Reflecting on the illustrious careers of these extraordinary actors who graced our screens in “The X-Files“, it’s truly fascinating to witness their transformative journeys from guest appearances on the iconic series to leading roles in some of television’s most beloved shows.
The X-Files, which emerged in the early ’90s, is a legendary television series that managed to sustain its popularity for nine original seasons, two revival seasons, and two movies. Not only did David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson gain prominence from this show, but several guest stars also rose to stardom, eventually leading their own shows. Keep reading to discover the notable ones!
Ryan Reynolds
Currently, Ryan Reynolds is famous for his blockbuster movies like the Deadpool series. However, viewers of The X-Files might recall a much younger Ryan Reynolds in the Season 3 episode “Syzygy,” which aired in 1996. To be precise, his character was eliminated quite early in the episode, but he later appeared in ABC’s popular sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place from 1998 to 2001.
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston demonstrated a knack for both comedy (on “Malcolm in the Middle”) and drama (“Breaking Bad”), but he showcased his versatile acting skills earlier on “The X-Files”. Although his role as ill-fated Patrick Crump in the Season 6 episode “Drive” wasn’t his initial TV appearance, it was this 1998 part that first brought him to the attention of executive producer Vince Gilligan, who later cast Cranston as Walter White.
Jack Black
Before hitting it big with “School of Rock” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” Jack Black made an appearance as Bart “Zero” Liquori in the third season’s Episode 3 of “The X-Files,” which aired in 1995. Following this, he starred in various TV productions such as “Tenacious D” from 1997 to 2000, “The Brink” in 2015, and the animated series “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” from 2022 to 2023.
Terry O’Quinn
Terry O’Quinn has taken on three distinct roles in various franchises. He appeared as Lt. Brian Tillman in the “Aubrey” episode of Season 2 back in 1995, as SAC Michaud in the movie version of The X-Files: Fight the Future, and as Shadow Man in the “Trust No 1” episode of Season 9 in 2002. Most famously recognized for his role as John Locke on Lost from 2004 to 2010, he has also made recurring appearances on shows such as Hawaii Five-0, FBI: Most Wanted, and Resident Alien.
Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson is fondly remembered by many fans of “The X-Files” for his role as the vampire sheriff, Lucius Hartwell, in the highly acclaimed episode “Bad Blood” (1998). After this Season 5 appearance, he went on to secure recurring roles in shows like “That ’70s Show” and “Roadies,” and more recently, he starred in the DC Comics-inspired series “Stargirl” from 2020 until 2022.
Lucy Liu
In the year 1996, Lucy Liu, who later became famous as the Future Kill Bill actress, made her appearance as Kim Hsin in “Hell Money”, an episode of The X-Files’ third season. That same year, she started her first series regular role on the sitcom Pearl. However, it was her character Ling Woo on Ally McBeal that truly catapulted her to fame. From 2012 to 2019, Lucy played Dr. Joan Watson in CBS’ show Elementary.
Tony Shalhoub
Prior to receiving Emmy and Tony Awards, Tony Shalhoub made an appearance on the Season 2 episode of “The X-Files,” titled “Soft Light.” In this role as Dr. Chester Ray Banton, a character under significant stress, he was simultaneously starring in NBC’s sitcom “Wings.” However, it wasn’t until much later that Shalhoub gained his most notable recognition and awards for his performances on “Monk,” starting in 2002, and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” beginning in 2017.
Jane Lynch
In 2001, during the ninth season of “The X-Files,” an episode titled “Lord of the Flies” aired, which wasn’t the most well-received season, but it marked the appearance of Jane Lynch as Mrs. Anne T. Lokensgard. This was several years before she became renowned for her character Sue Sylvester on Fox’s “Glee.” For this role, she would go on to be nominated for three Emmys and eventually win one across six seasons from 2009-2015.
Felicity Huffman
Considering Felicity Huffman’s later fame for Sports Night, American Crime, and Desperate Housewives, it can be easy to overlook her very early episode of The X-Files as Dr. Nancy Da Silva in 1993. The Season 1 episode was an homage to the iconic horror film The Thing and remains one of the show’s best more than thirty years later.
Shia LaBeouf
When considering Shia LaBeouf as a child star, it’s likely that his lead role as Louis Stevens on Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens” from 2000 to 2003 is the first performance that springs to mind. Interestingly, a year prior, this future household name had already appeared as a sick boy named Richie in a Season 7 episode of “The X-Files,” titled “The Goldberg Variation.”
CCH Pounder
Although CCH Pounder only made a single appearance as Agent Lucy Kazdin in the second season of “The X-Files,” her role in the episode titled “Duane Barry” was significant. Following this, she joined the cast of “ER” towards the end of 1994 and remained until the first four seasons. After that, Pounder moved on to “The Shield” in 2002. However, her most sustained role has been portraying Dr. Loretta Wade in “NCIS: New Orleans,” a part she played for all seven seasons from 2014 until 2021.
BD Wong
In the early ’90s, BD Wong made an appearance in “Jurassic Park”, but it took more time for him to achieve television fame. In 1996, he starred as Detective Glen Chao in the “Hell Money” episode of Season 3 for “The X-Files”. Later, from 1997 to 2003, he played a role in “Oz”, and since 2001, he’s been part of “Law & Order: SVU”. Over time, he became one of the most frequent stars on the “Law & Order” series.
Donal Logue
Donal Logue guest-starred in The X-Files‘ very first Monster of the Week episode, called “Squeeze,” in 1993. He went on to recur in later seasons of ER before starring in all five seasons of Grounded for Life and all five seasons of Gotham, which wrapped after 100 episodes in 2019.
Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle’s acting career dates back to the 1960s, but fans of The X-Files in its third season may recall him for his role as the main character in “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” which aired in 1995 and earned him an Emmy. Following this, he received seven additional Emmy nominations for portraying Frank Barone over nine seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005.
Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden wasn’t just a single-episode guest on The X-Files; instead, she appeared in ten different episodes as Marita Covarrubias from 1996 to 2002. She eventually gained wider recognition as part of the main cast of The Walking Dead, and among the show’s actors, she ranks high for appearing in a large number of episodes.
Aaron Paul
The future Breaking Bad star can be found in a Season 9 episode of The X-Files, called “Lord of the Flies” in 2001, where he played a character with the distinguished name of “Sky Commander Winky.” He would go on to recur on Big Love before landing his career-making role as Jesse Pinkman opposite Bryan Cranston. Post-Breaking Bad credits include The Path, BoJack Horseman, and Westworld.
Michael Emerson
Prior to his Emmy-winning performance as Ben on “Lost”, Michael Emerson made a guest appearance in the final Monster of the Week episode during the original run of “The X-Files”. This episode, titled “Sunshine Days” from Season 9 in 2002, preceded his appearances on “Without a Trace”, his role in “Saw”, and of course five seasons of “Lost”. Since then, Emerson has also starred in long-running series such as “Person of Interest” and “Evil”.
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin made an appearance on “The X-Files” to portray character Josh Exley, a baseball-loving alien, in the Season 6 episode titled “The Unnatural.” This episode was penned and directed by David Duchovny in the year 1999. Later that same year, Martin became part of the cast for “Law & Order,” where he stayed for nine seasons and close to 200 episodes. From 2003 until 2023, Martin held a series regular role on “The Flash.” In early 2024 television programming, you can find him in “The Irrational.”
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford gained significant recognition for his character Josh Lyman in The West Wing since 1999, but it’s worth noting that he took on a completely distinct role in the second season of The X-Files in 1994. He starred as Daniel Trepkos in the episode “Firewalker.” Over the years, Whitford has garnered three Emmy awards, beginning in the early ’90s, due to his contributions to The West Wing, Transparent, and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Paul McCrane
In 1997, Paul McCrane starred as the main character in an episode titled “Leonard Betts” during Season 4 of The X-Files. This role included the delivery of one of the show’s most well-known lines: “I’m sorry, but you’ve got something I need.” Later that year, McCrane became a cast member on ER, portraying Dr. Robert Romano for seven seasons. His tenure ended in a memorable manner with a poignant death scene from the medical drama series.
Kurtwood Smith
Initially, Kurtwood Smith appeared as Agent Bill Patterson in a Season 3 episode titled “Grotesque,” which was broadcast on Fox in 1996, before becoming widely recognized for another Fox series. Two years later, he joined the cast of Fox’s That ‘70s Show, playing Red Forman for eight seasons and 200 episodes. Lately, Smith has reprised this role in Netflix’s That ‘90s Show.
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer’s appearance on The X-Files in 1999 might be most famously recognized for the first genuine kiss between Mulder and Scully, however, she also appeared in the Season 7 episode titled “Millennium.” Following her Academy Award win for The Help, Spencer had numerous guest and recurring roles on television before landing the lead part in Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told from 2019 to 2023.
Seth Green
In the initial episode of The X-Files, after the pilot, Seth Green made an appearance in 1993, portraying Emil in “Deep Throat”. Although this wasn’t his debut on television, it took place before he started playing Oz on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2000. However, Seth Green truly excelled as a voice actor, with numerous episodes of Robot Chicken and Family Guy under his belt, both having hundreds of installments each.
Garrett Dillahunt
Garret Dillahunt made his first notable appearance in television with “The X-Files” back in 1998, playing Edward Skur in the episode “Travelers,” which had many flashbacks. However, he might be more recognized for his later roles such as those in “Deadwood” (which debuted in 2004), “Raising Hope” (all four seasons), “The Mindy Project” (three seasons), and “Fear the Walking Dead” (three seasons).
Dean Norris
Dean Norris has shown exceptional talent in portraying law enforcement characters, such as Marshal Tapia in the “F. Emasculata” episode of “The X-Files” from 1995. His major television break didn’t occur until later, when he played Hank Schrader on “Breaking Bad.” Subsequently, he starred in all three seasons of CBS’ “Under the Dome,” all four seasons of TNT’s “Claws,” and joined the cast of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” during its fourth season.
Lucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless is best known for her role as Xena in the series “Xena: Warrior Princess,” which aired from 1995 to 2001. However, she made her debut on network television in 2001 with two episodes of “The X-Files” Season 9 as Shannon McMahon, an alien super-soldier. Later, she appeared across the last three seasons of “Battlestar Galactica” and became a familiar face in Starz’s “Spartacus” franchise, starting from 2010.
Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif is well-known for his memorable guest roles on TV shows, such as serial killer Luther Lee Boggs on “The X-Files” in 1991’s “Beyond the Sea.” However, it was not until 2004 when he began playing Doc Cochran on “Deadwood” that he truly left a lasting impression on television. In more recent years, he has lent his voice to the demonic doll in the “Chucky” series which premiered in 2021.
Bruce Campbell
Following the “Evil Dead” movie series, Bruce Campbell proved to be an ideal choice for a television show such as “The X-Files” during its sixth season. In the distorted “Terms of Endearment” episode from 1999, he portrayed Wayne Weinsider. Later, Campbell starred in seven seasons on USA within the cast of “Burn Notice”, and, predictably, returned to his character Ash for all three seasons of the television series “Ash vs Evil Dead”.
Willie Garson
Willie Garson, who recently passed away, appeared in two distinct roles on the series “The X-Files”: Quinton “Roach” Freely in the third season’s episode “The Walk” (1995) and Henry Weems in the seventh season’s episode “The Goldberg Variation” (1999). However, he is perhaps best known for portraying Stanford Blatch throughout all six seasons of “Sex and the City,” which began in 1998. Additionally, Garson starred in every season of USA’s “White Collar” following its debut in 2009.
Giovanni Ribisi
Prior to appearing on “Friends” as Frank Buffay Jr., Giovanni Ribisi wasn’t yet a household name, but he had already made an appearance on “The X-Files” in 1995, which was before his breakthrough roles. Later, he worked alongside Seth Green on Fox’s “Dads” from 2013 to 2014 and starred in all three seasons of Amazon’s “Sneaky Pete” from 2015 to 2019.
Mark Sheppard
Mark Sheppard had a limited number of acting roles under his belt when he made his debut as Cecil L’Ively in the first season episode “Fire” in 1993. Following this, he secured recurring parts in series such as Soldier of Fortune, Inc., 24, and Battlestar Galactica. However, it’s his portrayal of the popular demon Crowley on Supernatural that has earned him most recognition, with him being part of eight out of the fifteen seasons of the show.
Danny Trejo
In Season 8, Danny Trejo joined “The X-Files” to portray Cesar Ocampo during the show’s period after Mulder. After his stint on “The X-Files”, he added more acting roles in films, before appearing on “The Young and the Restless” in 2008. Most notably, Trejo joined “Sons of Anarchy” as Romeo Parada starting from 2011. Additionally, he’s a busy voice actor, lending his talents to shows such as “King of the Hill”, “The Adventures of Puss in Boots”, and “Big City Greens”.
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2024-08-29 21:38