Famous actors who appeared on 'Seinfeld' before their big breaks

Over the course of its nine seasons, 'Seinfeld' (1989-1998) had a cast of four main actors but also a huge number of guest roles. Dozens of relatively unknown actors and actresses passed through its doors before they became famous. We would later know them from 'Breaking Bad,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Friends,' and other top series. Do you still recognize these stars from their early 'Seinfeld' roles?

An actress with a long career, we could see Teri Hatcher as Superman's girlfriend in the series 'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.' Her biggest success would come with the series 'Desperate Housewives.' She was nominated for an Emmy Award with her role of Susan.

Teri Hatcher made her appearance as Sidra, one of Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriends in episode 19 of season 4: 'The Implant.' Her character spoke the famous last words: "They're real, and they're spectacular!"

Next to Teri Hatcher in this photo of the 'Desperate Housewives' cast, we see Brenda Strong, the tall actress who provided the voice-over to the successful dramedy. The actress also had an appearance in 'Seinfeld' in common with Teri Hatcher.

She played Sue Ellen Mischke, Elaine's nemesis and the heiress of the 'Oh Henry!' candy bar fortune. Brenda Strong would appear in four episodes over three seasons of 'Seinfeld,' always hated by Elaine because she drew a lot of attention with her braless looks and because she had tons of money.

Debra Messing has become famous as Grace, Will's best friend in the acclaimed series 'Will & Grace.' The sitcom ran for 8 seasons from 1996 through 2006. We have also seen her in movies like 'The Wedding Date' and 'Along came Polly.'

Debra Messing played Elaine and Jerry's friend Beth in two episodes of Seinfeld: 'The Wait Out' in season 7, episode 21, and 'The Yada Yada' in season 8, episode 19. Jerry wanted to go out with Beth, but she was always taken.

Kristin Davis is the famous Charlotte York from 'Sex and the City.' She also appeared in movies like 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' and 'Bad Teacher.'

Before becoming Charlotte York, she played Jenna, one of Jerry's girlfriends, in season 8, episode 16 ('The Pothole'). Jerry, who is a germaphobe, accidentally drops Jenna's toothbrush in the toilet. Then, before he has the chance to tell her, she uses the brush to clean her teeth. It's the beginning of the end for the relationship.

Courteney Cox had done some small roles, notably in 'Family Ties' and in Bruce Springsteen's video 'Dancing in the Dark,' when she got a role in 'Seinfeld.' In 1996, she would also appear in 'Scream.' The biggest success, however, would be her starring role in 'Friends' (1994-2004).

The episode Courteney Cox appears in is called 'The Wife' (season 5, episode 17). The actress plays Jerry's girlfriend who's trying to get a drycleaning discount by posing as his wife.

Keener, a two-time Oscar nominee ('Being John Malkovich', 1999, 'Capote', 2005) appeared in numerous productions over the years, such as: 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' (2008), 'Get Out' (2017), and recently 'The Adam Project' (2022).

She, too, was a girlfriend of Jerry's for one episode. Keener played a painter in the episode 'The Letter' (season 3, episode 20).

This actor's big break came with 'Malcolm in the Middle' in the early 2000s, where he played a funny father of three. A few years later, crime series 'Breaking Bad' would lead him to win several Emmy Awards. We can also see him in 'Trumbo' (2015), for which he received an Oscar nomination, 'Why Him?' (2016), and 'Argo' (2012).

Cranston is Jerry's dentist, Tim Whatley, and he appears in several episodes over various seasons. One of them is 'The Mom and Pop Store,' season 6, episode 8.

And there's another 'Breaking Bad' star gracing 'Seinfeld' in his early acting days! Odenkirk is a famous comedian, writer, producer, and actor. As he was writing for 'Saturday Night Live' and 'The Ben Stiller Show' in the 80s and 90s, he won several Emmy Awards. Later, the TV audience got to know him as lawyer Saul Goodman from 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul.'

Bob Odenkirk plays one of Elaine's boyfriends on 'Seinfeld,' in an episode called 'The Abstinence' (season 8, episode 9). To get Elaine's respect, he must pass his doctor's exams, but once he does, he decides to dump Elaine instead.

And there's another star from 'Breaking Bad,' Walter White's wife Skyler, with a history in 'Seinfeld.' Anna Gunn won two Emmys for her role in 'Breaking Bad' and also played in several films, such as 'Equity' in 2016 and 'Deadwood: The Movie' (TV) in 2019.

She appeared in season 5, episode 3, 'The Glasses,' as Jerry's girlfriend Amy. The couple get into trouble when George loses his glasses and thinks he sees Amy kiss another man.

We know this comedian from films like 'Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo' (1999), 'The Hot Chick' (2002), '50 First Dates' (2004), and 'Grown ups.' Long before he became Deuce, however, Rob Schneider also appeared in 'Seinfeld.'

In the 17th episode of season 7, 'The Friar's Club,' Schneider plays Elaine's partially deaf co-worker Bob. Elaine doesn't believe he is really deaf; she thinks he just pretends to not hear the work assignments their boss is giving him.

With a long career as an actress, we can see her in 'Will & Grace' as Debra Messing's assistant Karen. She also appeared in movies like 'Why Him?' (2016) and 'Crush' (2022).

You may not have recognized her at all, but Mullally plays George's girlfriend Betsy in the season 4 episode 'The Implant.' George accompanies her to a relative's funeral and gets into a fight with her brother because he double-dips his chips.

Lori Loughlin was somewhat known by the time she appeared in 'Seinfeld.' She had modeled since age 12 and appeared in 'The Edge of the Night' as a teenager in the early 80s. Her big break, however, was the role of Rebecca in the series 'Full House' (1987-1995).

In Seinfeld, she appeared in season 9, episode 3, 'The Serenity Now' as Jerry's girlfriend Patty. She encourages him to express his feelings more, causing Jerry to become a sensitive and caring man all of a sudden.

'Boston Legal:' that's the series that made him most famous. Spader played a hilarious and sometimes obnoxious lawyer in the comedy from 2004 through 2008. More recently, he has also starred in 'The Blacklist.'

In the episode 'The Apology' (season 9, episode 9), Spader plays an old friend of George who is trying to make amends. It's not working out for George the way he hoped it would.

The eternal Girlmore Girl appeared in many series and films, like 'Bad Santa' (2003), 'Evan Almighty' (2007), and 'Parenthood' (2010-2015). As Lorelai Gilmore she graced the screens for seven years (2000-2007) and then another season (2016).

In the 90s' sitcom, Lauren Graham plays one of Jerry's many girlfriends. She, too, lasts only for one episode - namely, number 20 from season 8, called 'The Millennium.' Things go wrong between her and Jerry when she removes her stepmom from the speed dial on her phone in favor of Jerry. The stepmom is not having it.

Another coincidence between series. Scott Patterson was Lauren Graham's love interest in 'Gilmore Girls,' but he also shares the experience of a 'Seinfeld' appearence with Graham.

In 'The Sponge,' episode 9 of season 7, he plays Elaine's boyfriend Billy. When Elaine realizes that her preferred method of contraception, sponges, are no longer manufactured, she has to decide whether Billy important enough to waste a sponge on.

This famous writer, producer, director ('Ironman' 1 and 2 in 2008/2010 and 'The Jungle Book' in 2016) is known for his acting in quite a few films. Among them are 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013), 'Chef' (2014), the Avengers saga, and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021).

His role in 'Seinfeld' was unforgettable, but you may not realize that this was Jon Favreau! He's a clown at the birthday party of George's girlfriend's son, in season 5, episode 19, 'The Fire.' When the party is interrupted by a fire, George rushes out, pushing aside women and children, while the clown stays behind and puts the fire out.

The two-time Emmy winner (for 'Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles' in 2013 and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' in 2003) has had her own show from 2007 to 2010 and participated in many films and programs, including 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' (2014), 'Don't Look Up' (2021), and 'Marry Me' (2022)

Before she was well-known on TV, Silverman played Emily, Kramer's girlfriend with a peculiar sleeping habit. It's the season 8 episode 12, 'The Money.'

Famous for playing Michael Vic Mackey in 'The Shield' (2002-2008), he was also Ben Grimm, or The Thing, in the 'Fantastic Four' movies (2005-2007). Furthermore, Michael Chiklis appeared in 'American Horror Story' (2014-2015), 'The Do-Over' (2016), 'Gotham' (2015-2017), and 'Don't Look Up' (2021), among others.

He's a really friendly but also a little intrusive acquaintance of Jerry and Elaine. After hosting a party on Long Island, he shows up at Jerry's door to continue the fun in Manhattan. The episode is number 10 from season 3, 'The Stranded.'

A famous comedian, Kathy Griffin appeared in 'Suddenly Susan' with Brooke Shields (1996-2000) and 'Search Party' (2016-2022). She won Emmy Awards with her own reality show, 'Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.'

Griffin plays Sally Weaver, an obnoxious comedian who's trying to make it in the big city and doesn't like Jerry's well-intended advice. The episode (season 6, number 16) is called 'The Doll.'

You may remember Patton Oswalt from the CBS sitcom 'The King of Queens,' in which he participated from 1998 to 2007. He is also a standup comedian and has done voice acting work in films like Pixar's 'Ratatouille.'

In the 'Seinfeld' episode 'The Couch' (season 6, episode 5), Oswalt plays the local video store manager. George needs his help because he has joined a book club and prefers to rent the movie instead of reading the book.

This TV star appeared in many productions, including the film 'Something's Gotta Give' (2003) and series like 'The Good Wife' (2012-2013), 'The Romanoffs' (2018), and 'Dirty John' (2020).

Lanette starts dating Jerry, but as it turns out, she also has another man living with her. Amanda Peet played the role in episode 22, season 8, 'The Summer of George.'

This Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner can be seen in almost every version of 'Law & Order' and 'Chicago Fire' as detective Olivia Benson.

But the famous detective Benson was also on 'Seinfeld' in the 90s! She played the actress Melissa who auditions for the role of Elaine in a show Jerry is trying to make about his life.

Best known for his role as Robert Barone in the CBS sitcom 'Everybody Loves Raymond' (1996 and 2005), a role that got him three Emmys, Brad Garrett has also done important voice acting work for the Pixar movies 'Finding Nemo' and 'Ratatouille.'

In the same year he began 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' Brad Garrett played Jerry's mechanic Tony in season 7 episode 21, 'The Bottle Deposit.' His character gets overly emotional about the state of the comedian's car and runs off with it.

The English actress Jane Leeves played Daphne Moon in the sitcom 'Frasier' from 1993 through 2004. She got Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for this part.

A year before she was to appear in 'Frasier,' Leeves played one of Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriends in the episode 'The Virgin.'

This comedy actress was a cast member of 'Saturday Night Live' from 1995 to 2001. She also appeared in 'Will & Grace' (1999-2004; 2018-2020) and 'The Other Two' (2019-present).

Elaine's colleague in 'Seinfeld,' she gets upset when she hears from Elaine that she doesn't swing her arms enough when she walks. Molly Shannon appeared on episode 22, 'The Summer of George,' in season 8.

He played manager Ari Gold on HBO's 'Entourage' (photo) and had the lead role in the series 'Selfridge' about the history of a big department store. But did you know Jeremy Piven also had a role in 'Seinfeld'?

Piven's character is an actor who plays the role of George in the pilot of the show Jerry and George want to make for NBC. They fail to get a series contract for the show, but it's not the fault of the actors. 'The Pilot' comprised episodes 23 and 34, the two-part finale, of the fourth season.