10 Actors Whose Careers Took Off After Leaving Their Famous TV Show

#10: Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase is such a huge part of the history of Saturday Night Live some might forget that he was only on the show for a season and a half. He was easily the biggest breakout star of the shows first season and by the time season two rolled around the movie offers were coming in fast and furious. Whether it was that - or the fact that his girlfriend didnt want to move to New York - Chase left the show during the second season. He moved to LA and became a huge comedy movie star with iconic characters like Clark Griswold and Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher.
#9: James Garner
James Garner appeared in more than 50 movies throughout his impressive career, films as diverse as The Great Escapeand The Notebook. He also starred in what TV Guide in 2002 called the 39th greatest show of all time, The Rockford Files. Garners impressive career got its break back in the late 1950s with a show called Maverick. In fact, the show was so popular, The Rockford Files was created as a Maverick remake in a modern 70s setting. Theres even a statue of Garner as Bret Maverick in his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. The show made Garner famous, but issues with the studio caused him to quit the series after the third season.
#8: Drake
Drake may have gotten his first taste of fame as an actor, but that was never going to be his path to world domination. Not to denigrate his acting talent, but music has always been his true love and his goal. So much so that even when he was on Degrassi[a]: The Next Generation he was showing up late to the set because he was spending so much time at night working on his music. Some say he was given an ultimatum - the music or the show. But regardless of whether thats true or not, Drake did leave Degrassi after seven years to make music his full-time gig. When it comes to the success of that gig, skyrocketed is probably an understatement.
#7: Farrah Fawcett
Prior to 1976 Farrah Fawcett was a relatively unknown actress trying to make it in Hollywood. But then 1976 happened and everything changed. First, she landed the role of Jill Munroe on Charlies Angels and as her popularity rose, the now-iconic red bathing suit poster came out and she got even bigger. Then, in 1977 she quit the show. Some might say her career was never again as big commercially, and her first few film roles were pretty forgettable. However, Fawcett kept working and expanded the audiences assumptions about what she was and what she could do. Fawcett ended up with 4 Emmy nominations and was even nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her supporting role in The Apostle.
#6: Ashton Kutcher
For some, Ashton Kutcher will always be Michael Kelso. But while the fame and opportunities Kutcher found with That '70s Show couldve been the peak of his career, he used them as a launchpad for bigger things. After leaving the show he continued to be an in demand rom-com star with films like What Happens in Vegasand No Strings Attached. He even got to play Steve Jobs in 2013 and kept Two and a Half Men going for 4 seasons after Charlie Sheen left the series. Kutcher has also found success investing in startups as well as with his own venture capital firm, as well as a creator or producer of TV shows.
#5: Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has had such an impressive movie career that one could easily forget he was ever on a television show in the first place. But he was. 21 Jump Street didnt just make Depp famous, it made him a much-drooled-over heartthrob - which is actually one of the reasons he left the show. Feeling more like a product than an actor, Depp wanted to get away from the teen idol he had become and was let out of his contract after the fourth season. Controversies in his private life aside, theres no denying his acting career has reached impressive heights both critically and commercially.
#4: Donald Glover
While some singers dabble in acting and some actors might try to be musicians, few have done both at such an impressively high level as Donald Glover. We first really got to know Glover during his four full seasons on Community. However, due to some personal issues and a desire to expand creatively, Glover left the show early in the fifth season. What has he done since? Well, hes been Lando Calrissian, hes been the voice of Simba and he created and wrote the multi-award winning FX series, Atlanta.. On the music side hes continued to see critical and commercial success under the name Childish Gambino, with the pinnacle being the trove of Grammys he took home for This Is America.
#3: Steve Carell
Its a mystery how Steve Carell never won an Emmy for his portrayal of Michael Scott on The Office. However, awards aside, the show truly did wonders for his career. Carell left the show after the 7th season when NBC didnt make an effort to renew his contract. And yes, with films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin Carells career was already heading to the sky before he left the show. However, its continued that way since, and gone beyond comedy to include - among other dramatic roles - an Oscar nominated performance in Foxcatcher. What cant he do?
#2: Ron Howard
There might be a generation who only knows Ron Howard as a great, award-winning director. But before he got behind the camera, he became famous in front of it. First he was Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Then came the role that made him a household name: Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. The aforementioned series ran for 11 seasons on ABC, but Howard left after the 7th season to focus on his desire to direct. Within 4 years of leaving the show, he would break out as a director with Splash and follow it up with an impressive career that has included Backdraft, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind to name just a few.
#1: George Clooney
No, we arent talking about his 17 episodes of The Facts of Life. It was his 100+ episodes as Dr. Ross on ER that made Clooney famous - a fame that almost any actor would love to have. Yet its a fame that pales in comparison to how his career took off after he left the show in the fifth season, with films like Good Night, and Good Luck and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Clooney has seen critical and commercial success both in front of and behind the camera, winning Oscars as an actor and producer and being nominated several more times. He is a true movie star as well as one of the most popular celebrities in the world.
Which big time star do you remember watching on their first big TV show? Let us know in the comments.
