See ‘This Is Us’ Stars’ in Other Famous Roles

If there is one television series currently captivating the country, it’s NBC’s This Is Us.

Although most of the cast has been working in Hollywood for a while, the show has turned them into megastars of the industry.

But before This Is Us, many of the series’ stars were known for other big roles.

Scroll through to see some of the This Is Us stars’ most prominent roles before the Pearson family.

JUSTIN HARTLEY

Kevin Pearson may have been a famous comedy star, but Hartley got his start in the world of soap operas. The actor made his name in daytime with roles in Passions and The Young and the Restless.

He rose to fame playing a superhero, however, playing the role of Oliver Queen in the WB/CW series Smallville.

Sterling K. Brown

Brown, who has captivated America in the roe of Randall Pearson, is a television veteran, and rose to fame a year before This Is Us with a starring role in a major limited series.

His role as Christopher Darden earned him an Emmy award in 2016. He has also had appearances in series like Supernatural, Army Wives, E.R. and Person of Interest.

Ron Cephas Jones

Jones broke viewers hearts as Randall’s biological father William on This Is Us. William died in the first season but has been seen on several episodes of season 2 via flashback.

Jones played Romero, a member of the “fsociety,” on USA Network’s Mr. Robot. He has also appeared in He Got Game, Half Nelson, and Marvel’s Luke Cage.

Mandy Moore

Before embodying Rebecca Pearson through two generations, Mandy Moore was no stranger to the Hollywood spotlight. Moore began her career in music, with her debut single “Candy” climbing the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The actress voiced Rapunzel in Disney’s Tangled, starred in films like Saved! and Because I Said So with Diane Keaton. Her most noteworthy, and tear-inducing, role before This Is Us is probably in the teen romantic drama, A Walk to Remember.

Chris Sullivan

When he’s not keeping Kate (Chrissy Metz) from losing her mind, the man who plays Toby is not a stranger to other television roles.

Sullivan made appearances on series like The Knick, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Stranger Things. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017 as Taserface in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Susan Kelechi Watson

As Randall’s wife Beth, Watson has conquered the hearts of viewers with her no-nonsense portrayal and unconditional love for her family, and the actress’ success is more than well deserved.

The actress has appeared on numerous TV series, including NCIS, The Blacklist and Private Practice. She also had a recurring role on Louie as the titular character’s ex-wife Janet. 

Chrissy Metz

Chrissy Metz, who plays an adult Kate Pearson, was fairly new to Hollywood came along but she was a part of one other major series before the hit NBC drama.

The actress had small roles in Entourage and My Name Is Earl. You may recognize her from her work as Ima “Barbara” Wiggles in American Horror Story: Freak Show. She will also be making her big screen debut soon in the movie The Impossible.

Lonnie Chavis

This Is Us made headlines when all the young actors portraying the Big Three in flashbacks were promoted to series regulars ahead of season 2, except for Young Randall’s Lonnie Chavis.

But there was no bad blood between the series and the beloved actor, he was just already booked on another show.

Chavis, who has had roles on The Thundermans, Supergirl and Tangled: The Series, had been booked for a starring role in Jay Pharaoh’s Showtime comedy series White Famous. The show was cancelled after one season, however, so we might be hearing about Chavis’ promotion very soon.

Alexandra Breckenridge

Kevin Pearson and his girlfriend Sophie might have a roller coaster relationship, but Breckenridge’s career has been filled with great roles.

The actress has had roles in series like Life Unexpected, True Blood and The Walking Dead. You might recognize her for her role as Young Moira O’Hara on American Horror Story: Murder House and Kaylee on American Horror Story: Coven.

Milo Ventimiglia

Last but not least, Jack Pearson himself.

The world cried when Jack Pearson died during the series’ Super Bowl episode, but the Pearson patriarch will continue to make viewers cry and laugh via flashbacks.

Ventimiglia had his big break when he joined the cast of NBC’s Heroes in 2006 playing Peter Petrelli, but he will always hold a special place in Gilmore Girls‘ fans hearts for playing bad boy Jess Mariano on the WB series.