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My Dad is something of a star-spotter. He loves to pick out famous actors in bit roles they played early in their careers. Even at age 85, he’s got a great memory for faces, but coming up with the name has always been problematic: “That’s what’s-his-name, you know, that kid….he was on that show, the one with the horse, you know who I mean…” For those of you who also frequently recognize young faces in old shows, here’s a quick cheat sheet of who to watch for when you’re catching up on reruns. Feel free to chime in with any “Hey, isn’t that…..?” sightings not mentioned.
1. Aaron Spelling on I Love Lucy
Before Aaron Spelling became the TV producer with the Midas touch, he was a struggling young actor who couldn’t even afford to buy a car. One of his earliest roles was that of a gas station attendant in the “Tennessee Bound” episode of I Love Lucy. Spelling’s the guy in the slouchy sweater wearing a hat. Watch him really cut a country rug with Weensy near the end of this clip:
2. Christine Baranski on The Brady Bunch
Emmy-winning actress Christine Baranski had a different name (and apparently a different nose) when she started out in the business. Here she is at Marcia’s slumber party feeling the effects of the ol’ itching-powder-in-the-sleeping-bag trick on The Brady Bunch:
3. Lisa Kudrow on Newhart
The series finale of Newhart was memorable for a couple of reasons…it was the first time we heard the Darryls speak, and it took the “it was nothing but a dream” device to a new level by bringing back Suzanne Pleshette, Bob’s TV wife from his previous series, for the final scene. For Friends star Lisa Kudrow, this episode was memorable mainly because it marked her second TV appearance (she’d previously appeared on Cheers). You can play “Spot Lisa” about three minutes into this clip when the wives of Larry, Darryl and Darryl make their entrance:
4. Brad Pitt on Dallas
Brad Pitt’s first credited TV appearance was a four-part story arc on the prime time soap Dallas. He played “Randy” (paging Dr. Freud!), the hormonally-charged high school hunk who was literally caught in the hay with Charlotte “Charlie” Wade.
5. Anthony Geary on All in the Family
On November 16, 1981, 30 million viewers tuned in to General Hospital to watch the wedding of Luke and Laura, as portrayed by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis. Ten years prior to being daytime television’s favorite hunk, Geary appeared on an episode of All in the Family, where (in Archie’s opinion, at least) his sexual preference somewhat ambiguous:
6. Rob Reiner on Batman
Rob Reiner is a celebrated producer/director/writer. He also worked successfully as an actor (see him as “Meathead” in the All in the Family clip above). Like many struggling actors, however, he had his share of “will work for food” roles, such as the delivery boy in this episode of Batman (skip ahead to 2:30 to see him):
7. Laurence Fishburne on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse
By 1986 Laurence Fishburne had a fairly impressive list of film credits on his resume, but his TV work had been limited to one-off spots on shows like M*A*S*H and Trapper John, MD. While working with the Groundlings improvisational comedy troupe early in his career, he befriended Paul Reubens. When Reubens became famous as Pee-Wee Herman and landed his own TV series, he brought Fishburne on board to play Cowboy Curtis:
See Also: The Early TV Appearances of 9 More Stars
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Kathy Kinney (Mimi from Drew Carey’s show) was also on 4 episodes of Newhart (I just saw one of her appearances the other day on a rerun). I wouldn’t really call her a ‘big star’, but then again, I’m not sure I would call Anthony Geary a big star either. In fact, I would have had no idea who he was without the description provided.
posted by Ian on 7-15-2009 at 3:10 pm
While watching an episode of ‘Growing Pains’ a few months ago, I realized that Jonathan Keith, Ben’s favorite rock star who turned out to be not very nice, was played by Brad Pitt, too. Good stuff.
posted by Jason English on 7-15-2009 at 3:15 pm
Ah, the good ‘ol days, when Laurence Fishburne was simply \Larry.\ He was also great in his small but memorable role in The Color Purple. The crime scenes of Las Vegas are a long way from those Georgia boonies! Great post. :o)
posted by Rose Gorman on 7-15-2009 at 3:21 pm
A young John Ritter was in M*A*S*H, as a patient who goes nuts when told he’s going back to the front. It’s the episode “Deal Me Out” and he takes Frank hostage in the shower.
posted by GoF on 7-15-2009 at 3:22 pm
Adam Sandler played Theo’s friend and classmate in several episodes of “The Cosby Show”
posted by Witty Nickname on 7-15-2009 at 3:32 pm
Matthew McConaughey makes an appearance during a crime reenactment on Unsolved Mysteries.
posted by MCK on 7-15-2009 at 3:39 pm
It’s fun to do this with Twilight Zone reruns. William Shatner comes to mind…
posted by Roger on 7-15-2009 at 3:42 pm
A *young* Jack Nicholson appeared in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show (my mom and I had a great time with that one) – I think it’s one of the color episodes of TAGS. He was on trial for some crime and Aunt Bea had a “12 Angry Men” moment on the jury. It’s a terrible episode for women’s lib, but great for Jack Nicholson spotting…
posted by Melissa on 7-15-2009 at 4:07 pm
RE: Brad pitt on Growing Pains:
Growing Pains also was an early TV stop for Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew Perry, Hillary Swank and Heather Graham…some stars of course bigger than others.
Jack Black made an appearance on an episode of The X-Files
posted by Don on 7-15-2009 at 4:16 pm
When I was younger I remember an episode of “Quincy MD” that featured a bunch of punk rockers. It wasn’t until years later that I saw the episode again and realized that one of the punks was Courtney Love.
posted by Rebecca on 7-15-2009 at 4:30 pm
The pilot episode of Charlies Angels has Tommy Lee Jones as the long lost boyfriend of the mysterious \client\ the angels are impersonating.
posted by Kelly on 7-15-2009 at 5:05 pm
Jack was actually in two episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. In the first he was on trial (see above) and in the second he was the father of an “abandoned” infant. They liked Jack on that show.
posted by Daryl on 7-15-2009 at 5:11 pm
Pee-Wee’s Playhouse featured a number of other actors who went on to more familiar roles, including Phil Hartman, S. Epatha Merkerson and Jimmy Smits.
posted by B on 7-15-2009 at 5:23 pm
Lawrence Fishburne also has a minor but eerie and important role as a seventeen year old soldier in the movie Apocalypse Now. He’s on the PT boat with Martin Sheen.
posted by Jordan on 7-15-2009 at 5:33 pm
John Ritter was on the Waltons, too. He was a minister, Rev. Fordwick. Not that I know that from watching all the episodes or anything…..
posted by lm on 7-15-2009 at 6:01 pm
Not exactly a bit part, but a huge one for me is Morgan Freeman on The Electric Company. It’s so hard for me to believe he was Easy Reader.
posted by Rachel on 7-15-2009 at 6:44 pm
Jack Black was also on an episode of Northern Exposure, where he takes Maggie to prom.
posted by A on 7-15-2009 at 11:34 pm
In an old Charmin bathroom tissue commercial, you will see a young Adam Savage from Mythbusters. I can’t find the video right now, but search for it on Youtube.. he hasn’t changed.
posted by Mohammed on 7-16-2009 at 12:33 am
Ther only one here I knew about was Laurence Fishburne on Pee-Wee’s playhouse.
In the classic “blink and ya miss em,” Billy Bob Thornton plays a guy who works in a pawn shop on an episode of “Matlock.”
posted by Marty on 7-16-2009 at 1:13 am
Another one as good as Twilight Zone is the old episodes of The Untouchables – you can actually see a young Jack Klugman, well youngish.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 7-16-2009 at 1:36 am
I don’t know if Elizabeth Montgomery (from Bewitched) counts, but I saw her in one of the Twilight Zone episodes. The episode was a love story between two survivors of a nuclear war. They’re the only two who survived and they were from opposing sides. Well, eventually they fell in love. Anyway, she was a brunette then and she didn’t speak at all. I was weird.
posted by hidden sunshine on 7-16-2009 at 4:59 am
lol, I meant to say “it was weird” instead of “I was weird”
posted by hidden sunshine on 7-16-2009 at 5:00 am
George Clooney played a cop on an episode of “The Golden Girls.”
Also John Mahoney, who played Frasier’s dad, made an appearance on “Cheers” as a piano player.
posted by BKReporter1 on 7-16-2009 at 9:33 am
Hidden Sunshine – wasn’t Charles Bronson also in that episode of “The Twilight Zone”?
posted by Programmher T on 7-16-2009 at 9:47 am
Anthony Geary is a hunk? In what universe???
posted by Hyacinth on 7-16-2009 at 10:39 am
How about a Tom Hanks as Reverend Jim Ignatowski’s college room mate on “Taxi”? And, in the episode of “I Love Lucy” that you showed, the sheriff was later cranky ol’ Ben Weaver, the department store owner on “THe Andy Griffith Show”.
posted by Don Reed on 7-16-2009 at 11:33 am
@Programmger T
Correct, the episode is called “Two” Elizabeth does speak one line, but it’s not in English.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 7-16-2009 at 12:01 pm
If I am not mistaken, Mariska Hargitay was on an episode of “In The Heat of The Night
posted by Sonya on 7-17-2009 at 12:29 pm
John Ritter also played a minister..in his tennis whites…who officiated at the wedding of Ted & Georgette on the Mary Tyler Moore show
posted by Sandman on 7-17-2009 at 7:13 pm
Sonny Bono was the father of a sick girl on a rerun of Marcus Welby M.D. from 1970 (maybe ‘71)
posted by Tdave on 7-18-2009 at 10:50 am
Sharon Stone was a murder victim on an episode of Remington Steele from the first season in 1983
posted by Wayne on 7-19-2009 at 10:15 am
kirsten dunst in star trek the next generation!
why did you not include this one!
posted by meh on 7-20-2009 at 9:18 am
Patrick Swayze was in an episode of M*A*S*H in 1981.
@ meh
There’s a lot of spotting you can do in TNG. Ashley Judd’s first credit (according to IMDB) was in 2 episodes in 1991.
posted by Hastings on 7-20-2009 at 10:15 am
Helen Hunt played an alien princess in an episode of the Bionic Woman
posted by erstwhile on 7-20-2009 at 1:16 pm
Speaking of Star Trek The Next Generation, Ashley Judd also appeared in two episodes.
posted by Deej on 7-21-2009 at 9:16 am
I think it was Toby Mcguire(sp?) that joked that his big break in show business was when he played a dead kid on “Jake And The Fat Man.”
posted by Tdave on 7-27-2009 at 10:49 am