Before Bill Murray started stealing every Wes Anderson film and crashing your apartment party in Brooklyn, he was on SNL. From 1977-1980, Bill performed on the then-young sketch comedy show. He did well enough to earn an Emmy for his comedy every Saturday night, and was also in a relationship with co-star Gilda Radner. Acting alongside such legendary names as Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi no doubt helped him grow into the great comedic star of films like Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and last but MOST IMPORTANTLY not least: John Bosley of Charlie’s Angels (the 2000 version, of course). Now he’s the Mayor Of Everything Cool, and deservedly so.

George Clooney hasn’t always been stealing the hearts of every living person as a big-movie-star. He used to have a mullet. That’s right—a mullet. Clooney rocked a voluminous and curly-haired proclamation of his ability to embody both a businessman and a partier. The hair comes from his role as George Burnett on the 80s classic “The Facts of Life.” This wasn’t his first role on television, however. In fact, one of his first roles was on a sitcom that only lasted one season: “E/R.” Yes, it’s a show set in an emergency room. Yes, that is the same scenario as the show from a decade later that would catapult Clooney to full heartthrob status. Though we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. Before Dr. Doug Ross made his first appearance on the real “ER,” Clooney had roles in shows like “Roseanne” and “Sisters.” George eventually made the transition to film as a very successful actor and director, besides being one third of the Ben Affleck-Matt Damon-George Clooney prank squad.

Hey, so you’ve heard of James Franco, right? And Seth Rogen? And Jason Segel? Yeah, they were all on television before appearing in every single comedy of the new millennium. “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” Judd Apatow’s short-lived but perfect series about high school and college respectively, both graduated the new class (puns serve as the best legitimization of journalism) of sought-after comedic actors. The Apatow Mafia commands the big screen with the most reliably funny movies of recent years, including “Knocked Up,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Pineapple Express,” and the upcoming “This Is The End.”  Who knew that the freaks of yesteryear would become the cool kids? Admittedly, the fact that being a freak means you’re cool nowadays probably helps. 

It’s currently Melissa McCarthy’s world and we’re just living in it. Before she blew everyone’s mind as Megan in “Bridesmaids,” though, most of McCarthy’s screen time had occurred on television. Her role as Sookie St. James on “Gilmore Girls” rounded out an excellent cast of characters. She could handle the fast-talk and pop culture references of Amy Sherman Palladino’s legendary caliber. It’s true, she never got the same spotlight as other citizens of Star’s Hollow, Connecticut, but we can just assume she was saving her talents to make their impact even greater. McCarthy did eventually get a starring role in the sitcom “Mike and Molly” on CBS, which led her right up to her break out year of 2011. “Bridesmaids” came out in the spring of that year and she won the Emmy for best comedic actress on “Mike and Molly” a few months later. Since then, she’s held memorable side and leading roles in many successful comedies and has hosted SNL twice. Also, she’s married to Ben Falcone A.K.A. the air marshal from “Bridesmaids.” Dreams really do come true.

Michael Cera, best known for Taran Killam’s impression of him on SNL (kidding) (sort of), started out making the hearts of all cousin-lovers melt during “Arrested Development”’s three year run earlier this millennium. His role as George Michael Bluth laid the groundwork for every awkward geek role he would eventually play. Which is to say, all of his roles. From “Superbad” to “Juno” to “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” Cera crafted the art of getting stuck in a type cast. At least for him, though, it’s a successful type cast. With the May 26th premiere of “Arrested Development”’s season four, the world will be reunited with George Michael’s light saber routine. His career will have gone full circle. And who knows—maybe by returning to his roots Michael Cera will kick off a new movie career. Instead of playing the awkward geek, he could play the awkward nerd.

Jennifer Aniston stands out on this list because she has developed a critically and commercially successful movie career, but it remains perpetually under the shadow of her haircut on seasons one and two of “Friends.” I guess, also, her role as Rachel that ended up paying her $1 million per episode by the final two seasons of the sitcom. Even before the show ended, however, Aniston was cultivating her film career with “The Object of My Affection,” “Office Space,” and “The Good Girl.” All these movies lean independently, and it wasn’t until after “Friends” went off the air that she started starring in box office hits. “Bruce Almighty” and “Marley & Me” both raked in a fair sum, guaranteeing Jennifer Aniston a career apart from the Central Perk crew (a luxury some of her co-stars unfortunately don’t have).

Ok, ok, sure—Amy Adams has barely been on television. Her longest arc lasted five episodes on a show from 2004 called “Dr. Vegas” (which sounds like something NBC would pick up in a heartbeat now). But amidst her early career floundering stands a highlight: her three-episode stint on “The Office” as Katy, one of Jim’s early love interests. She stole his heart and America’s with a conference room full of bags. Adams had the amazing chance to serve as fuel for Jim and Pam’s sexual tension courtesy of one game of deserted island, by unfairly getting made fun of for wanting to bring “Legally Blonde” as one of the only movies she could see for the rest of her life. No one will ever forget her red hair and how much it reminded the audience of Pam’s similar locks. Without those seminal episodes, we all know Amy Adams never would have been able to reach the depths of human emotion she’s portrayed in “The Fighter,” “Doubt,” “The Master,” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” I mean really, being married to a cult leader is essentially the same thing as dating an attractive but unambitious paper salesman, right? 

Contrary to popular belief, British television did not magically start existing when Maggie Smith decided she would play the Dowager Countess on “Downton Abbey.” There have, in fact, been other series. These include “Anglo-Saxon Attitudes” and “Our Friends From the North,” two series with one thing in common: James Bond. That’s right—Daniel Craig lived up to the British Actor Expectation of starring in a television period drama. Although in this case, “period” is starting about thirty years before when the show aired. Semantics, though, amirite? His current stint as James Bond overshadows all his previous acting gigs. And let’s admit it, his other contemporary ones too. With two more James Bond movies in his future, he’s sure to keep commanding the screen with his suave fighting and smoldering gaze.

I’m putting Kyle Chandler on here as an up-and-coming member of the exclusive TV-to-film club. Originally, and always, Coach Eric Taylor on “Friday Night Lights,” Kyle Chandler has had a surge of film projects this past year and more on the horizon. He had strong supporting roles in two of last year’s best movies: “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” We’ll see him next in “The Spectacular Now,” a Sundance film opening in August, and “The Wolf of Wall Street” from Martin Scorsese. While none of these movies have Chandler front and center, it’s only a matter of time before all of Hollywood realizes his brilliance. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose (you on my screen Kyle Chandler).