We all know THEM, but what was the first film you saw THEM in?

[Buttmunker]

The first time I saw Matt Damon was in Courage Under Fire(1996). At first, I thought he was a skinnier Sean Astin until I saw the credits.

Jack Nicholson
The Shining (1980)

[Michael Corvin]

huh?

[Buttmunker]

In other words, there's always a first time, right? You may not have necessarily seen an actor in their debut film (depending on your age) and liked them from there on. What was the film that "did it" for you as far as liking an actor/actress?

[Pants]

Yeah those giant ants are cool.

[ArchibaldTuttle]

most of the cast of Pulp Fiction because of Pulp Fiction

Jake Gyllenhaal donnie darko

Jeff Bridges The Fisher King

Guy Pearce Memento

Russell Crowe The Insider

These are the most distinct situations where I went from not knowing who they were/or not caring to actively seeking out movies that they're in

[Alien Redrum]

Lawrence Fishburn in Apocalypse Now.

[Charlie Goose]

Al Pacino - And Justice for All

Jeff Bridges - King Kong - He had a really bad look in a really bad movie.

Clint Eastwood - Every Which Way but Loose - Still one of my favorite Clint roles, Philo Beddoe.

Robert De Niro - Angel Heart

Morgan Freeman - "The Electric Company" - Don't even try to tell me I'm the only one!

http://charliegoose.homestead.com/files/goose.jpg Honk!

[Buttmunker]

Originally posted by ArchibaldTuttle
most of the cast of Pulp Fiction because of Pulp Fiction

Guy Pearce Memento

Russell Crowe The Insider

These are the most distinct situations where I went from not knowing who they were/or not caring to actively seeking out movies that they're in

Same senario as Pulp Fiction, except it was with L.A. Confidential where I discovered Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce (and Kevin Spacey, for that matter).

[mwj]

Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential.

[Buttmunker]

Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone

James Brolin, Rod Steiger, and Margot Kidder in The Amityville Horror

Gregory Peck in The Omen

...yes, I was born in the 1970's and raised on horror.

[Joel]

Jake Gyllenhaal in Bubble Boy
Russell Crowe in Gladiator
Jim Caviezel in Frequency
Edward Norton in The Score
Guy Pearce in The Time Machine
Jude Law in Enemy at the Gates
Keanu Reeves in Point Break

[eedoon]

Jake Gyllenhaal in October Sky
Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman
Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs
Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves (but some of his later movie sucked :( )
Penny... uh... Kate Hudson in Almost Famous
Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girl

[Face/Off]

Russell Crowe in The Quick and the Dead
Val Kilmer in Top Gun
Nicole Kidman in Days of Thunder
Natalie Portman in Heat
Willem Dafoe in Platoon
Sam Neill in The Hunt for Red October
Sharon Stone in Police Academy 4 (although I didn't know who she was until Total Recall)

[DonnachaOne]

Russell Crowe - Virtuosity. [Loki from Dogma]Hey, time's gonna tell on that one[/Loki from Dogma]

[elias]

Damon - Geronimo, An American Legend
Nicholson - Chinatown
De Niro - Bang the Drum Slowly
Eastwood - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Pacino - Godfather
Crowe - L.A. Confidential
Pearce - L.A. Confidential
Kilmer - Top Secret!
Kidman - Dead Calm
Portman - The Professional
Dafoe - To Live & Die in L.A.
Stone - Above the Law
Foster - Taxi Driver
Costner - Night Shift
Jeff Bridges - Thunderbolt & Lightfoot

[AGuyNamedMike]

Willem Dafoe - Streets of Fire (man, what an impression he made!)
Kevin Bacon - Animal House
Gary Oldman - Rosencrantz & Guildestern are Dead
Sam Neil - The Final Conflict (Omen III)
Richard Dreyfuss - Jaws
Tom Berenger - The Big Chill
George Segal - Fun with Dick and Jane
Geena Davis - Earth Girls are Easy
Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Ryan O'Neal - The Thief Who Came To Dinner
Kim Basinger - My Stepmother is an Alien
Alfre Woodard - Passionfish
Jon Favreau - Rudy
Lisa Whelchel - The Double McGuffin
Nancy Allen - Carrie
Judge Reinhold - STRIPES

[Buttmunker]

Jeff Goldblum - Legend of Sleepy Hollow as Icabod Crane

[DGibFen]

Sam Jackson in Jurassic Park
Sean Astin in Rudy

[Buttmunker]

Originally posted by Buttmunker
Same senario as Pulp Fiction, except it was with L.A. Confidential where I discovered Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce (and Kevin Spacey, for that matter).

I actually first saw Russell Crowe in "The Quick and the Dead," but he failed to make an impression with me, but that changed when I saw him in "L.A. Confidential."

[DRG]

I thought this thread was going to be about breasts...

[BassDude]

Originally posted by DRG
I thought this thread was going to be about breasts...

HA! Me too! I had a post in mind about Irene Cara in FAME. (My first R when I was young.)

[Iron Chef]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000067FP3.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Kal-El]

Pacino in Scent of a Woman
Crowe as the Preacher in The Quick and the Dead
Dafoe and Berrenger in Platoon

[isamu]

Ed Norton in American History X. This was the only instance where I saw an unknown actor in an unknown movie and said to myself "This guy's gonna be a superstar!" Then I couldn't wait to see him in other roles.

[SunMonkey]

I know a lot of times I will go back and watch a movie I haven't watched for a while, and sometimes see a now famous actor in a bit roll. For example, Orlando Bloom in Blackhawk Down. I'm sure there are many more.

[Ginwen]

Silly question, but kind of fun to think about where I first became aware of people.

Most of these I'd seen in movies before this, but this is the movie/show I became "aware" of them, or decided they were worth watching.

From LA Confidential
Guy Pearce - Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (also Hugo Weaving, but didn't realize that was him till later, so doesn't really count).
Russell Crowe - probably Virtuosity, but L.A. Confidential made me more aware of him.
Kevin Spacey - Swimming with Sharks
James Cromwell - Babe

Steve Buscemi - Airheads
Jack Nicholson - Five Easy Pieces
Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
Samuel L. Jackson - Jungle Fever
Halle Barry - Queen (TV movie)
Richard Dreyfus - Jaws
Robert Shaw - Jaws
Roy Scheider - Jaws
Edward Norton - People vs Larry Flynt
Willem Dafoe - Platoon
John Malkovich - The Killing Fields
Lisa Whelchel (not one I'd normally mention, but I saw on another list) - The Mickey Mouse Club (had a total crush on her)
Sean Penn - The Falcon and the Snowman
Jeff Goldblum - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Karen Allen - Animal House
Val Kilmer - Top Secret, but I thought he was just a pretty boy until I saw Tombstone
Jodie Foster - Courtship of Eddie's Father (I used to love that show).

I could do this all day, so I'll just stop here

[Buttmunker]

Originally posted by Ginwen
Lisa Whelchel (not one I'd normally mention, but I saw on another list)

Didn't we all first see her on Facts of Life??

[harpo787]

First time I saw these people in a flick and said "whoa....gotta keep an eye on them!":

-Kevin Spacey: Se7en...he was just damn creepy
-Edward Norton: Primal Fear "There is no Roy!"....although I must say that American History X cemented him, and Fight Club made him gold.
-Steve Buscemi: Reservoir Dogs
-Val Kilmer: wasn't sure which flick I saw first, but since someone else already said Top Secret! I'll put down Real Genius
-Gary Oldman: Dracula and True Romance made me take notice, Leon: The Professional cemented it.
-Jon Favreau: P.C.U. "Can you blow me where the pampers is?"
-Christopher Walken: I can't pinpoint a role that landed me, he's good in EVERYTHING! An entire movie can completely SUCK and his role/scenes will still be incredible.

EDITED to add:
-Brian Cox: Braveheart; how many times I saw his name and thought of the football player (the curse of living in Miami/S. FL)
-William Fichtner: Strange Days (between this guy and Brian Cox, they are officially "there's that guy in yet another movie!")

I'll add more if they float to mind.

[Ginwen]

Originally posted by Buttmunker
Didn't we all first see her on Facts of Life??

No way, that was after the Mickey Mouse Club (when she was still thin, btw).

[BuckeyeDawg]

Kevin Spacey in The Ref
Michael Douglas in The Streets of San Francisco
Sharon Stone in Total Recall
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donell, Brendan Fraser in School Ties
Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Story
Cuba Gooding Jr. in A Few Good Men
Harry Dean Stanton and Dennis Hopper in Cool Hand Luke
Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider
Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss in American Graffitti
Emilio Estevez in Repo Man
Kevin Costner in Silverado
Morgan Freeman in The Electric Company
Tom Cruise in Losin It

[taa455]

John Cusak - Sixteen Candles

[Rypro 525]

Sam Jackson Jurassic Park

[Buford T Pusser]

I first saw Jack Nicholson on the Andy Griffith Show (twice).

[Joel]

More:
Colin Farrell in Minority Report
Laurence Fishburne in Hoodlum
Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive
Jack Nicholson in Wolf
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady
Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface
Sean Connery in Family Business
Nicole Kidman in Bangkok Hilton
Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman
Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro

[Drexl]

Originally posted by BuckeyeDawg
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donell, Brendan Fraser in School Ties

Yep, that's where I first saw Damon too. When Good Will Hunting came out, I remembered him from that film (even though I didn't know his name back then).

I think this thread (or maybe it should be another thread, I don't know) should be about actors who you saw in a movie and then remembered them when they became famous, NOT about actors that you had previously seen in a movie but weren't aware that you had seen them before when they eventually became famous. For example, I had to have first seen Kevin Spacey in Consenting Adults, but at the time, I didn't know his name. When Spacey became famous, I didn't remember seeing him in CA, so, he wouldn't count because I didn't remember him from before. Another example of who would not qualify would be David Duchovny in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. Even though I had seen this movie before "The X-Files" came out, I didn't recognize Duchovny from anything. For all I knew, it was the first I had seen of him. It was only later, when I saw some of DTMTBD again, that I realized Duchovny was in it. Am I making sense so far?

Now, what would count is Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in Explorers. Perhaps because I remembered their names, when they went on to later roles I remembered having seen them in that movie.

Maybe there should be a separate thread for actors you had seen before but didn't realize it until later.

[danol]

Originally posted by Pants
Yeah those giant ants are cool.


"Yeah spit is the only thing that's holding me together" I thought the poster was talking about the 1954 movie THEM also. I never seen anything other reference with the 4 letters in high case
than THEM.

[Ginwen]

Originally posted by danol
I thought the poster was talking about the 1954 movie THEM also. I never seen anything other reference with the 4 letters in high case
than THEM.

That was my first thought too. Well, that, or breasts.