Famous Television Actors a to z

Charlie Day is an American actor best known for his role as Charlie Kelly on the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Portia de Rossi, wife of Ellen DeGeneres, played the cold and calculating Nelle Porter in Ally McBeal and Jason Bateman's twin sister in Arrested Development.

American actor & high school dropout Patrick Dempsey is best known for his role as Dr. Derek Shepherd on the hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Bob Denver played the title role on the goofy 1960s TV sitcom Gilligan's Island.

Dustin Diamond is a former child actor known for his role as Screech on Saved by the Bell. He later appeared in a sex video and on reality TV.

Actor and comedian Andy Dick has appeared in such shows as News Radio, Less Than Perfect and Dancing with the Stars.

Snoop Dogg is a West Coast rapper who evolved under the tutelage of Dr. Dre, and has received fame for albums such as Doggystyle, Tha Doggfather and Reincarnation.

Actor James Doohan will forever be remembered as the Scottish chief engineer Scotty in the popular science fiction television and film series Star Trek.

Paul Dooley drew comic strips for his local newspaper before he turned to the big screen, taking roles in films such as Sixteen Candles and Breaking Away.

Actor Kirk Douglas brought his formidable chin and talent to movies like Spartacus and The Bad and the Beautiful. You may also know him as the father of Michael Douglas.

TV and rap star Drake is best known in Canada for playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and for hit songs like "Best I Ever Had" and "Take Care."

Actor David Duchovny has played FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series The X-Files and Hank Moody in HBO’s Californication. He married Téa Leoni in 1997.

Patrick Duffy is best known for his portrayal of Bobby Ewing on the long-running television series Dallas. He also starred in the 1976 TV show Man from Atlantis and the 1990s sitcom Step by Step, among other roles.

Dancer and actor Buddy Ebsen performed on Broadway and films, but he’s best known for his role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, which ran for nine seasons.

British-born Christopher Eccleston is best known as the ninth actor to play the lead role in the popular U.K. science-fiction television program Doctor Who.

Throughout his career, American actor Sam Elliott has played gun-slinging cowboys on TV and in films, including The Quick and the Dead and Tombstone.

Nelsan Ellis achieved breakout success when he took the part of Lafayette on the hit HBO vampire series True Blood.

American actor Peter Falk is best known for his role as the television detective Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo.

Actor Laurence Fishburne has appeared in Boyz N The Hood, What's Love Got to Do With It? (for which he received an Academy Award nomination) and The Matrix.

Dann Florek is an actor who once had a lead role on Law & Order and later on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Dave Foley was a founding member of the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall and was one of the leads on the TV sitcom NewsRadio.

Henry Fonda was an award-winning American actor best known for him film roles in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and On Golden Pond (1981).

Actor Glenn Ford rose to fame after serving in World War II, thanks to several film roles in the '30s and beyond.

John Forsythe was a theater, film and TV actor. He won Golden Globes for playing Blake Carrington in Aaron Spelling’s long-running prime-time drama Dynasty.

Actor Michael J. Fox first achieved stardom as Alex P. Keaton on the popular sitcom Family Ties and went on to have great success with other film and TV roles.

Film and television actor James Franco starred in the NBC series Freaks and Geeks and won a Golden Globe for his role in 2001's TNT cable biopic James Dean.

Al Franken is the junior senator of Minnesota who first gained notice as a comedian and political satirist during his long tenure on Saturday Night Live.

Martin Freeman is known for his role on the British television series The Office, and for his performance in 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Respected actor Morgan Freeman has appeared in such films as Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and Batman Begins.

Irish actor Michael Gambon is best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in five of the seven J.K. Rowling Harry Potter films. Prior to his role as Dumbledore, Gambon was known as one of the leading thespians of his generation.

James Gandolfini is an American actor best known for his role as a mobster in the hit 1999 HBO television series The Sopranos.

James Garner is an actor known for his lead role in the TV show Maverick and for films such as Murphy’s Romance and Decoration Day.

Willie Garson is a TV and film actor who hit it big starring opposite Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City

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American actor and businessman John Gavin starred in such classic films as Psycho and Midnight Lace, and was also U.S ambassador to Mexico under Ronald Reagan.

Ricky Gervais is a British comedian best known for co-writing and co-directing the television series The Office.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in the TV comedy 3rd Rock From the Sun, and several acclaimed films, including (500) Days of Summer, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises.

Actor, director, writer and producer Kelsey Grammer is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane in the sitcom Cheers and its spin-off Frasier.

Fred Grandy played Gopher on the 1970s television show The Love Boat. He was also an Iowa congressman and the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries.

Hugh Grant is a Golden Globe Award-winning British actor who starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral and the film adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary.

Actor, playwright and screenwriter Spalding Gray wrote and performed his own roles in Monster in a Box and Gray’s Anatomy; both became feature films.

Actor Seth Green gained notoriety as Scott Evil in Austin Powers, and also as Oz on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also played Jimmy Bender on Greg the Bunny.

Comedian Kathy Griffin relishes in dishing celeb dirt. She poked plenty of fun at her own life too on her reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.

Merv Griffin was an American television host, singer and business magnate. He created the game shows Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Click.

Rupert Grint is a British actor best known for his role as Harry Potter's best friend Ronald "Ron" Weasley in the film series based on J.K. Rowling's bestselling books.

Charles Grodin is an actor, comedian and talk show host known for his roles in The Heartbreak Kid and Beethoven.

Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor best known for playing Horatio Hornblower in the Emmy Award-winning A&E miniseries.

Matthew Gray Gubler is best known for his portrayal of an FBI agent on the hit show Criminal Minds.

Alec Guinness is an Oscar-winning British actor known for his roles in films like Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago and Star Wars.

Larry Hagman starred opposite Barbara Eden on the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie and played J.R. Ewing on the primetime drama Dallas.

American actor Jackie Earle Haley played a rebellious Little Leaguer in the The Bad New Bears movies of the 1970s, and has since starred in films like A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) and Lincoln (2012).

Arsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian and was the first black late-night talk show host, on his groundbreaking The Arsenio Hall Show.

Actor Harry Hamlin starred in the television series L.A. Law as lawyer Michael Kuzak for five seasons and was voted People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1987.

In 2007, actor Jon Hamm took on his most famous character to date, playing philandering ad executive Don Draper in the American Movie Classics show Mad Men.

Scottish actor John Hannah played a supporting role opposite Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral and was also in Sliding Doors.

TV star Mark Harmon has been on long-running shows like St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope and NCIS.

Woody Harrelson is an actor know for his long-running role on TV's Cheers and his many film roles since.

Canadian-born American actor Phil Hartman is best known for his performances on Saturday Night Live.

With a string of big-budget titles to his credit, actor Josh Hartnett has emerged from the crowd of 1990s teen heartthrobs to become a sought after leading man.

Comedian Steve Harvey is a radio and TV show host who has also written relationship advice books.

David Hasselhoff is a TV actor who hit it big with two wildly successful shows: Knight Rider and Baywatch.

Veteran character actor John Hawkes has appeared on TV in Deadwood and such films as Winter's Bone and The Sessions.

Actor Sherman Hemsley played the popular television character George Jefferson in All in the Family and The Jeffersons in the 1970s and 1980s.

Australian import Chris Hemsworth is known for portraying Marvel comic book hero Thor in the film series of the same name, and for his role in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Steven Hill is a Jewish-American actor known for his roles in Mission Impossible and on Law & Order.

On the big screen, actor Ciaran Hinds is best known for his work in period dramas. He made his debut as one of the medieval knights in 1981’s Excalibur.

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has gained recognition for his work in a series of successful films including Capote and Doubt.

Bob Hope was a entertainer and comic actor, known for his rapid-fire delivery of jokes and for his success in virtually all entertainment media.

Actor/director Dennis Hopper came to fame with 1969's Easy Rider. Later films like Blue Velvet and River's Edge cemented his legend.

Ron Howard is best known for his roles on the shows Happy Days and The Andy Griffith Show, and as the director for films, including A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13.

D.L. Hughley is an actor and comedian known for his sitcom, The Hughleys, and his appearance in The Original Kings of Comedy.

Josh Hutcherson is an American actor best known for his role in The Hunger Games. He’s worked with luminaries such as Robin Williams, Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.

Actor Timothy Hutton won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Ordinary People. His notable films include Beautiful Girls and Playing God.