Before They Were Famous

Oh sure, they’re household names now. But everyone has to pay their dues.

Before They Were Famous
 Check out the surprising first roles of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and watch videos of others before they struck it big.

Ben Affleck
Long before he was an Oscar winner for this film, a pre-teen Ben starred in the educational series “Voyage of the Mimi” in 1984. (Watch clips.) He recently directed and starred in this critically acclaimed film.

Jennifer Aniston
Before she was a favorite on this TV show or known for her high-profile romance with this A-list star, Jennifer starred in the critical bomb “Leprechaun” (watch clips). That was two years before she became a household name.

Jennifer Lopez
When she was just Jenny From the Block, before she was an international star, Jennifer made her debut with a small role in “My Little Girl” (see the trailer). She also was a Fly Girl on "In Living Color" with another familiar face.

Tom Cruise
The high-profile star played a small role in 1981’s “Endless Love” (watch clips), which starred this well-known actress, whom he famously criticized many years later.

Sylvester Stallone
Sly’s first role won’t go down as a cinematic achievement. “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s” was re-released after the actor’s star rose dramatically with this film. Upon re-release, it was called “The Italian Stallion.” (See the trailer.)

Keira Knightley
Blink and you’ll miss her, or you’ll think she’s Natalie Portman in her non-speaking role in this film. She was hired specifically for her resemblance to Portman. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005 for this film.

Tom Hanks
Even two-time Oscar winners for Best Actor had to start somewhere. Tom starred on this TV series at the same time the made-for-TV movie “Mazes & Monsters” was released. (Watch clips.)

Angelina Jolie
Her first role was in a film with her father called “Lookin’ to Get Out” (watch clips) when she was 6 years old, and her first major role came in “Cyborg 2” at age 17. (Watch clips.) Check out her other films.

Naomi Watts
Known for her dramatic roles in acclaimed films like “21 Grams” and “Mulholland Drive,” it’s a surprise that one of her first roles was in this horror flick, based on a book by Stephen King.

Denzel Washington
This Oscar winner started out humbly enough, in a 1977 TV movie called “Wilma” (about this real person). Just nine years later, he won his first Academy Award for a role in this film.

John Travolta
Before “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease,” Travolta’s movie debut came in the laughably bad “The Devil’s Rain.” (Watch clips.) It’s nice to know there’s life after a film where most of the cast is melted by Satan. (You can’t make this up!)

Evangeline Lilly
When she was cast as the female lead in this popular TV series, most wondered where she came from. We have the answer. She made her debut in this advertisement. Really.

Hilary Swank
This Oscar winner got her start with a single line of dialogue in the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie. (Watch clips.) She also put her role on this TV series far, far behind her.

Brad Pitt
A lot of people consider this film Brad’s big debut. But no, it was the 1989 film “Cutting Class.” (Watch clips.) This low-budget slasher flick was the world’s first glimpse of the future Mr. Jolie.

Holiday Memories

Holiday Memories

As we approach the festivities themselves and try to wind down from all the rush, we're often reminded of the memorable times from holidays past. Some celebrities have their own vivid memories and are willing to share them.

Kyra Sedgwick

He put a ring in the toe of a stocking, and on Christmas Eve we opened our stockings and it was there at the bottom. And then he got down on his knees and he was shaking and said, 'Will you marry me?' I thought, 'What took you so long?' We'd been going out for 10 months already ... He says it took a long time for me to say yes, but I'm sure it wasn't more than 20 seconds.

---- Kyra Sedgwick remembers when her husband, actor Kevin Bacon, proposed

Tom Cruise

I would say one of the best Christmases as a kid is when we didn't buy each other stuff. My mother came up with this idea to pick names out of a hat and, for a month, you had to do something for that person. And then, on Christmas Day, you had to write a poem or a story for that person.

---- Tom Cruise remembers his family holidays growing up

Carrie Underwood

We don't really have that many traditions, but we are together, and that's the most important thing. We eat ourselves silly and try, of course, to remember the true meaning of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus. My mom always makes, like, a broccoli cheese casserole, and we do, like, potato casseroles and stuff like that. Just whatever is meat-free.

---- Carrie Underwood says food was often the centerpiece of her family's holiday

Keanu Reeves

I had been away from home for a long time and gone through quite an extraordinary experience, and I remember coming home and having Christmas at my house and having so many friends who couldn't go home or whatever. It was a wonderful Christmas with 20 people -- just friends and family -- and just a great night.

---- Keanu Reeves recalls returning from Katmandu, Nepal, where he was filming "Little Buddha

Chris Rock

A couple years ago my family, we were in Africa on safari for Christmas. And stayed at a lodge and my kids were really young and they were so scared Santa wasn't going to show. And just the look on their faces when their toys were under a tree in Africa. Kind of cool.

---- Chris Rock remembers a special Christmas in Africa

Halle Berry

Christmas was always a great time. I grew up with a single-parent family, so we didn't always have a lot of money, but my mother, she must have spent the entire year saving up for Christmas, because I felt on Christmas that we were rich, because we always got everything we ever wrote on our list to Santa.

---- Halle Berry remembers joyful holidays as a kid