s reason to believe it’s the project to catapult him into major stardom. With a charmingly wry delivery (when Reacher does speak) and an imposing physicality, Ritchson brings Child’s character to life perfectly, and there’s no reason he couldn’t do the same for other characters in the action genre (not that Ritchson has to stick to just the one genre).
Since Reacher‘s first season debut in 2022, Ritchson has already joined the Fast & Furious franchise and is scheduled for a litany of other projects. This includes a second season of Reacher, which will adapt Child’s Bad Luck and Trouble which, like the first season’s inspiration, Killing Floor, is widely regarded as one of the better Reacher novels.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
