• Many have tried but few have succeeded: the move from TV to movies.
• We look at the top 29 stars who have transitioned from the small to the big screen and rank them.
• Will Smith, Jared Leto, Denzel Washington, and Michelle Williams all appear in the ranking.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

TV has always been the obvious launching pad for actors to get into the movies, but it’s a lot easier said than done.

For every TV star that has made the transition successfully there are hundreds that didn’t get to the other side. And even for every Will Smith and Jared Leto who seamlessly moved to the next level, there are others like George Clooney and Melissa McCarthy who stuck around for a while on TV before finally getting the successful jump over.

But regardless of how they got there, this group has found a way to become bigger stars in movies than they were on the small screen.

Here we rank the 29 stars who successfully made the move from TV to movies:

29. Olivia Wilde

After appearing on shows like “The O.C.” and “The Black Donnellys,” Wilde’s stock rose when she came on the show “House” playing the bisexual intern Remy “Thirteen” Hadley. She was on the show for four seasons before jumping over to movies.

Landing roles in big movies like “Tron: Legacy” and “Cowboys & Aliens,” Wilde has since gone back and forth from indie films and studio titles. But with her 2019 directorial debut “Booksmart” finding critical acclaim she might have found her true calling.

28. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

After six seasons playing young Tommy Solomon on the series “3rd Rock from the Sun,” Gordon-Levitt found himself having to take the leap from child TV star to the movies.

He started that process with the acclaimed 2001 drama “Manic” followed by “Mysterious Skin.” Then in 2009 he came into his own as the heart-broken lead in “(500) Days of Summer.” Since then he’s found great roles in movies like “Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” and “Looper.”

27. Kristen Wiig

After creating a slew of memorable characters and impersonations on “Saturday Night Live” from 2003 to 2010, Wiig has transitioned nicely into a career in movies with titles like “The Skeleton Twins,” Bridesmaids,” “Ghostbusters,” “Mother!,” and “Downsizing.”

Her stock will rise big time this summer when she plays villain the Cheetah in “Wonder Woman 1984.”

26. Shia LaBeouf

LaBeouf showed an incredible talent to be a performer as the lead in the Disney Channel series “Even Stevens” from 2000 to 2003.

He was destined for the big screen and in 2003 was in four very different movies: indie “The Battle of Shaker Heights,” blockbuster “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” comedy “Dumb and Dumber: When Harry Met Lloyd,” and the Disney movie “Holes.” In a flash, TV was way behind him.

LaBeouf followed that over the years with almost being one of the biggest stars on the planet by being the likely next in line to continue the Indiana Jones franchise when he stared in 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” but substance abuse derailed him.

Thankfully, he has rebounded recently with indie titles like “American Honey” and starring/writing the script for “Honey Boy,” which is based on his youth.

25. John Krasinski

Becoming a fixture in the homes of many playing Jim Halpert during the run of NBC’s “The Office,” Krasinski has since found growing success on the big screen.

Starring in a wide range of roles since leaving the show, like “Aloha” and “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” he has found major acclaim starring opposite his wife, Emily Blunt, in 2018’s “A Quiet Place.” He directed that and the movie’s sequel, which is coming out later this year.

24. Melissa McCarthy

McCarthy first came on all our radars playing Sookie St. James for seven seasons on “Gilmore Girls.” She jumped over to ABC’s Christina Applegate series “Samantha Who?” before getting her own show on CBS, “Mike & Molly,” beginning in 2010. She would receive an Emmy for her work on the show a year later.

Also in 2011 McCarthy starred in “Bridesmaids” and stole the movie with her hilarious character, Megan, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Since then she’s been the lead in a slew of comedies and garnered another Oscar nomination for her performance in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” in 2018.

23. Jared Leto

There are some actors that TV can’t hold onto for that long, and Jared Leto was one of them. After playing the dreamy Jordan Catalano on ABC’s “My So-Called Life,” Leto was off to making movies.

Showing up in “The Thin Red Line,” “Girl, Interrupted,” and “Fight Club,” Leto showed he could carry a film when he scored a role in Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream.”

Since then he won an Oscar for “Dallas Buyers Club,” played the Joker in “Suicide Squad,” and has found a huge fan base as the frontman for the band Thirty Seconds to Mars.

22. Woody Harrelson

Finding his first taste of fame playing Woody Boyd on “Cheers” for the final eight seasons of the show, which included winning an Emmy in 1989, Harrelson has since become a huge movie star.

From earning three Oscar nominations (“The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “The Messenger,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) to starring in movies that will stand the test of time (“White Men Can’t Jump,” “Natural Born Killers”), he has done it all.

21. Jennifer Lawrence

Starting out her career as a series regular on TBS’ “The Bill Engvall Show” from 2007 to 2009, Lawrence found huge acclaim and an Oscar nomination for her performance in 2010’s “Winter’s Bone.”

From there she became one of the biggest stars on the planet when she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” franchise. Along with doing that and playing Mystique in the “X-Men” franchise, Lawrence also scored top-flight roles in acclaimed movies like “Silver Linings Playbook” (which she won an Oscar for) and “American Hustle” (for which she was nominated for an Oscar).

20. Sally Field

After starting her career by being the face of two TV series, “Gidget” and “The Flying Nun,” Field went into the movies and found huge success.

She has won two Oscars, “Norma Rae” in 1980 and “Places in the Heart” in 1985. And for good measure, she has returned to TV over her career and in 2007 won an Emmy for “Brothers & Sisters.”

19. Michael J. Fox

Fox was one of the biggest TV stars in the 1980s playing the role of Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties” for seven seasons.

Around the time he was closing out his time on the series he starred in the landmark movies “Back to the Future” and “Teen Wolf.” It continued with Brian De Palma’s “Casualties of War” opposite Sean Penn in 1989 and two more “Back to the Future” movies.

18. Goldie Hawn

Finding fame for her giggly persona in the sketch comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” Hawn quickly jumped over to movies and won an Oscar for her supporting role in 1969’s “Cactus Flower.”

She began the 1980s with an Oscar nomination for “Private Benjamin” and through the decades has been in popular movies like “Wildcats,” “Overboard,” “Bird on a Wire,” “Death Becomes Her,” and “Snatched.”

17. Ryan Gosling

Another kid star on the list, Gosling started out on “The Mickey Mouse Club” from 1993 to 1995. He jumped on the radar of Hollywood playing a Jewish neo-Nazi in 2001’s “The Believer” and then became a full-on movie star thanks to the success of “The Notebook” in 2004.

Since then he’s become one of the biggest stars of his generation with roles in movies like “Half Nelson” (which he was nominated for an Oscar), “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Drive,” “The Big Short,” “La La Land” (also an Oscar nomination), “Blade Runner 2049,” and “First Man.”

16. John Travolta

Playing Vinnie Barbarino in “Welcome Back, Kotter” from 1975-1979 made John Travolta a star but that was just the start.

He would go on to become a sex symbol when he jumped over to movies, thanks to “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease.” And then in 1994 he revitalized his career playing Vincent Vega in “Pulp Fiction.”

15. Steve Carell

As a standout among the correspondents on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” when he was there from 1999 to 2005, Carell was destined for big fame. He jumped onto big-budget comedy movies like “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Then he jumped back to TV to play Michael Scott on “The Office.”

He has since gradually transitioned over to dramas and found success with movies like “Foxcatcher” (which he was Oscar nominated for), “The Big Short,” “Battle of the Sexes,” and “Vice.”

And now he’s looking to take on streaming by starring in the upcoming Netflix series “Space Force.”

14. Michelle Williams

Playing Jen Lindley in “Dawson’s Creek,” Williams showed that her talents were too big for the small screen.

Ever since she has brought emotionally charged performances in movies like “Brokeback Mountain,” “Blue Valentine,” “My Week with Marilyn,” and “Manchester by the Sea,” which all earned her Oscar nominations.

13. Bruce Willis

Willis quickly became known for his comedic style when he starred opposite Cybill Shepherd for five seasons on “Moonlighting” in the late 1980s. His movie over to movies became permanent when he played John McClane in 1988’s “Die Hard.” It made him into a global star and was only heightened by the sequels.

Like Travolta, he would get a career resurgence thanks to starring in “Pulp Fiction” which led to movies like “12 Monkeys,” “The Sixth Sense,” and “Moonrise Kingdom.”

12. Mike Myers

On “Saturday Night Live” from 1989 to 1995, Mike Myers had countless memorable characters. But that doesn’t compare to what he did at the movies.

With “Wayne’s World,” a character he brought over from “SNL,” Myers made a generation-defining comedy. Then he topped that with the “Austin Powers” franchise that is a comedy staple. He’s also the voice of “Shrek.”

11. Johnny Depp

Depp hit teen idol status pretty quickly in his career when he was the star of the Fox series “21 Jumpstreet” for four seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He jumped over to movies and became one of the biggest box office draws in movie history. There’s his work with Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood,” “Alice in Wonderland”). Movies like “Donnie Brasco,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and “Blow.” And, of course, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.

10. Jim Carrey

On “In Living Colour” from 1990 to 1994 Jim Carrey wowed us with his performances every week. Then he went and made “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and the rest is history.

Carrey would go on an incredible run of hits including “The Mask,” “Dumb and Dumber,” “Batman Forever,” “The Truman Show,” and “Man on the Moon.”

9. George Clooney

Known earlier in his career for being in B-movie (“Combat Academy”) after B-movie (“Return of the Killer Tomatoes”), Clooney finally got a break when he was cast to play Dr. Doug Ross on “ER” from 1994 to 1999.

That led to him finally making the jump to movie stardom thanks to movies like “Out of Sight,” “Three Kings,” and the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies. He won a best supporting actor Oscar in 2006 for his performance in “Syriana” and has since been one of the biggest stars in the world.

8. Adam Sandler

From 1990 to 1995 Sandler was a standout on “Saturday Night Live,” but his true talents shined once he took his antics to the big screen.

With his first movie, “Billy Madison,” Sandler went on a consistent run of comedy hits (“Happy Gilmore,” “The Wedding Singer,” “The Waterboy”) that defined comedy for a generation.

Though at times he’s turned to doing dramatic work, like “Punch-Drunk Love” and most recently “Uncut Gems,” his multi-million deal with Netflix allows him to still bring the funny. Like it or not.

7. Robin Williams

After being a sensation on the stand-up circuit, Williams got his big break with the “Happy Days” spin-off, “Mork & Mindy” (Williams showed up as the Mork character in season 5 of “Happy Days”). Playing the loveable alien from another plant, the show became a big hit but that wasn’t enough for Williams.

He teamed up with Robert Altman in 1980 to make the forgettable “Popeye” but he finally started finding the right projects with 1987’s “Good Morning, Vietnam.” That launched hits over the decades that showcased his comedy and dramatic chops like “Awakenings,” “The Fisher King,” “Aladdin,” “Jumanji,” “The Birdcage,” and “Good Will Hunting,” which earned him an Oscar.

6. Bill Murray

From 1977 to 1980 Murray was one of the more unique members of the early “Saturday Night Live” casts. He didn’t have the flash of Chevy Chase or the bravado of John Belushi, but he captivated the audience weekly.

And that led to an interesting foray into movies because he could be believable doing comedy or drama. It has led to a career with both legendary work in comedy (“Caddyshack,” “Ghostbusters”) and drama (“Rushmore,” “Lost in Translation”).

5. Eddie Murphy

Arguably no one has taken their time on “Saturday Night Live” and used it to become a mega movie star like Eddie Murphy.

The other “SNL” stars on this list have had big careers, but it’s hard to compare any of them to what Murphy did in his prime. The “Beverly Hills Cop” movies, “Coming to America,” the “Nutty Professor” movies. Plus the stand-up shows that he released as movies. He wasn’t the biggest comedian, he was a rock star.

Recently, he’s shown he’s still got the touch with Netflix’s “Dolemite Is My Name.” And he’s got the “Coming to America” sequel coming.

4. Tom Hanks

Hanks showed his comedy chops when he starred in “Bosom Buddies” for two seasons, and then it was off to movies.

Becoming a comedic leading man thanks to movies like “The Money Pit,” “Big,” and “A League of Their Own,” his career really went into the rarefied air when he started mixing in more dramas.

“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump,” (back to back Oscar wins) “Apollo 13,” “Saving Private Ryan,” with these movies he became Hollywood royalty. And then with movies like “Toy Story” and “The Polar Express” he became “America’s dad.”

3. Denzel Washington

From 1982 to 1988 Washington played Dr. Philip Chandler on “St. Elsewhere” and just gave a small taste of what the future would hold for audiences.

His body of work on the big screen is an all-time great. To his Oscar wins for “Glory” and “Training Day” to his countless amazing roles like in “Malcolm X” and “Fences.”

2. Will Smith

Who would have ever thought that the “Fresh Prince” would become one of the biggest Hollywood moneymakers ever? But that’s what Will Smith became.

After six seasons of the hit series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Smith jumped over to movies and by 1996 became the biggest star in the world. Hit literally owned the 4th of July weekend with hits like “Independence Day” and “Men in Black.”

And he showed with the success of “Bad Boys for Life” earlier this year that he’s still got it.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

For 23 episodes DiCaprio played Luke Brower on “Growing Pains,” a homeless boy taken in by the Seaver family. The role would give us our first glimpse at DiCaprio and we were certainly hooked on him.

His career from there would be unmatched by anyone else who had their start on a TV show. Being the face of one of the biggest box office hits ever with “Titanic,” his Oscar win for “The Revenant,” and all the other work, DiCaprio has shown an ability that comes along very few times in a lifetime.

He is truly one of the last great movie stars. And it all started on TV.

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