The Office: Before they were stars

Steve Carell

Steve Carell made his onscreen debut in 1991. The actor, who went on to join The Office as Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott, earned his first credit for Curly Sue, playing a waiter named Tesio (pictured here).

Rainn Wilson

Years before he became everyone's favorite salesman, Dwight Schrute, on The Office, Rainn Wilson was picking up one of his first acting credits on the big screen. The actor joined Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest, playing Lahnk (pictured here).

Jenna Fischer

Jenna Fischer joined The Office as the charming receptionist Pam Beesly, a gig she took on years after she filled her résumé with her first roles. Fischer's early parts included turns in The Specials and Melvin Goes to Dinner, and episodes of What I Like About You and Undeclared (pictured here).

Ed Helms

Ed Helms rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show, first appearing on the comedy program in 2002. A few years later, he joined The Office in its third season, playing regional director Andy Bernard.

Leslie David Baker

Leslie David Baker made his onscreen debut in the late '90s and earned early credits in episodes of Maggie, Judging Amy, and That '70s Show (pictured here). A few years later, Baker joined the cast of The Office as sales rep Stanley Hudson.

Angela Kinsey

Pictured here in 2002, Angela Kinsey built up her acting career in the late '90s and early '00s. The actress, who played The Office's Angela Martin, popped up in episodes of Step by Step, Run of the House, and All of Us, and lent her voice to a few episodes of King of the Hill.

Phyllis Smith

Phyllis Smith earned her first acting credits in the mid-2000s, including her turn as sales rep Phyllis Lapin on The Office. She also landed gigs in an episode of Arrested Development (pictured here) and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Kate Flannery

Kate Flannery found her spot in The Office as Dunder Mifflin employee Meredith Palmer. Pictured here as part of a comedy festival in 2003, Flannery made her first onscreen appearances in Trick and episodes of Spyder Games and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Creed Bratton

Fans first met Creed Bratton in the 1960s, when the future star was a part of the rock band, The Grass Roots. Bratton then pivoted to acting in the '70s, eventually joining The Office cast as the quality assurance director…also named Creed Bratton.

Oscar Nuñez

Oscar Nuñez, who played The Office's Oscar Martinez, landed his first onscreen acting credit in 2000. He appeared as an unnamed "male parking attendant" in the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm (pictured here).

B.J. Novak

Pictured here in 2003, B.J. Novak's first scripted TV series acting credit came thanks to The Office. The actor, who starred in the comedy as Ryan Howard, picked up early work as a comedian and on Punk'd. He also earned writing and producing credits for The Office.

Mindy Kaling

Before Mindy Kaling was The Mindy Project's Mindy Lahiri, she was The Office's Kelly Kapoor. Pictured here in a 2003 production of her play Matt & Ben, Kaling's early work included turns in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Craig Robinson

After popping up in film shorts and TV movies, Craig Robinson landed a gig as Buddy LeGendre on Lucky in 2003 (pictured here). A few years later, he joined The Office as Dunder Mifflin employee Darryl Philbin.