10 Actors Who Appeared on ‘Friends’ Before They Got Famous
Going from central casting to Central Perk, many Hollywood stars got early acting gigs on Friends, the comedy returning to the spotlight in HBO Max’s upcoming reunion special.
Of course, the hit NBC sitcom hosted a ton of famous faces during its 10-season run: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Winona Ryder and Jennifer Aniston’s ex Brad Pitt are just a few of the A-listers who graced the Friends set in various roles.
But scores more actors guest-starred on the show before they were household names. Scroll down to see some of these actors and to scope out their Friends characters.
Friends: The Reunion, Thursday, May 27, HBO Max
Leah Remini…
…played Lydia
The King of Queens comedienne plays a woman whom Joey (Matt LeBlanc) helps through childbirth in Season 1’s ‘The One With the Birth.”
Mae Whitman…
…played Sarah Tuttle
In Season 3’s “The One Where Rachel Quits,” this actress of Good Girls fame played a Brown Birds scout who suffers a broken leg after getting hit by Ross’ (David Schwimmer) tennis bag.
Michael Vartan…
…played Timothy Burke
Alias‘ leading man played Monica’s (Courteney Cox) onetime eye doctor and fleeting crush in the Season 4 episode “The One With Chandler in a Box.”
Paget Brewster…
…played Kathy
Over the course of Season 4, the Criminal Minds alum played a love interest for Joey and then Chandler (Matthew Perry).
Cole Sprouse…
…played Ben Geller
The Riverdale star recurred on the show from Season 6 to Season 8, as Ross’ son with his ex-wife Carol (Jane Sibbett).
Jason George…
…played a fireman
Station 19 wasn’t this actor’s first time portraying a firefighter: He played the one who finds Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) discarded smoke detector in Season 7’s “The One Where They’re Up All Night.”
Ellen Pompeo…
…played Missy Goldberg
Long before her Grey’s Anatomy days, this TV star played a college crush who came between Ross and Chandler in Season 10’s “The One Where The Stripper Cries.”
Craig Robinson…
…played a clerk
The future star of The Office played a clerk who processed Phoebe’s titular name change in Season 10’s “The One With Princess Consuela.”
Dakota Fanning…
…played Mackenzie
In that same episode, the Alienist actress played a young girl who doesn’t want Chandler and Monica to buy her family’s house.
Anna Faris…
…played Erica
Way before she had her own sitcom with Mom, this actress played another mother: birth mom of Chandler and Monica’s twins in Season 10.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services