Lost Roles of TV
by harshtakes | created - 3 months ago | updated - 3 months ago | PublicActors and Actresses who almost starred in famous TV Shows.
1. Matthew Broderick
Actor | The Producers
A slight comic actor chiefly known for his boyish charm, Matthew Broderick was born on March 21, 1962 in New York City, to Patricia Broderick (née Biow), a playwright and painter, and James Broderick, an actor. His father had Irish and English ancestry, and his mother was from a Jewish family (from...
Alex P. Keaton(Family Ties 1982-1989) Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013) Walter White(Breaking Bad 2008-2013)
2. Jon Hamm
Actor | Mad Men
Jon Hamm is an American actor and producer from St. Louis, Missouri who is known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men. He also played Mister Sinister in a deleted scene of The New Mutants and Legion, Brogan from Shrek Forever After, and other films and shows including Sucker Punch, Million Dollar Arm,...
Jack(Lost 2004-2010)
3. Ray Liotta
Actor | Narc
Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New ...
Tony Soprano(The Sopranos 1999-2007) Frank(It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 2005- )
4. Macaulay Culkin
Actor | Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin, one of the most famous American child stars, was born on August 26, 1980 in New York City, New York, USA, as the third of seven children of his father Kit Culkin (a former stage and child actor and also Macaulay's former manager) and mother Patricia Brentrup. He is the brother of ...
Leonard(The Big Bang Theory 2007-2019)
5. Louis C.K.
Writer | Louie
Louis C.K. was born on September 12, 1967 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Louie (2010), American Hustle (2013) and Horace and Pete (2016). He was previously married to Alix Bailey.
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
6. John Cusack
Actor | Grosse Pointe Blank
John Cusack is, like most of his characters, an unconventional hero. Wary of fame and repelled by formulaic Hollywood fare, he has built a successful career playing underdogs and odd men out--all the while avoiding the media spotlight. John was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish-American ...
Walter White(Breaking Bad 2008-2013)
7. Kristin Davis
Actress | Sex and the City 2
Kristin Lee Davis was born on February 23, 1965 in Boulder, Colorado. An only child, her parents divorced when she was a baby. She was adopted by her stepfather, psychology professor Keith Davis, after he married her mother, Dorothy, a university data analyst, in 1968. Early in her childhood, ...
Rachel(Friends 1994-2004)
8. Alan Tudyk
Actor | Rogue One
Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Plano, where he attended Plano Sr. High. In 1990, he went on to study drama at Lon Morris Jr. College. While there, he was awarded the Academic Excellence Award for Drama. He was also named Most Likely to Succeed and Sophomore Beau. During this ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
9. Matt LeBlanc
Actor | Friends
Matt LeBlanc was born on 25 July 1967 in Newton, Massachussetts. His mother, Patricia, is of Italian origin, and worked as an office manager, and his father, Paul LeBlanc, who was from a French-Canadian family, was a mechanic. After graduating from high school, he spent some time as a photo model ...
Phil Dunfhy(Modern Family 2009-2019)
10. Elizabeth Olsen
Actress | Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Chase "Lizzie" Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Silent House (2011), Liberal Arts (2012), Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). For her role in the critically-acclaimed Martha ...
Daenerys Targaryen(Game of Thrones 2011-2019)
11. Adam Scott
Actor | Parks and Recreation
Adam Scott was born in Santa Cruz, California, the son of Anne and Dougald Scott. He has two older siblings, Shannon and David. Scott has said that his brother David "looks like me but is far more cerebral and inherited the intellect of our parents," both of whom are retired teachers. He graduated ...
David Fisher(Six Feet Under 2001-2005) Jim Halpert(The Office 2005-2013)
12. Stephen Colbert
Writer | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert (pronounced "cole-BEAR") was born on May 13, 1964 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the son of Lorna Elizabeth (Tuck) and James William Colbert, Jr., a doctor and medical school dean at Yale, Saint Louis University, and MUSC. He is the ...
Harvey Birdman(Harvey Birdman:Attorney At Law 2000-2007) Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
13. Octavia Spencer
Actress | Hidden Figures
Spencer is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, which she claims is the proverbial buckle of the Bible belt. She's the sixth of seven siblings and holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. A "closet" lover of acting, this practical Alabamian knew that she'd someday work in the film industry, ...
Donna(Parks and Recreation 2009-2015)
14. Chris Rock
Actor | Top Five
Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
...
George Costanza(Seinfeld 1989-1998)
15. Woody Harrelson
Actor | True Detective
Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Woodrow Tracy Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas, to Diane Lou (Oswald) and Charles Harrelson. He grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, where his mother was from. After receiving degrees in theater arts and English from Hanover College, he...
Frank Gallagher(Shameless 2011-2021)
16. Bob Odenkirk
Actor | Nobody
Robert John Odenkirk was born in Berwyn, Illinois, to Barbara (Baier) and Walter Odenkirk, who worked in printing. His ancestry includes German and Irish. He grew up in Naperville, IL, the second of seven children. He worked as a DJ for WIDB, his college radio station at Southern Illinois ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
17. Michael Keaton
Actor | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Quirky, inventive and handsome American actor Michael Keaton first achieved major fame with his door-busting performance as fast-talking ideas man Bill Blazejowski, alongside a nerdish morgue attendant (Henry Winkler), in Night Shift (1982). He played further comedic roles in Mr. Mom (1983), Johnny...
Jack(Lost 2004-2010)
18. Judah Friedlander
Actor | Feast
Judah Friedlander was born on March 16, 1969 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Feast (2005), 30 Rock (2006) and American Splendor (2003).
Dwight Schrute(The Office 2005-2013)
19. Katie Holmes
Actress | Batman Begins
Born two months premature at four pounds, Kate Noelle Holmes made her first appearance on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. She is the daughter of Kathleen Ann (Craft), a philanthropist, and Martin Joseph Holmes, Sr., a lawyer. She is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. Her parents have said ...
Buffy(Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1997-2003) Piper(Orange Is the New Black 2013-2019)
20. Nathan Lane
Actor | The Producers
Nathan Lane is an American actor and singer from New Jersey who is known for playing Timon from The Lion King, Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II from Teacher's Pet, Max Bialystock from The Producers, Snowball from Stuart Little, Hamegg from Astro Boy and Ernie Smuntz from Mouse Hunt. He is married ...
George Costanza(Seinfeld 1989-1998)
21. Ken Marino
Actor | Wanderlust
Ken Marino was born on December 19, 1968 in Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Wanderlust (2012), The State (1993) and The Ten (2007). He has been married to Erica Oyama since October 8, 2005. They have two children.
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
22. Jon Cryer
Actor | Two and a Half Men
Jonathan Niven Cryer is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenager photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair; his breakout role came in 1986, in the John Hughes-written film Pretty in Pink. In 1998, he ...
Chandler(Friends 1994-2004)
23. Robert Schimmel
Actor | Scary Movie 2
Robert Schimmel was born on January 16, 1950 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Scary Movie 2 (2001), A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and Dark Seduction (2015). He was married to Melissa Schimmel and Vicki Schimmel. He died on September 3, 2010 in ...
George Costanza(Seinfeld 1989-1998)
24. Katherine Heigl
Actress | One for the Money
Katherine Marie Heigl was born on November 24, 1978 in Washington, D.C., to Nancy Heigl (née Engelhardt), a personnel manager, and Paul Heigl, an accountant and executive. Her father is of German/Swiss-German and Irish descent, and her mother is of German ancestry. A short time after her birth, the...
Jen Lindley(Dawson's Creek 1998-2003)
25. Thomas Jane
Actor | Boogie Nights
Thomas Jane is an American actor who is known for portraying Frank Castle from the 2004 Marvel Comics film The Punisher and the 2012 fan film Dirty Laundry. He also was in Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line, Deep Blue Sea, The Predator, 1922, The Mist and Evening Raga of the West.
Don Draper (Mad Men 2007-2015) Rick Grimes(The Walking Dead 2010-2022)
26. Paul Giamatti
Actor | Sideways
Paul Giamatti is an American actor who has worked steadily and prominently for over thirty years, and is best known for leading roles in the films American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), and Barney's Version (2010) (for which he won a Golden Globe), and supporting roles in the films Cinderella ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
27. Hank Azaria
Actor | The Simpsons
Hank Azaria is an American comedian and actor from Queens, New York. He is known for voicing several characters in The Simpsons including Apu, Chief Wiggum, Moe, Bumblebee Man, Lou and Superintendent Chalmers. The latter became well-known due to the "Steamed Hams" scene. He also acted in Godzilla, ...
Joey(Friends 1994-2004)
28. Mary Lynn Rajskub
Actress | 24
Mary Lynn Rajskub is an American actress, comedienne and singer who is best known as a co-star of Kiefer Sutherland on the popular television series 24 (2001).
Born June 22, 1971, in Detroit, Michigan, Rajskub comes from a family of Irish, Czech, and Polish ancestry. In 1989 she graduated from ...
Pam Beasly(The Office 2005-2013)
29. Matt Walsh
Actor | Into the Storm
Matt Walsh was born on October 13, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Into the Storm (2014), The Hangover (2009) and Ted (2012). He has been married to Morgan Walsh since March 21, 2009. They have three children.
Dwight Schrute(The Office 2005-2013) Ron Swanson(Parks and Recreation 2009-2015)
30. Colin Hanks
Actor | King Kong
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor. He was born in Sacramento, California, to actors Samantha Lewes and Tom Hanks. Colin is best-known for his work as "Jack Bailey" in the series, The Good Guys (2010) and as "Alex Whitman" in Roswell (1999). Hanks' best-known film role may be in the teen movie, ...
Jesse Pinkman(Breaking Bad 2008-2013)
31. Adrian Grenier
Actor | The Devil Wears Prada
Adrian Grenier was born on July 10, 1976 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Entourage (2004) and Entourage (2015). He has been married to Jordan Roemmele since June 23, 2022. They have one child.
Dawson(Dawson's Creek 1998-2003)
32. William H. Macy
Actor | Fargo
William Hall Macy Jr. is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Macy has won two Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, while his performance in Fargo earned a nomination for the ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
33. Steve Buscemi
Actor | Fargo
Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Dorothy (Wilson), a restaurant hostess, and John Buscemi, a sanitation worker. He is of Italian (father) and English, Dutch, and Irish (mother) descent. He became interested in acting during his last year of high school. After graduating, he moved to...
George Costanza(Seinfeld 1989-1998) Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
34. Vince Vaughn
Producer | The Break-Up
Vincent Anthony Vaughn was born on March 28, 1970, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and was raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. His parents, Vernon Vaughn (a salesman and character actor), and Sharon Vaughn, née Sharon Eileen DePalmo (a real-estate agent and stockbroker) divorced in 1991. He has two ...
Joey(Friends 1994-2004)
35. David Tennant
Actor | Doctor Who
Widely considered as one of the greatest stage and screen actors of his generation both in his native Scotland and internationally, David Tennant was born David John McDonald in West Lothian, Scotland, to Essdale Helen (McLeod) and Sandy McDonald, who was a Presbyterian minister. He is of Scottish ...
Hannibal Lecter(Hannibal 2013-2015)
36. Seth Rogen
Producer | This Is the End
An actor, comedian and writer, Seth Rogen has come a long way from doing stand-up comedy as a teen.
Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Sandy (Belogus), a social worker, and Mark Rogen, who worked for non-profits. His father is American-born and his mother is Canadian. He is of Russian...
Dwight Schrute(The Office 2005-2013)
37. Craig T. Nelson
Actor | Coach
Craig T. Nelson was born on April 4, 1944 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Coach (1989), The Incredibles (2004) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Doria Cook-Nelson since 1987. He was previously married to Robin McCarthy.
Jay Pritchett(Modern Family 2009-2019)
38. Jason Biggs
Actor | American Pie
Jason Matthew Biggs was born on May 12, 1978, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, to Angela (Zocco), a nurse, and Gary Biggs, a shipping company manager. Jason has two sisters, Heather, a tax specialist born in 1971, and Chiara, born in 1980. He was raised Catholic, and is of English and mostly Italian ...
Pacey Witter(Dawson's Creek 1998-2003)
39. Jon Favreau
Producer | Chef
Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.
The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...
Chandler Bing(Friends 1994-2004)
40. Martin Short
Actor | Innerspace
Martin Hayter Short OC is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has received Medals from Queen Elizabeth II, including in 2002 the ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
41. Nicholas Hoult
Actor | Mad Max: Fury Road
Nicholas Hoult was born on December 7, 1989 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, UK as Nicholas Caradoc Hoult. His parents are Glenis Hoult, a piano teacher and Roger Hoult, a pilot. He has three siblings, two sisters and one brother. His great-aunt was one of the most popular actresses of her time, ...
Jon Snow(Game of Thrones 2011-2019)
42. Penn Badgley
Actor | You
Penn Badgley was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Lynne Murphy Badgley and Duff Badgley, who worked as a newspaper reporter and carpenter. Badgley split his childhood years between Richmond, Virginia. and Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, he was involved in the Seattle Children's Theater and did ...
Jesse Pinkman(Breaking Bad 2008-2013)
43. Eugene Levy
Actor | A Mighty Wind
Eugene Levy is an award-winning actor, writer, and producer. He has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures to date, eight of which having topped the $100M mark. The box office success of films such as Bringing Down the House (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) , and Father of the Bride Part II ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
44. Todd Barry
Actor | The Wrestler
Todd Barry was born on March 26, 1964 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Wrestler (2008), Bob's Burgers (2011) and Flight of the Conchords (2007).
Harvey Birdman(Harvey Birdman:Attorney At Law 2000-2007)
45. Sarah Silverman
Actress | Wreck-It Ralph
Sarah Silverman was most recently the host of the two-time Emmy-nominated weekly topical series, I Love You America, which streamed on Hulu and also received a Writers Guild Awards nomination.
Silverman is currently working on a musical adaptation of her 2010 memoir and New York Times Bestseller ...
Monica(Friends 1994-2004)
46. Mark Wahlberg
Producer | The Fighter
American actor Mark Wahlberg is one of a handful of respected entertainers who successfully made the transition from teen pop idol to acclaimed actor. A Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for The Departed (2006) who went on to receive positive critical reviews for his performance in The Fighter (...
Dick Winters(Band of Brothers,2001)
47. Matt Besser
Actor | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Matt Besser was born on September 22, 1967 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Drillbit Taylor (2008) and Bad Teacher (2011).
Dwight Schrute(The Office 2005-2013)
48. Charlie Hunnam
Actor | Sons of Anarchy
Charles Matthew Hunnam was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle, England, to Jane (Bell), a business owner, and William Hunnam, a scrap metal merchant. At 18 years of age, he made a guest appearance in popular TV series Byker Grove (1989).
He gained fame in Britain thanks to his television role as ...
Pacey Witter(Dawson's Creek 1998-2003)
49. David Foley
Actor | The Wrong Guy
Dave Foley dropped out of an alternative high school to do stand-up comedy. He met Kevin McDonald at an improv class and, while employed as movie ushers, they began working as a comedy team. In 1984 they merged with another team to form "The Kids in the Hall". Foley made his film debut at 22 as the...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
50. Ellen DeGeneres
Producer | Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Emmy-winning talk show host Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana, a New Orleans suburb. She is the daughter of Betty DeGeneres (née Elizabeth Jane Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, Jr., an insurance agent. Her brother is musician and producer Vance DeGeneres...
Phoebe Buffay(Friends 1994-2004)
51. Andy Richter
Actor | Madagascar
Andy Richter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the second of four children of Glenda (Palmer), a kitchen cabinet designer, and Laurence R. Richter, who taught Russian at Indiana University. He was raised in Yorkville, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was four. Richter attended the ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013) Cameron Tucker(Modern Family 2009-2019)
52. Téa Leoni
Actress | The Family Man
Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni was born on February 25, 1966 in New York City. Her father, Anthony Pantaleoni, was a corporate lawyer, and her mother, Emily Ann (Patterson), worked as a dietitian and nutritionist. She is of Italian (from a paternal great-great-grandfather), Polish, English, Irish, ...
Rachel(Friends 1994-2004)
53. John Cho
Actor | Star Trek
John Yohan Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Los Angeles, California as a child. His father was a Christian minister. Cho was educated at Herbert Hoover High School at Glendale, before moving on to the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied English literature. Upon ...
Jim Halpert(The Office 2005-2013)
54. Jane Krakowski
Actress | 30 Rock
Jane Krakowski was born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, to Barbara (Benoit), a college theater instructor, and Edward Krajkowski, a chemical engineer. Her father was of Polish descent and her mother has French-Canadian and Scottish ancestry.
Jane was the winner of the 2003 Tony Award for her ...
Rachel(Friends 1994-2004)
55. Jane Lynch
Actress | Wreck-It Ralph
Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009-2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, such as Best in ...
Phoebe Buffay(Friends 1994-2004)
56. Jeremy Piven
Actor | Serendipity
Jeremy Piven was born on July 26, 1965 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Serendipity (2001), Entourage (2004) and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).
Micheal Bluth(Arrested Development 2003-2019) Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
57. John C. Reilly
Actor | Chicago
Character actor, dramatic leading man, or hilarious comic foil? With an astonishing range of roles already under his belt, John C. Reilly has played an eclectic host of rich characters to great effect over the years, from seedy ne'er-do-wells, to lovable, good-natured schlepps.
The fifth of six ...
Michael Scott(The Office 2005-2013)
58. Robert De Niro
Actor | Cape Fear
One of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and Robert De Niro Sr. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his other ancestry is Irish, English, Dutch, German, and French. He was trained ...
George Bluth(Arrested Development 2003-2019)
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