10 Commercials with Celebrities Before They were Celebrities

Let’s continue my little overview of commercials with another category, when celebrities appear in commercials before they become famous!

While it’s common knowledge that celebrities appear in commercials before they’re stars, the fun parts is when you look back at a commercial you remember seeing and suddenly realize you know now the actor!  For example recognize the face at the end of this Oscar Meyer ad?

Yep that’s Jodie Sweeten before Full House fame.


Of course I could be here all day talking about celebrities in commercials before they were famous, but today here are ten ads that are special before either I remember seeing as a kid or found the ad on an old VHS and had to do a double take that I recognized that young face.


Matt LeBlanc
This is one ad I honestly remember, it was a great ad that they ran all the time. I was shocked when I found out years later that the guy getting the ketchup was Joey from Friends!

Jason Alexander
ok ok I’ve talked about this one before. But I still can’t believe that’s Jason Alexander in this ad. To bad The McDLT was a really stupid idea.

Demi Moore

Ok she wasn’t an unknown when she appeared but it’s still funny to see the young Demi Moore in this ad.

Sharon Stone
Here’s one I remember, this was a very well done ad and it’s funny that the female starring in it would become famous. Sharon Stone of course.

Raven Simone
I wager this was just before her breakout role in The Cosby Show. Raven Simone appears briefly in this great ad for Cool Whip but there’s no mistaking that smile.

Juliana Margulies
So one day I was watching an old VHS one day when this McDonald’s commercial came on. And I said, “hey, isn’t that Juliana Margulies?” Indeed it is.

Simon Helberg
It took a few times seeing this on another old tape before realizing that it was Howard Wolowitz all that time! Before Big Bang Theory he appeared very convincigky in this Domino ad.

Patrick Warburton
When I first saw this ad on another tape I wasn’t 100% sure that it really was Patrick Warburton, he looks so young! But then he says his one line and…yeah, it’s him alright.

Terry Farrell
Much like the above, I wasn’t entirely sure this was really Farell advertising Nice & Easy. But at the end she has that tradmark smile and you know it’s her.

Ben Affleck
Finally, I could do a whole article on celebrities in McDonald’s and or Burger King ads (maybe I still will) but for now here a very young Ben Affleck in a Burger King spot.

If I missed your favorite comment and let me know. Celebrities in old commercials is always funny to see, especially when the celebrity is a MAJOR celebrity, the ad can come back and almost haunt them! Take for instance the familiar face in this ad :