The First Movies of 15 Famous Actors

Image via Complex Original

Year: 1970

Before he was Iron Man, an Academy Award nominee, and one of the highest paid actors working today, five-year-old Robert Downey Jr. played a puppy in his father’s absurdist film Pound. Based on a play written by Downey Sr., the movie was about dogs, all played by humans, waiting to die in a pound. Pound was not very well known, and didn’t jumpstart the young actor’s career, but gave him experience so could star in films with the Brat Pack, and eventually become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Year: 1991

Most people think that Leonardo DiCaprio started his career with his role as homeless teen Luke on Growing Pains. However, the truth is that Leo’s first film was actually the straight-to-video sci-fi/horror movie Critters 3. His character didn’t have much depth, and didn’t display his acting range, but this low budget flick is definitely good for a few laughs.

Year: 1981

Ben Affleck is currently a major figure in Hollywood, writing, directing, and starring in critically acclaimed movies, and has won two Academy Awards. He got to where he is by acting in a few Kevin Smith films, and then penning the screenplay for Good Will Hunting with childhood friend Matt Damon. But before all this success, Affleck appeared in The Dark End of the Street, an independent movie about teens dealing with the death of a friend. We doubt even Affleck’s biggest fans have seen this one.

Year: 1987

Right before he got his break and was cast in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, Christian Bale appeared in the Swedish fantasy film Mio in the Land of Faraway. Bale plays Benke, the best friend of the protagonist, and the two young boys travel to a new world through a magic portal. We always knew he had a wide range, from blockbusters to small art house films, but now we know that acting in children’s fantasy films is part of his repertoire.

Year: 1991

We all know how Will Smith got his start, and anyone who was alive in the ‘90s can sing along to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s theme song. What most people don’t know is that his big-screen debut was in the 1991 film Where the Day Takes You. The gritty film follows teenage runaways living in the streets of L.A., many of whom are drug addicts and resort to prostitution to survive. Smith’s character has no legs, and his role in this dark film is pretty shocking considering his family-friendly role on TV at the time.

Year: 1994

In 1990, Mark Wahlberg got famous rapping as “Marky Mark” with his hit single “Good Vibrations.” After leaving his music career behind, he transitioned into acting pretty easily, and audiences really recognized his talents from his performance in Boogie Nights. He appeared in a few films before this, such as The Basketball Diaries and Fear, but his first movie ever was Renaissance Man, a comedy starring Danny DeVito, which he played a soldier.

Year: 1993

After appearing in a series of failed television comedy series, Jennifer Aniston starred in the cult horror-comedy film Leprechaun, about an evil, murderous leprechaun. Critics hated it, but people loved it, so much that it got six sequels. Since Aniston is best known for her role as Rachel in Friends, and starring in many rom-coms, her role in this low budget film comes as quite a shock.

Year: 1994

The movie North had an ensemble cast, including big names like Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz, Bruce Willis, and many others. This huge cast also included a then-unknown Scarlett Johansson, in a small role that barely anyone remembers. She was 10 years old at the time, and worked through her teen years until she switched to adult roles like Lost in Translation. It’s surprising to see her so young, since today she’s seen as one of Hollywood’s sex symbols, and is an extremely successful actress.

Year: 1987

George Clooney has won two Academy Awards, as well as various other awards, and is known for making high-quality, critically acclaimed films. Based on his track record, you would have no idea that his first movie role was actually in the cheesy ‘80s slasher flick Return to Horror High. This horror-comedy centers around killings in a high school, and is actually tons of fun.

Year: 1982

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is an ‘80s teen comedy that kick-started the film careers of many of its young actors, perhaps most notably that of Sean Penn, who played the classic stoner character Jeff Spicoli. However, it was also the first film of Nicolas Cage, who played a nameless friend of one of the lead characters. Now Nicolas Cage is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. He tends to get a lot of flack for his movie choices, but Fast Times at Ridgemont High is actually pretty great.

Year: 2002

Today Sofía Vergara is known for playing Gloria in Modern Family, and she’s definitely the breakout star of the show. She’s used this to her advantage and has become one of the richest actresses on television, partly due to her many endorsements and advertisements for CoverGirl, Kmart, and Diet Pepsi. Most people don’t know that first movie role was in Big Trouble, a comedy film starring Tim Allen, which started her extremely successful acting career.

Year: 1982

Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood, and is known for talent and hard work, as well as her personal life and family. Most people know that her father is actor Jon Voigt so it makes sense that he would help to get her acting career started. However, people don’t usually remember her small role in her father’s film Lookin’ to Get Out, playing his character’s daughter when she was just seven years old.

Year: 2008

At this point Jennifer Lawrence is a household name, but less than 10 years ago she was completely unknown. Her first film was made just seven years ago, when she played a minor role in the dramatic film Garden Party. Since her career has started, she’s been known for blockbusters like The Hunger Games and critics’ favorites like American Hustle, so it’s odd to see her in a movie that barely anyone has even heard of.

Year: 2005

Channing Tatum got his big break in the dance movie Step Up, and since then has starred in a series of blockbusters, ranging from action to comedy to more serious dramas. It’s public knowledge that Tatum was a male stripper before his acting career started, but people don’t know that between that and Step Up, he had his first film role in the basketball drama Coach Carter.

Year: 2000

Zoe Saldana’s most prominent roles to date are in Star Trek, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy. When you think of her, you think of sci-fi and fantasy movies, since she performs so well in the genre and seems to be quite fond of it. That’s why it’s surprising that her first film role was in Center Stage, a teen drama about a group of diverse young students at ballet school, who dream of becoming successful dancers.