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Stardom in Hollywood is generally in either television or movies. Movies, of course, offers a lot more with massive success, billion dollar franchises, Oscars and more. However, television has offered more safety and success of its own. It’s risky as Hollywood is famous for always looking for the next new star and thus it’s easy for someone to be hot one year and cold the next. It’s no secret many stars have used TV as a starting point to end up in movies. The success rate there is high as numerous Oscar winners got their start on TV, thus becoming success stories. There’s also slews of TV stars who have now become some of the biggest box office names around and thus it is obvious why so many love to make that jump.

But there are risks. Just look at how for every Saturday Night Live alumni who’s become a huge star, another has seen their career falter. Too many actors make the mistake of thinking that a few million TV viewers will equal even more movie fans and make that jump before they’re ready. Even those who seem to have the ingredients for success choose the wrong projects and that hurts them. Most of the time, they end up right back on TV while others just falter terribly. Yes, some actors will succeed no matter what but others are better off on the small screen than the big one. Here are 10 actors who thrived after leaving TV behind and 10 who regretted making that jump in the first place.

REGRET - Jessica Alba

It really looked like this woman had the ingredients for movie stardom. In 2000, Jessica Alba burst on the scene as the star of Fox’s Dark Angel. The image of her in a tight leather suit dominated billboards and thus made the show a must-watch right off the bat. It only lasted two seasons but by the time it was done, Alba had become one of the hottest women alive. So when movies came calling, one would think she’d do well with her good talent and appeal. Sadly, that never really happened as too many roles focused solely on her body. That includes Sin City, Honey, Into the Blue and others. She was horribly miscast as the Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four films and later work wasn’t much better.

Of course, Alba has found better success in the business world as her Honest Company has made her a certified billionaire. She seems happy handling that with her family, and is shooting a pilot based on the hit Bad Boys movies. Still, it’s notable how one of the 2000’s steamiest TV women could never make the jump into movies.

THRIVED - Robin Williams

His tragic passing in 2014 has given this funnyman’s life a dark shadow. But when you talk of the best moves from TV stardom to movie domination, you have to include Robin Williams. A rising comic, he was cast for a role on Happy Days as a spaceman character. Viewers loved it so much that Williams won his spin-off Mork & Mindy. He went all out, allowing folks to fall in love with his natural knack for comedy. His first few movies were rough, like the flop Popeye, but he was soon picking better scripts. Good Morning Vietnam solidified him as both a good actor and a box office name and he added to it with various other work. Whether playing it a bit more serious or cutting loose as he did in Aladdin, Williams was a great movie force.

It all paid off in 1998 as his performance in Good Will Hunting earned Williams an Oscar. His talk show appearances were always notable for his off-the-cuff impressions and nuttiness. And while he took more serious roles later in life, he still showed his amazing talent off. In 2013, he returned to TV in the CBS comedy The Crazy Ones to show he still had it. Just months after its cancellation, he died, leaving a great film legacy for the one time TV wildman.

REGRET - Jessica Biel

When 7th Heaven premiered, Jessica Biel was well cast as Mary Camden, a tomboyish gal with a squeaky-clean image. In 2000, she stunned everyone by doing an interview in Gear magazine that had her trashing that role, and later baring almost everything in a sultry photo shoot. It led to her being written off the show for a time, although she did come back. With her amazing beauty, it looked like movie stardom would be a natural for Biel. However, she made the mistake of choosing some pretty bad flicks. Blade Trinity was successful, but not enough to make a notable difference, and that's even one of her better efforts. Stealth, The A-Team, and Total Recall were all flops. Not even baring all on screen couldn’t lift Powder Blue up from obscurity. Frankly, Biel was far more famous for her marriage to Justin Timberlake than anything she did in movies.

In 2017, Biel returned to TV, playing the lead role in the USA drama The Sinner. She got massive acclaim for it and some award nominations. It shows how TV fared better for Biel as she was less than heavenly in movies.

THRIVED - Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is the first to crack jokes about his early TV work. That includes a famous episode of Happy Days where he tries to use karate on the Fonz, and other guest roles like an alcoholic uncle on Family Ties. Hanks got his biggest break in Bosom Buddies, the cult comedy of two guys who dress like women to move into an all-female apartment building. Hanks was slowly building up attention in movies but it was his performance as a literally grown-up kid in Big that launched him to a box office name. He could do romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle but then wowed critics by winning back-to-back Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.

Since then, Hanks has been the go-to for major Hollywood stars and overall nice guys. He’s added too many hits to count to his resume to be a dependable man with studios and earned a few more Oscar nominations. Not bad for a guy who once spent every episode of his TV show in drag.

REGRET - Any of the Friends

When Friends debuted in 1994, it turned six mostly unknown actors into major stars. The show was a huge hit and one would think this would lead to great success for its actors. However, it just didn’t turn out that way. Yes, Jennifer Aniston had some success like Office Space, Bruce Almighty and Horrible Bosses but she was a constant supporting role. She also had a slew of flops with failed turns at romantic comedies and her attempts at drama was even worse. Which makes it all the more notable that she’s the most successful of the bunch.

Matthew Perry majorly struck out as a leading man with Fools Rush In and Three to Tango. Matt LeBlanc had a flop Lost in Space and a movie about a baseball-playing chimp. Lisa Kudrow got hails for Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion but nothing really major since and she was never in a starring role. Courtney Cox had the Scream series but likewise nothing for a starring role. And it’s not even worth talking about David Schwimmer. The series may have been one of the biggest hit comedies in TV history but the movies were rather unfriendly to the bunch.

THRIVED - Jennifer Lawrence

Much has been written of how fast Jennifer Lawrence’s rise from nobody to A-list Hollywood star has been. It’s been such a big deal that even many of her fans can forget her TV career. Her first role was as a mascot on an episode of Monk, a sight Lawrence giggles over today. This led to the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show where the comedian plays a family counselor who can’t understand his own family. Lawrence played the classic role of the eldest teenage daughter who balances growing up with a fun style, smarter than she seems but still not seemingly anything special. Even as a performer, she was pretty flat in the role.

After the show wrapped up, Lawrence got her part in Winter’s Bone that got her attention and earned her first Oscar nomination. Two years later came the mega-hit The Hunger Games and she later won the Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook. It truly is amazing how she’s risen so far so quickly.

REGRET - Claire Danes

It’s hard to find a better TV debut than this. In 1994, Claire Danes wowed viewers and critics as the star of My So-Called Life. Hailed as a genius series, Danes was terrific in her role. She was playing a teenager who had to undergo multiple hardships throughout her life. Despite the huge critical acclaim, however, the show was canceled after just one season. Boosted by its success, Danes moved to movies but while she got good notices for Romeo & Juliet, the rest of her resume wasn’t as fun. Brokedown Palace, The Mod Squad, Terminator 3, and Stardust were movies that were either bad or outright flops and while Danes had charm, she failed to connect with moviegoers.

Danes herself must have agreed as in 2011, she returned to TV with the Showtime drama Homeland. The acclaimed hit show boosted her back up, winning two Emmy awards.

THRIVED - Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis probably always had stardom in him, it just took a bit for it to come out. He had a few minor roles here and there before Moonlighting turned him into a major TV star. Fans loved his sardonic private eye who would talk to the camera and even do some music stuff. In 1988, Die Hard made Willis an instant star and a go-to guy for action films. He did hit a bit of a slump with bombs like Hudson Hawk, but Pulp Fiction not only restored his credibility but won over critics as well. Willis may have the odd bomb but also has plenty of hits like The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and more. He did make a return to TV, winning an Emmy for a guest spot on Friends that showed his comedic chops.

Willis has gotten slammed a lot for his ego and some rough stuff. However, he’s also a fun guy on talk shows and has settled into using his experience for roles. Somehow, the man is able to survive flops and bounce back to remain a top star.

REGRET - Jennifer Love Hewitt

Party of Five was a major success for Fox, fans and critics loving the tale of a family dealing with the loss of their parents. It led to stardom for Matthew Fox, Scott Wolfe and Neve Campbell. There was also Jennifer Love Hewitt as Wolfe’s love interest who had fans swooning in no time. Hewitt then hit movie stardom with I Know What You Did Last Summer. She had a short-lived spin-off, Time Of Your Life but concentrated on movie success. Unfortunately, it came with flops like Heartbreakers and a remake of The Devil and Daniel Webster that never ended up going on screen. When your biggest movie success is Garfield, you know your career is in trouble.

Hewitt would return to TV and find better luck with the long-running Ghost Whisperer. She followed it up with The Client List and a stint on Criminal Minds but has taken a break to concentrate on family. It’s too bad a woman once cited as among the most beautiful women alive couldn’t make it in movies despite her great beauty.

THRIVED - Chris Pratt

It’s still astounding to see how fast this guy transformed from secondary sitcom face to Hollywood leading man. Chris Pratt had started out on the popular WB drama Everwood as a nice small town guy. This led to his bigger part as the dimwitted but good-hearted Andy on Parks and Recreation that led to major fame. It was still a surprise when Pratt was cast as Peter “Star-Lord” Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy. For Marvel to take such a risk on a chubby comic guy to headline a big-budget blockbuster was a surprise, but he delivered beautifully in the role. Overnight, Pratt was a major Hollywood leading man and has shown it off since.

Just after Parks wrapped up, Pratt hit it again with Jurassic World and added on more hits like The Magnificent Seven and a Guardians sequel. It’s amazing how the one-time “goofy sitcom guy” is now one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.

REGRET - Taylor Kitsch

You really have to feel for this guy. In 2006, Taylor Kitsch became an instant heartthrob with his role as Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights. His “bad boy” football player won over viewers and seemed to push him up. He played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine which had him as a surprising hit with fans, who thought he was perfect for the part. With FNL ending, it looked like Kitsch had all the ingredients to be a major movie star. Instead, in 2012, he starred in not one but two epic bombs. First was John Carter, the $250 million sci-fi epic that was horribly marketed and turned into one of the most spectacular box office bombs in movie history.

Just months later, Kitsch starred in Battleship, another $200 million sci-fi action movie that was also a huge flop. While not his fault, Kitsch sadly saw his star power fade. No one would cast someone who couldn't make it in two major films. Kitsch later returned to TV in the second season of True Detective which was trashed by critics. He’s currently on the mini-series Waco.

THRIVED - Will Smith

It’s hard to find more examples of a great TV-to-movie move than this. Will Smith was already well known as the Fresh Prince, a rapper who had fans loving him with his fun lyrics and style. In 1990, NBC gave him his own sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and fans fell in love with this wild street kid living among the California elite. It made Smith an instant star and boosted attention for him in major ways. For a time, Smith seemed okay with just TV stuff and the occasional movie role like Six Degrees of Separation. In 1995, his turn in Bad Boys made him an instant box office attraction and with Fresh Prince entering its final season, the offers were coming in fast. Just after the series finale, Smith starred in Independence Day, the mega-smash sci-fi hit that made him “the king of the 4th July weekend.”

Since then, Smith has added slews of hits to his resume such as Men in Black, Hancock, I Am Legend and more. But he’s also proven his worth as an actor, earning an Oscar nomination for Ali and starting to settle into more dramatic roles in his age. Indeed, many younger viewers know nothing of his rapper past and how the Fresh Prince has become a Hollywood king.

REGRET - Sarah Michelle Gellar

A teenager when she came to fame, Sarah Michelle Gellar got attention playing Susan Lucci’s daughter on All My Children, winning a Daytime Emmy for the role. She was cast as the bratty Cordelia on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but Joss Whedon decided she was much better for the title role. Thanks to her great work, the show was a huge hit and Gellar rose high as a star. She also had roles in some movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and massive acclaim for Cruel Intentions that hinted a big movie career was ahead. Gellar decided to end the show in 2003 but her turns in movies didn’t quite work out.

Too many flops abounded like the bizarre Southland Tales which had her star power fade. Her last movie role was in 2009. Gellar tried to return to television in Ringer and The Crazy Ones, neither of which lasted more than one season. It’s too bad as Gellar looked to have the ingredients of movie stardom, but never seemed to make the cut.

THRIVED - Hilary Swank

It’s almost forgotten but Hilary Swank was just your typical actress trying her best to make it with some TV shows. That included the short-lived comedy Camp Wilder and other roles. In 1998, Swank landed a juicy part as a single mom on the long-running hit 90210. She was promised it would be a long-term job but after just sixteen episodes, she was informed her character was being written out. Swank was devastated, actually considering quitting acting as “if I’m not good enough for 90210, I’m not good enough for anything.”

As it happened, the firing was the best thing to happen to Swank. Needing work, she auditioned for a movie called Boys Don’t Cry. Her stunning performance instantly made her a star and won her the Oscar. A second Oscar would follow, and thus it showed that sometimes losing a show can occasionally result in getting something better.

REGRET - Shelley Long

She is the poster child for actors and actresses who basically ruined their careers by leaving a hit TV show. Shelley Long had a good career going already with some successful films before 1982 and Cheers. Her role as Diane, the uptight woman who ends up a barmaid, helped make the show one of the biggest hits on TV, fans loving the banter between Long and Ted Danson. She won an Emmy and solidified the show as a success with a few movies like Outrageous Fortune. There were reports of tension on set but still a surprise when Long left the show after its fifth season.

Her career since was filled with slews of flop movies like Hello Again, Frozen Assets and others. She did win attention in the goofy Brady Bunch Movie but nothing truly major aside from that. Attempts to return to television were short-lived although she made an appearance in the Cheers series finale and also on Fraiser. But for the most part, Long seems to regret the move.

THRIVED - Benedict Cumberbatch

Handsome and smooth, Benedict Cumberbatch was a fine choice for a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. The BBC series Sherlock was notable for showing Holmes as basically a sociopath, albeit on the good guys’ side. Cumberbatch, already a veteran of several British shows, handled the part well, making Holmes a symbol for female viewers.

It thus wasn’t long before movies came calling and surprisingly, Cumberbatch embraced big-budget fare like Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit, 12 Years a Slave and others. But he also showed his great acting talents, earning an Oscar nomination for The Imitation Game to prove his worth. Cumberbatch also joined the Marvel Universe, the perfect choice for Doctor Strange. He still does a Sherlock series but seems to have gotten a better boost in movies. It is no mystery that he is a great star.

REGRET - Katherine Heigl

For a brief time, it looked like Katherine Heigl was making the major jump from TV to movies. She had a few small movie roles like Under Siege 2 but rose to fame on TV with Roswell. That led to her hit role on Grey’s Anatomy as Izzie which made her the only cast member to win an Emmy award. In 2007, Heigl jumped to movie fame with Knocked Up, a huge hit that made her a real star. 27 Dresses and The Ugly Truth followed, both successful and Heigl left Grey’s, seemingly for movie stardom.

But then the stories of Heigl’s massive ego began drifting around, giving her a bad reputation. That led to flops like Killers and One For The Money and just as soon as it took off, her movie career fizzled out. In 2014, she made a much-hyped return to television in State of Affairs but that was canceled after 13 episodes. She made another try with Doubt but the legal drama was axed after just its second episode. Heigl is trying again by joining the USA drama Suits, so the world waits to see how that will go.

THRIVED - Sandra Bullock

It’s forgotten how Sandra Bullock got her start on a few TV shows that she prefers to not remember. She started off with a 1989 Bionic Man/Bionic Woman TV Movie intended to be the pilot for a revival of the classic series. However, that never took off. Bullock then was cast in 1990’s Working Girl, based on the hit movie where she played a secretary who soon boosts herself up to become a busy executive. The show wasn’t too bad but lost amid the other shows of the time and thus ended after just 12 episodes. Bullock thus figured that movies had a better chance for her. She plugged it away in a few before her role in Speed turned her into a star and launched her Oscar-winning career.

Bullock would later return to TV, producing The George Lopez Show and making appearances there as a klutzy co-worker. But she’s shown how a forgettable TV career can pave the way for a major movie one.

REGRET - David Caruso

It takes a lot of confidence to leave a major hit show after just one season to seek out movie fame. David Caruso shows that confidence can sometimes work against you. In 1993, NYPD Blue stormed ABC and left viewers amazed since the show crossed a lot of boundaries at the time. David Caruso was an instant hit with viewers. He was handsome and daring. It was a fantastic role, the sort of long-running and solid hit a rising actor needs. But after just one year, Caruso decided it was enough. He’d had conflicts with the producers and network, holding out for more money but eventually left after just that one season.

The series would end up continuing for another eleven seasons. Meanwhile, Caruso’s would-be movie career fizzled in no time with flops like Jade and others. He was a punching bag for comics. Caruso would finally redeem himself starring in the long-running CSI Miami but still had to put up with this very bad choice for movies over TV.

THRIVED - George Clooney

He’s the first to make jokes on his less than stellar TV work. George Clooney got his break on the later seasons of the long-running NBC hit The Facts of Life. By this point, the show had moved from the girls at a private school to living together while running a shop. When it caught fire, Clooney showed up as George Burnett, the handyman who helped them rebuild and stuck around for a while. In 1994, Clooney was instantly pushed to stardom as Dr. Ross on the mega-hit ER and quickly topping the “Sexiest Man Alive” lists. He was still with ER when he started getting raves for movies like Out Of Sight and his cool acting was a hit.

Clooney finally left the show in 1999 although he made a surprise cameo in Julianna Marguiles’ final episode. Since then, he’s gone on to a stellar career, winning an Oscar for Syriana and brilliantly balancing drama, comedy and even acclaim as a director. If anyone can boast seeing success after leaving TV, it has to be Clooney for sure.