Before They Were Famous in the Nineties (and now), in the Eighties They Were..., Actors First Names Beginning with M

This is a list of actors from the little and big screen, and the small roles they had before their big break. I'm not looking for what a particular actor did outside of acting, I'm looking more for bit roles and TV commercials. I think you could just write down waiter for almost any actor if you really wanted to if that were the case.

This page currently edited by: IndyGent. Past editor: Banasy



Macaulay Culkin
He was one of Burt Lancaster's grandchildren in the movie "Rocket Gibraltar", then with John Candy in "Uncle Buck", before he went on to star in the 1990 blockbuster hit "Home Alone".
Maggie Smith
Played one of the gods in the 1981 film "Clash of The Titans".
Manuel De Peppe
(Italian Actor-singer-producer-composer) He became Italian teenager idol with the popular tv series "Love me Licia" and "Don Tonino".
Marg Helgenberger
Started her career as Sioban in the soap "Ryan's Hope". She went on to win an Emmy Award for her role as K.C. the prostitute in "China Beach".
Marg Helgenberger
She made a guest appearance on the HBO series "Tales From The Crypt".
Margot Kidder
Lent her voice to Gobots: Battle of the Rocklords playing Solitaire.
Mario Lopez
Before acting in "Saved By The Bell" and "Pacific Blue". Mario Lopez was involved as a dancer in "Kids Incorporated".
Marisa Tomei
She played the kookey "white" roomie on A Different World.,
Marissa Tomei
Marissa played the girlfriend of a druggie on Death-Row on "21 Jump Street."
Mark Wahlberg
He was one of Leonardo DiCaprio's friends in the movie "Basketball Diaries"
Mark Walberg
Was the lead singer of the heavy metal rap group Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch.
Markie Post
Turned cards on the former game show "Card Sharks" in the early 80s. Appeared as Diane's flirty friend who made a play for Sam in an episode of "Cheers" in 1984. Appeared in The Fall Guy in the 80s.
Martin Lawrence
Appeared in the 1989 film 'Do The Right Thing'.
Martin Lawrence
He played on the short-lived series "What's Happening Now?", a spin-off from the "What's Happening?" series.
Martin Short
I saw Martin Short playing Christ in a production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Toronto, maybe around 1978.
Mary- Kate & Ashley Olsen
Played Michelle on the show "Full House".
Matt Damon
Snotty little brother of the rich boyfriend of Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza - only in one scene, a family dinner
Matt Le Blanc
Matt was in a Heinz ketchup advert. He impressed a beautiful girl by having his own bottle of ketchup drip from the roof of a building onto his hot dog in perfect style.
Matt LeBlanc
Featured in a Cherry 7-Up commercial.
Matt LeBlanc
He was a student at "Hull High". The show was a musical/comedy that centered around a high school. He played a jock and was also credited with the name Matthew LeBlanc.
Matt LeBlanc
I don't know if anyone remembers the Married With Children spin-off "Top of the Heap?" I do remember that Matt LeBlanc played Vinnie Verduchi a buffed up and totally stupid young man who's father wants him to marry rich! ,
Matt LeBlanc
He was in an old Alanis Morisette video from back in her pop queen heydays of the mid 80's.
Matt LeBlanc
Kelly Bundy's boyfriend on Married..With Children.(Dumb as her),
Matt LeBlanc
Played Vinnie on the TV sitcom Top of the Heap, which was a spin-off of Married With Children. He also was seen in a Coke commerical which aired in Canada.,
Matt LeBlanc
Heinz Ketchup commercial "The best things come to those who wait." He set a ketchup bottle on the top of a building, ran down the stairs just in time to catch the ketchup on his hotdog bun.
Matthew McConaughey
Before becoming a name, he was in 'Dazed And Confused,(1993) with Cole Hauser, Jason London, Ben Affleck, and Joey Lauren Adams.
Matthew McConaughey
Was an extra in the movie theater in the early 90's Movie "My Boyfriend's Back"
Matthew McConaughey
He was in an episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" about a young man that was shot by a deranged motorist.
Matthew Perry
He was the creep boyfriend from the movie "She's Out of Control" with Tony Danza.
Matthew Perry
He was in the episode of "Silver Spoons" where Ricky moves out.
Matthew Perry
The Friends star played the jerky boyfriend of Tony Danza's daughter in the movie "She's Out Of Control" with Monkees drummer Mickey Dolenz's daughter, Amy Dolenz. He also played River Phoenix's frind in the movie A Night in the Life Of Jimmy Reardon. He was in Just the Ten of Us with Jamie Lunar from Melrose Place

He had two of his own sitcoms! The first was called Second Chance. He was a teenageer who was killed in a car accident (I'm almost positive that's what he died of) and meets St. Peter in heaven. St. Peter gives him the chance to fix stuff in his life and every week he would either change what he did while alive or leave it the same, but he'd always return to heaven at the end having learned some lesson. Eventually the whole him-being-dead thing was dropped and lead to the show's spinoff called "Boys Will Be Boys" where now Matthew's character was just a regular hormonal teenage guy and his friends.

Matthew Perry
Played Carol's boyfriend, Sandy, on "Growing Pains," who was killed in a drunk driving accident.
Matthew Perry
Had a guest role as Wendy's "fake" boyfriend on "Just the 10 of Us", the spin off show of "Growing Pains".
Matthew Perry
Once on an episode of "Who's The Boss?" as Samantha's roomate.,
Matthew Perry
He was in an episode of "90210" as one of Brandon's friends.
Matthew Perry
Played Carol's boyfriend Sandy on Growing Pains. (His character dies.),
Matthew Perry
Before Friends fame, Matthew Perry was seen in a made for TV movie about kids going to prom in the 80s (the movie is often reshown on different channels still). He played the boyfriend of Christina Applegate. Kelsey Grammer, Carol from Growing Pains, Vanessa from the Cosby Show, and lots of other fun 80s icons are seen at their best/worst in this funny movie.,
Matthew Perry vs. Brad Pitt
Actually, Matthew Perry was Carol's boyfriend who died from complications of a car wreck caused by him being drunk. Brad Pitt played a rock star that Ben admired and thought was "the greatest" - but turned out to be a real jerk. Carol had a few "dumb" boyfriends, but I don't think they were ever Brad Pitt.,
Maura Tierney
On an episod of "Family Ties" She played a girl in Alex's class who got scared off by him.
Mayim Bialik
Played Webster's nerdy friend Frieda Gaki on the TV sit-com "Webster". She also played Bette Midler's younger character in the movie Beaches.
Meg Ryan
Played Dennis Quaid's girlfriend in the film "Innerspace".
Meg Ryan
She was playing the roles of both psychotic sisters in "Joe vs. the Volcano". A young Tom Hanks is also in this one. Typical dumb 80s comedy. I loved it!
Meg Ryan
Starred as Betsy Andapolous on As the World Turns
Meg Ryan
She was the daughter's friend in "Amityville 3".
Meg Ryan
She was Goose's wife in "Top Gun" ("Take me home or lose me forever!")
Meg Ryan
She was in Amityville Horror 3, with Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky from "Full House").
Meg Ryan
She played Goose's(Anthony Edwards) wife in Top Gun....."Goose, you big stud! Take me to bed or lose me forever!!!!"
Megan Mullally
She played a hairstylist with a reputation for sleeping around that went our with Joe on "Wings".
Megan Mullally
She played one of the call girls in the movie "Risky Business" with Tom Cruise.
Megan Mullally
She played Pat in "About Last Night".
Megan Mullally
Played one Of Demi Moore's single friends in the movie "About Last Night".
Megan Mullally
She played Demi Moore and Elizabeth Perkins' friend in "About Last Night".
Megan Mullally
She appeared in episodes of "Murder, She Wrote", "Herman's Head" and "China Beach".
Megan Mullally
She played a love interest of George in "Seinfeld". It is the same episode that Teri Hatcher plays Jerry's love interest Also she was in an episode of Frasier where the Crane brothers go to a log cabin with 2 women they have just met.
Melanie Chartoff
Was on "Fridays" with Micheal Richards & Mark Blankfield ,
Melanie Chartoff
Played the Principal Grace Musso on Parker Lewis Can't Loose alongside Corky Nemec.
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart was the main star on Nickelodeon's "Clarissa Explains It All".
Melora Walters
Had a recurring role as Debbie in "Roseanne".
Meshach Taylor
The actor that played on "What's Happenning Now?" was Meshach Taylor. (I don't remember martin Lawrence being on that show.) He was also the scientist that met a gruesome end in "Damian: Omen II", and was also in "The Howling". Later, he played Anthony Bouvier on "Designing Women"
Michael Bendetti
Played officer Anthony "Mac" McCann on "21 Jump Street", basically as Depp's replacement for the final season 1990-1991
Michael DiLorenzo
Played Alex Torres in "Head of the Class". I believe he was in "Fame" also.
Michael DiLorenzo
Michael DiLornezo played a gang kid in Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video.,
Michael DiLorenzo
Before Michael DiLorenzo hit it big on New York Undercover, he was in Michael Jackson's Beat It video playing a gang member.,
Michael Douglas
Played the man in charge of the musical in the film version of "A Chorus Line".
Michael Douglas
Before doing films like "Basic Instinct", "Disclosure", or "Don't Say A Word", Michael Douglas appeared on the crime series "The Streets of San Francisco".
Michael Imperioli
Played "Spider", the audacious bar-boy in 1989's "Good Fellas".
Michael Imperioli
Played one of the thugs in the movie "Lean On Me".
Michael J Fox
Michael's real name is Michael Andrew Fox. He started his career in Canada at the age of 15 in a show called "Leo and Me". He then starred in some American shows, "Palmerstown, USA" and "Midnight Madness" (a Walt Disney production). He also played a kid on a movie called "Class of 1984". Of course we remember him best as Alex P Keaton on "Family Ties".
Michael Michele
Michael Michele started out as a video model, appearing in Freddie Jackson's "Nice and Slow" video in 1988. Then she played Selina in "New Jack City" in 1991 with Wesley Snipes.
Michael Richards
Appeared on "Night Court" as a goofy guy who thought he was invisible. He showed up in court naked.
michael richards
He was in a movie with Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley, Jr., and Joseph Bologna called "Transylvania 6-5000". He played a wacky butler.
Michael Richards
Cheers episode. Bet Sam the bar that Sam wouldn't marry Jacqueline Bissett by a certain date. Came back on that date to collect, so Sam found a girl named Jacqueline Bissett, not the movie star.
Michael T. Weiss
He played Mike Horton on "Days of Our Lives".
Micheal Richards
He got his start on a show called "Fridays" on ABC. He played a stupid janitor in "UHF" He also starred as "The Bow Tie Killer" in the movie "Problem Child"
Michele Pfeiffer
Did a short lived TV show based on 'Animal House' called 'Delta House'.
Michelle Pfeiffer
She was Stephanie in "Grease 2" and also starred in "The Hollywood Knights" as a waitress at the drive in hangout.
Michelle Pheiffer
Michelle played the part of Isabeau in the 1985 classic film 'Ladyhawke', alongside Matthew Broaderick and Rutger Hauer.
Michelle Trachtenberg
Played Little Pete's girlfriend Nona on Nickelodeon's "The Adventures of Pete and Pete".
Mike Farrell
From 1975 to 1983, MIke played Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H.
Morgan Freeman
Freeman received his first Oscar nomination as a murderous, vicious pimp in the movie "Street Smart" (1987) with Christopher Reeve. He was nominated again for his supporting role in 1989's "Glory".
Morgan Freeman
"Easy Reader" on "The Electric Company"
Morgan Freeman
In the movie "Brubaker", Morgan Freeman received critical acclaim in his first major motion picture role as a crazed convict who had been in solitary confinement. He does a mean rendition of "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" as Robert Redford - the new warden in disguise - looks on.


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