It's not uncommon for actors to get their start on the small screen before shifting to the world of Hollywood movies. Interestingly, a trend of late has been traditional A-list movie actors making the switch to television instead. With so much quality television content, the small screen is no longer considered a stepping-stone in the business.
Nonetheless, sitcoms are an interesting spot for actors to get their big breaks, and indeed, many of the most well-known actors today appeared on a popular sitcom before they hit it big in Hollywood.
Ryan Reynolds
Before he became known for movies like '90s sitcoms that is better off forgotten.
The role actually wasn't Reynolds' first big credit: prior to that, he spent two years on a Canadian teen soap opera called Hillside.
Jennifer Aniston
Even though she's a huge movie star now, having starred in films like The Break-Up, Friends.
Interestingly, Aniston has returned to her TV roots as Alex in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, Alex allows Aniston to demonstrate that she can work with far more than just laugh tracks.
Tom Hanks
Before he hit it big in movies, becoming one of the biggest A-list stars of this generation, Hanks snagged a leading role in a sitcom called Bosom Buddies. It was about two single men who decide to disguise themselves as women so they could live in the only apartment they could afford.
Of course, Hanks then went on to star in movies, including some of the biggest of the last four decades, like Forrest Gump – the list goes on.
Will Smith
While he is now considered one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood according to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The loud and outspoken character was a far cry from the serious ones Smith has played since during his long and successful movie career. Roles range from the coolest characters in sitcom history.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate continues to flex her comedic muscles in the Netflix dark comedy Bad Moms. While she has spent much of her career in comedic roles, Applegate shows a much more nuanced, vulnerable, emotional side in Dead to Me.
However, Applegate's first big role was as Kelly Bundy in the iconic '80s and '90s sitcom Married…with Children, which made her a household name as a child actor.
Topher Grace
Returning to his comedy roots in the ABC sitcom Home Economics, Topher Grace had previously shifted from comedy to star in more serious roles, including as Eddie Brock/Venom in Interstellar.
Despite having padded his resume over the years, however, Grace remains best known for his role as Eric Forman That '70s Show, a period sitcom that aired in the late '90s to early '00s. The role put Grace on the map, and the many roles that followed showed he was more than just an actor who could do deadpan humor.
John Travolta
Before becoming one of the biggest movie actors of this era, John Travolta got his start on a sitcom. In the mid-'70s, and in one of Grease (1978), which put him on the Hollywood map.
Travolta has since appeared in some of the biggest movies of the last three decades, from American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Plaza has appeared in many movies, including Black Bear. But she has always had her roots in comedy, starting with improv sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.
On-screen, however, while Plaza had some acting roles before that, the role that really brought her to attention was April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, a character she played from 2009-2015. Interestingly, Plaza revealed to CheatSheet that the role was actually created for her after she met with a casting director who called her "the weirdest person in the world" and told the Parks and Rec creator he needed to meet with her.
Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer has enjoyed tremendous success in movies like The Expendables 3 and Cheers, which he reprised for the long-running spin-off Frasier, which remains one of the most successful TV show spin-offs.
Grammer has gone on to make appearances in many other sitcoms since, including Back to You, Hank, and 30 Rock. He most recently had a role in the Peacock original series Dr. Death. But his movie resume is extensive as well, including voice acting roles.
Bryan Cranston
Audiences didn't really see Cranston as anything more than a goofy comedy actor thanks to his hilarious role as the bumbling dad in Breaking Bad, that all changed.
Cranston went on to appear in serious TV and movie projects like All the Way, Seinfeld.
Steve Carell
While Steve Carell has become a huge movie actor, no one has forgotten his role as Michael Scott on The Office from 2005 to 2013. When Carell found his way into more dramatic roles, it changed Hollywood's perception of him as an actor.
Since The Office, along with time spent as a correspondent on The Morning Show.
Keri Russell
Keri Russell is best known for her starring role in the FX spy thriller Mission: Impossible III.
But Russell got her start, after being on the Disney Channel Mickey Mouse Club, in sitcoms. She played Mr. Feeny's niece in one episode of Boy Meets World and was in one episode of Married…With Children in 1995. While she didn't have starring sitcom roles like many of the others, these roles were among her first that helped open doors to a successful, long-running career in acting, with continued roles on the small screen as well as movies.