20 Future Stars Who Appeared on ‘Friends’

Friends launched the careers of its six stars—who were each making $1 million an episode by the final seasons—and welcomed a slew of A-list guests. But there were also a bunch of now-familiar faces who appeared in small roles before making it big.

1. Craig Robinson – Clerk in “The One With Princess Consuela”  (February 26, 2004)

On Friends: He plays a store clerk in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment from Friends’s final season.

Since Friends: After a string of similarly small parts, Robinson got his big break as warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin on The Office. He’s also been a hit in Hollywood, where he’s starred in a string of comedies including Hot Tub Time Machine and Pineapple Express.

2. Jim Rash – Nervous Airplane passenger in “The Last One”  (May 6, 2004)

On Friends: He sat next to Rachel in the very last episode and got increasingly agitated about the left phalange. Who wouldn’t?

Since Friends: A familiar face on the small screen, Rash really came into his own after he landed the role as the fancy-dress obsessed Dean in Community. He also has achieved success behind the camera, taking home the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants.

3. Mae Whitman – Sarah Tuttle in “The One Where Rachel Quits”  (December 12, 1996)

On Friends: Whitman plays Brown Bird Sarah Tuttle, who enlists the help of Ross to sell cookies after the hapless paleontologist accidentally breaks her leg.

Since Friends: Whitman has continued to make couch potatoes chortle with her turn as the anodyne Ann Veal on Arrested Development and most recently as Amber Holt on NBC’s Parenthood.

4. Ellen Pompeo – Missy Goldberg in “The One Where The Stripper Cries”  (February 5, 2004)

On Friends: She plays Missy Goldberg, the object of Chandler and Ross’s affection in a flashback to their college years.

Since Friends: Friends was one of Pompeo’s earliest roles. These days the actress is a familiar face thanks to her Golden Globe-winning turn on another broadcast behemoth, Grey’s Anatomy.

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5. Scott Adsit – The Director in “The One With Ross and Monica’s Cousin” (April 19, 2001)

On Friends: He plays an up-and-coming director who auditions Joey for his new film. The audition predictably goes awry, however, thanks to some Silly Putty and a scene that calls for full frontal nudity. 

Since Friends: He stayed on at NBC where he played executive producer Pete Hornberger on 30 Rock.

6. Anna Faris – Erica in “The One With The Birth Mother” (January 8, 2004)

On Friends: She was the mother who decided to give Monica and Chandler her baby during Friends's final season.

Since Friends: Faris was already something of a big deal when she popped up on Friends, having made appearances in Scary Movie and White Chicks. But it was post-Friends that her career really flourished. She's currently starring in Mom on CBS.

7. Dan Bucatinsky – The Waiter in “The One With Phoebe’s Birthday Dinner” (October 31, 2002)

On Friends: He plays a disgruntled waiter who’s forced to work around Phoebe’s predictably chaotic birthday dinner.

Since Friends: Bucantinsky has gone from strength to strength since his bit part on the smash hit sitcom. He’s perhaps most famous for his Emmy Award-winning performance as James Novak on Scandal. But did you know he’s kept the Friends connection alive by working alongside fellow alumnus Lisa Kudrow as a producer on the improv web series Web Therapy?

8. Dakota Fanning – Mackenzie in “The One With Princess Consuela” (February 26, 2004)

On Friends: She hands out advice to Joey who’s struggling to come to terms with Monica and Chandler moving to the 'burbs.

Since Friends: Fanning has had quite the film career. She worked with Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise on War of the Worlds, Neil Gaiman on Coraline, and even found time to pop up in the Twilight Saga.

9. Mark Consuelos – Policeman in “The One With Chandler’s Dad” (May 10, 2001)

On Friends: He plays the officer who pulls Rachel over after she’s caught speeding in Monica’s Porsche.

Since Friends: Though he was best known for his recurring role on All My Children, Consuelos’s Friends cameo led him to new pastures, including movie roles in films like Cop Out and My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

10. T.J. Thyne – Dr. Oberman in “The One Hundredth”  (October 8, 1998)

On Friends: He plays Dr. Oberman, a first-year medical resident with no strong feelings toward Fonzie or any of the Happy Days gang.

Since Friends: He’s appeared on a smorgasbord of small-screen hits from 24 to The O.C., but Thyne is perhaps most recognizable as Bones’s sardonic Dr. Jack Hodgins.

11. Willie Garson – Steve in “The One Where The Girl Hits Joey”  (February 18, 1999)

On Friends: He plays the president of the tenants committee who falls out with Ross after he refuses to chip in $100 for the retiring handyman at his new apartment complex.

Since Friends: Garson is best known for playing Carrie’s friend in Sex and the City.

12. Cole Sprouse – Ben Geller in “The One With The Holiday Armadillo” (December 14, 2000)

On Friends: Several actors played Ross’s son, Ben, but Cole Sprouse is perhaps the most memorable—if only for showcasing why Rachel should never be left alone with children.

Since Friends: Cole has a twin named Dylan (who didn’t appear on Friends) and the duo went on to become a big deal in Disney’s smash hit series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and its subsequent spinoffs.

13. Melora Hardin – Celia in “The One With The Stoned Guy”  (February 16, 1995)

On Friends: Hardin played one of Ross’s many exes, a colleague who gets attacked by Marcel but still wants the prudish paleontologist to talk dirty to her.

Since Friends: Recurring roles on Monk and as Jan on The Office have helped make Hardin a familiar face. She’s also a talented musician and sang the national anthem before two NHL games in 2010.

14. Emily Osment – Lelani Mayolanofavich in “The One with the Halloween Party” (November 1, 2001)

On Friends: She plays a trick-or-treater who gets a check from Rachel in lieu of candy.

Since Friends: Osment found fame after appearing in two of the hit Spy Kids sequels before landing a recurring role alongside Miley Cyrus in Disney’s Hannah Montana. She’s currently the star of ABC comedy Young and Hungry.

15. Paget Brewster – Kathy in “The One With Joey’s New Girlfriend” (October 30, 1997)

On Friends: She played Kathy, the woman at the point of a love triangle between Joey and Chandler.

Since Friends: Brewster stayed on the schedules, clocking in her most on-screen hours as Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on CBS’s Criminal Minds. She’s also continued to make guest appearances on comedies like Modern Family and Community.

16. Christine Taylor – Bonnie in “The One With The Jellyfish”  (September 25, 1997)

On Friends: She was Phoebe’s friend who was supposed to be bald and crazy but turned out to be blonde and hot. She dated Ross until Rachel’s meddling led to their split.

Since Friends: She’s starred in hits including Zoolander and Dodgeball. In 2000 she married Ben Stiller.

17. Leah Remini – Lydia in “The One With The Birth” (May 11, 1995)

On Friends: A few years after playing Stacey Carosi on the Malibu Sands episodes of Saved by the Bell, Remini was a sassy mother-to-be who argues about sports with Joey—who steps in as an impromptu birth-coach when she goes into labor.

Since Friends: She starred on The King of Queens and has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, The Talk, and a TLC reality show about her family.

18. Kristin Davis – Erin in “The One With Ross's Library Book”  (November 16, 2000)

On Friends: She breaks Joey’s heart.

Since Friends: By the time this episode aired, she was making a name for herself as Sex and the City’s resident prude, Charlotte.

19. Rebecca Romijn – Cheryl in “The One With The Dirty Girl”  (November 6, 1997)

On Friends: She’s the titular “dirty girl” in this episode in which her relationship with Ross is doomed after he objects to the cleanliness of her apartment.

Since Friends: She’s most famous for her role as shape-shifting siren Mystique in the X-Men movies, though you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize her under all of the blue makeup.

20. Steve Zahn – Duncan in “The One With Phoebe’s Husband”  (October 12, 1995)

On Friends: He plays Duncan, a gay Canadian ice dancer that Phoebe married in order to get him a green card.

Since Friends: After finding fame on Friends, Zahn went on to star in a string of mid-'90s hits such as That Thing You Do and You’ve Got Mail. Most recently, however, Zahn’s been plying his trade back on the small screen with a character role in Treme and a starring turn alongside Christian Slater in ABC’s Mind Games.