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Hollywood’s biggest stars, particularly the names that have been around for decades, seem like they’ve been around since the beginning of time. As you might’ve imagined, that isn’t the case, and they have had their own initial roles, small parts, and slow rise to fame before their stardom.
Looking back at those performances can be surprisingly strange, because the actors are recognizable while everything around them feels like a time capsule. This list focuses on vintage stars whose careers took off during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, highlighting an early major role from before they became the icons audiences know today.
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Jack Nicholson, Easy Rider
Jack Nicholson had already appeared in numerous films before Easy Rider, but his role as lawyer George Hanson in the 1969 counterculture classic became his first major role. The performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination and changed his career.
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Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman became a major star almost overnight with The Graduate. His portrayal of Benjamin Braddock in Mike Nichols’ 1967 film was his first major role and earned him an Academy Award nomination, despite his relative obscurity beforehand.
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Gene Hackman, Bonnie and Clyde
Gene Hackman’s first major role arrived in Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, where he played Buck Barrow, Clyde’s older brother. The 1967 crime film earned Hackman an Academy Award nomination and helped establish him as a serious character actor.
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Al Pacino, The Panic in Needle Park
Before The Godfather transformed him into a superstar, Al Pacino played heroin addict Bobby in The Panic in Needle Park. Jerry Schatzberg’s 1971 drama was Pacino’s first major film role and showcased the intense naturalism that became his trademark.
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Robert De Niro, Greetings
Robert De Niro’s first major role came in Greetings, Brian De Palma’s 1968 black comedy about three young men avoiding the Vietnam draft. De Niro played Jon Rubin, beginning a career that would soon lead to Mean Streets and The Godfather Part II.
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Jeff Bridges, The Last Picture Show
Jeff Bridges had been appearing onscreen since childhood, but The Last Picture Show gave him his first major role. His performance as Duane Jackson earned an Academy Award nomination, immediately establishing the young actor as a serious Hollywood talent.
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Sissy Spacek, Badlands
Sissy Spacek’s first major role was Holly Sargis in Terrence Malick’s Badlands. Released in 1973, the film paired Spacek with Martin Sheen and gave audiences an early glimpse of the actress who would soon headline Carrie.
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Richard Gere, Days of Heaven
Richard Gere’s first major film role came in Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven in 1978. Gere played Bill, a Chicago laborer who travels to Texas with his lover and sister, appearing years before American Gigolo made him a star.
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John Travolta, Carrie
John Travolta had already appeared on television, but Carrie marked his first major film role. As Billy Nolan, Chris Hargensen’s rebellious boyfriend, Travolta appeared alongside Sissy Spacek before Saturday Night Fever and Grease turned him into a superstar.
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Christopher Walken, The Anderson Tapes
Christopher Walken’s first major film role came in Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes. Released in 1971, the crime thriller cast Walken as an electronics expert nicknamed The Kid, years before his distinctive screen presence became instantly recognizable.
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Diane Keaton, The Godfather
Diane Keaton’s first screen appearance came in 1970, but her major film breakthrough arrived with The Godfather in 1972. As Kay Adams, Michael Corleone’s girlfriend and eventual wife, she joined one of cinema’s most influential casts.
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Susan Sarandon, Joe
Susan Sarandon landed a major role almost immediately with Joe, the 1970 drama starring Peter Boyle. Sarandon played Susan Compton, whose drug-dealing boyfriend is killed by her father, beginning a film career that would eventually span decades.
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Harrison Ford, American Graffiti
Harrison Ford had spent years taking small roles before American Graffiti gave him a much more substantial part. In George Lucas’ 1973 coming-of-age film, Ford played hot-rodding enthusiast Bob Falfa, several years before Star Wars changed everything.
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Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow had already appeared on television and in films, but Rosemary’s Baby became the defining early role of her movie career. Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror film cast Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse, putting her at the center of a landmark psychological horror story.
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