10 Actors Reinvented By TV

Glenn Close

They say there aren’t enough lead roles forwomen of a certain age in Hollywood.

Martin Sheen

When The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin expressed his desire for a “Martin Sheen-type” for his President, he was pleasantly surprised when he realised he could get Martin Sheen.

Steve Carell

Carell was hardly on the scrap heap after 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but it’s telling that the same year saw him take on the Gervais role in the US version of The Office and make it his own.

Alec Baldwin

Fast becoming a Hollywood bit-part player, Baldwin could have assumed his leading-man time was behind him.

Anna Paquin

After winning an Oscar for The Piano aged just 11, Paquin has always chosen her roles carefully, only going mainstream as Rogue in X-Men .

Keifer Sutherland

Think of Sutherland and you think of someone coming to waterboard you while breaking your toes.

William Shatner

OK, we know began his career in TV. But Shatner was going nowhere fast following his big-screen Kirk roles.

Charlie Sheen

Here’s a tip Charlie: when all you do is parodies (two Hot Shots, two Scary Movies), it’s gonna be hard to be considered for the next PT Anderson.

Patricia Arquette

Proof again that actresses increasingly need to flee to TV for the meaty roles… Arquette had been quite the rising star in cinema after True Romance , but a period ofdoing not a lot saw the switch to TV and anaward-winning role in Medium.