Older films with impressive “before they were famous” casts

[mothman]

I was watching The Martian the other night, and was reflecting on how virtually all of the main characters are played by well-known or established actors. And then perhaps because it was a Matt Damon film, I started thinking about Saving Private Ryan, which as well as the established actors (Hanks, Sizemore, Danson) had a lot of then-fresh/unknown talent on the cusp of becoming names (or people you'd at least remember/recognise) themselves:

Damon
Edward Burns
Barry Pepper
Vin Diesel
Adam Goldberg
Giovanni Ribisi
Jeremy Davies
Paul Giamatti
Brian Cranston
... and even Andrew Scott.

Any other similar situations (films) people can think of?

[JaDanketies]

We watched The Cable Guy (1996) recently, with a young Jim Carey, an old Ferris Bueller, and Jack Black and Ben Stiller popping up occasionally. And  Bob Odenkirk.

[studpuppet]

The Outsiders (1983) has Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Lord Patrick of Swayze, Emilio Estevez, a pre-Karate Kid Ralph Macchio, and even a Tom Waits cameo thrown in.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Hell Drivers (1957) as this quote from Wikipedia attests.

Hell Drivers is notable as being an early film for several actors who later went on to more illustrious careers. It provided early appearances for Jill Ireland and David McCallum, who met and married during the film's production. It featured Danger Man and The Prisoner actor Patrick McGoohan, and was the third film role for Sean Connery. William Hartnell was the first actor to play the role of The Doctor in the BBC's Doctor Who; Gordon Jackson appeared as George Cowley in The Professionals and the butler Hudson in ITV's Upstairs, Downstairs. Sid James was a regular supporting actor in British films at the time and appeared in most of the Carry On series. Herbert Lom starred in the ABC Television series The Human Jungle before playing the hapless Commissioner Dreyfus in The Pink Panther film franchise.

[A Hat Like That]

I do like it when pre-Carry On Sid James rocks up in an old movie.

He's surprisingly great as the non-nonsense sergeant major in the Silent Enemy and also in 1957's Quatermass 2, where his later fame maybe maybe makes you think he'll have a different fate.

[phantom_power]

Dazed and Confused must win this surely?

[mothman]

Hell Drivers (1957) as this quote from Wikipedia attests.

Dazed and Confused must win this surely?

Both good calls!

[Ignatius_S]

Hell Drivers (1957) as this quote from Wikipedia attests.

That Wikipedia information is arguably a little misleading, however.

By this time, James was well established as a household name due to Hancock's Half-Hour on the radio - and even more so with the television version. But prior to that, he had a

Hartnell had been established a significant supporting actor with significant billing (e.g. second or third name, like in Brighton Rock) for the best part of 15 years and around this time, was appearing in the massively successful The Army Game (which also featured another Hell Drivers actor, Alfie Bass) and which got him the Carry on Sergeant gig.

Similarly, Lom had appeared in a lot of films often with big billing. Not that long ago, I watched The Love Lottery on Talking Picture, where he was one of the main roles (certainly the most scene-stealing one) and Gordon Jackson was in it as well.

It's amazing how many films on TP that have Hartnell, James or Lom in them.

All he same, it's an amazing cast and Hell Drivers was also a breakthrough role for Stanley Baker. One of my friends said that he was their mum's favourite actor, but when she met him at a personal appearance was horrified to discover he was a lot shorter than she supposed and from then on, couldn't stand him. The fickleness of fans.

[Sebastian Cobb]

[Brundle-Fly]

I think this movie finally put a few actors on the map for the cinema-going public (and later inspired Kenneth Branagh?)

[bgmnts]

There is a shit teen film about some kids breaking into a school to change their exam results and I am fairly certain Chris Evans and Scarlets Johansson were in it, before Evans even played Johnny Storm.

[itsfredtitmus]

none of them

[mothman]

I think this movie finally put a few actors on the map for the cinema-going public (and later inspired Kenneth Branagh?)

And it doesn't really count, but Kevin Costner ended up on the cutting-room floor as the dead friend whose funeral causes the reunion.

I've never actually seen this film, now I think of it...

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

That's impressive. Three taglines and all of them are complete cack.

[Seedsy]

Sorry to hijack a chat about films, but recently rewatching band of brothers, there is some amount of really famous big shot actors that were in it in more peripheral roles
James Mcavoy
Michael Fassbender
Tom Hardy
Stephen Graham
Simon Pegg
Dominic Cooper
Andrew Scott
Jimmy Fallon,
And um.. Lee from the Office and the bloke that played crackers son.

[dissolute ocelot]

Another obvious one is Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) with Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Nicolas Cage, Antony Edwards, and lots of 80s names like Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Eric Stoltz. Also early writing and direction of Cameron Crowe and Amy Heckerling.

[mothman]

Band of Brothers is a fair addition given its obvious starting point was Saving Private Ryan. If anything the problem with BoB was there were too many characters, I found it hard to keep track sometimes. At least with SPR you had a smaller main bunch with dust it characters: the noble leader (Hanks), the grizzled sergeant (Sizemore), the grumpy cynic (Burns), the conscientious medic (Ribisi), the outsider/newbie (Davies), the left-handed religious sniper (Pepper), the Vin Diesel (Diesel)...

[Dave The Triffids]

Shallow Grave gave us Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston (although he had just finished appearing in Cracker at the time, I think), Kerry Fox and Ken Stott (before he was firmly wedged into all those TV detective roles).

[mothman]

Also Peter Mullen and Tony Curran, early in their careers.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Serial Mom was an earlish outing for
Matthew Lillard
Ricki Lake (although she'd been in Hairspray)
Justin Whalin

And a Lillard connection is Hackers which had him and early outings for Angela Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller.

[phantom_power]

The Last Picture Show with the Randy Quaid, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Sheppard

American Graffiti with Richard Dreyfus, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford and Kathleen Quinlan
,

[Dave The Triffids]

Also Peter Mullen and Tony Curran, early in their careers.

Oh yeah, I forgot about those two..

[Andy147]

There is a shit teen film about some kids breaking into a school to change their exam results and I am fairly certain Chris Evans and Scarlets Johansson were in it, before Evans even played Johnny Storm.

The Perfect Score, and yes, they were both in it.

[There Be Rumblings]

Pound for pound, The Bounty is fielding a strong team in 1984:

Laurence Olivier
Daniel Day-Lewis
Anthony Hopkins
Mel Gibson
Liam Neeson
Edward Fox
Bernard Hill

Ably supported by:
John Sessions
Phil Davis
Neil Morrissey
Dexter Fletcher

[Mister Six]

Dexter Fletcher is yet another Band of Brothers alum, isn't he?

Taps was the film that got Timothy Hutton (lately of Leverage, Haunting of Hill House and rape allegation fame) a best supporting actor Oscar at the age of 21 (IIRC), but it also launched the careers of Tom Cruise and Sean Penn, and stars an astonishingly young Giancarlo Esposito as well as Californication supporting man Evan Handler. Also has George C Scott and Ronny Cox, but they were already well-established at that point.

[surreal]

Dexter Fletcher is yet another Band of Brothers alum, isn't he?

Simon Pegg too, blink and you miss 'im

[Bad Ambassador]

Taps was the film that got Timothy Hutton (lately of Leverage, Haunting of Hill House and rape allegation fame) a best supporting actor Oscar at the age of 21 (IIRC)

Ordinary People.

[Gulftastic]

Simon Pegg too, blink and you miss 'im

Pegg's in two episodes, Curahee and Day Of Days. He's easier to spot in the first, featuring in a few scenes and even getting a line. He's trickier to spot in the second, featuring in only one scene, shitting himself on the way to the D Day jump, before his plane gets shot down.

I'm a bit of a superfan of that show. To add to the famous faces, the guy who takes out Phil Leotardi in The Sopranos played Bill Guarnere

[bgmnts]

Band of Brothers had loads, including Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Stephen Graham, Andrew Scott, James McAvoy and Dominic Cooper.

[Mister Six]

Ordinary People.

Ah, you're right - Taps followed, and Ordinary People was what got him top billing next to Scott.